Hammond

Hammond is on State Highway 6 between Calvert and Bremond in northwestern Robertson County. The site was originally headquarters for the plantations of Dr. B. F. Hammond. He purchased two plantations in 1853 encompassing over 1,000 acres, and before the Civil War owned more than 100 slaves. After the war a small community developed at the site; it consisted of several general stores that supplied provisions to the freed slaves, most of whom remained on the land as tenant farmers. In 1869 the Houston and Texas Central Railway came through the area, and a station was built at the community. For a short time this station served as a turning place for railroad equipment. With the extension of the railroad to Bremond, the Hammond community failed to develop, though it continued to exist as a small settlement. It had a post office from 1870 until sometime after 1930. In 1885 Hammond had a population of forty-five, and by 1900 it had three general stores and a small jail. In 1915 it reported a population of 200 and five businesses. The 1983county highway map showed the Hammond school, a church, and a cemetery on Farm Road 2159 two miles southwest of the original community site. From 1970 through 2000 only forty-four residents were reported in the area.