Jones Prairie, Texas

Jones Prairie was named for Joseph Patterson Jones, who was given a land grant in 1834 for the settlement. It was established in 1853. Little River Baptist Church was founded near the area in 1849 and a Masonic lodge was soon established. A post office was established at Jones Prairie in 1876 and remained in operation until the 1950s. Local farmers shipped cotton and corn. In 1884, the community had 150 residents who were served by a gristmill, a cotton gin, and three churches. The community was on a railroad line between Calvert and Cameron, but it soon bypassed the settlement when other railroads built tracks through other parts of the county in the 1880s and 1890s. The population of Jones Prairie was 100 from the mid-1920s to the mid-1960s. This went down to 35 from 1990 through 2000.[2]

Jones Prairie is located on Farm to Market Road 979, 10 mi (16 km) northeast of Cameron in northern Milam County.[2]

Jones Prairie had its own school in 1884.[2] Today, the community is served by the Cameron Independent School District.

• James McKinney, who served on the 20th and 21st Texas Legislatures.