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Burleson County TX
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CALDWELL, TEXAS

"Kolache Capital of Texas"

Burleson County Seat, Central Texas South

30°31'43"N 96°42'1"W (30.528580, -96.700350)
Highways 21 and 36
25 miles W of Bryan / College Station
50 miles NE of Bastrop
32 miles NW of Brenham
Population: 4,326 Est. (2016)
4,104 (2010) 3449 (2000) 3,181 (1990)

Book Hotel Here › Caldwell Hotels

Caldwell, Texas masonic lodge
The masonic building in Caldwell
TE Photo, 2001
More Texas Lodges
History in a Pecan Shell

Caldwell was designated county seat in 1840 when the Texas Congress annexed all of Washington County north of Yegua Creek to Milam County. The proposed town, surveyed by George B. Erath and named for Mathew Caldwell, was laid out parallel to the Old San Antonio Road. Caldwell served as the county seat of Milam County until Burleson County came into being in1846.

The town had a population of 300 prior to the Civil War and it's prosperity was reflected in its brick courthouse. During Reconstruction, a company of State Police was stationed in Caldwell. Postwar Caldwell had its own newspaper, bottling works and an ice plant.

The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway built through in 1880 and in 1905 six passenger trains arrived daily.

The first tax supported public school was built in 1882.

Company E of the Texas National Guard, was headquartered in Caldwell became part of the Thirty-sixth Infantry Division. Many soldiers of this unit were captured at Salerno, Italy, in 1943 and remained POWs until the war's end.

See City of Caldwell Historical Marker
Caldwell TX  - Burleson County Courthouse
Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, February 2010
Burleson County Courthouse
Caldwell TX PO Mural - Indians Moving close up

Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, 2010

Caldwell Post Office Mural - "Indians Moving"
Historical Marker:

City of Caldwell

In 1840 the Republic of Texas Congress annexed to Milam County all of Washington County north of Yegua Creek and west of the Brazos River. The name Caldwell, which honored Mathew "Old Paint" Caldwell, a noted pioneer and a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, was chosen for a settlement that would become the seat of a future county. Following a land title dispute, this site was selected for the proposed town. Located on the Old San Antonio Road, it had been settled earlier by Virginia native Lewis L. Chiles, a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto who had operated a trading post on Davidson Creek.

George B. Erath platted the town of Caldwell in 1840. Streets running parallel to the Old San Antonio Road were named for native animals and intersecting streets were named for the commissioners who had selected the townsite.

When Burleson County was created six years later, Caldwell became the permanent seat of government. Incorporated in 1891, Caldwell developed as a major agricultural shipping center with the completion of area rail lines in 1890 and 1912. Since the 1840s the city has played a vital role in the region through its steady commercial growth and rich heritage.
(1892)

Caldwell, Texas Attractions
  • Burleson County Courthouse

  • Burleson County Czech Heritage Museum, corner of Shaw and Fawn Street, Caldwell Texas.

  • Kraitcher House Museum, East Buck Street, Caldwell Texas.

  • Burleson County Historical Museum, 100 West Buck (in court house building), Caldwell Texas.

  • Caldwell Visitors Center Museum, 103 Presidential Corridor W., Caldwell Texas.

  • Somerville Area Museum, Hwy 36 and 8 Street, Somerville Texas.

    The Annual Kolache Festival
    Second Saturday in September
    On the Square Downtown

    Nearby Destinations:
    Lake Somerville

    Burleson County Chamber of Commerce
    301 N. Main Street
    979-567-0000

  • Take a road trip
    Caldwell, Texas Nearby Towns:
    Bryan
    College Station
    See
    Burleson County | Central Texas South

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