1880s

Page last updated:

Nov. 19, 2006

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    On July 7, 1881 a train bearing officials of the Texas Central Railway and the Houston and Texas Central Railway pulled into what was called the Coonerville Station to action off town lots for the new town of De Leon.  Only three days earlier, President James Garfield had been shot and he continued to linger near death.  The Texas Central had already extended its lines to a point well past the new city of Cisco and had sold lots in that community on May 17.

    Robert Morris Elgin (pronounced as in begin) auctioned off nine lots, the first being sold to W.A. Waldrup.  Waldrup eventually constructed the first building, a general mercantile and followed that with the Star Hotel located immediately south of the present day depot.

Robert Morris Elgin

   For years, tradition has been that the sale of lots in De Leon took place on a flatcar of the train.  Above is Charles Chupp’s rendition of that sale on July 7, 1881.

    Recently however, new information has been located that indicates that a platform was constructed for the sale just south of the present depot.  We’ll keep checking.

Cyrus Campbell and his family arrived in De Leon soon after its founding.  He made the leg irons used on Santa Anna and was the first person buried in the present De Leon Cemetery.

Built as the home of James I. Campbell, the house ultimately became the second Star Hotel.

The De Leon Saloon was one  several in the 1880s. 

J.E. Stevens opened a hardware store directly across from today’s Weaver Drug.

   Mrs. Richard Kee opened the Wayside Inn sometime in the mid 1880s.

W.C. Streeety, one of De Leon’s pioneer merchants arrived in 1883.

     Both the First Methodist Church and the First Baptist Church moved into the new town and held services at the school building. 

The murder of Sallie Stephens near Downing resulted in the expulsion of the black citizens of Comanche County in 1886.  Left: Ben Stephens with his second wife.

   For sometime after the town’s founding a box car was used as the depot.  The first permanent depot is shown above.  It burned in 1918.

THE 1880’S