Blackwell Texas. (original) (raw)

The feed store in Blackwell
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2006

History in a Pecan Shell

Originally called James or Jamestown, Texas in 1906, it was renamed late that year to curry favor with the railroad. Blackwell was a railroad stockholder. A post office was granted the following year and the town became a tri-county shipping point and supply center.

In 1903 the Blackwell Methodist Church was organized, followed by a Baptist church in 1909 and a Church of Christ in 1928. The town still had a population of 500 at the end of WWII. It reached 286 for the 1980 Census and 339 ten years later. Blackwell's first school began classes in 1907 and a rural "Consolidated High School" was established in 1929.

In 1945 the town reported a population of 500 and thirteen businesses. In 1980 its population was 286 and in 1990, 339. In 2000 the population was 360.

"A baptism ceremony at Hannah's Crossing near Blackwell, TX in Nolan County. We found the picture in my husband's parent's (Rufus Benjamin & Myrtle Lucille Noble) pictures, there is not a date on the picture. I so wish it had been given the care it deserved. Rufus Benjamin (Ben) was born & raised in Blackwell. In 1973, he & Lucille returned to Blackwell with their youngest son. They lived there until 1993." - Iva Noble, May 16, 2007
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