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SAN PERLITA,
TEXAS
Willacy County,
Texas Gulf Coast
2 miles N of State Highway 186
On FM 2209
10 miles E of Raymondville
13 miles W of Port Mansfield
33 miles N of Harlingen
Population 680 (2000) 512 (1990)
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Two
residents of San Perlita
TE Photo |
History
in a Seashell
The area was a part of a Spanish land grant that the King Ranch acquired
after proving in court that the terms of the grant hadn't been met.
The land became part of the state and the King Ranch obtained it shortly
thereafter.
Henrietta King sold the land to developers and the town was laid out
in 1926. Charles Johnson and H.G. Hecht were the town planners while
Johnson's wife, Pyrle planned the landscaping. Pyrle became the namesake
of the town, that is the self-proclaimed "Pearl of the Valley".
The post office was established in 1929 and the railroad arrived a
year later. In 1933 there were eighteen businesses operating in town,
but by 1939 there were less than half that number. |
San Perlita
Today
Today there appears
to be one open business and several well-kept building which date
from the town's founding.
The school is well-kept and the entire community as a whole is quite
neat, despite the number of vacant lots. |
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A
former store in San Perlita
TE Photo
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The
San Perlita Mascot?
TE Photo |
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The post
office in San Perlita
TE Photo
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San Perlita
Texas Forum
Subject:
Special Memories
My name is Derek Richardson and I'm currently living in Van Buren,
Arkansas. San Perlita holds a lot of special memories for me. My
parents both attended and graduated there from San Perlita High
School. My Dads name is Nolan E. Richardson and my Mothers name
is Joyce. Dads parents Mr. & Mrs. Gordon E. Richardson lived there
in San Perlita for many years. My Mothers maiden name was Joyce
McCraw and her parents Mr. & Mrs. Olan McCraw lived out on a farm
called the Crane place out past Wilamar. They later moved to Raymondville
but continued to farm the land and my Grandmother Bertha worked
in Raymondville for Kivett Ford for many years.
My Junior and Senior years of high school growing up in Granbury,
Texas were very special because of the opportunity I had to
spend the summers of these two years in Raymondville working for
my Grandfather Olan McCraw. I used to haul all the cotton and grain
to the gin there in San Perlita and usually stopped by the little
store that was there on the left side of the road just on the edge
of town to get me a cold soda. My Dad said that he and his friends
talked the school officials into allowing them to start San Perlitas
very first football team. His stepbrother Utah Dickerson was also
on the team as well. It was really neat working there and everytime
I would go to the San Perlita gin I would always run into someone
that knew my Mom and Dad and my Grandparents. I especially enjoyed
meeting Andy Shoemaker and Raymond Rhodes. They were in the gin
quite often.
Raymondville is where my brother
Rick Richardson was born (6/5/51) and I was born there as well on
6/2/53. We have lots of ties and some very fond memories of San
Perlita, Raymondville, and lots of fun trips out to Port Mansfield.
I hope I can return again some day very soon. I have an Aunt and
Uncle and several cousin who live in Weslaco.
We will have to drop by and see these wonderful places that hold
so many memories the next time we are down that way visiting. Thank
You for your web site and I hope I didn't bore you. - Derek B.
Richardson, Van Buren, Arkansas, May 07, 2006
Anyone wishing to share stories, photos or memories of San Perlita
, Texas, please contact
us.
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