Lavon

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Lavon, out there in southeastern Collin County. Now settle in, because this one's got layers. Way back in the 1850s, the Blackland Prairie was calling out to anybody with eyes sharp enough to read the land.

Rich soil, water running through by way of Bear Creek, that combination had a way of making up a person's mind for them. Elbert C. Thompson heard that call in 1854, came out to the area, and others soon followed his lead.

But a handful of settlers does not a town make. The town of Lavon, that didn't happen until the St. Louis and Southwestern Railroad came through the county in 1886.

Railroads had that effect. Blink, and a settlement becomes something with a name on a map. The first post office opened up in 1888, and who do you suppose was named the first postmaster?

Elbert C. Thompson himself. The man had been there thirty years by then.

He also owned a general store. So when folks started calling the place Thompson, or Thompson Switch, nobody was exactly arguing. Now here's the wrinkle.

There was another town in Texas already going by the name Thompson, and confusion between the two was a real and present problem. So the name had to change. And here's where it gets interesting, they didn't reach for something grand or geographical.

They renamed the whole town in honor of Mr. Thompson's son. His boy went by Bud O.

Lavon Thompson. The town took the middle name. Lavon.

That's the story the marker tells, and it's a good one. In those early days, Lavon had what a town needs, a depot, a meat market, a general store, a restaurant, a barber shop. By 1907 they were prosperous enough that a bank building went up.

To make room for it, the home belonging to James L. Rees and Miranda Rees had to be moved right down the street. James Rees was a Civil War veteran.

That house, moved to accommodate a bank, still stands today as the oldest home in Lavon. Some things survive by stubbornness alone. Before there was a proper church in town, a two-story brick schoolhouse doubled as a place of worship.

The Lavon Presbyterians organized in 1897 and erected a church that became something bigger than a single denomination's house, it served the whole community. Each denomination would take turns, alternating Sundays, sharing that space as a place of worship. That arrangement held all the way into the late 1940s.

There's something quietly remarkable about that. The Works Progress Administration left its mark here too, from 1938 to 1940, a school building went up under that program. Then in the 1950s, Lavon Dam came along, and suddenly the area had a whole new draw.

Fishermen and boating enthusiasts came pouring in, and for a while Lavon was a popular resort spot. And then, well, you never know what a small Texas town might have hidin' in its past. One of the local restaurants filmed scenes for the 1967 movie Bonnie and Clyde.

Right here in Lavon. The town incorporated in 1972, which means it made it official, put its name on the legal papers, and declared itself to the world. From a man reading the soil in 1854, to a railroad switching the lights on in 1886, to a name changed out of love for a son, to a shared church, a relocated home that outlasted a bank, and a Hollywood crew pulling up for a shoot.

Lavon, Texas has been quietly accumulating a story this whole time. The marker just finally wrote it down.

What the marker says

Located in southeastern Collin County, the rich soils of the Blackland Prairie and the water provided by Bear Creek attracted settlers to the Lavon area in the 1850s. Elbert C. Thompson came to the area in 1854 and others soon followed. Lavon began when the St. Louis and Southwestern Railroad came through the county in 1886. The first post office started in 1888 with Elbert Thompson serving as the first postmaster. Originally, the town was known as Thompson or Thompson Switch, after Mr. Thompson, who also owned a general store. To avoid confusion with another town named Thompson, the name was changed to Lavon in honor of Mr. Thompson's son, Bud O. Lavon Thompson. Early on there was a depot, meat market, general store, restaurant and barber shop. A bank building was built in 1907. James L. Rees, a Civil War veteran, and Miranda Rees' home was moved down the street to make room for the bank building. The Rees' home stands today as the oldest home in Lavon. Before a church was built, a two-story brick schoolhouse served as a place for people to worship. The Lavon Presbyterians organized in 1897 and erected a church in Lavon which served as a community church. Each denomination would alternate Sundays to provide a place of worship for the community until the late 1940s. From 1938 to 1940, a school building was built under the Works Progress Administration. In the 1950s, the creation of Lavon Dam attracted fishermen and boating enthusiasts to the area as a popular resort spot. Over the years, a number of businesses have been in Lavon, including a restaurant that filmed scenes for the 1967 movie, Bonnie and Clyde. The town incorporated in 1972. (2013)