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Verand Historical
Marker in snow
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, February 2010 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
The first town
to be established in the county, it may have been the only settlement
in Texas settled by Vermonters. A ranch, appropriately named The Vermont
Ranch was established here in the 1880s.
Every ranch needs a town to ride into, and so Verand was set up for
that purpose. Soon a school was established as well as a store and
hotel. The town was on it’s way to becoming county seat but there
was difficulty with obtaining clear titles to town lots. With the
establishment of Eldorado in 1895
and the offer of free town lots (with clear titles), Verand was all
but evacuated. The Verand post office which was in its third year
in 1895 relocated to Eldorado as
did businesses and residences.
Other than a few postmarks, the lone historical marker installed in
1968 is now the only proof that Verand existed. |
Site of Verand
Historical Marker
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, February 2010 |
Historical
Marker (US 277, about 5 miles N of Eldorado)
Site of Verand
The first town
in Schleicher County,
Verand was established about 1890 near the headquarters of the Vermont
Ranch. Although short-lived, the town, platted in 86 lots, included
a stagecoach station, post office,
store, and hotel, as well as homes for twenty to thirty families.
The citizens of Verand ultimately had difficulty obtaining clear title
to their land so in 1895, in answer to an offer of free land by Eldorado
founder W. B. Silliman, they moved five miles south to the new town.
The site of Verand soon returned to its natural state.
(1968, 1996) |
Verand site
Photo courtesy MF, July 2017 |
Verand landscape
& ruins
Photo courtesy MF, July 2017 |
Verand landscape
& ruins
Photo courtesy MF, July 2017 |
Site of Mark
Fury Ranch Stage Stand
Photo courtesy MF, July 2017 |
Historical
Marker (US 277, about 16 miles N of Eldorado):
Site of Mark Fury Ranch Stage Stand
Originally part
of the Mark Fury Ranch, this site was used as a stagecoach stop from
1894 to 1909. Theodore Jackson Savell (1872-1954) owned and operated
the line between San
Angelo and Sonora. Six
mornings each week a horn was blown to annouce the arrival of the
stage. In emergencies on the road, help was prompt because the line
served as a thread of life for the remote area. The Savell Stages
were instrumental in the early development of the region, providing
passenger, mail, and express services.
(1980) |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history
and vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. |
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