Austonia (Astonia, Astoria) is located along an extension of Farm Road 984, known as Austonia Road, fifteen miles southeast of Waxahachie in southern Ellis County. Thomas Alston built the first house in the community in 1876 and became the first postmaster when Astonia received a post office in 1879 in his general store. Baptist, Methodist, and Christian groups shared a union church there, and forty students attended school in the church building. In 1890 Astonia had a population of ten, several businesses, three churches, and a school. In 1900 the post office was moved to Rankin, a mile to the west. In the 1980s the community appeared on maps as Austonia, but only the Austonia church and cemetery remained in the area.
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Edna Davis Hawkins et al., History of Ellis County, Texas (Waco: Texian, 1972).
The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.
Lisa C. Maxwell,
“Austonia, TX,”
Handbook of Texas Online,
accessed May 28, 2022,
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/austonia-tx.
Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
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Original Publication Date:
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1952
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Most Recent Revision Date:
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August 15, 2015
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Linked Data from the Texas Almanac:
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Place
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Austonia
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Currently Exists
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No
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Place Type
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Town
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Town Fields
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Has post office:
No
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Is Incorporated:
No
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Associated Names
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Astonia
Alston's
Astoria
Rankin
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Coordinates
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Latitude:
32.18876020°
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Longitude:
-96.73527020°