Deep in the heart of Texas sits a tiny town ridiculously named Bug Tussle — and passing motorists can’t help stealing the town sign for kicks.
Out-of-town thieves have swiped the road marker that greets visitors at least 70 times — according to the Texas State Historical Association and local lore.
To fight back against the sign stealers, residents — all 15 of ’em — decided to solve the matter themselves.
“We built a big, heavy wooden one that’s four-foot high and five-foot wide that no one can steal,” local Deborah Stout, 72, told The Post.
Aside from the sign-robbers, the town’s comical name has attracted others.
Back in the day, it was fashionable for folks to get hitched in the unincorporated area that sits 80 miles northeast of Dallas — just to say they were wed in “Bug Tussle,” according to the historical association.
“People ask me all the time when I’m on a plane: ‘Are you from Dallas?’ I say, ‘No, I’m from Bug Tussle,’” she said. “That makes them laugh.”
Deborah, and her husband, Don, an 81-year-old Vietnam vet, retired and bought a 15-acre plot in the itty-bitty burg off Highway 34 that consists of a few homes and some crumbling buildings, including an old General Store.
“We know everybody here, but it’s real quiet because there’s so much land between us,” she said. “The supermarket isn’t far, about a 45-minute drive.”
Locals said they’re proud of the town’s unusual name, which happened at some point after it was founded and dubbed “Truss” in the 1890s, according to the historical society.
The most popular local legend is that a church ice cream social was ruined by an invasion of insects — and picnickers were forced to “tussle” with the bugs.
Don offered another explanation.
“A gentleman was traveling through, a salesman. He said, ‘Well, what do y’all do when nothing’s going on?’ One man said, ‘When we’re not doing anything else, we watch the bugs tussle.’”
Deborah, a retired real-estate professional, said the place is small, the name is funny, and the local history a bit spotty, but she wouldn’t live anywhere else.
“It’s a little slice of heaven,” she said — silly name, stolen signs and all.
