CARBON, TEXAS. Carbon, on State Highway 6 in central Eastland County, derives its name from the mineral deposits in the area. In 1881 N. S. Hayes (or Haynes) bought the first lot on the present townsite and built a store. He became the first postmaster when a post office was granted in 1882. Carbon was considered one of the six principal towns in Eastland County in 1889; it vied to become county seat in 1897 but came in third. By 1904 Carbon had a gin, a lumberyard, a school, a bank, several churches, a Masonic lodge, and 600 residents. The Carbon Herald, which carried all important county court news, was called "the local paper for Eastland County." Carbon was among nine towns in Eastland County with independent school districts in 1924 and 1942. Its population fell to 281 by 1980, when the town retained a post office and two businesses. In 1990 the population was 255, and in 2000 it dropped to 224.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Edwin T. Cox, History of Eastland County, Texas (San Antonio: Naylor, 1950). Ruby Pearl Ghormley, Eastland County, Texas: A Historical and Biographical Survey (Austin: Rupegy, 1969).

Noel Wiggins