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BRACKETTVILLE,
TEXAS
Kinney County Seat,
Texas Hill Country
US 90, State Hwy 131
FM 334 & FM 674
32 miles East of Del
Rio
40 miles West of Uvalde
46 miles N of Eagle
Pass
122 miles West of San
Antonio on US 90
Population: 1,876 (2000) 1,740 (1990)
Brackettville
Area Hotels - Book Here & Save
Del
Rio Hotels
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The Masonic Lodge standing near the courthouse has also served
as the Kinney County Courthouse.
TE photo, March 2002 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
In 1852, the town was named after Oscar Brackett who was a
sutler to Fort Clark. The town started around his store around 1852
and was first called Brackett (as it is today by residents).
In 1875 when the town was granted a post office - the postal authorities
assigned the ville to avoid confusion with another Brackett, Texas.
When Kinney
County came into being in 1876, Brackettville became the county seat.
The Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway was heading toward
Del Rio and
bypassed Brackettville. This would've killed any other town, but Brackettville
had Ft. Clark for economic security. Spofford
was the town who benefited from the railroad.
As Fort Clark's population increased, so did the standard of living
in Brackettville. |
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The Post
Theatre in Fort Clark
TE photo |
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A
Brackettville limestone house
TE photo |
A local quarry
supplied limestone blocks for the building of permanent structures.
The years of 1878-1882 were particularly prosperous, although there
was a flood in 1880 (and other in 1899). Although the railroad bypassed
Brackettville, there was daily stagecoach service to Spofford
- 10 miles South. |
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The Kinney County
Museum
TE photo |
In 1896 the town had a population of 1,000 which doubled by 1926.
A good part of the Brackettville population has historically been
made up of the Seminole Indian Scouts. This is a group descended
from an original 150 Black and Seminole Indians who were employed
by the U.S. Army to scout around the border.
The town of Brackettville has a surprising amount of shade - especially
along Hackberry Creek.
Kinney County Courthouse >
next page |
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The pool at
Fort Clark (Las Moras Springs)
TE photo |
Brackettville
Attractions
Ft.
Clark Springs:
The former military installation was established in 1852, deactivated
in 1947. Old Guardhouse Museum: Open Saturday and Sunday
1-4.
The Kinney
County Museum
The Seminole
Indian Scout Cemetery: Just west of town on FM 693 and then
South. Follow the signs.
Alamo
Village:
The replica that people prefer over the original. North of Brackettville
Scenic Drive:
FM 674 North to Rocksprings
Kickapoo
Cavern State Park
Approximately 22 miles north of Brackettville
Kinney/Edwards County line.
P O Box 705 Brackettville TX 78832
830/563-2342
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/kickapoo/
Book Your Hotel Here &
Save
Del
Rio Hotels >
Uvalde
Hotels >
More
Hotels >
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A
doorway in Brackettville
TE photo |
Brackettville
Texas History
Brackettville
Chronicles
The
Whirlwind Lt. John Lapham Bullis and the Seminole Negro Scouts
by C. F. Eckhardt 7-26-06
"One of the least-known heroes of the Texas frontier was a
man known to his followers as The Whirlwind and to his enemies as
The Thunderbolt..... John Bullis didn't do it all alone. He had
a lot of help. The help, mostly, was the Seminole Negro scouts.
What became of them?..."
Army
Booze by Mike Cox (From "Texas Tales" Column)
"Living amid the skyscraper canyons of New York City in the
waning days of Prohibition, Lt. Col. Jasper Ewing Brady Sr. reflected
on his days as a young enlisted man on the Texas border..."
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