Brandon, Texas facts for kids

Brandon is a small community in Hill County, Central Texas, United States. It is not officially a city, but it is a place where people live. You can find Brandon where State Highway 22 and FM 1243 meet. It's about ten miles east of a town called Hillsboro.

History of Brandon

How Brandon Started

Brandon began as a small settlement. In 2010, about eighty people lived there. The community once had its own school. That school was where the community center is now, but it burned down a long time ago. The building used today as the community center was also a school at first. However, fewer people lived in Brandon, so the school closed. Students from Brandon have gone to school in Bynum since the 1970s. Even though Brandon is not an official city, it has a post office with the ZIP code 76628.

Changing Names

Brandon was first part of Navarro County. In 1852, a post office opened nearby. It was called White Rock. A year later, Hill County was formed, and the community became part of it. After the Civil War, the post office name changed to Jackson. This was because there were other places named White Rock.

The First Grist Mill

In 1868, a dentist named Dr. J.R. Harrington founded the town. He built one of the first grist mills in Hill County. A grist mill grinds corn into cornmeal. Cornmeal was a very important food for early settlers. Dr. Harrington built a dam on White Rock Creek. This dam provided water power for the mill. A grist mill was a key need for any early community. Towns grew well where people could make bread. A good water supply and a grist mill were vital for a successful town. In 1873, Dr. Harrington named the town Brandon. He also became the community's postmaster.

The Railroad Arrives

Brandon grew because it was on the road from Hillsboro to Corsicana. In 1888, the railroad came to the area. However, it missed the town by about a mile. The community decided to move closer to the railroad. A local resident, Robert Andrew Ferguson, gave land for the new town location. People wanted to rename the town "Ferguson" to honor him. But Mr. Ferguson said no, so the town stayed named Brandon.

Growth and Changes

The new town with the old name had 75 residents in 1890. It became an official town in 1892. A new school was also built. By 1914, Brandon's population grew to 450 people. But during the Great Depression, the population dropped to 260. The grist mill stopped being used before 1918. In 1936, the railroad moved again. Many businesses then left or closed. By 1967, only the stone foundations of the grist mill remained. By 1980, the number of residents was back to 80. It stayed around 80 people through 2010.

A cemetery still exists in the original part of Brandon. A Texas Historical Marker from 1967 tells about the Old Brandon Grist Mill. It says the mill served the area for almost 50 years.

Later Years

In the mid-1900s, there was a cotton gin in Brandon. It gave jobs to many people. That building closed in the 1990s and is no longer there. Brandon once had a mayor. The last mayor's house is still standing, but it is very old and worn out. An old gas station, also worn out, can be seen on the north side of FM 1243. It closed in the 1990s. A Methodist church stood in the community until the 1990s.

Images for kids

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  Brandon Community Center

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  Brandon Baptist Church