Murchison

Murchison is at the juncture of Farm roads 1616 and 773, nine miles northeast of Athens in northeastern Henderson County. It was known as Lindsey before 1880, when it was renamed for the Confederate recruiting officer T. F. Murchison. Also in 1880 the town became a station on the St. Louis Southwestern Railway. In 1884 the community reported a post office, a cotton gin, a public school, a church, several stores, a Farmers' Alliance, and a population of 100. Local farmers grew cotton, corn, fruit, and truck crops. By 1914 the population of Murchison was 200, and a telephone connection had been installed. In 1915 the town had a bank and a weekly newspaper, the Murchison Star. Nine businesses and a population of 371 were reported there in 1940. By 1982 the population had grown to 685. The location of the town near Lake Palestine and Cedar Creek Reservoir has made it a center for boating and fishing. In 1989 its population was 639, and in 1990 it was 510. By 2000 the population reached 592.

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.