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Manhattan
was a planned town to be situated at the mouth of Caney Creek on East
Matagorda Bay. The junction of the Matagorda Peninsula with the mainland
once appeared on maps as Manhattan Bay.
The early years of settlement
in Matagorda and Brazoria counties and the heady optimism of Texas independence
created a boom of speculation with many trying to predict the next Brazoria or
Quintana. Manhattan never developed - despite
its optimistic name.
A local newspaper - the Matagorda Bulletin
anounced plans for The Manhattan Academy to be established there. The trustees
included such notables as Anson
Jones, Mirabeau Lamar and William H. Wharton. The academy
was intended to be a draw to the planned town, but the trustees were busy with
other projects.
In 1838 the Caney Navigation Company listed three
of the company's officers with having a Manhattan residence. In 1843 papers incorporating
the Matagorda Caney Navigation Company referred to a place "commonly called
the town of Manhattan."
The Matagorda Bulletin reported in 1838
that weekly trips between Matagorda and the town of Manhattan would be made by
a sloop - also named Manhattan. | |
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