Happy Justin Day! The Story Behind October 4
October 4, 2026
Happy Justin DayYYYYY!
Today we’re celebrating 139 years of Justin, Texas — and if you’ve lived here for a while, you may already know that October 4 isn’t just another day on the calendar.
It’s the day Justin officially became Justin.
But here’s the fun part: Justin wasn’t the name on the paperwork when the post office first opened.
Yep. For a few months, our little town was officially Justine.
Before Justin, There Was Justine
Justin’s story goes back to 1883, when John W. Berry opened the town’s first store on Christmas Day.
A few years later, the post office opened on January 25, 1887, with Thomas J. Wheeler as the first postmaster. But there was a little problem with the paperwork.
The town was recorded as “Justine.”
The name appears to have been the result of a clerical error, and apparently nobody got around to fixing it right away.
On May 2, 1887, John W. Berry took over as postmaster — and even then, he was officially the postmaster of Justine.
Then came October 4, 1887.
That’s when the paperwork was corrected and the town officially became Justin, with John W. Berry becoming the first postmaster under the new name.
So when we celebrate Justin Day on October 4, we’re celebrating the day our town officially got the name we still use today.
Justine became Justin. And here we are 139 years later.
A Look Back at Justin’s First Post Office
This is the part of Justin’s history that makes old photographs so much fun.The photo here shows Justin’s first post office, located at approximately 117 W. 4th Street.
The building is long gone, and there isn’t much left today to show us exactly where that little post office once stood.
But for a community that was still finding its footing in the late 1800s, that post office was a pretty important place.
It was where mail came and went. It connected Justin with the outside world. And it was part of the process that helped establish the town as an actual community on the map.
And, of course, it was also where a little paperwork mix-up gave us one of the best stories in Justin history.
The Man in the Middle of It All
John W. Berry shows up quite a bit when you start digging into Justin’s early history.
He opened the town’s first store on Christmas Day in 1883.
He became postmaster of Justine in May 1887.
And then, on October 4, he became the first postmaster of Justin.
Berry’s story didn’t end there. Records show that he married Mollie Goldman in 1892, and the couple later divorced in Denton in 1900. Berry remarried later in life, although details about his second wife are harder to find.
John Watt Berry died in 1928 at the age of 68 and was laid to rest in the Justin Cemetery.
More than a century later, his name is still connected to one of the most important little moments in our town’s history.
So Why Do We Celebrate Justin Day?
This part of the story is actually pretty new.
On June 26, 2025, the Justin City Council discussed creating a Justin-specific day to recognize the history of the community.
There were several dates to consider, including January 1, May 5 and October 4.
October 4 made a pretty strong case for itself.
January 1 was connected to the historically reported arrival of the first train in Justin.
May 5 was associated with the original town plat created by Thomas Helm and accepted by Denton County.
And October 4?
That’s the date Justin officially became Justin.
The choice was eventually made official.
On September 11, 2025, the Justin City Council considered Resolution 781-25, declaring October 4 as Justin Day. The resolution passed, giving Justin its first official Justin-specific holiday.
And that’s how a date from 1887 became a new hometown tradition in 2025.
The First Celebration
Last year, we dug into the history behind Justin Day as the city prepared to celebrate it for the first time.
Read our 2025 Justin Day story here.
The first celebration was held alongside the 52nd Annual Layne Wilkerson Fish Fry, bringing the new Justin Day celebration together with a longtime Justin tradition.
The fish fry has since come to an end, but Justin Day remains.
139 Years Later…
And that’s what we love about local history.
Sometimes it’s a grand building or a famous person.
Sometimes it’s a railroad.
Sometimes it’s a first store opened on Christmas Day.
And sometimes it’s a typo on a piece of paperwork.
For a few months in 1887, we were Justine.
Then somebody fixed the paperwork.
And on October 4, 1887, Justin officially became Justin.
Now, 139 years later, we have a day on the calendar to celebrate it.
The City of Justin has also put together a video celebrating 139 years of Justin, and we hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch it and celebrate the place we call home.
Happy Justin Day, y’all!
Here’s to 139 years of Justin — and to all the people who have helped make this little town what it is today.
Justin Journal wishes Justin a very happy 139th!
