Reprinted with permission by the :Leonard Historical
Society
"Looking North from
the South Side of Leonard Square in
1904. Building in the
center was the Leonard City Hall
Built in 1883 and torn
down in 1907. Grove Hill Masonic
Lodge occupied the
second floor from 1883-1890"
From p. 8 :The History
of Leonard, Texas 1880-1980
published by the
Leonard Centennial Commission,
Leonard, Texas 1980
New
Leonard History Book
View
Leonard Photographs and Articles
The City of Leonard is named for Solomon Langdon Leonard
who was born in 1811
in Ohio, purchased land originally granted to Martin Moore by the
Republic of Texas and
sold to H. Sampson and E.J. Hart. On his way from the north with his family
and belongings he drowned in Indian Territory and never saw Texas again.
His heirs
settled on the land
and nearby were several small towns; Delba, Lane, Savage, Hickory Creek
and two larger ones,
Valley Creek and Grove Hill (the post office there was called Oak Hill).
The Railroad reached Denison, Texas from the north in 1872 and then it
extended Southeast,and by 1878 nearby (15 miles) Whitewright came into
being. On July 22,1880 a large picnic was held along with the sale of lots
and the birth of Leonard was celebrated as the newest Railroad
town . By 1885 it had
350 people.
The town incorporation date on paper is September 14, 1889 when a courthouse
was built and 400 citizens comprised the town. Cotton was it's main business
and the railroad was kept busy. A newspaper called The Leonard Graphic
was started in 1890 and is still published. Today this small town of around
a thousand celebrates the lovely new city hall
on the town square
and like many small towns in Texas it no longer has movie theaters
, but many businesses survive and even thrive along with the continued
emphasis on farming. Also the Annual Leonard Picnic continues to bring
together generations of people connected with this area of Fannin County
and is the continuing thread in the history of Leonard. Some early Leonard
surnames:
Leonard, Boutwell, Waller,
Clymer, Groves, Daniel,
Connett, Parmele, Scott,
Yates, Allison, Albright,
Grider, Conklin, Smith,
Scales, Keys, Lee,
Franklin, Kuyrkendall,
Menton, Rotan, Owens,
Womack, Thomas, Wilson,
Evans, Smalleys, Blanton,
Sudderths, Henry, Sims, Mull,
Pendergrass, Kemper, Freeman,
Ring, Cobb, Neales,
Crabb, and many others.
Will's Point Chronicle
, Thursday 11 Mar 1897 -
"The most disastrous
fire in the history of Leonard, Fannin County, occurred Monday night, sixteen
business houses, the whole west side, being destroyed."
Suggested reading;
-
The History of
Leonard, Texas 1880-1980
published by the Leonard
Centennial Commission,
Leonard, Texas 1980
(This
book has been revised and reprinted under the title of The History of Leonard
Texas II)
|
Fannin
County TXGenWeb
