Vashti, Texas

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Vashti is at the intersection of Farm to Market Road 174 and Farm to Market Road 1288, 18 miles southeast of Henrietta and four miles south of Bellevue in southeastern Clay County, Texas.

[edit] History

It was established in 1880 and named for the first postmaster in 1891, Vashti Strahan. Bypassed by the Fort Worth and Denver Railway in 1882 and U.S. Route 287 in the 1930s, the town never particularly flourished. It did survive, however, as a local economic and social hub for area farmers. It reached its peak population in the 1920s at 264, and the community had a number of businesses, including a cotton gin, three general stores, a drugstore, and a blacksmith shop; in addition, six churches and two fraternal orders operated locally. Its decline began in the 1950s as the urbanization of rural areas began across the United States following World War II. By 1950 the population of Vashti stood at 140, which remained stable until 1980. Cattle raising, dairy farming, potterymaking, and fruit production are the area's major industries.