Bradford, Texas Explained

Official Name:Bradford, Texas
Settlement Type:Unincorporated community
Pushpin Map:Texas#USA
Pushpin Label:Bradford
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Texas
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Anderson
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation Ft:423
Coordinates:31.9889°N -95.7667°W
Area Code:430 & 903
Blank Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank Info:1379452

Bradford is an unincorporated community in Anderson County, located in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 30 in 2000. It is located within the Palestine, Texas micropolitan area.

History

Bradford was first settled around 1879. A post office was established at Bradford in 1882 and remained in operation until 1907. It is thought to be named for B.L. Bradford, the community's first postmaster. A Presbyterian church, a general store, and steam-powered cotton gins and gristmills were in the settlement in 1884 and had a population of 150 inhabitants. In 1896, the settlement reached its population zenith of 200 and brothers J.B. and D.D. Hanks established a sawmill and gin in the early 1900s. It began to fade soon afterward. It had 125 inhabitants in 1900, which then plunged to about 20 settlers by 1933. There was a factory, another unknown business, and an unknown number of homes scattered along the road in the 1930s. The population increased to 50 in the mid-1940s. It lost half of its population by 1949 and it only had 22 residents from 1974 to 1990. It had a business, a cemetery, and several homes in 1985. It had 30 inhabitants in 2000. The town's only business, Bradford Cafe, formerly Walls General Store, burned to the ground on September 18, 2017.[1]

Geography

Bradford stands at the junction of Farm to Market Road 837 and Texas State Highway 19, 18miles northwest of Palestine in northwestern Anderson County.

Education

Bradford had its own school in 1884. Today the community is served by the Cayuga Independent School District.

Notable person

Notes and References

  1. http://www.athensreview.com/news/local_news/bradford-cafe-destroyed-by-fire-monday/article_3f8c6360-9d8a-11e7-b072-d39fc68d3da3.html Bradford Cafe destroyed by fire Monday, Athens Daily Review, Sep 19, 2017.