Old Dime Box

Old Dime Box is located on State Highway 21 about fourteen miles north of Giddings in northeastern Lee County. The rural community is the original site of the settlement called Brown's Mill and subsequently Dime Box (see DIME BOX, TEXAS). In 1913 when the Southern Pacific Railroad built its line three miles to the southeast of the town, many residents and businesses relocated to the railroad tracks. The new site was called "New Dime Box" and eventually the original site was referred to as "Old Dime Box." In the 1930s Old Dime Box had a number of businesses that served area farmers, mostly of Czech and German descent. The community had a Sons of Herman Lodge, Trinity Lutheran Church, and the Old Dime Box Cemetery, also known as the Hannes Cemetery. A Texas Historical Marker was erected in 1968 and honored Old Dime Box as Lee County's second oldest community. In the mid-1970s the town had several businesses, including Marek's Café, Eldie Whitsel's Highway Grocery, and E. B. Kucera's Store. In 1990 the population was 200. That figured remained the same in 2000. Trinity Lutheran Church still served local residents.