Luella, Texas

Luella is an unincorporated community in Grayson County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had an estimated population of 639 in 2000. It is part of the Sherman - Denison Metropolitan Statistical Area.GeographyLuella is located along State Highway 11 in central Grayson County, approximately four miles southeast of Sherman.HistoryEarly yearsLuella's history dates back to the 1880s. In 1888, the tracks of the St. Louis Southwestern Railway reached the area. Businessman J.L. Hughes built a general merchandise store combined with a railroad station. He applied for and established a post office branch under the name Luella, after his oldest daughter. Soon after, Luella boasted a number of businesses as well as a public school that also functioned as a community center. Besides freight, the railroad – also known as the Cotton Belt Line, ran a daily passenger trolley from Sherman (through Luella) to Commerce and back. By 1914, the community was home to around fifty people. Luella remained small and went into decline in the 1920s. The post office closed in 1924 and train service was discontinued in the early 1950s. Grayson County purchased the railroad right-of-way and the dirt lane next to the tracks became Farm to Market Road 1281.