Lilac, Texas, Milam County town. (original) (raw)

Lilac School, 1901
"The boy with the arrow overhead is Henry Baker" - James
See Texas Schoolhouses

There is a historic marker at the above intersection across the street from the Graves Cemetery.

In the spring the cemetery blooms with the flowers of hundreds of irises.

The highest reported population at Lilac was 100 people in 1884. It lost its post office in 1905 and the population fell to 40 by the end of the 1930s.

Today it is what is known as a "dispersed rural community."

Historical Marker

Lilac

Primarily a farming and stockraising settlement, Lilac was originally known as Oak Point. Dr. John H. Graves, a dentist and planter, brought his family to Milam County in 1858. The community which developed around his farm was named Lilac in 1883 when a U. S. post office was established. The Graves family continued to reside in the area for generations, donating land for a school, Baptist church, and Methodist encampment. (See Forum below) At its height Lilac included two stores, a cotton gin, blacksmith shop, and homes. It declined after a 1921 flood and the Great Depression.
(1990)

Lilac, Texas Forum

Subject: Lilac, Texas
The old church ground, old school ground, and the cemetery land was donated by the Richmon family, not the Graves as proclaimed on the historical marker at the corner of FM 487 and FM 3061. The Wilson family has held the title to all of these properties for over 100 years before giving them to the Graves. - Sincerely, Fred Wilson, January 13, 2008

Texas Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact us.