Normanna
Normanna, Bee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Settlement dates from about 1850. First town, 2 miles west, was called San Domingo for its location near junction of San Domingo and dry Medio Creeks. After railroad was built, 1886, citizens moved to Walton (new flag station) to be on line. Name honored sheriff D. A. T. Walton. When Norwegians settled area, 1890's, Walton became Normanna. Word originally suggested the qualities of old Norse heroes, but through local usage came to mean "Home of the Norseman". Town thrived for years; then declined after series of fires and advent of the automobile. (1969)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The community that became Normanna began around 1850 near the junction of two creeks, then picked up and moved when the railroad arrived in 1886, renaming itself Walton for a local sheriff. When Norwegian settlers poured in during the 1890s, the name shifted again to Normanna—"Home of the Norseman"—honoring the old Norse heroes. The town prospered for decades before fires and the coming of the automobile drained it away.
Why it matters
Normanna's shifting names trace the forces that made and unmade small Texas towns—the railroad, immigrant settlement, and finally the car that let people bypass them entirely.
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Themes & tags
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