Newburg 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 ...

located in Comanche County, in the U.S. state of

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 ...

. 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 Wal ...

, the community had a population of 35 in 2000.

History

The area in what is known as Newburg today was first settled in December 1854. It was originally known as South Leon for the southern

Leon River The Leon River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas. It has three primary forks - the North, Middle, and South Leon Rivers, which meet near Eastland and then run for around until it meets with the Lampasas River and the Salado Creek to form ...

. The community's local

Baptist church Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

was organized in July 1872. Its membership reached 48 members in 1875, with the first grave being placed in the community's cemetery that year. The congregation moved to another church building near the cemetery shortly after. A post office was established at Newburg in 1883 and remained in operation until 1908. It originally had the name Lee for local settler Add Lee and was changed to Newburg at his request the year after it opened. Newburg's population was 18 in 1890 and had a general store that same year. It gained a

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

shop, 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

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

six years later. Another Baptist church was built in 1906 and remained in the community in the 1990s. Its population was reported as 74 in 1936. The church and the cemetery were still in the community in 1940, along with one business and several scattered houses. Its population remained at 74 until it went down to 35 through 2000.

Geography

Newburg is located at the intersection of Farm to Market Roads 2561 and 1476 off

Texas State Highway 16 State Highway 16 (SH 16) is a south–north state highway in the U.S. state of Texas that runs from Zapata on the boundary with Mexico to U.S. Highway 281 south of Wichita Falls. It is the longest state highway in Texas at almost , but is o ...

, some south of

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...

in southern Comanche County.

Education

A building made of logs was used as the first school in the community in 1896. The local Baptist church met at the schoolhouse each year. The church near the cemetery was also used as a school. It had 101 students and four teachers in 1937 and continued to operate in 1940. It then joined with the

Comanche Independent School District Comanche Independent School District is a public school district based in Comanche, Texas (USA). Located in Comanche County, a very small portion of the district extends into Mills County. In 2009, the school district was rated "academically a ...

in the 1950s. The community continues to be served by the Comanche ISD to this day.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Comanche County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Texas