Old Glory is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in Stonewall County,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, United States. The community has an estimated population of 100.

Geography

Old Glory is situated immediately south of the junction of U.S. Highway 380 and FM 1835 in eastern Stonewall County, between the Double Mountain Fork and the

Salt Fork Brazos River The Salt Fork Brazos River is a braided, highly intermittent stream about long, heading along the edge of the Llano Estacado about east-southeast of Lubbock, Texas. From its source, it flows generally east-southeastward to join the Double Moun ...

. Old Glory lies nine miles east of Aspermont and sixty-two miles northwest of Abilene.

History

Development of the area began in the late 1880s with a few ranches and scattered farms. ''Circa'' 1900, a number of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

families from southeastern Texas moved to the vicinity and settled along the

Double Mountain Fork Brazos River The Double Mountain Fork Brazos River is an ephemeral, sandy-braided stream about long, heading on the Llano Estacado of West Texas about southeast of Tahoka, Texas, flowing east-northeast across the western Rolling Plains to join the Salt Fo ...

. In 1903, G.R. Spielhagen laid out a town site two miles southeast of the present-day location and named it Brandenburg. Only a school house and a general store were constructed there. The Stamford and Northwestern Railway Company was chartered to build a railroad from Stamford to

Spur A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...

in 1909. The Swenson Land and Cattle Company provided a town site two miles northwest of the Brandenburg settlement. The new town became known as New Brandenburg, with the originally referred to as Old Brandenburg, which soon died out. New Brandenburg, or simply Brandenburg, continued to grow. A mercantile store, a gin, post office, and a one room school house served the community. The outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

had an adverse impact on New Brandenburg. The rise in anti-German sentiment in the United States and Texas caused residents to petition the

U.S. Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

to change the community's name from New Brandenburg to Old Glory. They wanted to demonstrate their patriotism and pride in their adopted country. The name change became official on August 9, 1918. By 1929, Old Glory had an estimated population of 275. A school building erected in 1930, following the consolidation of five local schools had an enrollment of nearly 300 students by the late 1930s. The

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

caused a brief decline in Old Glory's population, but had rebounded to around 250 by the late 1940s. That number had fallen to 175 in the late 1940s. A severe drought in the 1950s forced many people out of work. The development of oil resources in Stonewall County during the late 1950s and early 1960s caused a brief economic Boom in Old Glory. In 1965, there were approximately 250 people living in the community. Old Glory's population fell to 125 in the 1970s and remained at that level through the 1990s. The present-day number of Old Glory residents stands at around 100. Although Old Glory is unincorporated, it does have a post office, with the zip code of 79540.

Public education

Public education in the community of Old Glory is provided by the Aspermont Independent School District. The district's campuses are located in the town of Aspermont. The Old Glory Independent School District once served the community, but rapidly declining enrollment caused the district and its schools to close. On July 1, 1985, the areas once served by Old Glory ISD were annexed into the Aspermont Independent School District.

References

External links

* {{authority control Unincorporated communities in Texas Unincorporated communities in Stonewall County, Texas