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The Melcher homestead in snow c.1895
Photo courtesy Fayette Heritage Museum
Melcher Collection |
History in
a Pecan ShellNo
one is certain of who O’Quinn was named after. The most likely source was an Irish
immigrant while other sources state that it was a Indian chieftain by that name.
O’
Quinn’s history is typical of the rest of Fayette
County. Immediately after Texas Independence, the region was predominately
Anglo American. Beginning in the 1840s as German immigrants moved in, the Anglos
sold off their land and moved west.
Because of it’s proximity to the county
seat of La Grange (as well as many
nearby communities) O’Quinn had little chance for growth. In the early 1880s the
community was granted a post office and when the 20th century arrived – O’Quinn
had a blacksmith, a cotton gin and two stores.
The cluster of villages
in this part of Fayette County attended church services in towns other than O’Quinn
and voted in nearby Black Jack Springs.
Although it is now hard to imagine,
this village used to have two fraternal lodges. In 1911 the U.S. Postal Service
gave up on O'Quinn and discontinued the post office. La
Grange took over delivery to La Grange.
The census count in 1950
was twenty-five residents – about the same as 2000. Only a single business remained
open at this time.
The planting of cotton,
which had been the principle crop, was discontinued in the 1960s. Today the land
is used for the production of hay or grazing cattle. In 2010 there is a signage
business and not much else. While the official count is a mere 25, there are four
times as many weekenders from Houston
and San Antonio.
O’Quinn
Vintage PhotosPhotographer John Melcher, whose vintage photos appear on this
page, lived in O’Quinn in the late 1900s. As a result, the Melcher collection
is the crown jewel of the Fayette Heritage Museum archives. |
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An family run apiary near O'Quinn photographed by Melcher
Photo courtesy Fayette
Heritage Museum Melcher Collection |
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Boy holding a "smoker" - a bellows and metal cone that held a smoldering
cloth. The smoke tranquilizes the bees - allowing the hives to be "robbed"
of honey.
Photo courtesy Fayette Heritage Museum Melcher Collection |
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Detail of top photo showing a girl "sweeping the yard" - a common practice,
but one seldom photographed. Her brother demonstrates a popular method of getting
dogs to pose for photographs.
Photo courtesy Fayette Heritage Museum Melcher
Collection |
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Taking cotton to the gin
at O'Quinn
Photo courtesy Fayette Heritage Museum Melcher Collection |
O'Quinn
sign on FM 609 heading N toward La Grange
TE
Photo, January 2010 | |
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