Blanton

Blanton is a tiny community on Farm Road 934 about thirteen miles northwest of Hillsboro in northwestern Hill County. The town began in 1876 and received a post office in 1881. According to the Texas State Gazetteer , by the mid-1880s Blanton had a school, cotton gins, and gristmills, and Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, and Presbyterian churches. The directory reported a population of 400, probably a grossly exaggerated figure, because in 1890 the town had a population of 50. Nevertheless, Blanton was a thriving rural village of 150 residents by the late 1890s and included ranchers, teachers, two physicians, shopkeepers, a mason, and a blacksmith. Early settlers included the Yochams, Smiths, Hobsons, Earleys, and Herrings. Blanton suffered in the early 1900s, however, when it was bypassed by the Texas and Brazos Valley Railway. The post office closed in 1902. In the 1930s the town had a school, church, cemetery, one business, and scattered farms. The school had closed by the 1950s. By the late twentieth century, only the cemetery appeared on maps. In 2000 Blanton had a population of eight.