Historical Marker
Old Glory
Old Glory, Stonewall County · Texas
Erected 1990
The Handbook of Texas says the Swenson Land and Cattle Company provided the new townsite on the rail line, after which the first settlement became known as Old Brandenburg. Old Glory peaked at 275 people in 1929, fell to around seventy-five in the depression and recovered to about 250 by the early 1940s. A school built in 1930 for five consolidated community schools reached 280 pupils in 1936-37 and served as a civic center as well. The drought of the early 1950s forced many people out of work, and a 1989 newspaper report put the population at about sixty.
What the plaque says
Stonewall County was created in 1876 by the State Legislature, but the area was only sparsely settled by cattle ranchers before the turn of the century. About 1900 a number of German families who had been living in southeast Texas relocated to this vicinity and settled along the Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos River. They bought land and started farming, often living in half-dugout structures until lumber could be brought in to build horses and barns. In 1903 G. R. Spielhagen laid out a townsite (2 mi. SE) and named it Brandenburg after a town in Germany. When the railroad was built through the area in 1908-09, bypassing the small community, the town relocated to this site along the rail line and became known as New Brandenburg. The community grew rapidly and soon boasted a post office, school, cotton gin, stores, and homes. At the outbreak of World War I, the citizens petitioned the U.S. Postal Service to change the name of the town to demonstrate their patriotism and pride in their adopted country. On August 9, 1918, the name was officially changed to Old Glory. Although the town has declined, many descendants of pioneer settlers continue to reside in the area. (1990)
Where it stands
33.13006, -100.05471 · Directions