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History in a Pecan
Shell
Dr.
Charles F. Simmons of St. Louis is the town's namesake. Dr. Simmons, who had made
a fortune in the patent medicine business, originally had a huge ranch here. In
1906 Simmons decided on splitting up his 60,000 spread and selling it off to farmers.
First known as Simmons City, the future looked bright. All plots were
sold in just over six months. The 1907 population was just 75 and a post office
was granted that same year with a school and church built the year after. An one-story
brick school was constructed in the late 1930s, only to close in 1946. Local students
were sent to Three Rivers.
By 1940
the population had shrunk to a mere 35 and all of the town's businesses had closed
their doors by the end of that decade, including the post office. About all that
is left of Simmons is what is shown here from Terry
Jeanson's visit in May of 2007.
See Simmons,
Texas Historical Marker
Simmons
Schoolhouse"I
was in third grade in the Simmons school in 1945-1946. It closed that year. The
school was brick but it was one story, not two. The previous school was of wood
and had two stories. It burned and, after that, the new school was built. My mother
attended the old school. As a teen I helped tear down the brick school building.
We salvaged the bricks. My dad and I expanded our farm house with some of these
bricks. The Methodist parsonage in George West,
Texas was built from some of these bricks. - Philip Hudson, September 24,
2009 |
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Entrance
to Simmons cemetery from the road.
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, 2007 |
Cemetery
in Simmons. The turnstile keeps the wandering cows from entering the cemetery
and eating the grass (or anything else.)
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, 2007. More Texas Cemeteries |
Simmons
Texas historical marker in front of the Community Church.
Photos courtesy
Terry
Jeanson, 2007 |
Simmons, Texas
Historical Marker TextOriginally
ranch land, bought in 1900 by Dr. C.F. Simmons (Wealthy St. Louis manufacturer
of "Liver Regulator"), who also built this all-faiths church, 1908. After Simmon's
son and heir died of snake bite, he sold 60,000--acre ranch to 4,200 small farmers
and provided buildings for this rural community. | |
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