Robinson

Robinson, on State Highway 77 six miles south of Waco in central McLennan County, came into existence after brothers John and Levi Robinson established homesteads in the area in the early 1850s. The original Robinson home was built on land that later became the J. W. Mann farm. To encourage the growth of the village in 1856, the brothers surveyed 171 acres of land and marked off forty-two four-acre lots for other homesteaders. The Robinsons sponsored the settlement's first school in 1860, when they hired a private tutor for their children. The teacher, Mr. Moore, lived with the Robinson families. From 1879 to 1906, Robinson had its own post office. Postmasters included J. R. Robinson and L. B. Foster, both of whom also operated general stores. In 1885 Robinson had a population of 600 that supported three cotton gins, two churches, three general stores, and a school. J. W. McKee and Sons, a broom factory, was also in operation. In 1888 Rev. John Strauss founded the Robinson Academy. The weekly newspaper was the Robinson Bulletin