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Graves
facing East - Church facing West
Gussetville Cemetery at late afternoon.
TE Photo, 2006 |
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History
in a Pecan Shell
Named after storekeeper N. Gussett, the community was on land granted
to Irish immigrants by the Mexican government in 1829. Led by Patrick
McGloin, who had been issued a 5,240 acre grant, the settlement was
known as Fox's Nation after the Fox family, the first settlers to
arrive. In 1846 served the settlement served as a stage stop on the
run between San
Antonio
and Corpus
Christi. It had been renamed Gussettville sometime in the 1850s.
Live Oak County was cut from San Patricio County by an act of the
State Legislature in 1856. The community fought to be declared county
seat, but that honor went to Oakville.
Gussettville was granted a post office in 1858 and by 1884 there was
a church, school, and store but the population was a mere 30 people.
The post office closed in 1886 and then Gussettville suffered the
same death-blow as so many budding towns - it was bypassed by the
railroad. All that was left by the 1930s was a church, school, and
a few residences. Gussettville's school merged with those in George
West
in 1945 - one of the earliest school consolidations after WWII. |
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Front
of Church
TE Photo, 2006 |
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Family
Memorial
TE Photo, 2006 |
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Lichen
on a Tombstone
TE Photo, 2006 |
| St.
Joseph's Catholic Church is still active and there are two cemeteries
shown on the detailed county maps - one marked Gussettville and the
other named "Old" Gussettville. |
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