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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) |
