| History in
a Pecan Shell Originally named Steiner's Settlement, after early
German Carl Steiner. The settlement dates from the 1850s and is included in what
is known collectively as "The Coleto Creek Communities." Over the years
the name was changed to Coletoville after the creek that borders the communtity.
The town had
the envious position of being on the Old Goliad Road although that fact didn't
guarantee long-term prosperity. The community had a Lutheran church by 1872 and
a post office was granted three years later. A two-acre site for the church and
cemetery site was set aside and today the cemetery (shown on the Victoria County
TxDoT map) is the best way to find the site of the community. The post
office was discontinued in 1877, and the village store lasted only seven more
years. The nearby town of Raisin got
the railroad when the Gulf, Western Texas and Pacific Railway came through in
1889. The Goliad-Victoria road also bypassed Coletoville and Raisin
became the dominant town. The communities are consided a merger by many since
they are only five miles apart. Together the population of Raisin-Coletoville
was only 50 throughout most of the Twentieth Century. Many descendents of the
early settlers continue to live in the area. |