Biardstown

Biardstown is on Farm Road 1497 six miles south of Paris in south central Lamar County. It was originally called Baird in honor of a founder, John W. Biard, whose name was miswritten Baird. The post office opened in 1880 as Baird but was renamed Biard later that year. In 1883 the name was changed to Biardstown. The following year postmaster W. A. Milling, who also served as justice of the peace, reported a population of 100. The town had become important in cotton shipping, and its businesses included a cotton gin, two flour mills, a general store, two blacksmith shops, a cobbler's establishment, and two doctor's offices. In 1890 a new carpenter shop had opened. Two years later the mail was arriving on a daily basis, and a district school had been organized. Another general store had opened, and four new physicians had moved to town. Municipal officials were Sheriff James W. Biard, Justice of the Peace W. C. Gross, and Constable J. R. Scott. In 1896 the school enrolled seventy-seven students and employed one teacher.

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.