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History in
a Pecan Shell
"When a post office was established [in present Ecleto] in 1852, the
town was then known as Cleto and was in Bexar county. In 1854,
following the formation of Karnes County, the Post Office Department
designated the office as Ecleto. In 1921, Walter G. Riedel, nephew
of Carl Edward Riedel (the man that Gillett,
Texas had originally been named after) and others built a cooperative
store and cotton gin here to serve the surrounding farm community.
The post office was moved and opened in the store at that time. Although
the store closed in 1971, the post office continued until June 30,
1987, when it was converted into a neighborhood delivery and collection-box
unit."
It is also believed that there was a gin prior to 1921 - but the fact
that the 1921 gin was cooperative makes it noteworthy.
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The
former Store at Ecleto
TE photo |
July
2001, Contributed by Alton Newman
Our thanks to Mr. Newman for contributing corrections to the local
history of Ecleto and Gillett. There's no question that local facts
are by far the most valuable. - Editor |
Ecleto,
Texas Forum
Subject:
Ecleto
Dear TE, Thank you for what you are doing.. Although I now live
in Raleigh, North Carolina, I lived in Ecleto, Texas for 18 years.
I [still] have family in Texas and visit at least once a year. I
have family members buried in the Gillette cemetery. So we go by
the cemetery and then go to Ecleto. My cousin Louis Canales told
me he had seen a picture of the store on the internet. It brought
back a lot of memories. I went to school for one year in Ecleto
and then all of us were transfered to Gillete school... I will be
so appreciative if anyone sends me a picture of the school in Ecleto.
My e-mail address: mgreene005@nc.rr.com
There was a gin in Ecleto and there was a fire in the gin... Other
families in the area were Molinas, Morenos, Guzmans, Martinez and
Ozunas. - Mary Canales Greene, Raleigh, North Carolina, December
28, 2006
Subject:
Ecleto
I would like to add some history to the town of Ecleto. My father,
a Mexican-American, was born there in a little shack. My grandfather
was a cotton sharecropper for a German immigrant. They moved away
in the 1940's when my father returned from the war. My uncle told
me that there is a large tree located next to the store to which
lawbreakers were chained awaiting the arrival of the sheriff from
a neighboring city. - Rosalinda Regalado, July 16, 2005
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