Peyton 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 Blanco County, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 community had a population of 30 in 2000.

History

Established by formerly enslaved people around 1865, the community was named for Peyton Roberts, one of the founders. Peyton was also known by the names Payton, Peyton Colony, and Boardhouse (because the post office was located in A.V. Walker's house made of board, which became the first in the community). After he was emancipated, Peyton Roberts left

Lockhart Lockhart may refer to: *Lockhart (surname) Places Australia *Lockhart, New South Wales *Lockhart River, Queensland *Lockhart River, Western Australia United States *Lockhart, Alabama *Lockhart, Florida *Lockhart, Minnesota *Lockhart, Sout ...

for the area that would become Peyton. Roberts acquired the land through preemption, and other early residents would follow suit. Even though preemption ended in 1876, land grants continued to be issued as late as 1880. Peyton had its own post office from 1898 to 1909 and again from 1918 to 1930. Even though the community has not been listed on county maps since then, it still exists today. The colony site also has a cemetery with 176 graves, including many of the founders. In 2000, the population of Peyton was 30. Peyton Roberts was born as a slave in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. In the 1820s, he moved to

with his owner, Jeremiah Roberts, settling in the Bastrop and Caldwell counties area. Peyton and his family eventually became the slaves of his grandson, William, who freed his slaves during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. The freed families agreed to work for William during the war, receiving payment in the form of supplies they would need to begin new lives. It was known as Freedman’s Colony to white settlers. The residents mostly farmed for a living. Roberts also built a lime kiln which was used to make the mortar for the buildings erected in Peyton. It was restored in 1960 near a park. Founded in 1874, Mt. Horeb Baptist Church was the first church in Peyton and was directed by Rev. Jack Burch. Jim Upshear, who moved to the area from

with his wife by

wagon train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

, donated the land for the church's permanent site.

Geography

Peyton is located just west of the intersection of Farm to Market Roads 165 and 2325 near Boardhouse Creek, east of

Blanco Blanco (''white'' or ''blank'' in Spanish) or Los Blancos may refer to: People *Blanco (surname) Fictional characters *Blanco, a hobbit in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth * Blanco Webb, character in the BBC sitcom ''Porridge'' * El Blanco, albin ...

in southeastern Blanco County. Peyton is also located southeast of Johnson City, east of Fredericksburg, and southwest of Austin.

Education

While the church also functioned as a school at first, Peyton would later build a small log schoolhouse. The school served grades 1-8 from 1877 to 1963. Today, the community is served by the Blanco Independent School District.

References

{{authority control Populated places established by African Americans African-American history of Texas Unincorporated communities in Blanco County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Texas