|
History in
a Pecan Shell
Established
in the 1870s, the community of Sharp was named after William Franklin
Sharp, a local physician. The nucleus of the town was a Presbyterian
church and in 1900 the town was granted a post office (which closed
six years later).
The community’s name was also used when Lilac,
Duncan, and Oakville schools formed
a district in 1931. These three schools were joined by Friendship,
Val Verde and Tracy in the late
40s and early 50s, but all were combined in 1960 to the Rockdale
system.
From only 25 residents in 1933, Sharp grew to 100 by the early 1940s.
Postwar, it declined back to 60 in the early 1950s.
It has since risen to 75 – the number given for the 2000 census.
|
 |
Historical Marker:
FM 487, 14 miles W of Rockdale
Sharp
A farming and
ranching community, Sharp traces its origins to the years immediately
after the Civil War when settlers, attracted by the fertile black
soil, began arriving in this area. The first business, a store, opened
in 1892. It was soon joined by a blacksmith shop and the Davis General
Store in 1896. Cotton was the principal
crop of the area, and a gin opened in 1896. When a post office was
established here in 1901, the name Sharp was chosen to honor Dr. William
F. Sharp, a physician in Davilla (8 mi. W). An annual reunion of Sharp
residents began in 1978. |
 |
Historical Marker:
FM 487 approx. 14 miles W of Rockdale
Sharp Presbyterian
Church
This church traces
its history to 1872, when the Mt. Herman Cumberland Presbyterian Church
was founded. It was divided into the Davilla and Leachville congregations
in 1893. The Leachville church was renamed Sharp in 1902, the same
year this structure was built. The vernacular church building, exhibiting
influences of the Italianate style of architecture, features a truncated
tower, window hoods, and horizontal milled siding.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1988 |
Sharp General
Store
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1995
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, June 2010 |
Historical Marker:
6 miiles NE on FM 486, 2 miles W on FM 487
Sharp General
Store
Civil War veteran
Daniel G. Davis, Sr. (1836-1927) built this structure in two stages
in 1895 and 1896. The Sharp General Store, which Davis and his descendants
operated here until 1985, was the area's largest mercantile facility
and main outlet for local produce. It offered banking services, public
scales, and a place for local citizens to socialize and enjoy water
from a barrel on the porch. It is a fine example of late 19th century
free-standing commercial architecture.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1995 |
 |
Historical Marker:
14 miles NW of Rockdale on FM 487
Sharp Cemetery
The earliest marked
grave in this graveyard is that of Susan F. Dilworth, who died in
January 1880. John Gordon and his wife M. L. Gordon deeded two acres
of land on this site to the trustees of Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church
in 1882, stating that the western half of the land should be used
for burial purposes. When the church was moved and demolished in later
years, gravestones were broken and leaning, but the cemetery continued
to serve the Sharp community.
There were about 56 marked graves at the turn of the 20th century,
many of them belonging to children and infants. A cemetery organization
formed in 1949 to oversee the site's care and maintenance. Additional
land that once had belonged to the church was deeded to and became
part of the cemetery. At the dawn of the 21st century, the graveyard
contained almost 400 graves.
(2000) |
 |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
|
|
HOME
