Bluegrove, Texas
Encyclopedia
Bluegrove is an unincorporated community
on Farm to Market Road 172
11 miles southeast of Henrietta
in central Clay County
, Texas
, United States
.
Jack
, Archer
, and Clay
counties.
. Due to World War II construction of Midway I.S.D. was not completed until 1947, so students were bussed to Bluegrove which served as Midway until the new building opened. School buildings from the other communities were moved to Bluegrove to house the consolidated students. The school is called Midway because it is located "midway" between Bluegrove to the north and Joy to the south.
The old Bluegrove gymnasium built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) is the only building left, and is now the warehouse for the Jack-Archer-Clay (JAC) Rural Electric Cooperative.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
on Farm to Market Road 172
Farm to Market Road 172
Farm to Market Road 172 or FM 172 is a two-lane, state-maintained highway that connects the farming areas of eastern Archer County and southern Clay County, Texas . It passes just south of and crosses a portion of Lake Arrowhead in Clay County....
11 miles southeast of Henrietta
Henrietta, Texas
Henrietta is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Wichita Falls, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,264 at the 2000 census.-History:...
in central Clay County
Clay County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,006 people, 4,323 households, and 3,181 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 4,992 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
Early settlers named the area for the post oak trees that appeared blue from a distance at certain times of the day. The Bluegrove Baptist Church was established in 1877 by families living in the area around what would become the town, and is the oldest Baptist church in Wichita, Archer, and Clay Counties. J.L. Russell arrived in B.G. prior to 1870. He built the First Baptist Church and donated the land for the present day Blue Grove Cemetery. Bluegrove also had a Methodist church and Church of Christ, which have since disbanded. Settlement of the community began after 1882 when E.A. Copp, L.B. Brown, and E.M. Childs divided the land where their original homesteads intersected into lots and sold them to settlers to create Blue Grove, later changed to its current spelling by the postal service. Founders established a general store and it quickly became an economic hub for local farmers and ranchers. In 1895, Bluegrove received its post office. The town at one time contained a pharmacy, several doctor's offices, hardware store, automobile and tractor dealership, movie theater and numerous other businesses. Passed by major thoroughfares and railroads, much of the town was destroyed by a major fire in 1942, Bluegrove declined throughout the 20th Century and reported a population of 125 at century's end. The town remains a farming and ranching community and the JAC Electric Cooperative headquartered there serves. Birth place of Billy Browning. Texas A&M graduate and current Wichita Falls Fire Fighter.Jack
Jack County, Texas
*Bryson*Jacksboro*Jermyn *Joplin *Perrin *Gibtown-See also:*National Register of Historic Places listings in Jack County, Texas-External links:*...
, Archer
Archer County, Texas
Archer County is a county located in the US state of Texas, and was formed in 1858 from Fannin County. It is part of the Wichita Falls, Texas, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2005, the population estimate is 9,095, up from 8,854 in 2000. Its county seat is Archer City. Archer is named for...
, and Clay
Clay County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,006 people, 4,323 households, and 3,181 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 4,992 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile...
counties.
Education
The Bluegrove School, which went through the 11th Grade and competed against neighboring schools in baseball, basketball, volleyball, and track closed in 1941 when the surrounding communities consolidated to form the Midway Independent School DistrictMidway Independent School District (Clay County, Texas)
Midway Independent School District is a public school district in Texas . The district is located in southern Clay County and extends into a small portion of northern Jack County....
. Due to World War II construction of Midway I.S.D. was not completed until 1947, so students were bussed to Bluegrove which served as Midway until the new building opened. School buildings from the other communities were moved to Bluegrove to house the consolidated students. The school is called Midway because it is located "midway" between Bluegrove to the north and Joy to the south.
The old Bluegrove gymnasium built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) is the only building left, and is now the warehouse for the Jack-Archer-Clay (JAC) Rural Electric Cooperative.