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History
in a Pecan Shell
David Fitzgerald, one of the original Austin settlers known as the
"Old
Three Hundred" was granted land here in 1822. In the 1840s it
was acquired by Jonathan Dawson Waters who made it one of the largest
cotton and sugar plantations in
Texas, naming it Arcola.
After the Civil War the Houston Tap Railroad arrived and with Walter's
death, the land was sold to Colonel T. W. House of Houston.
The community of Arcola was predominantly made up of former slaves
of the Arcola Plantation.
Arcola had a post office granted in 1869 which closed and reopened
before closing for good in 1920. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe railroad
arrived in 1878 and by 1884 Arcola was thriving with two combination
grist and cotton gins, several basic businesses and two segregated
schools. By 1914 Arcola's population was a mere 50 with a single store.
It grew to 120 by 1949 and in 2010 reached 1,642. |
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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
us. |
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