Asa (aka Norwood)
Asa, at the junction of Farm roads 2643 and 434 in McLennan County, was one of a series of communities along the Old River Road from Waco to Marlin. These communities were prosperous "when cotton was king." The town was formerly named Norwood for early settlers, but the Texas and New Orleans Railroad changed the name to Asa, the first name of Asa Woodward Warner, a Waco businessman who owned the cotton gin, the country store, and four farms in the area. Warner operated as the last of the plantation-style landowners in the area. The cotton gin and a seed warehouse were still in operation in 1983, when the population was about 100. In 1990 the population was forty-six.
Axtell
Axtell is on Farm Road 1330 between
U.S. Highway 84 and State
Highway 31, eight miles northeast of Bellmead in eastern McLennan
County. It
was established in 1881, when the Texas and St. Louis Railway laid
track from
Corsicana to Waco. A post office, called Axtell in honor of a railroad
official, opened in 1882 with Edward P. Rino as postmaster. By the
early 1890s
Axtell had a population of 200, a gristmill and gin, two general
stores, and a
hotel. In 1896 Axtell schools had two teachers for eighty-five white
students
and one teacher for seventy-nine black students. The population had
risen to
250. The Axtell State Bank opened in 1912 and provided an economic
boost for
local businesses by attracting customers from outlying areas.
Population
estimates for Axtell reached a peak of 400 in 1914. Severe storms and
floods in
the fall of that year damaged or destroyed crops and property
throughout the
region, making it impossible for many area farmers to meet their loan
payments.
The bank at Axtell was forced to close in 1914. In spite of this
setback and
the Great Depression a few years later, Axtell managed to hold its own
as a
small railroad town. The community became the focus of a rural high
school
district in 1915. The district grew to include the Billington and Watt
common
school districts of Limestone County and the Elk common school district
of
McLennan County. Population estimates for the Axtell community remained
at 220
from the 1920s through the 1960s; a population of 105 was reported from
1970
through 1990. Axtell had three churches, a post office, and several
businesses
in the mid-1980s. (from The Handbook of Texas Online)
Banks
Banks was on Sheep Creek two miles south of the site of present McGregor in western McLennan County. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway established it in 1880, when that line was laying track between Temple and Fort Worth. A post office, with Thomas H. Baker as postmaster, was established at Banks in April 1882, when the community's population was estimated at 200. Later that year the Texas and St. Louis Railway crossed the GC&SF two miles north of Banks; the railroad company decided that the second site would be a better place for a town, and McGregor was established. Many residents of Banks accepted the railroad's offer to exchange their property for lots in McGregor, and several businesses moved as well. In October 1882 the post office was transferred to McGregor, and Banks faded quickly.
Battle Community and Cemetery – Location: Mart
Established about 1880, the battle community was named for local landowner Nicholas W. Battle (1820-1905). By the 1890s a town had developed, including a school, post office, business, homes, and churches. A cemetery was established on land acquired from Alexander and Kenneth McLennan. The earliest documented grave dates to 1888. Following the building of the international and great northern railroad line about 1901, the town began to decline. The battle cemetery stands as a memorial to the area's pioneers. (1988)
Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills is an incorporated town on State Highway 6 four miles south of downtown Waco in south central McLennan County. By the early 1940s the community of 237 had voted to incorporate. Afterward, the population of Beverly Hills grew rapidly, from 703 in the early 1950s to 2,670 in the late 1970s; many residents chose to live there and commute to work in Waco. Waco eventually grew to surround Beverly Hills, leaving the community unable to expand its boundaries. The smaller community was dependent on Waco for its water supply and sewage disposal, and although it had its own business district, its economy was closely linked with that of Waco. In 1989 the population of Beverly Hills was estimated at 2,364. Many do not even realize where Beverly Hills starts and ends as it is completely surrounded by Waco.
Bold
Springs
– See West
Bruceville – Eddy
Bruceville-Eddy is on Interstate Highway 35 eighteen miles southwest of Waco in southern McLennan County. It began as two separate communities, Bruceville and Eddy, both of which became stations on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad in 1882. Bruceville was named for Lucien N. Bruce, who donated land for the railroad station. Much of the town's early population came from Mastersville, a community two miles north that the railroad had bypassed. By 1900 Bruceville's population had grown to 289. Among the businesses that developed in the community were a lumber and hardware store, two general stores, and a grocery; Bruceville also had a hotel, two churches, and a school. The Bruceville Independent School District was established in 1904. A state bank opened in 1907, but it overextended its resources during World War I. A severe local drought in 1925 prevented many area farmers from meeting loan obligations, and although the bank borrowed money to increase its available funds, its directors decided to close the bank in 1927. Bruceville reported 500 residents during the 1930s and early 1940s, but estimates fell steadily in the years after World War II, as many residents moved to take advantage of job opportunities in larger towns. The number of residents reported was 250 in 1949, 175 in 1964, and twenty-five in 1970. Bruceville formed a joint city government with nearby Eddy in the mid-1970s. Eddy, on Interstate Highway 35 two miles southwest of Bruceville on the McLennan-Falls county line, was known as Marvin until the Katy Railroad was built through the area in 1882. The post office, which was established that year, was named in honor of Everett B. Eddy, a division superintendent of the railroad. In the mid-1880s the community had a gristmill, three general stores, two churches, a district school, and 150 residents. By the early 1890s Eddy also had two hotels and a weekly newspaper, the News and Messenger. Population estimates for that period ran as high as 700. A private bank opened in Eddy in 1901 and was incorporated as the Eddy State Bank in 1906. The bank received a national charter in 1915 and began operating as the First National Bank of Eddy. In 1928 the schools at Bruceville and Eddy were joined to form the county's first consolidated rural high school district. Eddy's population in the late 1920s was estimated at 450. The bank at Eddy survived the Great Depression but closed in 1942. As some area residents moved away and those who remained began to do more of their trading in larger towns, business activity in Eddy declined. By the mid-1940s the population had fallen to 350. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, however, Interstate Highway 35 was built along the U.S. Highway 81 route, bringing more business to the area and making it easy for residents to commute. Population estimates rose to 600 in the 1960s. After Bruceville-Eddy incorporated in the mid-1970s the number of residents increased rapidly, to 1,038 by the early 1980s and to 1,075 by 1990.
Chalk Bluff – Location: 6 miles north of Waco on FM 933
Chalk Bluff is on Farm Road 933
some six miles north of
Waco in northeast central McLennan County. It takes its name from the
Austin
chalk prevalent in the terrain overlooking the nearby Brazos River. A
Moore
family received land grants in the area in 1835, but actual settlement
may not
have occurred before the early 1850s. Both the Texas Central and the
Missouri,
Kansas and Texas railroads bypassed Chalk Bluff by about two miles in
1882.
Thus, though area farmers had fairly easy access to markets, the
community did
not develop as a railroad town. Before 1900 Chalk Bluff had a school, a
store,
and a gin. In 1896 the Chalk Bluff school had forty-five students and
one
teacher. The White Rock Baptist Church moved to the community in 1908
and
changed its name to Chalk Bluff Baptist Church. The Chalk Bluff School
was
consolidated with the Elm Mott school district in the 1930s. Several
scattered
houses marked Chalk Bluff on county highway maps in the 1930s and
1940s. Later
the area was developed as a subdivision, and many local residents
commuted to
jobs in Waco. (The Handbook of Texas Online)
China Spring
China Spring (China Springs, as it is commonly mistakenly called) is on Farm Road 1637 twelve miles northwest of Waco in northwestern McLennan County. Settlement of the area began as early as 1860, and the community was founded in 1867. It was named for a spring in a chinaberry grove. A post office was established at China Spring in May 1873 with Charles S. Eichelberger as postmaster. By the early 1880s the community had five steam cotton gins and gristmills, three general stores, a Methodist church, and 200 residents. Cotton, corn, and wool were the principal shipments from the area.
Comanche Springs
Comanche Springs was two miles west of McGregor in western McLennan County. A post office was established there in May 1872, with John S. Elmore as postmaster; the office was discontinued in 1875. The community was bypassed in the early 1880s by the Texas and St. Louis and the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe railroads. Subsequently Comanche Springs was gradually abandoned as its residents moved their homes and businesses to the new town of McGregor. (From The Handbook of Texas Online)
Concord
Concord was on the old Corsicana Road five miles northeast of Waco in McLennan County. It was settled by brothers Martin, Wilson, Mark, and George Bird, who moved to the area in the early 1850s from Concord, North Carolina, and who gave the community its name. In 1866 the Tehuacana Baptist Church of Christ was organized, and in 1872 the church was moved to the site of what is now the Concord cemetery. By the 1880s the town had a school, a general store, and a cotton gin, and the church was eventually moved to a site near them. By 1900 Concord was a switch on the International-Great Northern Railroad. The Concord school merged with several others to form the La Vega school district in 1924. In 1950 the church was moved to a site near Bellmead, where it was still located in the 1980s. By 1970 the cemetery was all that remained of Concord. (The Handbook of Texas Online)
Cottonwood
Cottonwood is on Farm Road 2114 four miles northeast of West in the northern corner of McLennan County. German immigrants who moved there from Washington County in the early 1880s settled the area. Cottonwood became the focus of a common school district in 1884 and continued to function as such until 1948, when the school was consolidated with the West Independent School District. A school, a church, and several scattered residences marked the community on county highway maps in the late 1940s. Cottonwood had only a few houses in the 1950s, and by the 1980s one business was all that appeared on county highway maps of the area. Cottonwood was still listed as a community in 1990. The Cottonwood Hall (an S.P.J.S.T. Hall) is still a commonly used facility for reunions, dances and dinners. The area is generally considered the outskirts of West.
Crawford – Home of “The Western Whitehouse” and G.W. and Laura Bush.
Crawford is at the intersection of State Highway 317 and Farm Road 185, eighteen miles west of Waco in western McLennan County. Settlement of the area began in the 1850s and centered around Tonk Crossing (also called Crawford Crossing), a ford of the Middle Bosque River two miles east of the present town. The community was probably named for Nelson Crawford, who graded the river crossing. As early as 1867 the inn at Crawford was used as a changing station by the Brownwood stage line. A Crawford post office was established in 1871 with John Hamlin as postmaster. In 1881 the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway laid track from Temple to Fort Worth, passing two miles west of Crawford. The focus of the community shifted to the railroad, and by 1890 Crawford had steam flour and corn mills, two general stores, three groceries, a cotton gin, four churches, and 400 residents; cotton, wheat, hides, and corn were the principal shipments from the area. In the 1880s and 1890s Crawford had a series of short-lived weekly newspapers, among them the Yeoman, the Democrat, the Banner, and the Advance. The Crawford Sun was established in 1928, and except for the years 1943 to 1947 continued to be published weekly until 1969, when it merged with the McGregor Mirror. When Crawford was first established, community affairs were managed by a group of five or six elected trustees. Residents voted to incorporate on August 12, 1897, by a vote of fifty-one to forty-two; it may have been at that time that the city adopted a mayor-council form of government. A private bank opened in Crawford in 1901 and was reorganized eight years later as the First National Bank of Crawford. The town reached one of the high points in its development in 1910, when it had 600 residents and thirty-five businesses. The depression hit the community hard, forcing the bank and several other businesses to close. The population fell to 491 in the early 1930s and to 471 in the early 1940s. Still, Crawford was the only town of any size in northwestern McLennan County, and as such it was the natural focal point when small area schools began to consolidate with those in larger towns in the 1930s and 1940s. By the mid-1940s the Crawford Independent School District encompassed nearly seventy-eight square miles. The population of Crawford fell to 425 in the 1950s but rose again to 480 in the 1960s; it remained fairly stable through the 1970s but rose sharply in the 1980s, as more residents decided to live in Crawford and commute to work in Waco or nearby McGregor. The population was reported at 667 in the late 1980s. In 1990 it was 631.
Downsville
Downsville is on Farm Road 434 eight miles southeast of downtown Waco in southeastern McLennan County. William Woods Downs owned the land in the 1850s and used slaves to work it; after the Civil Warqv he gave each family a house and some adjacent land. Former slaves established the Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church there in 1866. When the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway laid its track from Waco to Lott in the late 1880s, it passed through this community, where a post office called Price was established in April 1890 with William P. Sparks as postmaster. Later that year the community was renamed Downsville, in honor of Downs and his son, John Wesley. By 1892 Downsville had three flourmills, a general store, two grocery stores, and 100 residents. In 1896 the community had a one-teacher school with seventy-three white students. County school records also indicate the existence in the area of a school called Mount Pleasant, which had one teacher and 126 black students; although maps did not show it, it may have been located in Downsville and named after the church. The population of Downsville was estimated at 134 from 1900 to the late 1940s. The post office was discontinued in 1907, and mail for the community was sent to Waco. The number of residents fell to fifty by 1949 and to thirty-five by 1964. The Southern Pacific abandoned the track between Waco and Rosebud in 1967, thus depriving Downsville of rail service. In the 1980s county highway maps showed three churches, two cemeteries, and two or three businesses at the site. The population was still thirty-five in 1990. (from The Handbook of Texas Online)
Eddy
–
See Bruceville - Eddy
Elk Community – Location: Just east of Elm Mott, Texas
The first permanent settlers of this area were Martin and Elizabeth McConnel Harper, who arrived from Tennessee with their five children in 1855. Others who settled with the Harpers were Scots-Irish from the American south. The Harper family erected a log cabin, a schoolhouse, and outbuildings on their 160-acre farm. The community acquired the name Harper's School House, and the school also was used for religious activities and local elections. The Harper Cemetery was established by Martin and Elizabeth's son, Moses, in 1861. Lucy Morrow, whose burial was the first recorded in the cemetery, died that year. Czech and German immigrants began settling in the community about 1885. The Elk cotton gin, one of the major businesses in the area, was opened in 1890 by J. W. Mansfield and S. D. McWhorter. Mertie Emma McKinley applied for the establishment of a post office in the community in 1894. Because the name Harper's School House was rejected, Mrs. McKinley chose the name Elk. At that time the community population was 150, and the number served by the post office was 500. At various times, Elk has boasted a Catholic church, barber shop, blacksmith, doctors' offices, gristmill, livery stable, a meat market, a beer hall, cafe, fraternal lodges, several stores, and a service station, telephone exchange, and waterworks. St. Joseph's Catholic Church, established in 1925, remains at the heart of the community, which is surrounded by farmland and houses in the predominately Czech and German Elk community. (1999)
Elm Mott (aka Geneva)
Elm Mott is near the intersection
of Interstate Highway 35
and Farm Road 308, eight miles north of Waco in northeast central
McLennan
County. The area was settled shortly after the Civil War by the
Christian and
Long families. A general store and a cotton gin served nearby farmers.
The
community was known as Geneva until residents applied for a post office
in
1872; as there was already a Geneva, Texas, the name Elm Mott was
chosen, for a
nearby elm grove. The school that served the area was called Union
Grove when
it was established in 1876; its name was changed to Geneva in 1887 and
to Elm
Mott in 1897. When the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad laid track
from
Hillsboro to Taylor in the early 1880s, it passed through Elm Mott, and
the
community began to grow. In the mid-1880s the settlement had a church,
a
school, and forty residents; by the early 1890s it had a hotel, a
gristmill and
gin, two general stores, two churches, and 150 residents. Its
population grew
to 247 by 1900 and to 300 by 1914. A private bank opened at Elm Mott in
1921,
but a drought in 1925 made it impossible for area farmers to repay
their loans;
state examiners closed the bank in 1926. In spite of this setback and
the Great
Depression, Elm Mott maintained an estimated population of 247 and
supported
twelve businesses. County highway maps from the late 1940s showed a
school, two
churches, several businesses, and a number of residences at Elm Mott.
The Elm
Mott Independent School District was combined with the Lakeview
Independent
School District in 1951 to form the Connally Consolidated Independent
School
District. In the late 1950s, when plans were made for the renovation of
U.S.
Highway 81 and its upgrade to Interstate Highway status, some residents
of Elm
Mott were forced to move their homes away from the right-of-way, and
several
businesses were moved to sites along the new highway. The population of
Elm
Mott was reported at 275 in the 1950s, fell to 260 in the 1960s, and
was stable
at 190 from the 1970s to 1990. (The Handbook of
Texas Online)
Erath
Erath was on Farm Road 1637 six
miles northwest of
downtown Waco in north central McLennan County. It was founded before
1860 and
named for George Bernard Erath. By 1880 the settlement had a gristmill
and a
general store. At its peak, it also had two churches, a school, two
cotton
gins, and a blacksmith's shop. Erath had a post office from 1896 to
1907, when
mail for the community was rerouted through Waco. The Erath School was
consolidated with several others in 1917 to form the China Spring
district. A
few scattered houses marked the community's location on county highway
maps in
the 1940s. The population of Erath was reported at fifteen in 1900,
forty-seven
in 1911, twenty-four in 1931, and fifty in 1949 and from the 1960s
through the
mid-1980s. Most of this area is now annexed by the City of Waco.
Farr
Farr was near Hog Creek six miles northeast of Crawford in northwestern McLennan County. A post office operated there from 1892 to 1902, when mail was sent to Crawford. Sarah J. Walker was Farr's first postmaster. In 1896 the community had a general store operated by F. S. Ewing. Farr became the focus of a common school district in 1901 but was consolidated with the Walnut Grove district in 1905.
Fryer
Fryar was twelve miles from Waco and five from Harrison in eastern McLennan County. A post office was established there in December 1891 with Frank Dunklin as postmaster. In 1892 a community general store served as a supply point for area farmers and ranchers. The post office was discontinued in 1894, and mail for the community was rerouted through Riesel.
Geneva – See Elm Mott
Gerald
Gerald, on Farm Road 308 near Elm
Creek two miles
southwest of Leroy in northeastern McLennan County, was named for
George Bruce
Gerald, a McLennan county judge. A post office was established there in
March
1888 with Joseph D. Morgan as postmaster. By the mid-1890s the
community had a
cotton gin, two general stores, and 300 residents; farming and cattle
raising
were among the primary occupations. The post office was discontinued in
1904,
at which time Gerald had a population of 126, and mail for the
community was
rerouted through West. The Gerald common school district was
consolidated with
the West Independent School District in 1948. County highway maps of
the area
indicated that Gerald had a church and several scattered residences
from the
1930s through the 1970s. A church and a cemetery marked the community
on county
highway maps in the 1980s. (from The History of Texas Online)
Gholson – Location FM 933 and FM 1858 Intersection; North of Waco
Gholson is at the intersection of Farm roads 933 and 1858, twelve miles northwest of Waco in northern McLennan County. The area was settled in the late 1840s, and the community that developed there was called Sardis. Its first school was built in 1854. A post office was established in January 1858, with John S. Bell as postmaster, but it was discontinued shortly after the Civil War. Among the early settlers had been the Gholson brothers, Benjamin and Samuel, and the community gradually came to be called Gholson. A new post office by that name was established in February 1887 with Thomas Rhodes as postmaster. In 1890 the community had a general store and twenty-five residents; by the mid-1890s it had grown to include two churches, a corn mill and gin, two general stores, and seventy-five residents. The post office was discontinued in 1905 and replaced by a rural route from Ross. Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, Gholson remained a small farming community; its population was reported as thirty-four from the early 1930s to the early 1970s. In 1975, however, Gholson residents voted to incorporate with a mayor-council form of city government, and the community grew rapidly. Population estimates were as high as 650 in the late 1970s. Either these numbers were inflated, however, or the community underwent a dramatic slump, since only 263 residents were reported in 1980. The population began to grow steadily in the 1980s and was reported as 692 by 1990. (The Handbook of Texas Online)
Hallsburg
Hallsburg is on Farm Road 3222
eleven miles east-southeast
of Waco in eastern McLennan County. It was named in honor of W. E.
Hall, a
doctor with a practice in Waco, who in the 1880s purchased more than
2,000
acres of land west of Mart, where he built a home, a gin, and a
blacksmith shop
and donated land for a townsite. The International-Great Northern
Railroad
built through Hallsburg in 1902, when it laid the section of track
between
Marlin and Waco. A post office was established in May of that year but
was
discontinued in 1905 and replaced by rural delivery from Waco. The
population
of Hallsburg was reported at thirty in 1910 and at thirty-five in the
1930s and
1940s. A school and several residences marked the community on county
highway
maps in the late 1940s. The railroad abandoned the section of track
between
Mart and Wardlaw in 1968, thus depriving Hallsburg of rail service, but
the
completion of Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir that same year provided a
boost for
the community's economy by attracting visitors and new residents to
take
advantage of recreational facilities. Residents of the community voted
to
incorporate in the late 1970s with a mayor-council form of city of
government.
The population increased steadily to an estimated 250 in 1976, 350 in
1980, and
528 in 1988. By the early 1980s Hallsburg had its own independent
school
district. In 1990 the population was 450.
(From The Handbook of Texas Online)
Hewitt
Hewitt is at the intersection of Farm roads 2063 and 1695, eight miles southwest of Waco in south central McLennan County. It was established in 1882, when the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad built the section of track between Hillsboro and Taylor and was named for George A. Hewitt, a railroad director. A Hewitt post office opened in 1884 with Thomas J. McMurray as postmaster. In the 1890s Hewitt had a gristmill, a cotton gin, a grocery, and sixty to 100 residents; grain and lumber were among the community's principal shipments. In 1895 Hewitt became the focus of an independent school district. A small state bank was organized at Hewitt in 1912, but it could not compete with banks in nearby Waco and closed voluntarily in 1916.
Population estimates for Hewitt were as high as 150 in the mid-1920s, but from the early 1930s to the mid-1960s only seventy-nine residents were reported. Three churches, two schools, a few businesses, and several residences marked the community on county highway maps in the 1940s. The Hewitt Independent School District was joined to the South Bosque Independent School District in 1947 to form the Midway Consolidated Independent School District. Residents of Hewitt voted to incorporate in 1960 and elected George C. Baxley mayor. The population, supplemented by new residents who commuted to work in nearby Waco, rose to 286 in the late 1960s and to 630 in the late 1970s. The number of businesses increased as well, rising from seven in the mid-1960s to thirty-two by the late 1970s. Growth accelerated rapidly in the 1980s, when Hewitt was the fastest growing community in the county. In 1982 population estimates showed 5,247 residents and fifty-six businesses, and 7,474 residents and ninety-seven businesses were reported in 1988. In 1990 the population was 8,983. (From The Handbook of Texas Online)
Hillside
Hillside was on Farm Road 2837 five
miles northeast of
Lorena in southern McLennan County. It developed when several families
settled
on land that was once part of Charles Conger's farm, known as Hillside.
A post
office was established there in 1891 with Newton A. Conger as
postmaster; the
office was discontinued in 1903. In 1892 the community reported a
general
store, a hotel, and 100 residents. By the mid-1890s Hillside had two
general
stores, a flourmill, and a gin, but its population had fallen to
seventy-five.
Hillside had a population of ten in the 1930s and twenty-five in the
mid-1940s.
A few scattered houses marked the community on the 1948 county highway
map, but
no evidence of Hillside was shown on the 1989 map. (from The
Handbook of
Texas Online)
Hoen
Hoen (Hoehn), also known as Pate,
is on Farm Road 308
about four miles northeast of Leroy in northeastern McLennan County.
The George
Hoehn family established it in the late 1800s. The community became a
flag stop
on the International and Great Northern line when the tracks were laid
from
Waco to Fort Worth in 1903. The railroad misspelled the family name,
and the
community became known as Hoen. In 1910 Hoen had a store, a cotton gin,
and
forty residents. A post office was established there in April 1912,
with
William W. Pate as postmaster, and for a short time the community was
called
Pate. Its post office was discontinued in February 1913, and mail was
sent to
Mount Calm. In the 1930s Hoen had a seven-grade school that became the
focus of
an independent school district. The district was consolidated with the
schools
of West in 1934. A few scattered houses and a business marked the
community on
the 1948 county highway map. The Missouri Pacific abandoned the track
between Waco
and Maypearl in the mid-1960s, depriving Hoen of its rail service.
Hoen's
population was reported at forty from the 1930s through the 1960s. A
few
farmhouses were all that remained in the 1970s, when a local estimate
gave the
number of residents as six. (The Handbook of Texas Online)
Lacy Lakeview
– Location: North of Bellmead, South
of Elm Mott (See Lacy, Lakeview and Lacy Lakeview)
Lacy,
Texas. Lacy,
in central McLennan County, was named for
William David Lacy who initiated the growth of the farming community by
selling
lots near the present intersection of Craven Street with Interstate
Highway 35
during the 1880's. Lacy at that time was on a mail route from Waco and
became
on of the interurban stops in the county. The Frost school, the first
school in
the area, was named for the Frost estate, which gave the two acres for
the
school in 1915. Lacy reported a population of forty in 1930 and 1940
and fifty
in 1947. It merged with the community of Lakeview to form the
incorporated city
of Lacy Lakeview in 1953.
Lakeview,
Texas.
Lakeview, in central McLennan County, was named
for it's location near some spring-fed lakes and was built along the
lines of
the Texas Electric Railroad. In 1915 the Lakeview School replaced the
Frost
school at Lacy and was incorporated in 1927. The community was
developed during
and after World War II with the expansion of the James Connally Air
Force Base.
Lakeview reported three businesses and an estimated population of
seventy in
1947. The city merged with Lacy to become Lacy Lakeview in 1953.
Lacy
Lakeview, Texas. On
August 1, 1953, the residents of Lacy Lakeview
and nearly points in a two-square mile area voted to incorporate as
Lacy
Lakeview. An earlier attempt to incorporate the two former interurban
stops had
failed the preceding year. Frank Mosely, who spearheaded the move for
incorporation, was elected the first mayor of the city in 1953. Lacy
Lakeview,
which has the mayor-city council form of municipal government, is a
general law
city and does not have a charter since its population does not exceed
five
thousand. Two major residential districts in the area are the Connally
Addition
and the W. Morris Mosely Addition. The city present water system was
founded by
the J.C. Passmore family in 1949. In addition to Mosely, the following
have
served as mayor of Lacy Lakeview: Morgan C. Harrell, A.C. Reed, and
John D.
Heffelfinger. The population of Lacy Lakeview in 1970 was 2,558.
Leroy
Leroy is at the intersection of Farm roads 308 and 2311, fourteen miles northeast of downtown Waco in northeastern McLennan County. It was established in the late 1890s by the Smith Land Company and the International-Great Northern Railroad and was named for Leroy Smith, who was president of both organizations. A post office opened in March 1900 with Joe S. Lumbley as postmaster. By 1914 the community had two general stores, two groceries, a cotton gin, a lumber company, a private bank, and 200 residents. The population rose to 250 by the mid-1920s and remained at that level through the 1960s. A church, a school, and several businesses and residences marked the community on county highway maps in the 1930s and 1940s. Leroy was the focus of a common-school district for several years but was consolidated with the West Independent School District in 1948. The Missouri Pacific Railroad abandoned the section of track between Waco and Maypearl in the mid-1960s, thereby depriving Leroy of rail service. The number of residents fell to 200 in the early 1970s, but when the community voted to incorporate in 1974, the population was estimated at 230; it rose to 253 by the early 1980s. Leroy experienced a serious setback in 1987, when its private bank closed and many residents lost all of their savings because the deposits were uninsured. The estimated population fell from 322 in 1988 to 292 in 1990. (from The History of Texas Online)
Levi
Levi is on Bull Hide Creek and Farm Road 2643, fourteen miles south of Waco in southern McLennan County. It was named for Levi Robinson, a local landowner. A post office was established in July 1897 with John Young as postmaster. It was discontinued in 1902, when mail for the community was rerouted through Lorena. A few scattered houses marked the community on county highway maps in the 1930s and 1940s, when the population was estimated at forty-eight. The population fell to twenty in the 1950s but rose again to fifty in the early 1960s. A grain business and fifty residents were reported in the 1980s. (from The History of Texas Online)
Lorena
Lorena is on Interstate Highway 35 and U.S. Highway 81, thirteen miles southwest of Waco in southern McLennan County. Settlers began arriving in the area in the 1850s. The townsite was laid out in 1881, when the Missouri, Kansas and Texas line was being built between Hillsboro and Taylor. The community was named in honor of Lorena Westbrook, the daughter of a prominent local family. A post office was established at Lorena in 1882 with Charles F. Schaefer as postmaster. In 1884 the community had a general store, two grocery stores, and 150 residents; area farmers shipped cotton, corn, and livestock. By 1890 Lorena had grown to include a hotel, a school, a steam cotton gin and gristmill, two churches, three general stores, and 250 residents. Population estimates rose to 375 in 1892 and to 500 in 1896, and a wide assortment of businesses prospered there. (From The Handbook of Texas Online)
Mart
Mart, once known as Willow Springs, is a small incorporated city eighteen miles east of Waco on State Highway 164 in the eastern corner of McLennan County. Settlement in the area began shortly after the Civil War. The community was known as Willow Springs in the 1870s, but the name was changed to Mart when a post office was granted in 1880. Residents chose this name because they expected the community to become an important commercial center. In the mid-1880s Mart had two steam gristmills and cotton gins, a church, two schools, and 150 residents; cotton and wheat were the principal cash crops grown in the area. The International and Great Northern Railroad completed the section of track between Marlin and Waco shortly after 1900, bringing increased job opportunities to Mart and making outside markets more accessible. Population estimates for Mart rose from 300 in 1900 to 2,939 in 1910. By 1914 the community had an ice factory, three cotton gins, a cotton oil mill, a daily and a weekly newspaper, and 3,000 residents. Banks in Mart weathered the Great Depression fairly well. Economic hardship made itself felt instead through the decision of the railroad company to discontinue its passenger service through Mart and leave only limited freight operations. Many residents left to find jobs in larger cities. The number of residents in Mart fell from a high of 3,800 in 1929 to 2,853 in the early 1930s. A slow decline continued for the next several decades: the population was 2,273 in 1950, 2,197 in 1960, and 2,183 in 1970. The number of businesses decreased as well, falling from 102 in the 1950s to forty-eight in the 1970s. The Missouri Pacific acquired a shorter Waco-to-Marlin route from the Southern Pacific in the late 1960s and completely abandoned its tracks through Mart, depriving the community of its remaining rail service and removing a sizeable payroll from the local economy. The Mart population dipped to 2,031 in the late 1970s but was 2,324 in 1982. It was 2,004 in 1990. (Excerpted from The Handbook of Texas Online)
Martinsville
–
See Tours
Marvin
–
See Bruceville – Eddy
Masterville – See Bruceville – Eddy
Mastersville was seventeen miles southwest of Waco in southern McLennan County. The area was settled prior to the Civil War. A post office was established there in February 1868 with Mollie Rutherford as postmistress. In the early 1880s the community had a flourmill, two steam cotton gins, a general store, two groceries, two churches, a school, and 250 residents. The Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad bypassed Mastersville in 1882 and established the town of Bruceville two miles to the south. Many residents and business owners moved to the new town, and Mastersville faded. The post office was discontinued in 1887 and relocated in Bruceville. No evidence of Mastersville appeared on county highway maps by the 1930s.
McGregor (formerly: McGregor Springs, Banks)
On September 7, 1882, lots in the town of McGregor Springs were sold at public auction. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad and the Texas and St. Louis Railway had advertised the event statewide. The community was named for Dr. Gregory Carmichael McGregor (1824-1902), a pioneer Texas physician who later became a prominent Waco Businessman. As the settlement grew away from the springs on Harris Creek, it became known as McGregor. Residents of such nearby pioneer settlements as Banks and Eagle Springs were among the first to move their families and businesses here. The post office was even listed as Banks for a short time in 1882. J.S. Greenlee opened the first school, the McGregor Academy, in 1883, four years before the McGregor Independent School District was created. The town was incorporated in 1886 and A. H. Crain was elected to serve as the first mayor. Because of its location on major railroad lines, McGregor first developed as an agricultural shipping center. Continued development has resulted from the town's diversified economy and rich heritage. (1982)
Moody
The town of moody can trace its history to the pre-civil war settlement of Perry (2 mi. N). In 1881, the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad bypassed Perry, and a new town was platted on the land of early settler William Naler. Col. W.L. Moody of Galveston who supervised the laying of track in the area, named the town in honor of his family. Incorporated in 1901, the moody community has thrived over the years and is the home of various fraternal, educational, commercial, religious, and medical institutions and organizations.
Neale
Neale is seven miles southeast of downtown Waco and just west of Farm Road 1860 in southeastern McLennan County. At one time it served as a station on the Southern Pacific Railroad. In the 1980s only a few scattered houses and abandoned buildings remained.
Northcrest – Location: Just north of Lacy Lakeview
Northcrest, Texas. Northcrest in central McLennan County north of Lacy Lakeview, was incorporated in February 1958. So named for its location north of Waco and for its elevation which is the highest in the Waco area, Northcrest had a population of 625 in 1960. By 1963 the city's population reached its peak of 2,150 but began to decline when the James Connally Air Force Base was closed. With the completion of Interstate 35 , more permanent residents have moved into the area and commute to jobs in Bellmead and Waco. The Connally Independent School District is in the city limits of Northcrest, but the school system serves Elm Mott and Lacy Lakeview, as well. Some years ago the school building suffered a disastrous fire, but it was rebuilt and today the district has a good school building and staff. Northcrest also includes an area, which was developed fifty years ago as Spring Lake Country Club. The club has long been closed, but the area includes some nice homes. Northcrest reported a population of 1,669 in 1970 and had approximately nine to ten businesses in 1972. The city has a mayor-city council form of government, a volunteer fire department, police department, city zoning and planning commission, and a street department. The following men have served as major of Northcrest: Herschel Curtis, Billy F. Casper, Eugene Gerlich, Alvis L. Williams, Bill R. Mash, Billy Nash, and Henry E. Slovak.
Norwood
Norwood was ten miles south of Waco in southeastern McLennan County. It developed on the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway, which built through the area in 1889. A post office opened in 1893, with Edward Norwood as postmaster; it closed in 1901. The community had two general stores in 1896, but experienced little, if any, further growth. No evidence of the community was shown on county highway maps in the 1940s, and no population estimates were available.
Oak Lake (or Oaklake)
Oaklake (Oak Lake) is on Farm Road 2491 by Oak Lake Reservoir five miles east of Waco in eastern McLennan County. In 1936 the community had two businesses, and in 1940 it had a population of forty. This little community has about 50 or so residents.
Ocee
Ocee is on Hog Creek and Farm Road 185, six miles east of Crawford in west central McLennan County. Families from Arkansas, Mississippi, and Georgia settled the area shortly after the Civil War. The community had a gin, two stores, a Baptist church, and a blacksmith shop. A post office was established in 1895 with Flem Ewing as postmaster and was discontinued in 1902. The office may have been named for Ewing's infant son, O. C. Children from Ocee attended school in the Highland Independent School District after it was formed in 1917. From the 1930s through the 1950s the population of Ocee was reported at thirty-nine.
Pate – See Hoen
Patrick
Patrick is on the Brazos River eleven miles northwest of downtown Waco in northern McLennan County. When the area was settled in the 1850s, the community was called Garrett's Mill. A post office called Starke Grove was established there in August 1858.
Patton
Patton is on Hog Creek and State Highway 317, six miles north of Crawford in northwestern McLennan County. The Patton post office, with John W. Saunders as postmaster, was established in 1879, two years before the arrival of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway. By the 1890s the settlement had a general store and 120 residents, and stock rising was the primary occupation. In 1896 the school at Patton had eighty-seven students and one teacher. With the exception of brief periods in 1881 and 1883, the post office remained in operation until 1904, when mail for Patton was sent to Valley Mills. A church, a business, and a few residences marked the community on county highway maps in the 1930s and 1940s, when the population was reported at thirty. A church and scattered houses were shown on maps of the area in the 1970s. (from The Handbook of Texas Online)
Perry (Old Perry)
PERRY, Texas was a small community located two miles north of Moody, Texas in southwestern McLennan County. In 1852 and 1853, pioneers decided to build a village on land that straddled James Clement and Edward McClain preemption claims. Perry post office was established in 1855; McClain was postmaster. Perry had several stores, horse-powered gin, and a community building used as a school and church. Old Perry Cemetery was established in 1852. The oldest recorded death in the cemetery was Isaac McClain, who died August 20, 1861. The oldest recorded date in the cemetery is Silas Witt, who was born May 28, 1790. Jane Leach, town schoolteacher was buried there in 1854. A cyclone partially destroyed Perry in 1873. Some moved to a new location about two miles east of the cemetery. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway then bypassed Perry in the early 1880s. The pioneers moved their homes and businesses to the new town of Moody leaving only the little cemetery as reminder of the town. The post office was moved from Perry to Moody in November 1881, the year Moody was established. On April 25, 1981 a Historical Marker was dedicated. August 2, 1984 the Old Perry Cemetery Association was formally organized. Summarized from the book “Perry in McLennan County 1852-1881” by Hazel Alexander Potter and Annette Sebastian Swenson.
Pleasant Hill
Pleasant Hill, which was located eight miles northeast of Waco in McLennan County on a rise overlooking the Tehuacana valley, was developed by Capt. James Parrish, who moved to that area from Pleasant Hill, Dale County, Alabama, in 1865. He established a cotton plantation, built the first bridge across Tehuacana Creek, and gave the community its name. The Pleasant Hill school originated soon thereafter and was taught for several years by former Confederate major John W. Clarkson. Benjamin F. Deveny, a prominent early settler, established the Pleasant Hill Church of Christ about 1885 and served as its preacher for the next thirty years. The community had one store. In 1927 the three schools and five teachers of the Pleasant Hill School District consolidated with nearby Axtell.
Reisel
Fertile soil, good water, and available rail transportation attracted cotton farmers to this area after the Civil War. German settlers from Washington County led by the Rev. Friedrick Von Schleumbach soon joined them. A nearby postal station known as Roddy first served the area, but a town developed here following construction of a cotton gin by William Henry Riesel in 1890. The town site of Riesel was platted by the Rev. Von Schelembach and the new settlement grew as an early agricultural center of southeastern McLennan County.
Robinson (aka Robinsonville)
Robinson,
on State Highway 77 six miles south of Waco in central McLennan County,
came
into existence after brothers John and Levi Robinson established
homesteads in
the area in the early 1850s. The original Robinson home was built on
land that
later became the J. W. Mann farm. To encourage the growth of the
village in
1856, the brothers surveyed 171 acres of land and marked off forty-two
four-acre lots for other homesteaders. The Robinson’s
sponsored the
settlement's first school in 1860, when they hired a private tutor for
their
children. The teacher, Mr. Moore, lived with the Robinson families.
From 1879
to 1906, Robinson had its own post office. Postmasters included J. R.
Robinson
and L. B. Foster, both of whom also operated general stores. In 1885
Robinson
had a population of 600 that supported three cotton gins, two churches,
three
general stores, and a school. J. W. McKee and Sons, a broom factory,
was also
in operation. In 1888 Rev. John Strauss founded the Robinson Academy.
The
weekly newspaper was the Robinson Bulletin. By the
late 1890s, the
population had dropped to 300 despite the continued operation of the
broom
factory. Three churches were built during the latter years of the
nineteenth
century-the Baptist church in 1866, the Presbyterian Church in 1874,
and the
German Evangelical Lutheran church in 1884. Social clubs founded in the
early
twentieth century and still functioning as late as the 1950s included
the Merry
Robins and the Chatter Club. Robinson was incorporated in 1955. In 1958
its site
comprised twelve square miles adjacent to Waco. Business owners
organized the
chamber of commerce in 1957. By 1960 the population had grown to 2,110.
Residents numbered close to 7,000 in 1980. In 1982 the town had its own
water
system fed by seven artesian wells, as well as its own sewer system.
The same
year, Robinson had a volunteer fire department, a police department,
and a unit
of the Texas Department of Public Safety. In 1990 the town was
primarily
residential. It had a population of 7,111 and numerous small
businesses.
Although it had a contract post office, residents were served by the
Waco
postal service. The Robinson Independent School District consisted of a
high
school, a junior high, and three elementary schools.
Rock Creek
Rock Creek is on a stream of the
same name ten miles
northwest of downtown Waco in northern McLennan County. Settlement of
the area
began shortly after the Civil War. Rock Creek grew quickly, and by the
end of
the nineteenth century it had a gin, several businesses, and two
churches. Much
of the community was destroyed by a tornado in 1913, and many residents
chose
to move away rather than rebuild. In the early 1930s the settlement had
ten
residents and three businesses; the number of residents had risen to
sixty by
the early 1940s but fell to twenty-five by 1945. Two businesses
remained in the
community in the 1980s, when the population was estimated at
twenty-five. It
was still twenty-five in 1990. (From The Handbook of Texas
Online)
Rosenthal
Rosenthal was on U.S. Highway 77
four miles south of
Robinson in southern McLennan County. The area was settled in the
1870s, and a
school community called Oak Grove was established on Castleman Creek.
By 1880
the main focus of settlement had shifted to the south. The new
community is
said to have been named in 1880, when a Waco storeowner offered a
family a free
barrel of apples if they would name their town after him. A post office
called
Rosenthal was established in April 1888, with Alonzo W. Starrs as
postmaster. By
1890 the community had two churches, a steam gristmill and cotton gin,
a
general store, and seventy-five residents; by 1896 the population had
increased
to 125. County school records from 1896 indicate that the Rosenthal
district
had eighty-one students and two teachers. The post office was
discontinued in
1907, and mail for the community was sent to Lorena. By the 1930s the
population of Rosenthal had fallen to fifty-five. A church, two
businesses, and
several residences marked the community on county highway maps in the
1940s.
The Rosenthal school district was consolidated with the Lorena
Independent
School District in 1956; it reverted to its common school district
status in
1965 and was consolidated with the Robinson Independent School District
in 1968.
Population estimates for the community remained at fifty-five through
the early
1980s, but by the mid-1980s, the Rosenthal area had been incorporated
into
Robinson. (From The Handbook of Texas Online)
Ross
Year Marker Erected: 1988
Marker Location: 1/10 mile W. of Ross on Ross Road.
Marker Text: This community has historic ties to the settlement of
White rock
(1mi. W), one of the rail terminus was established here in 1873,
bypassing
white rock, residents moved to the new town that developed. It was
named in
honor of Lawrence Sullivan Ross, the Ranger, confederate general, and
McLennan
county Sheriff who later became governor of Texas and a noted educator.
Because
of he area's Rich farmland, the town of Ross developed early as a
center of
European immigration and agricultural trade.
Ryan
Ryan was on Hog Creek fourteen miles west of Waco in western McLennan County. A post office opened there in 1890, with Harley O. Mason as postmaster. By the mid-1890s the community had Baptist and Methodist churches, a general store, two flourmills, a cotton gin, and twenty-one residents. The post office was closed in 1902, and mail was sent to McGregor. Ryan is no longer found on maps of Texas.
South Bosque
Though settlers began arriving in the area in the 1850s, the South Bosque post office was not established until 1872, when Solomon M. Johnson was appointed postmaster. In 1882 the Texas and St. Louis Railway laid track between Waco and Gatesville, passing through South Bosque. By 1890 the community had a steam cotton gin and gristmill, a general store, and twenty residents; cotton was the principal cash crop grown by area farmers. According to county school records, the South Bosque district school had forty-eight students and one teacher in 1896. Around 1900 oil was discovered to the northwest of South Bosque. The field proved to be fairly shallow and had a low daily output, but so many small wells were drilled that, although South Bosque did not become a boom town, the new industry did provide a small boost to the local economy. In 1914 South Bosque had two general stores, two groceries, and forty residents. The post office was discontinued in 1918, and mail for the community was sent to Waco. In the 1930s and 1940s South Bosque reported a population of eighty-nine; county highway maps from that time showed a business or two and a few scattered houses. By the late 1940s the South Bosque school district had been consolidated with the Hewitt district to form the Midway Independent School District. From the late 1960s to 1990 the population for South Bosque was estimated at eighty.
Speegleville
Speegleville, on State Highway 6 eight miles west of Waco in central McLennan County, was named for Israel Washington Speegle, a blacksmith and farmer who came to the area from Jasper County, Missouri, in 1849. A Baptist congregation, which was organized in 1859 as the Pleasant Grove Church, shared a building with the local school. The Speegleville post office operated from 1879 until 1929. Speegle was the first postmaster. Speegleville had a population of twenty-five in the mid-1880s and fifty by the early 1890s. In 1896 the community had two general stores, and the principal occupation of area residents was stock raising. That year the Speegleville school district had seventy-seven students and one teacher. Construction of Waco Dam in the late 1920s forced several residents to move their homes or businesses. Residents were forced to move again in the late 1950s and early 1960s because of the construction of the new Lake Waco dam. The original town site was destroyed, and Speegleville became a scattered collection of houses instead of an organized town. The Speegleville Independent School District was consolidated with the Midway Independent School District in 1980. Population estimates for the community remained at 111 from 1900 through 1990. (from The Handbook of Texas Online)
Spring Valley
Spring Valley, once known as Lusk, is at the intersection of Farm roads 2416 and 2113, fourteen miles southwest of Waco in southwestern McLennan County. A post office, called Lusk after an early settler, opened in May 1890 with Tilman H. Knight as postmaster; it closed in January 1891. The community then took the name of the nearby school, which had been called Leroy when it was established in 1878. However, when the Leroy community was founded in northeastern McLennan County in 1903, the school district name was changed to Spring Valley. In the 1940s the community reported fifty residents and had a church, two businesses, and several scattered houses. Only a few houses were shown at the site on a 1975 topographic map of the area.
Starke Grove – See Patrick
Tokio
Tokio, also called Wiggins, is at
the intersection of Farm
roads 1858 and 3149, five miles southwest of West in northern McLennan
County.
Joseph Thomas Rogers purchased 1,200 acres in the area in 1868. Tokio
became a
rail stop in 1882, when the Texas Central Railroad was building its
track
between Ross and Albany. In 1910 the community had a gin, a store, and
twenty-five residents. During World War II the name of the community
was
changed to Wiggins. In the 1940s it had a school, a church, a few
businesses
and residences, and a population of twenty-eight. The school was
consolidated
with the West Independent School District in 1945. A church and several
scattered houses were shown on topographic maps of the area from the
1950s
through the 1970s. Though Wiggins was the official name of the
community for many
years after the end of World War II, the old name for the town
eventually came
back into local usage. A tornado went through Tokio in October, 2001
destroying
the Tokio Baptist Church and several residences.
The Tokio Store, a local landmark next to the church and a
house
that was completely demolished, was open and serving beer the next day.
Tours (aka Martinsville)
The first settlers to this area came by wagon from Teutopolis, Illinois, in 1872. Having arrived on St. Martin's Day, November 11, they called the settlement Martinsville. The name was later changed to Tours in honor of the city in France where St. Martin served as Bishop. After the construction of homes was completed, the settlers began building a structure for the services of St. Martin's Catholic Church. Built under the direction of The Rev. J.L. Bussant, it was dedicated in 1874. The small log building was later replaced in the 1880s by a larger frame edifice. A community school was started in 1883. Classes were conducted in the second floor rooms of the Theodore Schroeder Home (.2 mi. E) until 1890, when a separate school building was completed on the church grounds. Tours was once the site of a post office, harness and saddle shop, cotton gins, saloons, blacksmith shops, meeting halls, and a town brass band. As area farm income decreased in the 1930s and young people left to seek jobs in other cities, the population declined. Several homes, a meeting hall, ball field, and a church building constructed in 1937 remain at the town site. (1980)
Valley Mills
It was named for a flourmill established on the banks of the Bosque River in 1867 by Dr. E. P. Booth and Asbury Stegall. In 1881 the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway laid tracks a mile south of the community. Merchants, hoping to benefit from the railroad, began moving their stores to the tracks. On February 27, 1882, a cyclone hit the new town site, destroying a large number of buildings. Nevertheless, the remaining residents from the community's original site moved across the river and rebuilt their homes. Thus, by the end of 1882 Valley Mills had a new site, which extended into McLennan County. Dairy farming and stock raising were the principal industries of the community. By 1900, however, the railroad and the nearby Chisholm Trail had made Valley Mills a prosperous retail and trading center for Bosque and McLennan counties. The community's population reached 855 by 1925. Like many rural Texas communities Valley Mills declined during the 1930s. Following World War II, however, as farm prices increased and ranching prospered, the economy grew, and the population, which had declined to 803 by 1940, increased to 1,037 by the mid-1950s. (Excerpted from The Handbook of Texas Online)
Waldo
Waldo was a small rural community located nine miles northwest of McGregor in western McLennan County. A post office operated from 1892 until 1907; Samuel T. Caldwell was the first postmaster. In 1896 the community had a Methodist and a Baptist church, two general stores, and ninety residents. The community was not labeled on county highway maps in the 1940s.
Waco
Marker Title: Waco
Address: US 84 & SH 31
City: Waco
Year Marker Erected: 1964
Marker Location: Intersection of US 84 and SH 31, Waco.
Marker Text: Founded 1849. Named for Waco Indians. Sent men to state
frontier
defense and Confederate Army in Civil War. Home of five C.S.A.
generals. Civic
facilities serve as populous Central Texas region, as do its financial
enterprises. Home of Baylor University, Paul Quinn College, Cameron
Park and
annual Heart O'Texas Fair.
Waco Springs, Site of the
Waco Indian Village
Marker Title: Waco Springs, Site of
the Waco Indian
Village
City: Waco
Year Marker Erected: 1936
Marker Location: Marker is located behind Taylor Museum of Waco
History,
between 7th and 6th on Waco Drive, Waco.
Marker Text: On this site stood the village of a semi-civilized tribe,
the Waco
Indians who made a treaty with Stephen F. Austin in 1824 but were
driven out by
Comanche’s about 1837. From them the city of Waco, laid out
by Major George B.
Erath in 1849, takes its name.
West - Location: 110 N. Reagan at
City Hall, West.
This
community traces
its origin to the establishment by entrepreneur Thomas M. West of a
stagecoach
stop, dry goods store and post office here in the late 1860s. Known as
the Bold
Springs Settlement, these commercial structures were built on a section
of the
"Dallas Road" leading to West's ranch property. Early Anglo-American
settlers were soon drawn to the area by its abundance of good water and
the
availability of rich wooded prairie black lands. In 1880 the Missouri,
Kansas,
& Texas (Katy) Railroad erected a depot at Bold Springs and in
1882 the
name of the community was changed to West in honor of Thomas West. The
coming
of the railroad and the emergence of cotton production in the 1880s
attracted
many Czech and German immigrants to this area. By 1900 the town had
become the
economic and cultural center of the thriving farming region of
northeastern
McLennan County. The community soon added its first newspaper, bank,
volunteer
fire department, and its first block of brick buildings. By 1910 West
was a
bustling town of about 2000 people. Since then the community has
experienced
slow but steady growth. Westfest, an annual event since 1976,
celebrates the
community's Czech heritage.
Windsor
Windsor
is at the intersection of Farm roads 3268 and 3047, near the Middle
Bosque
River twelve miles west of Waco in west central McLennan County. It
took its
name from Windsor Ranch, which was the property of Harry Chauncey
Chamberlin
from 1899 until his death in 1955. Chamberlin's family home was
Windsor,
Vermont. William Oliver, who called it Evergreen, settled the area in
1852.
About 1860 he and his neighbors built a church and schoolhouse, one of
the
first schools in the county outside of Waco. The Waco-Gatesville stage
route had
its first relay stable a mile west of Oliver's blacksmith shop. The
community
was later named Mount Olivet and in May 1872 acquired a post office,
which
operated until 1885. On May 3, 1890, the community store was designated
the
post office for the region under the name of Ryan. This post office
closed in
1902. Chamberlin later operated a cotton gin at the nearby intersection
of the
McGregor-Waco road and the Ocee-Crawford road. The gin burned sometime
before
1920. The community also supported grist and flourmills, two
blacksmiths, a
doctor and a dentist, a general store, and two churches during the
1890s. In
1912 the Evergreen school district (in operation since 1895) was
consolidated
with the Hawthorne, Highland, and Ocee school districts. Chamberlin
donated
four acres of land on which a brick school building was erected; this
building
was used until 1950, when district lines were redrawn, and the building
was
abandoned and demolished. The old Evergreen Cemetery just above the
river is
maintained through a trust fund by an organization of descendants, and
a
reunion is held there annually. The population of Windsor was estimated
at
twenty-one in 1896, ten in 1933, thirty in 1945, and twenty in 1980. In
1990
Windsor was still listed as a community.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Dayton Kelley, ed., The Handbook of Waco and McLennan County,
Texas
(Waco: Texian, 1972). McGregor Mirror, June 25,
1954.
Wiggins
– See Tokio
Willow
Springs
–
See Mart
Woodway
Woodway, or Woodway Village, is adjacent to the southwestern city limits of Waco between U.S. Highway 84 and State Highway 6, in west central McLennan County. It began as a small community on U.S. Highway 84 in the late 1940s and early 1950s but grew so rapidly that in 1955 residents voted to incorporate as Woodway Village in order to keep up with the demand for street building and other public improvements. The community became the city of Woodway in 1973. A few businesses were located in Woodway, but there were no industries; most of the work force commuted to nearby Waco. This area has seen a surge of growth in the 90’s and early 2000s, with many businesses locating here.