The History of Murchison, Texas
Murchison is a small town in northeastern Henderson County, about nine miles from Athens, with a history rooted in a pioneer family, the Confederate era, and the railroad. Known first by a different name and built up as a depot town, it grew into a quiet farming community whose watermelons once rolled out by rail.
Here's how Murchison came to be.
The Town of Lindsey
At its origin, the community that became Murchison was known as Lindsey, named in honor of the Jacob Lindsey family, early settlers of the area. The town was officially founded around 1876, a typical frontier farming settlement in the rolling country of northeastern Henderson County, at what is today the junction of Farm Roads 1616 and 773.
Like many East Texas communities, Lindsey grew slowly around its farms and families in the years after the Civil War. But within a few years its name — and its fortunes — would change with the coming of the railroad.
Renamed for a Confederate Officer
Before 1880 the community was renamed Murchison, in honor of Colonel T. F. Murchison of Athens. Murchison had raised a company of cavalry for the Confederate service at the outbreak of the Civil War — along with a Captain Warren — and owned property adjacent to the town. Honoring the local Confederate officer, the railroad station took his name, and it stuck.
The name change reflected the man's prominence and his ties to the area. From Lindsey to Murchison, the town's new identity was set just as the railroad arrived to transform it from a country settlement into a shipping point.
A Railroad Depot Town
In 1880 Murchison became a station on the St. Louis Southwestern Railway, and the depot turned the town into a commercial and shipping center for the surrounding farms. Among the many goods that rolled out of the Murchison depot were watermelons — a notable local crop — shipped to distant markets by rail.
The railroad gave the farming community its commercial footing, as it did for so many East Texas towns. Through the decades Murchison settled into life as a small rural town, and today it remains a quiet community in the Brownsboro school district, near Purtis Creek State Park and the lakes of Henderson County, holding onto its agricultural roots and its railroad-era heritage.
Timeline
c. 1876
The community is founded as Lindsey, named for the Jacob Lindsey family.
Before 1880
The town is renamed Murchison, for Confederate officer Col. T. F. Murchison of Athens.
1880
Murchison becomes a station on the St. Louis Southwestern Railway.
1880s onward
The depot ships local goods, including watermelons, as the town grows as a rural shipping center.
Notable People
Col. T. F. Murchison
A Confederate cavalry officer from Athens who raised a company for the Confederate service and owned property near the town; the community of Murchison was renamed in his honor before 1880.
FAQ: History of Murchison
Murchison was renamed before 1880 for Colonel T. F. Murchison of Athens, a Confederate cavalry officer who raised a company for the Confederate service and owned property near the town. The railroad station took his name. The community had earlier been known as Lindsey.
Murchison was originally known as Lindsey, named in honor of the Jacob Lindsey family, early settlers of the area. The town was founded around 1876 and renamed Murchison before 1880, when the railroad came through.
Murchison was officially founded around 1876 (some sources say 1877) as the community of Lindsey. It became a station on the St. Louis Southwestern Railway in 1880, which spurred its growth as a rural shipping town.
After becoming a railroad station in 1880, Murchison shipped a variety of goods from its depot — including watermelons, a notable local crop. The railroad turned the small farming community into a shipping center for the surrounding area.
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