Theories abound as to how Monroe County's Old Texas community received its unique name

The old Rufus Owens Store in 'downtown' Old Texas.

The Old Texas community in northeast Monroe County, located 32 miles from Monroeville’s downtown square, is one of the most uniquely named places in all of Monroe County, and theories abound as to how the community got its name.

According to the book “Places Names in Alabama” by Virginia O. Foscue, Old Texas was first known as Simpkinsville for the house and store built there in the early 1800s by J.J. Simpkins. When a post office was established there in 1857 in the store built by Simpkins, the name of the town was changed to Old Texas “probably for the state,” Foscue wrote. Records reflect that the post office at Old Texas closed in 1866, shortly after the Civil War.

Another common theory about how Old Texas got its name involves settlers traveling down the Old Federal Road in the 1850s from the Carolinas, Georgia and Virginia to Texas, which became a state in 1845. Many of these travelers abandoned their plans for Texas during the long journey there and settled in places like Simpkinsville. Since they’d told relatives back East that they were headed for Texas, some of them began calling their new home Old Texas.

Others say that pioneers from Monroe County went out to Texas, didn’t like it and returned home. Since they’d already been out to the relatively new state of Texas, they began calling their old Monroe County stomping grounds Old Texas. Others say that northeast Monroe County reminded many of these travelers of Texas, and they started calling it Old Texas for that reason.

A few days ago, I found myself passing through Old Texas and took a few minutes to visit some of the community’s prominent landmarks. Most maps agree that “downtown” Old Texas is located at the intersection of State Highway 47 and County Road 29, between Midway and Awin. This intersection is just north of the Owens Lumber Company property, and it’s also where you’ll find the old Rufus Owens Store, which closed in the 1980s.

As I stood there, thinking about what the community looked like in the 1800s, I couldn’t help but remember tales of how county road workers uncovered a large petrified tree in this area in the early 1970s. As workers moved dirt from the top of a small hill, it’s said that they uncovered an unusual rock formation and fossil bed. Among this was a petrified tree that was at least 18 feet long and 20 inches in diameter.

I’ve also been told that Indians lived throughout this area in the centuries before settlers arrived. One man, who is an avid arrowhead hunter, told me that at one time Indians living in the woods around Old Texas would come into people’s yards and draw water from their wells before disappearing back into the forest. This practice supposedly continued into the early 1900s.

Before heading back to Monroeville, I made a short trip down Highway 47 to Jenkins Chapel, a beautiful, old red-brick Methodist church that was organized in 1821. As best that I could tell, the cemetery next door to the church contains about 150 graves. The oldest marked grave that I saw there belonged to young Emma Collins, who passed away around the age of three in 1866.

I also took a few minutes to visit the nearby Byrd Cemetery, which is located adjacent to the Old Texas Community Church on Highway 47. This old cemetery looks to contain about 50 graves. The oldest marked grave that I saw belonged to J.G. Byrd, who also passed away around age three in 1858.

I eventually climbed back into my truck and pointed it south towards Monroeville. On the way home, I could not help but wonder if there are any old ghost stories or local legends associated with the Old Texas community. Are there any old Indian village sites or mounds in the Old Texas area?

In the end, let me hear from you if you know the answers to these questions or if you have any more information about the history of Old Texas. I’d especially like to hear from anyone with more information about how the community got its name. I think it’s important that we document this information for the generations to come before it fades into the shadows of the forgotten past.