BIRDSDALE, TEXAS. Birdsdale was on Bird's Creek two miles northwest of the site of present Temple in northern Bell County. The post office, named for John Bird, opened in January 1873 with Louis C. Allen as postmaster. At its peak the community had a school, a church, and several stores. When the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway Company began to establish the community of Temple in 1880 and 1881, many Birdsdale residents were drawn away. The post office at Birdsdale was discontinued in May 1881, and the remaining residents gradually dispersed.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Martha Bowmer, Temple: Backtracking 100 Years, a Centennial Journey (N.p.: Temple Centennial Commission, 1981). John J. Germann and Myron Janzen, Texas Post Offices by County (1986).
