Nubia

Nubia is on Farm Road 126 ten miles south of Merkel in western Taylor County. Sheep and cattle ranchers began to settle the area in 1874; they had to haul lumber for homes from Fort Worth since the railroad did not arrive in Taylor County until 1881. To attract eastern buyers, publications such as Our Homes and Country displayed pictures of the land and housing of the Nubia community. Early businesses included a general store, a barbershop, a cotton gin, and a drugstore. In 1888 a post office was established in the general store, and in 1900 the first school was built. In 1917 the Nubia post office closed, and that same year the Nubia and Riney school districts consolidated to form I.X.L. District 27, which was named after a ranch. Around that time there were ninety-two students in the two-teacher school. Cotton, gooseneck maize, and wheat were the principal local crops. Cotton was taken to Abilene and Coleman to be processed before Nubia got its own gin. Several farmers raised sugarcane to make syrup. The establishment of Camp Barkeley by the United States Army in 1940 caused problems for rural Nubia. The government purchased or leased much of the land in the region. Ranchers received small payments, but both buildings and terrain suffered from military maneuvers. During this same period modern agricultural machinery and techniques reduced the demand for farm labor and led to a decline in the area population. By 1947 Nubia had one business and a population of twenty. In 1986 the community reported no businesses and fewer than twenty people. In 2000 the population was two.