ALLEN BEND, TEXAS
AUBURN BRANCH, TEXAS
BLACK STUMP VALLEY, TEXAS
BODINE, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Hunton; Lakeside Village; SEE: LAKESIDE VILLAGE
BOGGY, TEXAS
BOSQUE, TEXAS
BRAZOS POINT, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Day
Brazos Point is on Farm Road 56 eleven miles northeast of Walnut Springs and fifty miles northwest of Waco in northeastern Bosque County. It was founded by Charles Walker Smith and Tom Willingham..
CAMP BRANCH, TEXAS—(Erath County)
Camp Branch rises several miles east of Duffau in southeastern Erath County and runs seven miles south to its
mouth on Duffau Creek, in extreme northwestern Bosque…
CARBODY, TEXAS
CAVE, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Cave Springs; Dell
Cave Springs was near the intersection of State Highway 43 and Farm Road 2625 some nine miles southwest
of Marshall near the site of what is now Darco in southwestern Harrison County
CAVE CREEK, TEXAS—(Coryell County)
Cave Creek rises seven miles north of Gatesville in northern Coryell County (at 31°34′ N, 97°43′ W) and
runs northeast for nine miles to its mouth on Middle Bosque Creek, a mile west of the Bosque…
CAVE SPRINGS, TEXAS–Variant name(s):Cave; Dell
CAYOTE, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Evans Cross Roads
Cayote is on Farm Road 56 by Childress Creek seven miles north of Valley Mills and twenty-three miles
northwest of Waco in southeastern Bosque County. The community was founded in 1866-67 when John Cox built…
CEDAR BLUFF, TEXAS
CEDAR SHORES, TEXAS
CENTER POINT, TEXAS
CHASE, TEXAS
CLIFF TOWN, TEXAS–—Variant name(s): Clifton; SEE: CLIFTON
CLIFSTONE, TEXAS
CLIFTON, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Cliff Town
The only town in Bosque County that has a traffic light!
Clifton is at the junction of State Highway 6 and Farm Road 219, thirty-five miles northwest of Waco in
southern Bosque County. It was founded in the winter of…
COLONY–—Variant name(s): Rock Springs (see Rock Sprongs, below)
COON CREEK, TEXAS–
Coon Creek rises three miles southeast of Womack in eastern Bosque…
COON CREEK, TEXAS-
Coon Creek is on Farm Road 56 two miles south of Lake Whitney in southeastern Bosque County.
It is named for Coon Creek which runs…
COOPER, TEXAS
COVE SPRINGS, TEXAS
CRANFILLS GAP, TEXAS
Cranfills Gap is at the intersection of State Highway 22 and Farm Road 219, forty-two miles northwest of Waco
and fourteen miles southwest of Meridian in western Bosque County. The town is near a gap in a mountain on
the border between Bosque and Hamilton counties. It is named for George Eaton Cranfill, who had…
CROSSROAD STORE, TEXAS
CYRUS, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Roswell; Smiths Bend; SEE: SMITH BEND
DALE, TEXAS
DAY, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Brazos Point;SEE: BRAZOS POINT
DELHI, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Eulogy; Smithville; SEE: EULOGY
DELL, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Cave; Cave Springs
DYERSVILLE, TEXAS
EULOGY, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Delhi; Smithville
Eulogy is near Farm Road 56 some nine miles northeast of Walnut Springs and fifty miles northwest of
Waco in northern Bosque County. Charles Walker Smith founded the settlement when he moved
his store there from Brazos Point…
EVANS CROSS ROADS, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Cayote; SEE: CAYOTE
FAIRVIEW, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Merrivale
Fairview is near the Lake Whitney Dam 9½ miles northeast of Valley Mills and twenty-three
miles northwest of Waco in southeastern Bosque…
FLAG BRANCH, TEXAS–(Erath County)
Flag Branch rises five miles southeast of Duffau in extreme southeastern Erath County
(at 32°06′ N, 97°57′ W) and runs southeast for eight miles to its mouth on the
East Bosque River, east of Big Lake in northeastern Bosque…
FLAG POND, TEXAS–Variant name(s): Rural Grove, Footout
FOOTOUT, TEXAS–Variant name(s): Rural Grove, Flag Pond
FOWLER, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Steiner
Steiner, formerly called Fowler, was on the banks of Steele Creek near its confluence with the Brazos
River in eastern Bosque County. James Lane purchased land near the site of future Fowler…
FREELAND–
During the mid 1800s there was a town named Freeland which was a part of Bosque County at the time.
The area was and is still known as Brazos Point. It didn’t become a part of Johnson County until 1874. There
was a church formed that began meeting in the then, one room school house. A charter was drafted and the c
hurch was formalized “on the second Lord’s Day in November 1860” in Freeland, Bosque County, Texas.
At that time it was called the “Mars Hill Baptist Church of Christ” and the baptismals were held in the Brazos
River. Later a church was built closer to “Camp Creek” and the baptismals were held there. This terrain has a
beautifully clear running creek, with a white rock bottom. The water still runs clear today.
After the church was built a new name was adopted and is still in use. It became the “New Hope Baptist Church”.
The church was moved sometime in the early 1900s because of creek erosion. Today it still stands in the same
location where it was moved to then. It is still an active church.
Donated by: Donna (deceased)
GARY CREEK, TEXAS–
Gary Creek rises halfway between Rogstad and Ilseng mountains and three miles east of Cranfills
Gap in western Bosque County (at 31°46′ N, 97°46′ W) and runs southeast for eleven miles to its mouth on
Neils Creek, southwest of Clifton (at 31°43′ N, 97°37′ W). The stream, which is intermittent in its upper
reaches, is probably named for William Gary, an early settler who apparently chose a headright near the
stream while he was a member of one of George B. Erath’s…
GREENOCK, TEXAS–
Greenock, near Farm Road 2490 about ten miles northeast of Valley Mills and twenty-three miles
northwest of Waco in southeastern Bosque…
GRIFFINSVILLE, TEXAS
HARMONY, TEXAS
HASSIE, TEXAS
Now Comanche Co., TX
HELP, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Spring Creek, Vashtie
HILL CREEK, TEXAS–
Hill Creek is formed by the confluence of the North and South forks of Hill Creek four miles southwest
of Eulogy in northern Bosque…
HOG CREEK, TEXAS (Hamilton County)
Hog Creek rises six miles east of Jonesboro in extreme southeastern Hamilton County (at 31°38′ N, 97°49′ W)
and runs forty-three miles southeast, passing through Coryell and Bosque counties, to its mouth on Lake
Waco, in central McLennan…
HOWARDSVILLE, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Live Oak, Mosheim
HUNTON, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Bodine, Lakeside Village
HURST SPRINGS, TEXAS—
Hurst Springs (Hurst), on Farm Road 182 five miles northeast of Turnersville in northern Coryell County,
was named for John H. Hurst, who established the community in the 1870s near a small spring…
INDIAN LODGE, TEXAS
IREDELL, TEXAS
Iredell is at the junction of Farm roads 927, 216, and 1238 and State Highway 6, forty-six miles northwest of
Waco in northwestern Bosque County. It began in the late 1850s, when Ward Keeler and Ranse Walker settled
in the vicinity and named the community after Keeler’s son Ire…
KENT, TEXAS
Vanished community: Was located on the Brazos River at Kimball’s Bend, 1.5 miles below Kimball community,
and near Lake Whitney in the northeastern corner of present Bosque County. The community began as a colony
when the area of Bosque County was still part of Milam and McLennan counties. In 1850 English Universal Immigration…
KIMBALL, TEXAS–
Kimball was near State Highway 174 twenty miles northeast of Meridian and forty-six miles north of Waco in
northeastern Bosque County. The Colony of Kent…
KIMBALL BEND, TEXAS
KING CREEK, TEXAS–
King Creek rises three miles southwest of Cedar Shores Estates in eastern Bosque County (at 31°54′ N, 97°30′ W)
and runs east for 6 miles to its mouth on Lake Whitney…
KINGSVILLE, TEXAS
KOPPERL, TEXAS–
Kopperl, near Farm Road 56 fourteen miles northeast of Meridian and forty miles northwest of Waco in
northeastern Bosque County, was founded in 1881 and named in honor of Moritz Kopperl…
LAGUNA PARK, TEXAS–
Laguna Park is on State Highway 22 twenty-seven miles northwest of Waco in southeastern Bosque County.
It originated when Whitney Dam was completed…
LAKESIDE VILLAGE, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Bodine, Hunton
Lakeside Village is on Lake Whitney at the junction of Farm roads 927 and 56, fifteen miles northeast of
Meridian and fifty miles south of Fort Worth in northeastern Bosque…
LAKEWOOD HARBOR, TEXAS
LANES CHAPEL, TEXAS–
Lanes (Lane’s) Chapel is on Farm Road 2602 seven miles northwest of Valley Mills
and twenty-three miles northwest of Waco in southwestern Bosque County. The first known settler was John R. Cox…
LIVE OAK, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Howardsville, Mosheim
LIVE OAK CREEK, TEXAS–(Coryell County)
Live Oak Creek rises three miles east of Turnersville in northeastern Coryell County (at 31°38’N, 97°41′ W)
and runs east for 10½ miles to its mouth on Hog Creek…
LIVE OAK GROVE, TEXAS
LODER/LOADER SPRINGS, TEXAS–
LONE OAK, TEXAS–
MERIDIAN, TEXAS—Sometimes called Meridian Mills
Meridian, the county seat of Bosque County, is on the North Bosque River, the Santa Fe rail line, and State
highways 6, 22, 144, and 174, forty-seven miles northwest of Waco near the center of the county. The community
originated in 1854, when the legislature established Bosque County and appointed six commissioners to choose a
centrally located site for the county seat. When a proposed donation of 100 acres from Dr. Josephus M.
Steinerqv and twenty acres from Andrew Montgomery met the location requirement, the commission accepted the
land and hired George B. Erathqv to survey a townsite. The origin of the community’s name is somewhat obscure.
Commissioner Jasper N. Mabray proposed the name, which according to legend recognized both Meridian Creek
and Meridian Knobs, previously named by Erath for their proximity to the ninety-eighth meridian. The
ninety-eighth meridian, however, passes through only a tiny portion of the northwestern corner of Bosque County;
nonetheless, the most likely explanation is that the commissioners believed their town lay near a meridian.
Growth proceeded slowly after the town-lot sale of July 4, 1854. By fall William McCurry had built a one-room log
courthouse; a series of buildings replaced it over the years. A tavern opened before the end of 1854. Postmaster
Joseph W. Smith established the first county post office in Meridian in 1856. A general variety store opened at
the community in 1861. All the pre-Civil War businesses appear to have been housed in log structures. The
Bosque Beacon, the town’s first newspaper, was published from 1866 to 1868, and the town has been served
almost constantly by newspapers ever since. Meridian appears to have boomed during the 1880s…
MERIDIAN CREEK, TEXAS–
Meridian Creek rises one mile northeast of Fairy in the eastern part of Hamilton County (at 31°51′ N, 97°58′ W).
Intermittent in its upper reaches, it runs southeast for twenty-five miles to its mouth on the North Bosque River,
two miles north of Clifton in south central Bosque…
George B. ERATH, in the early surveying of this area of Texas, gave the name Meridian Creek to a small
tributary of the Bosque River because its source, in present Hamilton County, was near the 98th meridian of
longtitude. Later the name was applied to the Meridian Knobs, the Meridian Mountains, Meridian Peak &
eventually to the county seat, Meridian. All this in spite of the fact that the 98th meridian only touches at the
Bosque County line near Hico, TX.
MERRIVALE, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Fairview
MIDWAY, TEXAS–
MORGAN, TEXAS—
Morgan, formerly called Steele’s Creek or Steel Creek because of its proximity to the stream of that name,
is at the junction of State Highway 174 and Farm Road 927, seven miles northeast of Meridian and forty miles
northwest of Waco in northern Bosque County. Though the first recorded community activity in the vicinity
occurred in 1876, when Louis Cole gathered a few of his rural neighbors under a live oak tree…
MORNACK, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Womack
MOSHEIM, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Howardsville, Live Oak
Mosheim, formerly Live Oak, is at the junction of Farm roads 217 and 215, 7½ miles west of Valley Mills
and twenty-three miles northwest of Waco in southwestern Bosque
County. The first settler in the area was probably Jonathan Dansby, who arrived…
MT. VIEW, TEXAS
MT. ZION, TEXAS
MUSTANG, TEXAS–(Somervell County)
Mustang Creek rises two miles north of Arena Lake in southwestern Somervell County just north of the
county line (at 32°08′ N, 97°50′ W) and runs southeast to enter Mustang Lake three miles northwest of
Walnut Springs in north central Bosque…
NEGRO HILL, TEXAS—(now McLennan County)—Variant name(s): Pleasant Hill
NEILS CREEK, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Searsville
Neils Creek rises in southwestern Bosque County four miles southeast of Cranfills Gap where the North and
Middle forks of Neils Creek converge (at 31°43′ N, 97°47′ W) and runs east for 24½ miles to its mouth on the
North Bosque River, four miles northwest of Valley Mills (at 31°42′ N, 97°32′ W). In addition to the two converging forks…
NORMAN HILL, TEXAS
Norman Hill is a peak six miles southwest of Clifton in southwestern Bosque…
NORSE, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Norse Grove, Norway
Norse is on Farm Road 182 forty miles west of Waco in southwestern Bosque County. Norwegians had
arrived in East Texas by 1845, but in 1853 the malaria then prevalent in Henderson and Kaufman counties forced
them to search for new homesites. Two differing stories explain how they chose southwestern Bosque County…
NORSE GROVE, TEXAS–—Variant name(s): Norse, Norway
NORWAY, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Norse, Norse Grove
NORWAY HILLS, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Norway Mills
NORWAY MILLS, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Norway Hills
PENDELL, TEXAS–
Pendell was near the eastern bank of the Bosque River five miles northwest of Valley Mills and twenty-three miles
northwest of Waco in southern Bosque…
PIKESVILLE, TEXAS–
Pikesville was located in northwestern Bosque County eight miles northwest of Meridian and forty miles
northwest of Waco, near State Highway 6. The community was named after Capt. John Pike, who settled
in the vicinity with his…
PILOT KNOB, TEXAS
Pilot Knob (at 31°56′ N, 97°36′ W) is a hill 2½ miles east of Meridian in central Bosque County. Its summit
is 991 feet above sea level…
PLEASANT HILL, TEXAS—(now McLennan County)—Variant name(s): Negro Hill
Pleasant Hill, which was located eight miles northeast of Waco in McLennan County on a rise overlooking
the Tehuacana valley, was developed by Capt. James Parrish…
POESVILLE, TEXAS–
Poesville was 11½ miles east of Meridian and forty miles northwest of Waco in eastern Bosque…
POWELLDALE, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Powell, Dale
Powelldale (Powell Dale) was near the Powelldale Mountains 5½ miles east of Morgan in northeastern
Bosque County. The settlement originated when Green Powell purchased land in northeastern Bosque County…
PRAIRIE VALLEY–Hill County; Variant name(s): Valley Springs, Tittle, Calera
Prairie Valley is on Farm Road 2960 a mile south of Lake Whitney and seven miles south of Hillsboro in western Hill County…
ROCK CHURCH ON HOG CREEK
ROCK SPRINGS–—Variant name(s): The Colony
Rock Springs, also known as the Colony, is located on Farm Road 1637 in south central
Bosque County near the McLennan county line. It was founded by James B. Sadler…
ROSWELL, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Cyrus, Smiths Bend; SEE: SMITH BEND
Roswell was near Smith Bend fifteen miles northeast of Valley Mills and twenty-three miles northwest of
Waco in southeastern Bosque County. Gip Smith constructed a…
RURAL, TEXAS
RURAL GROVE, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Footout, Flag Pond
RUSSELLS GAP, TEXAS
SEARSVILLE, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Neill’s Creek
Searsville was named after one of the prominent gentleman who traveled west with the Barton’s and
(apparently) certain of the Looney clan after being displaced from their South Carolina (Picken’s District)
home after the Civil War.
Searsville was near the junction of Farm roads 217 and 854, two miles northwest of Valley Mills and
twenty-three miles northwest of Waco in southern Bosque County. It was named after Josiah LeGrand Sears,
who moved to…
SMITHS BEND, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Cyrus, Roswell
Smith Bend, inside a bend of the Brazos River a few miles below Lake Whitney in southeastern Bosque C
ounty, was settled in 1856 by John Jackson Smith, a wealthy…
SMITHVILLE, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Delhi, Eulogy SEE: EULOGY
SOLOMON’S NOSE–
Actually a massive rock formation located between the present-day towns of Kopperl and Kimball.
SPRING CREEK, TEXAS–Variant name(s): Help, Vashtie, Spring Creek Gap
SPRING CREEK GAP, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Help, Vashtie, Spring Creek
Spring Creek Gap, a break in a line of hills, is located three miles southwest of Iredell in western Bosque County…
STEELE CREEK, TEXAS–
Steele Creek rises 3½ miles northwest of Walnut Springs in northern Bosque…
STEINER, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Fowler
Steiner, formerly called Fowler, was on the banks of Steele Creek near its confluence with the Brazos
River in eastern Bosque County. James Lane purchased land near the site of future Fowler in 1869…
SUN, TEXAS
TAYLOR SPRINGS, TEXAS
UNION HILL, TEXAS–
Between Morgan and Kopperl, Texas; Union Hill, on a hill 4½ miles north of Morgan in Bosque County,
was a community centered around the Union Hill School. The first schoolhouse was a two-room cabin…
VALLEY MILLS, TEXAS—
Valley Mills is on State Highway 6 near the Bosque River eleven miles south of Clifton and twenty-four
miles north of Waco in southwestern Bosque County. It was named for a flour mill established on the banks
of the Bosque River in 1867 by Dr. E. P. Booth and Asbury Stegall…
VASHTIE, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Help, Spring Creek
VAUGHN, TEXAS—(Hill County)Variant name(s): Vaughn’s Store
Vaughn is at the intersection of Farm roads 1947 and 310, half a mile east of Aquilla Lake and
nine miles southwest of Hillsboro…
WALLING BEND, TEXAS—
Walling Bend was at the junction of King Creek and the Brazos River in Bosque County. Walling Bend
was named after the families of John and Jesse Walling…
WALNUT, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Walnut Springs
WALNUT SPRINGS, TEXAS—-Variant name(s): Walnut
Walnut Springs is at the junction of State Highway 144 and Farm roads 927 and 203, fifty-two miles
northwest of Waco in northern Bosque County. It was founded in 1861 and was named Walnut for a nearby
spring surrounded by walnut trees…
WHITNEY, TEXAS—
Whitney is at the intersection of State Highway 22 and Farm roads 933 and 1244, two miles southeast of
Lake Whitney and twelve miles southwest of Hillsboro in western Hill County. It was established in 1876 when…
WOMACK, TEXAS—Variant name(s): Mornack
Womack is on Farm Road 219 five miles northeast of Clifton and thirty miles northwest of Waco in
southeastern Bosque County. It was founded on the James Smith survey…