Maud

Maud is on the St. Louis Southwestern Railway near U.S. Highway 67 ten miles south of Boston in southern Bowie County. The territory around Maud, known before the Republic of Texas era as the Red River Country, was among the earliest settled areas, but Spanish claims to the land, outlaws from the Neutral Ground, and general lawlessness discouraged extensive development. After the railroad reached the site in 1870, a community gradually began to emerge. The town was named for Maud Knapp, daughter of Samuel D. Knapp, the first postmaster and the donor of land for the townsite. A post office opened in 1881, closed the next year, then reopened in 1893. By 1910 the population of the town had reached 300, and by 1940 it had grown to 750. During World War II the Red River Army Depot and the Lone Star Army Ammunition Plantqqv were built six miles north of the community. These two facilities provided jobs for many Maud citizens. In 1982 Maud had eleven rated businesses and an estimated population of 1,059. The two military installations remained the largest employers of Maud residents. In 1990 the community population was 1,049. The population was 1,028 in 2000.