BYRD, TEXAS (Ellis County). Byrd was on Farm Road 985 near Clear Creek sixteen miles southeast of Waxahachie and eight miles southwest of Ennis in Ellis County. The original settlers to the Byrd area included H. L. Parker, Dan Faulk, Rube Warren, William I. Champ, and the Gensch family. The settlement, originally called Byron, was on a stage route from Dallas to the Gulf Coast. Rube Warren built a store, which became a replacement point for horses and an overnight stop for travelers. Byron had a post office from 1894 to 1905 in one of several general stores and a blacksmith shop. When the post office was removed from Byron the citizens decided to rename the community Byrd in honor of Charlie Byrd, who donated land for the community's first school. The school was used for social activities and as a union church. In 1897 plans were drafted for an open-sided meetinghouse on a knoll called the Arbor. Later, Byrd had several physicians, one of whom owned a grocery and drug store. The Woodmen of the World Hall was one of the community's most prominent buildings, and all the elections were held in it. The Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway was built through the community in 1907. By 1933 Byrd had an estimated population of fifty and three businesses. The same figures were reported until the 1960s. The school closed in 1957, and the students began attending school in Ennis or other nearby communities. The last grocery store closed in 1968. From 1970 to 2000 the population was estimated at fifteen.

Lisa C. Maxwell