Luna

Luna was at the intersection of Farm roads 489 and 1451 in Freestone County. On December 22, 1826, empresario David G. Burnet received a contract to colonize this area; he later sold his interest in this land venture to the Galveston Bay and Texas Land Company. On July 25, 1835, this company granted a league of land to Gertrudis Luna, after whom the community was eventually named. It is not known whether Gertrudis Luna ever resided in the community. The first record of settlers moving into the area was in 1850, when the Baty and Philpott families arrived. The Ezell and McSwaine families arrived around 1855 from Lauderdale County, Alabama. The first public building in Luna was a combination church and school, built in 1866 at the site of what is now the Antioch Cemetery. Land for the church and school was donated by Rich Driver, Sr., and Edward Ezell. By 1884 Luna had 100 residents, a gin, a gristmill, a school, and three churches. A post office opened there in 1880 and closed in 1907, when mail was diverted to nearby Teague. The railroad built through the area in 1906, but it bypassed Luna. In 1910 the town had 250 residents and a general store, a doctor's office, a blacksmith shop, a cotton gin, and a steam gristmill. A one-room school served as many as ninety students by 1915. The economy of the town centered around cotton and corn. After World War I area lands were consolidated for ranching. Without a rail system and with a decline in the farm economy, people began moving from Luna. By the late 1980s only a few houses and the Antioch Cemetery, about two miles south of the crossroads, remained.

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Bobby Ezell | © TSHA

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

Belongs to

Luna is part of or belongs to the following places:

Currently Exists

No

Place type

Luna is classified as a Town

Location

Latitude: 31.55239460
Longitude: -96.21747010

Has Post Office

No

Is Incorporated

No