Editing Bullard, Texas (section)

==History==
The Etna post office, just west of Bullard, was granted in 1867, although settlers had been in the vicinity since the early 1850s. John and Emma Bullard arrived about 1870. A new post office named Hewsville was opened in the Bullards' store in 1881. The Etna post office was closed in 1883 and the Hewsville post office was renamed as Bullard.

When the Kansas and Gulf Short Line Railroad extended its route from Tyler to [[Lufkin, Texas|Lufkin]], it passed through Bullard and built a depot there. This attracted new residents and businesses. In 1890, the town had 200 residents and most essential businesses, plus a doctor and a telegraph office. The railroad was renamed several times, becoming the St. Louis, Arkansas, and Texas Railway and then (1892) the Tyler and Southwestern Railway.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

In 1903, the two public schools (segregated) had five teachers and 186 students between them. By 1914, the population had doubled to 400 and the railroad changed names once again, becoming the St. Louis Southwestern Railroad.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

Its population was 450 after World War II. The community did not organize to elect a city council until 1948.

By the mid-1960s, the population had declined to 300, but it rebounded by 1973 when it reached 573. The community is now concentrated around the crossroads. Most residents commute for work to nearby Tyler.<ref name="TexasEscapes.com">{{cite web|last= Troesser|first=John|title=TexasEscapes.com|url= http://www.texasescapes.com/EastTexasTowns/Bullard-Texas.htm|access-date=May 3, 2009}}</ref>