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GATESVILLE,
TEXASCoryell
County Seat, North
Central Texas
Intersection of US 84 & Hwy 36
80 miles N
of Austin
35 miles NW of Temple
38 miles W of Waco
Population
15,591(2000) 11,492(1990) |
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1939 Photo courtesy of TXDoT |
Gatesville History
Historical
Marker (In front of Gatesville City Hall) Text:Gatesville
County seat
of Coryell County, Gatesville began in 1854 after the county was created. Richard
Grant, an Indian trader and local landowner, donated the townsite. It was named
for Old Fort Gates (1849-1852), which
had been established 5 miles east for Indian protection. The Fort,
named for U.S. Army major G. R. Gates, was the first settlement in the county.
For a few months Fort Gates served
as county seat, but then Gatesville was chosen.
The County's first mail
line -- from Gatesville to Belton
-- was set up in 1855. The town grew slowly at first, suffering from intermittent
Indian raids, but the period from 1870 to 1882 saw great progress. In 1870 the
town was incorporated and in 1872 a courthouse was built. When St. Louis & Southwestern
railroad ran a spur line to Gatesville in 1882, the citizens held a gala welcoming
celebration. With the railroad came prosperity and many new homes and businesses.
A fine opera house, frontier symbol of culture, was erected and numerous civic
improvements were initiated. Today the town is the home of the Gatesville and
Mountain View State schools for boys. The economy of the area is based on ranching
and agriculture.
1970 |
Gatesville
Chronicles The
Life and Times of Big Bill Babb
by Clay Coppedge
"...This happened in the early days of Coryell
County, when Central Texas ranches functioned a lot like the feudal system in
England in the Middle Ages. Ranches were kingdoms, each with its own ruler and
an army of knights to enforce the ruler's will. Crockett King, William Oglesby
and Big Bill Babb were the kings of Coryell County...." more
The
Old Book Shelf by Mike Cox. ("Texas Tales" column)
This
shelf, standing in a back corner of the Coryell County Museum in Gatesville, has
a story as interesting as any of the books it ever held. A novel-in-wood, it represents
a Texas family saga extending from before the Civil War through the Great Depression
and into the modern era. The
Most Famous Bathtub in Coryell County by Clay Coppedge
"Thomas
and Laquita Barton's house outside of town has the first bathtub in Coryell County,
a hand-carved limestone classic...." more
Cranfill
by Mike Cox. ("Texas Tales" column)
For about the last quarter
of the 19th century, and the first two decades of the 20th century, being a "wet"
or a "dry" defined a Texan politically much more accurately than being Democrat
or Republican. Both sides of the issue passionately believed they were
in the right. Often, they were willing to fight over their belief, sometimes to
the death. That's what J.B. Cranfill was up to in 1882 when he started
a newspaper in Gatesville, the Advance...... more
Gatesville
Hotels > Book Hotel Here |
Gatesville
Landmarks/Attractions Coryell
County CourthouseCoryell
Museum and Historical Center
- (254) 865-5007
"Home of the largest collection of antique spurs in
the world."
Ft.
Hood - (254) 287-1110
"The largest military installation in the United States."Gatesville
Hotels |
Pecan
Grove and Baptist Church SE of Gatesville
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, 2004 |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, and vintage/historic
photos of their town, please contact
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