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Delhi, Texas,
(pronounced DELL HIGH), is situated in one of the more thinly populated parts
of Caldwell County. Eighteen miles east of Lockhart
, if you can find where FM 713 intersects with Highway 304, head south on 304
and you'll soon pass a cemetery, church and a simple building identified as the
Delhi Community Center.
The well-tended cemetery is on the left side
of the road. Enclosed by a tidy, but far-from-quaint cyclone fence, the cemetery's
identity is confirmed by the overhead arch saying DEHLI - 1881. Tiny Confederate
and American flags, their number disproportionately large to the number of graves
in general, snap in the near-constant breeze.
A granite marker stands
just outside the cemetery gate seemingly too elaborate for a community that no
longer appears on state maps. The explanation is in the number of inscribed names. |
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According to the Handbook
of Texas, the population of tiny (never-had-a-railroad) Delhi never exceeded 200
persons. Nevertheless, from the Civil War to Vietnam, the town supplied 32 soldiers
to various wars, "police actions" and conflicts.
The first thing that
catches the visitor's eye is the duplication of surnames.
Like most Delhi
men, Alford J. Fogle served in the Confederacy during the Civil War. The Fogle
family didn't participate in WWI,
but they made up for it in WWII
when Julius, Marvin, and Willey Fogle served.
The Cox family had John
G. in the Civil War, Jessie G. in WWI
and Joe H. in WWII.
Bartlett S. Reid was in the Civil War and a descendent also named Bartlett
S. served in WWII.
Glenn B. Reid served in WWII
and years later Carroll A. Reid was Delhi's solitary Vietnam casualty.
Although Spanish-American troop trains to Florida passed as nearby as Luling,
Delhi didn't have a participant in the all volunteer Spanish-American
War.
But, by the time the U. S. became involved in WWI
- Delhi was again ready.
Two Neeleys, Penn E. and Clarence J. served
in The Great War and then Lloyd C. Neeley served in WWII.
Tyre Pendleton was in WWI while descendent
George M. Pendleton died in the Korean War.
Horace and Vernon were either
brothers or a father and son that served in WWII.
(From Texas
War Casualties) |
Historical Marker
Text
DELHIThe
earliest known permanent settlers in this area were Orrin L. and Susannah Winters
and their extended family. By 1873, enough of a settlement existed to make application
for a U. S. Post Office. Postal officials rejected the first name selected for
the community, Iron Mountain, but accepted the second name, Delhi. According to
local tradition, Delhi was the name of a traveling salesman who stayed in the
area for a time dispensing patent medicines and providing entertainment for the
settlers. John P. Reid served as first postmaster.
The first store in
Delhi was in operation by the early 1870s in the home of Daniel t. Winters. The
Delhi community experienced some growth in the 1880s with the founding of two
churches, a school, and two cotton gins. Over the years, additional businesses,
including a blacksmith shop, casket shop, and a syrup mill have served the community.
Although the post office closed in 1929 and the public school consolidated
with the McMahan district in 1947, Delhi remains
a strong rural community in eastern Caldwell county. Many of its residents are
descendants of the town's pioneer families. |
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