Josephine

Josephine is on Farm Road 1777 near the Sabine River in the heart of the Blackland Prairies four miles east of Lavon Lake in southeastern Collin County. It was established in 1888, when the tracks of the St. Louis, Arkansas and Texas Railway reached the area, and named in honor of the daughter of J. C. Hubbard, who donated land for the townsite. That same year a post office was established. Josephine quickly became a retail market center for area farmers. The town's population increased from around 200 in 1900 to well over 500 by the mid-1920s. By 1930 the community had paved roads, electricity, a public school, a bank, and fifteen businesses. The Great Depression , however, reduced the number of residents to 350 by 1940. Josephine was incorporated in 1955. Mechanization of farming and job opportunities in the Dallas area combined to decrease the population to just under 300 by 1960, but by 1982 it had increased to 416. In 1990 Josephine's population was reported as 503, and the town had expanded into Hunt County. The population increased to 594 in 2000.