Turnersville, Texas
| Turnersville | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s): Buchanan Springs | |
  Turnersville Location within the state of Texas | |
| Coordinates: 31°30′00″N 97°37′30″W / 31.50000°N 97.62500°WCoordinates: 31°30′00″N 97°37′30″W / 31.50000°N 97.62500°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Coryell County |
| Population (2004) | |
| • Total | approx. 350 |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
Turnersville is a town located in Coryell County, Texas approximately 40 miles (64 km) west of Waco, Texas and approximately 12 miles (19 km) north-northeast of Gatesville, Texas. The town sits approximately two miles southwest of the intersection of FM217 and FM182 at 31° 30' 00"N, 097° 37' 30"W
The Middle Bosque River flows through the center of town while the Goldy's Branch flows just north of town. The two branches come together less than 1/2 mile east of the community and continue east southeast to Lake Waco.
History
the following text is taken from an article written by Essie Brim Leach for the Handbook of Texas Online
Both the Chisholm Trail and Bosque trail were supposed to have gone through the area. In 2004 the Lone Tree, one of the oldest landmarks in the county, still stood two miles east of the townsite. In the 1860s it guided travelers, settlers, and cow drivers to a plentiful water supply, a flowing spring on the open prairie of lush rangeland, abundant with buffalo, deer, turkey, horses, and longhorn cattle. The town that eventually developed at this spring, where all travelers camped, was named after Cal Turner, who settled there to shoe horses and repair wagons. Thus his blacksmith shop was the first business in town. By 1868 the original Presbyterian church also served the community as a school. A post office named Turnersville opened there in 1875. The first postmaster was Joseph M. Black, who later donated five acres of land for a cemetery. In 1885 Turnersville had a population of 300, served by a school, three churches, a gristmill, a cotton gin, owned by William Henry Snell, and some eight other businesses. That year a Masonic lodge was established. The town shipped primarily grain and cotton. Turnersville prospered from 1895 to around 1916, largely because of the local cotton economy. In 1916 it had 162 residents, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Disciples of Christ churches, and some ten businesses, including a newspaper called the Advance. The Turnersville population steadily declined during the later 1900s. In 1968 the school was closed. The post office was closed in 1987, but a new fire station was built in 1988. By 1989 the town reported 155 residents and four businesses. At this time Turnersville still has an active cemetery association, which sponsors an annual homecoming on the Sunday before Memorial Day in May. The town still includes a seed and fertilizer company, a construction company, a grain elevator, and a community center, and several local farms and ranches and let's not forget the last active church in town the Baptist Church. The towns children currently go to either the Jonesboro ISD or the Gatesville ISD.
Today there is an active group working on renovating the community center and an attempt to renovate the old high school building. The 1916 Turnersville Elementary School was acquired and leveled in order to move forward with the next phase of this project which now includes a new building of approximately 6000 square feet. The Cemetery was recently designated a historic cemetery. Here is the content of the Marker: "This burial ground served residents of the rural community of Turnersville (originally Buchanan Springs). settled before the civil war, Turnersville boasted a cotton gin, stores, a school, and three churches by the 1880s. The interred here include many of these past residents, with ranchers, farmers, merchants, physicians, teachers, ministers, and military veterans among them. Cemetery features include interior fencing, curbing, and grave slabs. A cemetery association formed by 1900, but disbanded in the 1930s. The Turnersville cemetery association reorganized in 1953, and still continues to care for the burial ground. Today, the cemetery is one of the few remaining vestiges of the Turnersville community."
Geology
Turnersville sits on the Washita geological group. Major formations within the area include Buda limestone, Del Rio clay, Georgetown limestone, including beds equivalent to Kiamichi clay at base.