Caddo Grove

Caddo Grove, eight miles northeast of Cleburne in north central Johnson County, was named for nearby Caddo Peak. The settlement apparently developed around a store established by E. M. Heath early in 1869, although J. R. McKinsey, an area pioneer, had operated a school in his home in the area since 1854. After returning from the Civil War, McKinsey established the Caddo Grove Academy, a private school that, with Heath's store, attracted settlers. McKinsey also owned and operated a sawmill and a flour mill in Caddo Grove. Fifty-three students were enrolled in the local school in 1847. By 1876 two or three families made their homes in Caddo Grove, and a general merchandise store, a blacksmith shop, and three doctors served area residents. By that time Caddo Grove Academy had become a public school. Both the Missouri, Kansas and Texas and the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe railroads bypassed Caddo Grove in favor of the nearby settlement of Joshua in 1881. Soon afterward Caddo Grove was abandoned.