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FENTRESS,
TEXASCaldwell
County, Central
Texas S
On the San Marcos River
Highway 20 and Highway 80
8 Miles W of Luling
11 Miles SE of
San Marcos
42 Miles S of Austin
Population:
291 (2000) |
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History
in a Pecan Shell
The town began in the late 1860 with the
appropriate name of Riverside.
It was renamed in 1892 to honor James
Fentress, the town’s first physician. The following year the town was granted
its first post office. The community was fortunate to be on the mail route between
San Marcos
and Luling, so the mail was received
daily.
The population in the mid 1890s was 150 residents.
A
waterworks was set in place in 1898 and the town was electrified four years later.
In 1915 the population had doubled to 300 people. That same year a resort
was built to take advantage of the riverside location. Facilities included bathhouses
and camping amenities.
The facilities were sold within two years and
expanded under the new ownership. Dancing was permitted, which greatly concerned
local churches. Soon after the churches expressed concern, the town’s water tower
collapsed onto the bank. Was it divine intervention or an early case of money
laundering?
The population peaked in 1929 with 500 residents and the
community had a shared experience with Luling
with oil exploration. It became an important source of income during the 30s.
But the Great Depression hit the town hard and by 1940 there were only 250 people
left.
The local school merged with neighboring Prairie Lea in the 1940s.
One of the casualties of the decline was the closing of a hog farm that had supplied
driving pigs for Aquarena
Springs, the once famous tourist attraction.
The population was reported
as 85 in 1990 and has since increased to 291 for the 2000 census. |
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| The
old swimming hole
TE photo, March 2008 |
| Remains
of the old low-water crossing over the San Marcos River
TE photo, March 2008
See Texas Rivers |
| 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
us. | |
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