During the Antebellum (pre-Civil War) period, the area was within the Arcola Plantation. The community received its name from John J. Juliff, a settler. In the 1850s, the community served as a Brazos River shipping point. In 1858, the Houston Tap and Brazoria Railway opened in the community. In 1891, the community received a post office. In 1896, a general store appeared. The post office closed in 1908 and reopened in 1914. In 1933, a man named Thurman "Doc" Duke purchased several acres of land by the railroad line, opened a store, and leased the remaining land to other tenants. The tenants opened a dance hall and a group of taverns. This led to Juliff gaining a concentration of consumption of alcohol, gambling, and prostitution. The population of Juliff began to know the town by the name "Diddy Wa Diddy," after a song made up by a local in 1934. It soon became an unofficial name for the community and appeared in several Blues songs in the 1930s and 1950s. By 1940, Juliff had approximately 50 residents, a church, and three businesses. During the 1940s, the population increased to 150. The post office closed in 1958. By the 1960s, the bars closed or relocated to Houston. By the 1980s, the community consisted of several scattered houses.[2]
The song lyrics "Diddy Wa Diddy - "ain't no town - ain't no city" don't specifically mention Juliff, but according to folklore, Diddy Wa Diddy alludes to a legendary location where food is plentiful and labor is nonexistent, much like The Big Rock Candy Mountains was for hobos. According to other accounts, the song was written by Blind Blake, a guitarist from Jacksonville, Florida, who recorded the song at least twice before going missing in the early 1930s. It is presumed that the unidentified musician in Juliff was merely one in a long line of people who utilized the lyric, since Blind Blake's recordings survive. The vocalist of the song states in one rendition "I just found out what Diddy Wa Diddy means," but in another, she begs for someone to explain what Diddy Wa Diddy means. Additionally, Texas author and journalist Billy Porterfield (who was no stranger to locations such as old Juliff) utilized the words as a title (Diddy Waw Diddy).[3]
The community shipped cotton along the river. The saloons in the area were also said to have moved to a place called "Mud Alley" in Richmond. The community also has much ragweed in the area.[3]
The Texas Legislature specifies that the Houston Community College (HCC) boundary includes "the part of the Fort Bend Independent School District that is not located in the service area of the Wharton County Junior College District and that is adjacent to the Houston Community College System District."[13] Wharton College's boundary within FBISD is defined only as the City of Sugar Land and the ETJ of Sugar Land,[14] Juliff is in neither location.[15] Juliff is in HCC.[16]
^Odintz, Mark. "Juliff, TX". Handbook of Texas. Retrieved December 3, 2023. Juliff, TX. Juliff is on the Missouri Pacific Railroad, Farm Road 521, and the Brazos River, twenty miles east of Richmond in eastern Fort Bend County. - GNIS: ID#1378507 - The results put Juliff at the intersection of Texas Farm to Market Road 521 and Juliff Manvel Road. - Compare with the school boundary maps.
‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties ±Former CDP annexed by Missouri City ^Former CDP annexed by Sugar Land #Still active as a community, but is no longer listed as a census-designated place
