In the early 1850's, a community was formed about 10 miles southeast of Kerens called Rural Shade.  The center of Rural Shade has had two different locations.  The first was about a mile south of the school and church but was moved to the present location to be closer to the gravel road which went to Wild Cat Ferry.  Records in the Navarro Courthouse read: "... a road leading from Corsicana to Wild Cat Bluff on Trinity River and make a road the nearest practicable route from Corsicana to Wild Cat Bluff on Trinity Bluff..." A stage coach went through Rural Shade and the Wild Cat Ferry on Tuesday and Thursday.

The first Post Office was established in 1858, with Wash Ingram as the first postmaster, and continued in operation until 1912 when rural free delivery was started.  The last postmaster in Rural Shade was John T. Brewster.

The Rural Shade Baptist Church of Christ was organized in April of 1888, with the landed deeded to the community by J. H. and Lizzy Ramsey to representatives of the Primitive Baptist Church, the Christian Church, the Missionary Baptist Church and the M. E. Church, and also to the representatives of the school.  On October 18, 1921, the Rural Shade Baptist Church of Christ purchased land across the road for a building solely for the purpose of worship.  In 1917, Church records showed that the church had a membership of 237.  This church continued to be used for worship until the 1960's.

The Rural Shade School District was created in 1867, and then in 1884, the District was remodeled and increased in size to run from the Trinity River to the line of District 12 to the Freestone County line.  In 1929, Rural Shade had a total of 305 pupils.  In the years of 1933 - 1934, Rural Shade School had grades 1 through 11.  By 1949, the Rural Shade School District had been consolidated into the Kerens District and the community of Rural Shade had only a grammar school with the other grades going into Kerens.  By the early 1950's the school had closed and a community center was created in the old school building.  Ex-students and residents of Rural Shade still meet every the Saturday closest to 4th of July for a day of remembering and renewing old friendships.

With such large numbers of people moving into the area after the Civil War, Rural Shade grew along with the other communities in the area attracting Dr. Henry Carroll (who had trained at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee).   Other doctors, who either lived or had patients in the Rural Shade community, were Drs. J. T. Schnar, Rowe, and Howell.

There were two grocery stores in Rural Shade, one owned by Washington Ingram (the story goes that the first post office was in this store) and one (in a two-story building) on land owned by Will Bruner.  The second floor of the Bruner building was sold to the Lodge of the Woodmen of the World in 1911.  In 1917, the lower portion was leased to James T. Terry for the operation of a grocery store.   Mr. Terry ran this store until the late 1930's.  Rural Shade continued to have at least one grocery store until the 1950's with the last store being operated by John Phillips.

There was also a blacksmith shop owned and operated by the G. W. Stucker family.  Rural Shade had a gin also with a new one built in 1931 to replace the original which had been run by Mark Warren and Homer Locke.   According to stories, one of the earliest businesses in the area was the making of liquor.  Richmond Ingram was said to have run a small ferry along with operating a still.  The still required so much of his time he finally sold the ferry.

Some of the early families built grand homes.   The houses were built with high ceilings, a wide central hall with a large front porch (and sometimes a back porch as well).  Unfortunately, all of these grand homes (most built in the late 1800's and early 1900's) are now gone.  Prior to these grand homes being built, most of the people lived much the same -- in log houses with only dirt for floors.  But no matter what type of house, this was a farming community and the houses were surrounded with large barns and other buildings for livestock.  All the families had to have livestock to work the land and raised chickens, cows, hogs, turkeys, ducks, and anything else that made life more comfortable.  The farmers raised cotton for a cash crop but also raised grain for feed for the stock as well as having a garden plot to raise vegetables.

When World War II started, most of the young men and some of the women left Rural Shade -- the young men for the armed services and the young women for defense jobs.  Most did not return to live in Rural Shade after WWII ended, and, with the school closing, more and more families left.  The method of farming changed.  The land was now being worked with machines and farmers were consolidating their land holdings.  Now most of the land is in pasture.  There are only a few families who still live and continue to farm.

Some of the early families or their descendants still living in the area are: Henderson, Inmon, Ingram, Howell, Mahoney, Minatra, Paul, Ware, Smith, Quinn, Tramel, Bruner, Cunningham, Phillips, McConnico, Scott, Currington, Comb, Perryman, Townley, McElhaney, Owen, and Holiman.