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History in
a Pecan Shell
Union Valley is linked with its neighbors of Nockenut
and Albuquerque,
not only for all three being ghost towns, but their similar locations
– since all three ran alongside the Wilson
/ Gonzales County
Line. It has been said that on clear nights, the lights of the other
two towns could be seen from the third.
Contributor Sarah Reveley, has sent in a clipping from the August
5th, 1978 San Antonio Express News, telling of a visit to
the three sites by local historians. Facts from the newspaper article
and Ms. Reveley’s photos have made it possible to include Union
Valley in our town pages.
In the Express-News article written by George Carmack, the men who
took the trip were Roy Sylvan Dunn and W.T. Connally, cousin to
the former Texas Governor accompanied by other local historians.
Dunn had written a 1951 article in the Southwestern Quarterly
called “Life and Times in Albuquerque,
Texas” which included facts on Union Valley.
Connally, himself was born in the building that housed the local
school (ground floor) and the Masonic Lodge above. His family was
waiting for their home to be built when his mother went into labor
and he was born in the classroom.
Since the families and histories are interwoven, we recommend reading
the histories of all three towns. (See Nockenut
and Albuquerque.)
The Union Valley historical marker is in old Albuquerque
on private property and not accessible to the public.
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Site of Old Town
of Union Valley historical marker
Photo courtesy Sarah
Reveley, 2007 |
Historical Marker:
From Nixon,
take FM 1681 NW 6 miles to grounds of The Union Valley Homecoming
Association.
Site of Old
Town of Union Valley
(Settled in 1860s)
Original schoolhouse of logs on site given by Harriet
Smith Beaty in 1872 to trustees John Coleman, King Holstein, and Samuel
McCracken, was replaced 1877 by a frame one on William Cone land,
serving as Masonic hall, church, court room. Union post office opened
1883. Stores, gins, saloons, blacksmith and butcher shops were owned
by men named Burnside, Cone, Creech, Dunn, Hightower, Hoy, Hudson,
Irvin, Johnson, Murray, Magee, Patterson, Spear, Treadwell, Watkins,
Wiley, and Wright. Town dwindled when bypassed in 1906 by Galveston,
Harrisburg & San Antonio Railroad.
(1972) |
Union Valley
Cemetery
Union Valley Cemetery
is about 5 miles NW of Nixon
on FM 1681, near Union Valley and Albuquerque
townsites. |
Tombstone
in Union Valley Cemetery
Photos courtesy Sarah
Reveley, 2007 |
Tombstone
in Union Valley Cemetery
Photos courtesy Sarah
Reveley, 2007 |
Tombstone
in Union Valley Cemetery
Photos courtesy Sarah
Reveley, 2007 |
Union, Texas
Forum
Subject: Union
Valley,Texas
I read your story on Union Valley where it said the population was
zero. However, at the time I was there, about ten years ago, there
were still people living in the town. There may still be. It was not
a large population, but still had a few. Nockenut
is nothing but a cemetery now as is (I think) Mound Creek where John
Wesley Hardin's wife Jane is buried. There is no longer a highway
sign pointing the way to Mound Creek, Sweet
Home in Guadalupe
County or several other places. I guess that makes them officially
ghosts. - Hilda Hilpert, October 31, 2007 |
| 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. |
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