HIGHBANK, TEXAS. Highbank, on Farm Road 413 ten miles south of Marlin and two miles west of the Brazos River in southern Falls County, formed as a farming community in the 1880s. It was presumably named for the nearby bank of the Brazos. Highbank became a railroad stop when the Calvert, Waco and Brazos Valley Railroad (later part of the Missouri Pacific) built through the area in 1901. A post office was established at Highbank in 1902, and the community grew rapidly. It became a popular weekend gathering-place for residents of the surrounding area. Local sources claim that at its peak, Highbank had a population of several hundred and supported fifteen or twenty businesses, including a motel, two saloons, a cafe, and several grocery and general stores. The community's economy was hurt when prohibition^qv began in 1918. After a fire in 1936 destroyed much of the business district, many residents decided to rebuild elsewhere. County highway maps from the late 1940s showed two schools, two churches, and a number of residences and businesses at the site. Highbank was part of the Bethany common school district, which was consolidated with the Marlin Independent School District in 1957. The Highbank post office was discontinued in 1973, and the general store that had housed the post office closed soon thereafter. The community's population was reported at 126 from 1970 through 1990 but dropped to sixty-eight in 2000.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Vertical File, Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Vivian Elizabeth Smyrl