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POTTSVILLE,
TEXASOn Cowhouse
Creek
Hamilton County, North Central Texas
Junction of FMs 218 and 221
11 miles W of Hamilton
96 miles SW of Fort
Worth
124 miles NW of Austin
Population
(est) 300
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Dinosaur
tracks
have been found in Cowhouse Creek,
although not much of a fuss has been made over them. Cowhouse Creek
flows into the Leon River which flows into the Little
River which flows into the Brazos River. In theory, if
you lived in Pottsville and had relatives in East Columbia you could
send them messages in a bottle.
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The bridge over Cowhouse Creek.
It was moved a short distance when the new bridge was built in 1953.
Photo by Jim Kinsey in 1952 |
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"After
much research and driving we found the bridge that was moved from
Pottsville in 1953. The Bridge is over Bear Creek NW of Hamilton on
Hamilton County Road 103." - Jim and Lou Kinsey |
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History in
a Pecan Shell:
The town was founded by a Captain John Stephen Potts in 1877.
There was a stipulation set in place (you don't hear of people stipulating
much anymore) that alcohol would not be sold in Pottsville. His
friend Thomas Jefferson Burks built a store on the
south side of the town square in 1877, which made him one of the
major movers and shakers in Pottsville. You're probably wondering
if T.J. Burks sold alcohol, but we have to tell you we don't know.
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The Pottsville School operated 113 years - From 1876 to 1989
Photo c.1945 courtesy Jim Kinsey |
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The
Pottsville Post Office
Photo courtesy Jason Penney, 2001 |
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Twice a month,
mail would be taken from Comanche to Hamilton and then from
Hamilton to Pottsville, Indian
Gap and Shive. The first part of the trip was by mule team
and the distribution to the smaller communities was by a two-wheeled
horse cart.
The postmaster of Pottsville (in 1981) was Dorothy E.
Menzdorf who supplied these details to our source,* She added
that the mail was protected from the weather by a piece of canvas
painted with linseed oil. Dorothy missed her calling as a historian,
for she knows what details to include.
Pottsville burned twice - once in 1914 and again in 1922
- both times it was the south side of the square.
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A
caboose in Pottsville
Photo courtesy Jason Penney, 2001 |
Pottsville
falls into the category of towns you'd have to be looking for to find,
but the drive through Hamilton and Mills Counties is a relaxing trip
full of quiet discoveries. A
Sunday drive
Website: http://www.pottsvilletexas.homestead.com/
Book
Your Hotel Here & Save
Fort
Worth Hotels
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Hotels |
Pottsville
Texas Forum
Concerning
Pottsville, Texas: Although named for John S. Potts, the
town site was donated by my great-great grandfather, Edmund T.
Goggin. Grandfather Goggin was the one who stipulated that if
liquor was ever sold there, the property would revert back to the
family. Subsequent generations of the family have gotten over his
quirk, but I still check it out when I go through Pottsville.
Note: Many generations of my family (Goggin & Bratton) are buried
in the Pottsville Cemetery. Thanks for a great website! - Steve
Bratton, Austin, Texas, January 20, 2005
I am the fifth
of seven generations of the Potts Family that has lived in Pottsville.
Thanks - Jim Kinsey, December 19, 2002
©
John Troesser
*Little Towns of Texas, Jayroe Graphics, Jacksonville, Texas.
More photos by Jason
Penney
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