Located a few miles west of De Leon on the Gorman Highway (Texas 6)  the community was named for Calvin Rucker who opened a gin there in 1890.  He also operated a gin and the ice plant in De Leon. 

   The community quickly began to grow eventually having four dry good stores, a blacksmith, barber shop, drug store, depot and doctor’s office. 

     The Woodmen of the World lodge met on the second floor of Bob Gilmore’s Dry Good store.  A Mr. Miller managed the store as Gilmore operated a drug store in De Leon.  Miller also was the blacksmith.

      Jay Allgood ran a grocery and dry good. Bob Lewis and Art Warren also ran dry good stores.

Dr.  Sterling Price who was the father of R.D. Price (Price Florist in De Leon) served the medical needs of the community.  

     The school was on land donated by Pat Johnson and was usually called Johnson School although it was also known as Liberty and Rucker.

  Rucker is the location of Womack’s Nursery.

On April 4, 1928, a tornado swept through the area about a 1 1/4 miles south of the store.  The twister, which hit just before 9:00 p.m. destroyed the home of Milton Grisham.  He suffered a back injury while his wife suffered bruises.  It slid another home off its foundation and ripped off the upper portion of another home.

More detailed community information can be found in Pachwork of Memories pg. 56.

The Rucker Store and Fina Station originally opened in 1930 as the Lightfoot Filling Station.  Photo taken by Xandra Morgan Carter 1981.

The Texas Central parked at Rucker ca. 1983