Belcherville is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

along

U.S. Route 82 U.S. Route 82 (US 82) is an east–west United States highway in the Southern United States. Created on July 1, 1931 across central Mississippi and southern Arkansas, US 82 eventually became a 1,625-mile (2,615 km) route extending from ...

and

Farm to Market Road 1816 A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

in Montague County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The population is less than 50.

History

The settlement was first called Belcher after local ranchers of the same name, though the settlement was really nothing more than the headquarters of that ranch. In 1887, the

Gainesville, Henrietta and Western Railway The Gainesville, Henrietta and Western Railway Company (GH&W) was chartered on July 23, 1886, to build a rail line from Gainesville in Cooke County, Texas, to Seymour in Baylor County, Texas, a distance of . The line was to cross Montague, Clay, ...

was surveyed through

Montague County, Texas Montague County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas, established in 1857. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,965. The county seat is Montague. The county was created in 1857 and organized the next year. It is named for ...

, generally north of modern-day

. Ranchers John and A. S. Belcher offered land for the railway's right-of-way, and the community of Belcherville was born. A post office opened in 1887. Belcherville continued to grow for the next 5 years, claiming 1,200 residents and 51 businesses at the 1900 census. Among those claimed were five dry goods, two millinery shops, two of the largest hardware stores in Montague county, one of the west's most complete furniture stores, one bank, two drug stores, two mills and gins, a music store, one weekly newspaper, one large lumber yard, three blacksmith shops, and two beautiful churches. Belcherville was incorporated in 1891 and shortly afterward it became the largest town in Montague County. By this time it had a mayor and city council. Soon after its incorporation, the community began to decline. The catalyst for the decline was a dispute with the

Rock Island Railroad The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad In the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly k ...

over payment for a proposed local crossing (the Katy crossing). The railroad refused to pay, and routed the railway through

Ringgold, Texas Ringgold is an unincorporated community in Montague County, Texas, United States, with an estimated population of 100 people. It is approximately northwest of Montague, the county seat. The town's major industry is cattle ranching. Schools Ri ...

and away from Belcherville, triggering the beginning of an exodus from the city. But the biggest blow to the city occurred in 1893 on February 6 and 7, when most of the city's business district burned down. The cause of the fire is unknown, although it's generally attributed to arson. Belcherville received national publicity in 1948 when the post office burned and Postmaster John Reeves carried on his postal services in his automobile. The unusual incident was reported and pictured in the late Bob

Ripley's Believe It or Not! ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' feat ...

Belcherville also lays claim to some part of the early life of the late

Amon G. Carter Amon Giles Carter Sr. (born Giles Amon Carter; December 11, 1879 – June 23, 1955) was the creator and publisher of the ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'', and a nationally known civic booster for Fort Worth, Texas. A legacy in his will was used t ...

, a nationally known publisher, who worked during the early 1890s in a Belcherville livery stable. When the town voted to reincorporate is something of a mystery, but in 1958, it claimed to be the smallest incorporated city in the United States. In 2000, the population stood at 34.

Education

The City of Belcherville is served by the

Nocona Independent School District Nocona Independent School District is a public school district based in Nocona, Texas (USA). Nocona ISD provides more than the standard K-12 curriculum. NISD offers extended opportunities for students ranging from Head Start for very young chil ...

. Some students in outlying areas may attend

Gold-Burg Independent School District Gold-Burg Independent School District is a public school district in northwestern Montague County, Texas (USA). A small portion of the district extends into northeastern Clay County. The district's name is a conglomerate of the two unincorpora ...

External links

Handbook of Texas OnlineNocona Chamber of CommerceNocona Independent School DistrictHistory of the Chisholm Trail
{{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Montague County, Texas Ghost towns in North Texas