HERMLEIGH, TEXAS. Hermleigh is on U.S. Highway 84 ninety-six miles southeast of Lubbock in southeastern Scurry County. It was surveyed in 1907 on land donated by R. C. Herm and Harry W. Harlin, and the nearby community of Wheat moved to the new site when the Roscoe, Snyder and Pacific Railway built through in 1907-08. The new settlement was named Hermlin for the land donors, but postal officials objected to its similarity to Hamlin, the name of another Texas town. The Santa Fe Railroad reached Hermleigh in 1911, and the town became a trading center for area ranchers. The community had a school by 1913. For a time Hermleigh had its own newspaper, the Hermleigh Herald. During World War I^qv the town's name was temporarily changed to Foch in honor of the French general. Growth slowed during the Great Depression.^qv In 1980 Hermleigh had a post office, at least five businesses, and an estimated population of 725. In 1990 the population was 200, and in 2000 the community had 393 inhabitants and eighteen businesses.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Scurry County Historical Survey Committee, Historical Markers in Scurry County (Snyder, Texas, 1969).

Noel Wiggins