Indian Creek is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in southern Brown County in west-central

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. According to the

Handbook of Texas The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). History The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President W ...

, there were no population estimates available for the community in 2000. It is located within the

Brownwood, Texas Brownwood is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, Texas, United States. The population was 18,862 at th2020 census Brownwood is located in the Northern Texas Hill Country and is home to Howard Payne University that was founded in 1889. ...

micropolitan area.

History

Indian Creek was named for its position along the banks of Indian Creek. A post office was established at Indian Creek in 1876 in Francis Harris' general store. There were two stores, a

cotton gin A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); a ...

, and a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...

shop in the community in 1879. There were only two businesses and a church serving 60 residents in 1945. The population dropped to 28 in 1988 and there was no population in 2000. The community continued to be listed on county highway maps, as well as its cemetery located 3 miles north.

Geography

Indian Creek is located on Farm to Market Road 586, south of Brownwood in southern Brown County.

Education

In 1876, Indian Creek's first school was built on Tom McAden's pasture. It continued to operate in 1945. It then joined the

Brookesmith Independent School District Brookesmith Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Brookesmith, Texas ( USA). Located in Brown County, a small portion of the district extends into Mills County. Academic achievement In 2009, the s ...

in 1948-49. The old ruins of the first school remain in the community today. It continues to be served by Brookesmith ISD today.

Howard Payne University Howard Payne University is a private Baptist university in Brownwood, Texas. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Howard Payne College was founded by Reverend Noah T. Byers and Dr. John David Robnett in 1889. The institu ...

was started in Indian Creek in 1889, but later relocated to Brownwood.

Notable person

Katherine Anne Porter Katherine Anne Porter (May 15, 1890 – September 18, 1980) was an American journalist, essayist, short story writer, novelist, and political activist. Her 1962 novel ''Ship of Fools'' was the best-selling novel in America that year, but her sh ...

, writer and political activist

References

Unincorporated communities in Texas Unincorporated communities in Brown County, Texas {{BrownCountyTX-geo-stub