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Editor’s
Note:
A letter received at 9:16 p.m. on November 4th addressed the long-standing
confusion between the community of Las Gallinas and its near neighbor
of Leming. While our town pages included Leming, Las Gallinas was
mentioned as being Leming’s former name. The source of the confusion
seems to be an entry in the Handbook of Texas and the fact that Las
Gallinas has no official signage. The letter was forwarded to Terry
Jeanson in San Antonio.
Mr. Jeanson, who has an interest in anything regional to his beloved
San Antonio, drove
to Las Gallinas the next morning. The places mentioned in the Rakowitz
letter were photographed by Terry and sent to the TE offices at 12:10
on November 5th. This doesn’t quite break a response record, but since
the all-time record response time is also held by Mr. Jeanson, it’s
a moot point. Thanks to Mr. Rakowitz and Mr. Jeanson, Las Gallinas
now has a separate identity – at least in our pages. We hope that
the town will soon receive its own signage and that a long-overdue
ribbon-cutting ceremony can be arranged.
The initial letter follows:
To Whom This May Concern:
The community of Las Gallinas, Texas
is not the same as the town of Leming,
Texas.
Las Gallinas was settled in the
mid-1800's by immigrants from Silensia, Poland. My great grandfather
purchased land and settled there with his family in 1867. Las
Gallinas still exists today. It is located approximately 3 miles
north of Leming, on Hwy. 281. The
heart of the community is located at the intersection of FM 536 and
Hwy. 281, and includes much of the surrounding area. The creek that
runs across 281, and then crosses FM 536 is the Las Gallinas Creek.
Besides the creek, about the only other landmark that still exists
in the community today is St. Joseph
Cemetery at the corner of FM 536 and 281. St.
Joseph Catholic Church, which was located about a mile to the
east of the cemetery on FM 536, burned to the ground in 1983. The
church was over 100 years old at the time. A monument now stands
on the old church site, located at the intersection of FM 536 and
Las Gallinas Rd. |
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Over the years
there have been much confusion regarding Leming
& Las Gallinas. Many people
think they are one and the same -- they are not -- they are two distinct
and separate communities. I grew up in Las
Gallinas, and still own property there. The main reason for the
confusion is there are no highway signs indicating the community of
Las Gallinas, or the Las Gallinas
Creek, which runs through it.
I would appreciate you correcting your article regarding Leming,
which was never the community of Las
Gallinas. Leming did not come into
being until the early 1900's when the railroad came through. Las
Gallinas already was there for several decades -- and it is still
there.
Also, if you know who I could contact to get signs erected on FM 536
and 281 to inform the public of the existence of Las
Gallinas, please let me know. Thank you. - Herman J. Rakowitz |
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| 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
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