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History
in a Pecan Shell
The first settlement
in Coryell County,
it grew alongside Fort Gates,
the military outpost. The
fort itself was short-lived (1849-1852).
Even without the fort,
the community felt secure enough to become the county seat. It turned
over its responsibilities to Gatesville
in 1854. Gatesville grew even as
Fort Gates declined. Indeed, so many people from Fort Gates relocated
to Gatesville that the former town
was all but abandoned.
It wasn’t until WWII
that Fort Gates awakened from its economic coma. When Camp Hood (later
Fort Hood) was constructed, several towns were swallowed by the colossal
base and turned into ghost towns, but Fort Gates survived. In the
mid 1960s the population was reported as 250 residents, slowly growing
to the 847 people counted for the 2000 census.
See Fort Gates the military
post |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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