Fulbright, TX

Fulbright is eight miles south of Detroit in southwestern Red River County. Although settlement in the area began much earlier, there was no community at the site until the 1870s, when a general store was established there by F. H. Elmore and Charles Gaines and a cotton gin by John L. Thompson. The settlement was originally called Possum Trot, but when the post office was established in 1882, the name was changed to Fulbright in honor of one-time county judge David Fullbright and his family. By 1884 the community had three churches, a school, and a population of twenty-five. The town grew steadily, and by 1890 its population was estimated at 200. By 1914 Fulbright had an estimated population of 500 and a small bank capitalized at $15,000. Fulbright's population dropped to 240 in 1931 before rising again to 300 in 1933; its population then remained fairly stable until the 1970s, when it dropped to 200. In 1990 and 2000 it was estimated at 150.