Community of Wrightsboro

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about the community of Wrightsboro, out in Gonzales County. Now, most towns get their names from grand ambitions or famous men. Wrightsboro got its name from a donkey.

That's the honest truth, and I think it tells you everything you need to know about the people who settled it. Back in 1851, a man named L. C. 'Jack' Wright founded this community.

Wright was a native of Alabama, born in 1820, and by all accounts a noted marksman. He was the kind of man you'd want on your side. But his fellow settlers, blessed with a sharp sense of humor, decided the town ought to be named not for Jack's marksmanship or his leadership, but for his burro.

That donkey, you see, had a habit of roaming the area at will. Just wandering wherever it pleased, answering to no one. So the neighbors thought, well, that about captures the spirit of the place.

Wrightsboro it is. Wright himself went on to serve in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, and when that was done, he came back and returned to stock raising right here. He also served as a county commissioner for ten years.

He lived until 1905. The town around him grew into something real. At its peak, Wrightsboro boasted many stores and a solid economy built on grain and cotton.

It became a trade and social center for the whole area. And anchoring that community life was the local Masonic Lodge, Shuler Number 317, which operated from 1869 to 1915, went quiet for a spell, then came back to life in 1920 and has been going ever since. A free-roaming donkey started all of this.

And somehow, that lodge is still standing. You can't make this stuff up, folks. Texas already did.

What the marker says

Founded in 1851 by L. C. "Jack" Wright. Fellow settlers with a sense of humor gave town name because Wright's burro (donkey) roamed the area at will. A native of Alabama, Wright (1820-1905) was a noted marksman. He served in Confederate Army in Civil War (1861-65), then returned to stock raising here. Was also a county commissioner 10 years. At peak, Wrightsboro boasted many stores and a solid grain and cotton-based economy. Grew to be trade and social center. Local Masonic Lodge, Shuler No. 317, has operated from 1869 to 1915 and 1920 to the present.