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History in a
Pecan ShellDating
from a settlement called Bould Springs (after founding settler Carey Boulds) in
1852, a post office opened that same year. Four years later the Bennett family
relocated here – becoming the town’s first permanent residents. The town reported
an estimated population of just over 300 for 1860.
West (as it appears
today) came to life in 1881 with the arrival of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas
Railroad. It was platted on a quarter section of land belonging to Thos. M.
West, landowner, storekeeper and postmaster. The West post office opened in 1852
and was followed by the store (a reversal of how most post offices were opened
in Texas) the following year.
The town incorporated in 1892 and by 1900
the population was estimated at 2,000. The town had duplicates of all essential
businesses and became a stop on the Texas Electric Traction Railway – an
Interurban line that once connected Waco
with Dallas. Primarily an Anglo community
during it’s early years, Czech and German immigrants began arriving around 1900.
Cotton and cattle
ranching were the regions economic engines, supplemented by a textile mill
and a sausage factory. The West ISD was formed in 1923.
Over the years
West has become established as the center for Texas-Czech culture despite the
fact that it is on the northern extreme of Czech settlement which stretches from
west of Austin to Colorado
County to the east and as far south as DeWitt
County. |
| West
Texas' Historic Landmark: The 1892 Groppe Building
Photo courtesy Stephen
Michaels, April 2008 |
| Ghost
signs on the historic 1892 Groppe Building
Photo courtesy Stephen
Michaels, April 2008 |
Photographer's
Note:
St. Mary's
Cemetery
Speaking on graveyards, I came across one just south of West,
off I-35. St Mary's Cemetery took my breath away. It was so peaceful, well attended
too, and beautifully layed out that I really did not want to leave. That is saying
something about a cemetery. I don't know if it was because of the early morning
mist, the quietness or just the overall feeling of being in a place that so respected
their dead. I just can't explain how I felt. I even went out of my way to go back
again, later. - Barclay
Gibson |
See
West
by d.knape 4-23-13
Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history and vintage/historic/contemporary
photos, please contact
us. | |
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