Old Glory, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Old Glory, Texas
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 Old Glory, Texas
Location in Texas
Old Glory, Texas
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Stonewall |
| Elevation | 1,673 ft (510 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes |
79540
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| GNIS feature ID | 1364423 |
Old Glory is a small community in Stonewall County, Texas, United States. It's called an "unincorporated community" because it doesn't have its own city government. About 100 people live in Old Glory.
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Where is Old Glory?
Old Glory is located in the eastern part of Stonewall County, Texas. It sits just south of where U.S. Highway 380 and FM 1835 meet. The community is also between two parts of the Brazos River, called the Double Mountain Fork and the Salt Fork.
This community is about nine miles east of a town called Aspermont. It's also about sixty-two miles northwest of a larger city, Abilene.
A Look at Old Glory's History
The area around Old Glory started to develop in the late 1880s. At that time, there were mostly just a few ranches and scattered farms. Around 1900, several German families moved here from southeastern Texas. They settled near the Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos River.
How Brandenburg Became Old Glory
In 1903, a person named G.R. Spielhagen planned a town site about two miles from where Old Glory is today. He named it Brandenburg. However, only a school and a general store were built there.
Later, in 1909, a railway company decided to build a railroad nearby. A different company, the Swenson Land and Cattle Company, set up a new town site. This new place was about two miles northwest of the original Brandenburg settlement. People started calling this new town New Brandenburg, or just Brandenburg. The first Brandenburg soon faded away.
The new Brandenburg grew, getting a store, a cotton gin, a post office, and a small school.
A Name Change for Patriotism
When World War I started, people in the United States, including Texas, felt strongly against Germany. Because of this, the residents of New Brandenburg wanted to show how proud they were to be Americans. They asked the U.S. Postal Service to change their community's name from New Brandenburg to Old Glory. This new name showed their love for their adopted country. The name change became official on August 9, 1918.
Population Changes Over Time
By 1929, Old Glory had about 275 people. In 1930, a new school building was built after five local schools joined together. By the late 1930s, nearly 300 students attended this school.
The Great Depression caused the population to drop for a short time. But by the late 1940s, it went back up to around 250 people. However, a severe drought in the 1950s made many people leave to find work.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, oil was discovered in Stonewall County. This brought a short period of economic growth to Old Glory. In 1965, about 250 people lived there. But by the 1970s, the population fell to 125 and stayed around that number through the 1990s. Today, about 100 people live in Old Glory.
Even though Old Glory is an unincorporated community, it still has its own post office. Its ZIP code is 79540.
Schools in Old Glory
The public schools for children in Old Glory are part of the Aspermont Independent School District. The schools for this district are located in the nearby town of Aspermont.
Old Glory used to have its own school district, called the Old Glory Independent School District. But over time, fewer and fewer students enrolled. Because of this, the district and its schools closed down. On July 1, 1985, the areas that Old Glory ISD once served became part of the Aspermont Independent School District.
