Josephine

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Josephine, Texas, and friend, this one starts with something you don't hear every day: a town that began as a gift. Back in 1887, the St. Louis Southwestern Railway came rolling through Collin County, laying track and changing the map.

A man named Jesse Hubbard looked at that construction coming through and made a decision. He donated four acres of land, just gave them, for the building of a new town. And the name he chose for it?

Josephine. After his daughter. Now, before the rails ever arrived, there was already life out here.

A settlement called Reed's Chapel had been holding things together nearby, anchored by a Methodist Episcopal Church established in 1881 and a Baptist Church that came along in 1888. Reed's Chapel Church did double duty, it served as a school and held services for both congregations under the same roof. That's the kind of arrangement that tells you everything about how tight-knit a community has to be when it's just getting started.

Then in 1888, both churches picked up and moved to Josephine. And Josephine wasted no time making its presence known. In 1889, just two years into its existence, a train carried passengers from town all the way to Dallas for the inaugural Texas State Fair.

Think about that. This little gift of a town, brand new, sending its people off to the very first one. By the early twentieth century, Josephine had grown into something real.

A full center of commerce, drug store, ice cream and soda fountain, a silent movie theater, an ice house, and furniture, lumber, tool, and dry goods stores. There was even a bank. You didn't have to go far for much of anything.

But 1910 had other plans. A fire tore through the commercial district and destroyed sixteen stores. Sixteen.

That's not a setback you shrug off. And yet Josephine didn't fold. The Baptist Church erected a brick building in 1911.

The Methodist Church completed its own brick building in 1915. The school was replaced in 1916. Brick by brick, they rebuilt.

Then 1935 came around with a second fire, destroying many buildings all over again. Some towns, that's the end of the story. Not this one.

A new school opened in 1940, built with assistance from New Deal programs. In 1949, Josephine School became part of the community school district. The town incorporated in 1955.

In 1956, the campuses divided, and Josephine became the community junior high school. The Collin County Fresh Water Supply District No. 1 was created in 1957. Things were being built to last.

In 1974, Josephine Community School closed and was relocated to a new site to the west. Where that school once stood, there's a city park now. A quiet kind of marker, that, ground that held generations of children, turned over to open sky.

And in 1985, the city received the governor's community achievement award. A town that started as four donated acres, survived two fires, rebuilt twice over, and still earned that recognition. Jesse Hubbard gave this place four acres and a name.

What Josephine did with it, well, that part's all its own.

What the marker says

The City of Josephine began as a gift when the St. Louis Southwestern Railway began construction in the area in 1887. Jesse Hubbard donated four acres of land for the construction of a new town to be named after his daughter. The prior settlement of Reed's Chapel existed nearby around the Methodist Episcopal Church, established in 1881, and the Baptist Church, established in 1888. Reed's Chapel Church served as a school and held services for both Methodists and Baptists. The churches moved to Josephine in 1888. In 1889, a train carried passengers from Josephine to the inaugural Texas State Fair in Dallas. Josephine grew into a center of commerce in the early 20th century, boasting a drug store, ice cream and soda fountain, silent movie theater, ice house and furniture, lumber, tool and dry goods stores, and a bank. The city experienced a setback in 1910 when a fire destroyed sixteen stores. The Baptist Church erected a brick building in 1911, the Methodist Church completed its brick building in 1915, and the school was replaced in 1916. A second fire in 1935 destroyed many buildings. A new school opened in 1940 with assistance from New Deal programs. In 1949, Josephine School became part of the community school district. The campuses divided in 1956 and Josephine became the community junior high school. The town incorporated in 1955 and the Collin County Fresh Water Supply District No. 1 was created in 1957. In 1974, Josephine Community School closed and was relocated to a new site to the west. A city park now marks the former school site. The city received the governor's community achievement award in 1985, and today celebrates a proud heritage and a promising future. (2012)