Photograph of the front door of Venus city hall. Entrance also serves the City of Venus Housing Authority. The town was called Venus after the modestly named daughter of a local Doctor. The town founder, a Mr. J. C. Smyth chose the name shortly after laying out the town site on what had been a cornfield. They got their post office in 1888 and according to the Handbook of Texas, the population had shot up to 10 people just in time for the 1890 census. Two railroads met at Venus and that turned the town into a beehive of activity. Thirteen businesses were reported in the mid 1890s. The railroads, or at least one of them, continue to be a presence in Venus. The town incorporated in 1903 and the population swelled to 800 during the prosperous years following World War I. During the Great Depression, Dallas and Fort Worth drew off many Venetians and by the early 40s, there was only one business left in Venus and that was about to close. In a touching show of support, the townspeople chipped in to save the business (a drugstore) from closing and turning Venus into a ghost. Today, the Venus …

Front of the Democratic Party Headquarters at the Civic Center in Venus

Old fire engine No. 2 parked outside of the Venus Fire Station

Johnson County Precinct 2 Road Sign

Old farmhouse near Cleburne

Roscoe Wilson's Barber Shop in Venus. Mr. Wilson died about 1970.

Interior of Russell's Beauty Shop and Drug Store in Venus

Photograph of the storefront for Carney's Dress Shop and Cutting Factory inside of the Venus Department Store.