Ankling It to Aubrey

Railroad at Aubrey

Onega came into being in 1867 when Lemuel Noah Edwards, a Civil War veteran, built his house. The town grew as he gave each of his ten children lots on which to build their homes when they married. Although dancing was not allowed, the family and others who had come to the community gathered in the Edwards home to sing and to listen to organ music. By 1881 the Texas and Pacific Railway built a station house, completed the tracks, and began operations. Evidently townsfolks didn’t care for the name ‘Onega’, so alternate names were placed in a hat and the name ‘Aubrey’ was drawn. Very shortly, a post office, one-room school and churches were established along with several businesses.



After the first businesses east of the railroad tracks burned in 1887, the town was rebuilt

Ankole-Watusi cattle

west of the tracks, partially on land donated by Edwards. People in the area raised cotton, but this was devastated by the boll weevil at about the same time as the US entered the Great Depression. The town slowly came back to life when peanut farming replaced cotton and horse ranching became profitable. Other farm products include cattle, hay, fruits, and vegetables. The population continued to grow because of the scenic area created by the damming of the Elm Fork of the Trinity River and land available for new home construction.





I particularly like the wooded hills and the horse ranches that dot this area. But I’d never

Local church

actually been to ‘downtown’ Aubrey, so when a friend suggested lunch in this little town, I was happy to go. Downtown Aubrey is actually two sets of old buildings, a tiny museum and a church. It’s not on the highway, and if you’re not watching, you’ll miss it entirely. They do have two restaurants, MOMS Place and the Upper Park Café. We chose MOMS Place for lunch (For information about my rating system, see Reading the Reviews).

Three carrots

At MOMS Place (204 S Main St, Aubrey, TX 76227, 940-202-4940) you walk up to a counter, read the menu, place your order and pay. Drinks, cutlery, and condiments are self-

Left T to B: Potato chips, BLT with French fries
Right T to B: Moms building, Menu, Fried green
tomatoes

serve. One of the smiling staff brings the food to your table. The BLTs we ordered were huge, with three slices of Texas toast and at least half a pound of bacon. The tomato and lettuce were fresh and plentiful. Both of us were disappointed in French fries and homemade potato chips; limp and a bit greasy characterized these sides. However, the fried green tomato pickles were wonderful! While we waited for our food to arrive, we got a chance to look at the antique toys and to peruse the bins of old-fashioned candy. We took some of the candy back for an afternoon treat. Had the potato chips and fries been good, this would be a great place to eat.

Horse sculpture

©2015 NearNormal Design and Production Studio - All rights including copyright of photographs and designs, as well as intellectual rights are reserved.