DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it — this one's mine to pass along. Behind this marker, if you look just right, you can still feel the outline of a town that rose up, burned down, rose again, and then — quiet as a tired man laying down his hat — just faded away. That town was Personville, and it started in 1854 when a man named Benjamin D.
Person, Sr. set it in motion right here in Limestone County. By 1855 they already had a postmaster — Wm. Person holding down that duty — which tells you the place was moving fast.
Fast enough that by 1861, the Grayson Masonic Lodge Number 265 had its charter. That lodge kept its doors open for a good long while before it demised in 1889. Things come and go in a Texas town.
That's just the nature of the thing. In 1906, the Nelleva cut-off was built — a railroad spur that must have felt like a promise when the rails first went down. That promise lasted until 1933, when the cut-off was abandoned.
But in between those years, Personville had itself a real run. In 1908, a man named J. D.
Hudson became the first teacher in the district school. And by 1915, this little town behind this marker had a blacksmith shop, a lumber yard, a bank, a hotel, twelve mercantiles, two drugstores, and three doctors. Three doctors.
One of them — Dr. G. H.
Stephens — was, by the marker's own word, outstanding. Now. That's the kind of town you build a life in.
Twelve mercantiles. A bank. Outstanding doctors.
You'd think Personville had figured out the formula. Then came October 1916. Fire razed the town.
Not damaged it. Not troubled it. Razed it.
And here's where the story turns on itself, because they rebuilt. They got back up, dusted off, and rebuilt. But rebuilt towns carry something different in them — maybe a memory too heavy to shake — because Personville soon faded away.
Slow and certain, like smoke after the flame is long gone. The post office, that last little proof that a place is still a place, was abolished in 1952. All that's left now is this marker, and whatever's behind it if you look close enough.
Twelve mercantiles. Three doctors. One fire.
That's Personville, Texas.
What the marker says
Behind this marker is town site of Personville, begun in 1854 by Benjamin D. Person, Sr. 1855 postmaster was Wm. Person. Grayson Masonic Lodge 265, chartered 1861, demised 1889. Nelleva cut-off, built in 1906 was abandoned 1933. J. D. Hudson was first teacher in district school, 1908. By 1915 had blacksmith shop, lumber yard, bank, hotel, 12 mercantiles, two drugstores, three doctors. Dr. G. H. Stephens was outstanding. Fire razed town, October 1916. Rebuilt, it soon faded away. Post office was abolished 1952.