Godley

History

Godley was established in 1886 and named for R. B. Godley, a Cleburne lumber merchant who donated an tract for a townsite and of land as a right-of-way to the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway. A station was constructed in 1886. By 1888, when the post office opened, Godley had a gristmill, three cotton gins, and two dairy-processing plants. Four years later, it had two general stores. By the mid-1920s, its population was 613. In 1930, it was 378, and 22 rated businesses operated locally. In the 1940s, the town had a population of 317 and 20 businesses. By 1956, it had a population of 424 and 16 businesses, and by 1990, it had 569 people and 12 businesses.

Geography

Via Highway 171, it is northwest of Cleburne, the Johnson county seat, and southeast of Cresson. It is southwest of downtown Fort Worth. According to the United States Census Bureau, Godley has a total area of , of which , or 0.39%, is covered by water. It lies near the headwaters of the Nolan River watershed, a tributary of the Brazos River.

Race & ethnicity