Bruceville-Eddy

Bruceville-Eddy is on Interstate Highway 35 eighteen miles southwest of Waco in southern McLennan County. It began as two separate communities, Bruceville and Eddy, both of which became stations on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad in 1882. Bruceville was named for Lucien N. Bruce, who donated land for the railroad station. Much of the town's early population came from Mastersville, a community two miles north that the railroad had bypassed. By 1900 Bruceville's population had grown to 289. Among the businesses that developed in the community were a lumber and hardware store, two general stores, and a grocery; Bruceville also had a hotel, two churches, and a school. The Bruceville Independent School District was established in 1904. A state bank opened in 1907, but it overextended its resources during World War I. A severe local drought in 1925 prevented many area farmers from meeting loan obligations, and although the bank borrowed money to increase its available funds, its directors decided to close the bank in 1927. Bruceville reported 500 residents during the 1930s and early 1940s, but estimates fell steadily in the years after World War II, as many residents moved to take advantage of job opportunities in larger towns. The number of residents reported was 250 in 1949, 175 in 1964, and twenty-five in 1970.

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.