Justin
Justin, Denton County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Located in the rich, fertile, softly rolling prairie land of north central Texas, Justin is situated at the confluence of the Denton, Oliver and Trail creeks. For many years Native American tribes flourished in the area. In 1841, John B. Denton was killed near Fort Worth in the Village Creek Battle and was buried in an unmarked grave at the juncture of Denton and Oliver creeks. Twenty years later his remains were moved to Bolivar and in 1901 he was reinterred on the grounds of the county courthouse. That same creek juncture was the site of an 1848 Icarian settlement of French socialist immigrants who were allocated thousands of acres by the Peters Colony. Because of strife with Peters and harsh conditions, the settlement was abandoned within two years. In the mid-1800s, as settlers came to the area from Missouri and other states, the Texas Rangers posted at Hickory Station were able to provide some protection for the settlers to establish the land for ranching and farming. Wheat, corn and cotton grew easily in the rich soil of the agricultural area. Justin was an important stop on the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway. One of the men responsible for the railroad coming through Justin was Walter Justin (W. J.) Sherman, chief construction engineer, for whom the town was eventually named. Businesses soon opened up and thrived in this small town, which by 1914 had four elevators, two cotton gins, a flour mill and over twenty other businesses. The Justin State Bank remains a locally owned, managed and operated financial institution since its doors opened in 1904. The City of Justin incorporated in 1946 and has continued to grow, offering a historical perspective and modern quality of life to new generations of settlers. (2014)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The town of Justin sits where the Denton, Oliver, and Trail creeks meet in the North Texas prairie, long home to Native American peoples before white settlement. Its ground holds layered histories: the 1841 death of John B. Denton at the Village Creek Battle, an 1848 Icarian colony of French socialist immigrants that collapsed within two years, and Texas Ranger protection for settlers from Missouri and elsewhere. The town took its name from railroad engineer Walter Justin Sherman when the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway came through, and by 1914 it bustled with elevators, gins, and a flour mill.
Why it matters
Justin's story compresses the whole arc of frontier settlement — Native lands, utopian colonies, Ranger conflict, and the railroad that finally fixed a town in place.
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Related people
- · John B. Denton
- · Walter Justin Sherman
Related events
- · Village Creek Battle
- · Icarian settlement
Themes & tags
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