The May Community
May, Brown County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Originally part of a Mexican land grant given to empresario John Cameron in 1827, May developed in the 1870s when several pioneer families settled here. Baptists and Methodists quickly organized churches. A one-room school known as Old Swayback provided the first formal education for the children. Nathan L. May built a trading post in 1879 and became the town's first postmaster in 1881. By 1907 the village had a blacksmith shop, general store, newspaper and bank. The early history of May climaxed in 1911 with the coming of the railroad. (1981)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The land around May began as part of an 1827 Mexican grant to empresario John Cameron and drew its first pioneer families in the 1870s, who quickly organized Baptist and Methodist churches and a one-room school. Nathan L. May opened a trading post in 1879 and became the first postmaster, and by 1907 the village had a blacksmith, general store, newspaper, and bank. Its early growth peaked in 1911 when the railroad arrived.
Why it matters
May's rise traces the familiar arc of frontier Texas settlement—from land grant to farming village to railroad town—that knit the rural interior into the national economy.
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Related people
- · Nathan L. May
- · John Cameron
Themes & tags
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