|
|
A Pine Island Star Reporter Exclusive
 
PAGE IV
The Waller County Page
Waller County Time Line
1528
Spanish explorer, Cabeza de Vaca was the first white man in Texas. After his ship
wrecked and he wandered South Texas
1665
French explorer Rene Robert Cavelier Sieur de la Salle explored the area.
1800
The hostile Comanche indians made Spain break a 300 year tradition and allowed foreigners to settle in Texas
1820
Moses Austin received a land grant from Spain to bring in settlers. Moses died before he could do it and his son Stephin F. Austin brought in the original 300 settlers.
1831
Edwin Waller for whom the county was named, shipped the first cotton crop to Mexico. It went down the Brazos, by schooner, to Matamoras.
1834
"On March 11, 1834 a stagecoach was robbed near Six Shooter Junction." Money and valuables were taken, but the mail got through to Washington and Austin." This was the first place in print where Hempstead was referred to as "Six Shooter Junction."
1836
Texans fought a revolution against Mexico and won the war, beside the San Jacinto River on April 21, 1836.
1858
The Houston and Texas Central Railroad was completed between Houston and Hempstead. By 1859 the railroad was completed to Navasota.
1858
In 1858 a petition was filed to incorporate the community of Hempstead. Hempstead was incorporated as the City of Hempstead on March 13, 1871. It was to be governed by a mayor and 9 aldermen.
1859
The "Hempstead Courier" was the first newspaper in Waller County, in 1859
1865
The South lost the Civil War and Federal troops under General George A. Custer arrived at Camp Groce. After the end of the war a second migration of defeated southerners begin leaving for Texas.
1877
The first brick two story courthouse and jail was built in Hempstead. It burned in 1892 and was replaced by another brick courthouse in 1894
1899
The City of Hempstead was unincorporated in 1899. 286 citizens voted to abolish, against 68 who voted to remain an incorporated city.
1935
The city of Hempstead was reincorpated in 1935 after unsuccessful tries in 1928, 1930, and 1933.
1984
The community of Pine Island was incorporated as a city in 1984, with T.W. Wren as the Mayor.
A Short History Of Waller County
The land, as you approach Waller County from the east, begins the slow change from the flat coastal lowlands to the rolling planes that slowly grow until 100 miles to the west they become the beautiful central Texas hill country. Pine Island has just the hint of hills and shallow valleys formed over the centuries by the spring fed creeks of the area.
The land, far back into pre-history, was shared and used mainly by the Tonkawa and sometime the Karankawa Indians. They hunted and lived in the area for hundreds, maybe thousands of years before thefirst white men appeared. The near by river bottom was full of small game and the prairies abounded with all types of foul, deer, antelope and buffalo.
The Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca was apparently the first white man to come through Pine Island area of Texas. In 1528, after his ship wrecked on Galveston Island (which he named "Misfortune Island"), he became a trader among the indians. He worked the southern part of east Texas for about six years, trading with the indian tribes, before he made the overland journey back to Mexico.
Spain took no further interest in Texas for nearly one hundred and fifty years when the first few spanish settlements started appearing north of the Rio Grande around 1660. But, even then the Waller County area missed the invasion of outsiders for another hundred and fifty years.
The Spanish began operating missions in the San Antonio area and in east Texas at Nacogdoches. Although the "Old San Antonio Road" between
the two areas crossed the Brazos river, their route was further north near the current Bryan-College Station area.
Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle attempted to found a french settlement called Fort St. Louis in 1665. It was located possibly on Garcitas Creek. It was located a considerable distance inland from Matagorda Bay, presumably to fool the Spanish into thinking they had left. La Salle made a number of exploratory trips through southeast Texas and some of the maps show a route that appears to go through the Pine Island area. There is a statue of la Salle in Navasota, Texas showing his presence in that part of Texas. la Salle was killed on the last trip and Fort Saint Louis was wiped out by indians Other than a few more exploration trips by the Spanish explorers like Coronado, Moscoso and Onate. After Mexico won it's independence from Spain in 1821, it still lacked interest in Texas and decided to let colonists from the United States settle the far away wilderness of their new land.
The first permanent outsiders did not arrive and settle in the Pine Island area until the early 1820's when Spain broke a 300 year old tradition of not allowing foreigners to live within it's boundaries. By then Spain was grasping at straws for a way to help control the Comanche Indians. The Comanches were regularly raiding San Antonio and making life in Spanish Texas very difficult.
At the same time Moses Austin, a victim of the first United States depression, lost his money in a Saint Louis bank failure. Moses went to Mexico and secured a grant to colonize Texas as a means to recoup his losses. After returning home in 1821 Moses died and his son Stephen F. Austin was recognized by Spain as the heir to the contract with the Spanish Government. Stephen F. Austin brought the first foreign group of colonists, called "The Old Three Hundred", to Texas and settled them in the area between the Brazos and Colorado rivers.
After Texas gained it's freedom from Mexico in 1836, Austin County included the land on both sides of the Brazos River. It was however, a very long trip to the county courthouse in Bellville from the farms and towns on the east side of the river. And, when the river was in flood stage the trip was almost impossible. So on May 1, 1873 the Texas Legislature passed an act that took all of Austin County, on the east side of the Brazos river, part of Montgomery County and part of Harris County and created Waller County.
The new county was named for Edwin Waller who was a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Waller County Statistics
The area of the county is 507 square miles; altitude, 250 feet; average annual rainfall, 40.2 inches; and mean annual temperature, 68.9 degrees. The county, situated in Southeast Texas has a topography varying from a rolling post oak region in the north to prairies in the south. The area is well drained by the Brazos River, which forms the western boundary. Soils range from sandy loams and heavy clays in the upland to rich alluvials in the bottoms and black waxy in the central part. Native timber includes post oak, pine, cottonwood, and elm. Principal industries are ranching, agriculture, and dairying. Cotton, corn, peanuts, grains, watermelons, and rice are grown commercially. Beef cattle, hogs, and sheep are raised for market. Mineral resources include oil, gas, gravel, and brick clay. Transportation is provided by the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe and the Texas and New Orleans Railroads.
WALLER COUNTY
INTERNET LINKS
Pine Island, Waller County, Texas
(Sister page to Pine Island Star Reporter.)
Waller County Land Company
Waller County Soil Surveys and Maps
Waller County Landmarks
Waller County The Political Graveyard
Best Friends Treasures (Fields Store Site)
Waller County Confederate Pension Records
Waller County Texas Index of Landmarks & Vanished Communities
Texas County Information
Waller County Volunteer EMS
TXGenWeb Waller County, Texas
Return To Top
WALLER COUNTY
COMMUNITIES
ADAMS
BRACY ISLAND
BROOKSHIRE
The plat map for the town of Brookshire was filed in 1893. It was located on the east side of the community of Kellner. It was incorporated in 1946. Brookshire iz the location of the Waller County Museum
CEDAR CREEK
CLEMONS
Clemons post office was established in 1885. The town was located on Irons Creek east of the Brazos River between Pattison and Sealy. It was also known as Clemons Switch
CODY
The Cody post office was established in1909. The community was located near Magnolia in a small sawmail and farming community
FENELLA
The Fenella post office was established in 1897. It was located in Bushs store northeast of Gladish.
FETZER
The Fetzer postoffice was esttablished in 1913. It was located in the northeastern section of Waller County.
FIELDS STORE
The Fields Store post office was established in 1874. The community was located a couple of miles north of Waller.
FRIENDSHIP
GLADISH
The Gladish post office was established in 1885. It was located about 5 miles west of Fields Store.
HARVESTER
The Harvester post office was established in 1887. It was located between Hockly and Fields Store.
HEGAR
The Hager post office was established in 1899. It was located between Hockly and Harvester.
HEMPSTEAD
Hempstead was settled some time in the 1820's. By 1834 there was already a mention of a stagecoach robbery near "Six Shooter Junction" in a newspaper. Hempstead was incorporated as a city in 1871
HIGHLAND HOMES
HOLIK
The Holik post office was founded in 1901. It was located just west of F.M. 359 10 miles south of Monaville.
HOWTH
The Howth post office was established in 1872. Howth was located east of Hwy. 6 near the Grimes County Line.
JOSEPH
The Joseph post office was founded in 1905. Joseph was located 2 1/2 miles southeast of Fields Store.
KICKAPOO
LESLIE
The Leslie post office was established in 1893. It was located northeast of Brookshire. It was originally called Leslie Switch.
MACEDONIA
MONAVILLE
The Monaville post office was founded in 1886. Monaville was a small farming community on FM 359 between Hempstead and Pattison.
PATTISON
Pattison is located a few miles from San Felipe on the east side of the Brazos River. The town was organized beside the Texas Western Narrow Gauge Railroad in 1872.
PENICK
PRAIRIE VIEW
The Prairie View post office was established in 1892.(See History of Pine Island) It is a small college town around Prairie View A. and M.. It is located on old Hwy.290 halfway between Waller and Hempstead. It was incorperated in 1969.
ROCK ISLAND
Rock Island was a small community near the Brazos River, north of Hempstead and south of the Grimes County line. Rock Island was also known as Arnold, Pennyman and Whitfield.
SLOVANVILLE
The Slovanville post office begin operation in 1897. The community was located 4 miles south of Waller and west of FM 362.
SUNNYSIDE
The post office in Sunnyside was opened in 1877. The community was located near the Brazos River about 8 miles northwest of Pattison.
UNION
WALLER
Waller is located on the old Hw. 290 splitting the Waller and Harris county line. The town was established in 1884 and incorporated in 1947. It was once known for God's Mercy Store, a general store owned by A.D. Peurvis who after a vision began selling his merchandise at costs. Customers added to the total what they thought was a fair profit.
WALLER'S STORE
Waller's Store not to be confused with the city of Waller, had a post office beginning in 1868, but called Irons Creek. Before 1868 it was called Thosophollis. By 1877, when the post office was reestablished it was called Jewell, but another post office already had that name so it was called Waller's Store instead. It was located about 2 miles west of Pattison.
WYATTS CHAPEL
Wyatts Chapel was a small black community located northwest of Prairie View.
ZADOW
The post office in Zadow was established in 1900. It was located 10 or 12 miles northwest of Hempstead near the Brazos River.
Return To Top
WALLER COUNTY, TEXAS CEMETERIES
From A DIRECTORY OF CEMETERIES IN WALLER COUNTY Published by the Waller County Historical Commission. It is a directory of surnames for each cemetery and is available at the Waller County Library and the Waller County Museum.
A SURNAME INDEX for the book is available from the Chaparral Genealogical Society Library in Tomball, Texas.
BATES CEMETERY
BELTON CEMETERY - Located on Bobby Page land.
BINFORD CEMETERY - On old John Binford place.
BLUMBERG CEMETERY - Located in the northwest corner of Dr. O.W. Wallace farm at FM 1736 at Gladish Waller road.
BOZEMAN CEMETERY - Pattison
BROOKSHIRE FAMILY CEMETERY - Located on original Brookshire Plantation land.
CARRINGTON CEMETERY - Located south of Highway 529.
CEDAR CREEK CEMETERY - Land donated by James Bell.
CLEMMONS COMMUNITY CEMETERY - Across the Street from old Clemmons School.
DOWNMAN CEMETERY - On land donated by James T. Pattison.
FIELDS STORE CEMETERY - Located near FM 1488 and Fields Store Road.
FEDRICK CEMETERY - On land given by William Fredrick.
FREY CEMETERY - Located on Grandpa John Jaboc Frey's old homestead.
FULSHEAR CEMETERY - Although located just across the county line in Ft. Bend County, many people from Waller County are buried there.
FULSHEAR CEMETERY - MEXICAN SECTION - On the east side next to the road.
GARRETT CEMETERY - John Steele Garrett's land.
GREEN CEMETERY - Located on W. B. Holder land.
HARPER CEMETERY - Land given by Harry Stubblefield (C.W. Urban survey)
HEGAR CEMETERY - Located on Dincans property originally owned by Otto Hegar
HEMPSTEAD CEMETERY - Located on the south end of Grace St. (1st Street) in Hempstead.
HEMPSTEAD HEBREW CEMETERY - Located beside the main Hempstead cemetery
HIBBIT CEMETERY - Located in Izzard land.
HILL PLACE CEMETERY - 1 mile east of Hempstead
HOLMES CEMETERY
HOUGH'S CEMETERY - Located near Pattison
HOUSTON CEMETERY - South of Hempstead Cemetery.
JOHNSON CEMETERY
HHENRY JOHNSON CEMETERY
JONES CEMETERY - Located on Joseph Road.
KIRBY CHAPEL CEMETERY - Located 2 miles north of Prairie View University.
LAAS FAMILY CEMETERY - Located near northeast corner of H. Laas property.
LARIS ST. THOMAS CEMETERY Moved on FM 359, 3 1/2 miles southeast of the original location.
LEVERKUHN FAMILY CEMETERY - Located on Leverkuhn property in the northeast corner of the county.
LIENDO CEMETERY - Located at the Liendo Plantation.
MATHIS CEMETERY - South of Waller on old Mathis place.
MEMORIAL OAKS CEMETERY - Located on Brookshire - Pattison Road
MONAVILLE CEMETERY - Located near Monaville
MT. ZION CEMETERY - Located south of the intersection of the Sunnyside and Mt. Zion Road.
OAKWOOD CEMETERY - Located northwest of Hempstead.
PATTISON METHODIST EPISCOPAL CEMETERY - Located near Pattison.
PATTISON CEMETERY - Located 1/2 mile north of Pattison on Hempstead Highway.
JAMES T. PATTISON CEMETERY - Located in the town of Pattison.
PAYNE CEMETERY
OBADIAH PITTS CEMETERY - Located on Glassell property.
PRAIRIE VIEW CEMETERY - Located near the university.
RAY CEMETERY - On Dincan's ranch.
ROSEMAN CEMETERY
SALEM CEMETERY - Located 2 1/2 miles west of FM 1736.
SHEFFIELD CEMETERY - Located 1/4 mile off FM 1488.
SHILO CEMETERY - North of Prairie View University.
SCHULTZ CEMETERY - Located on land owned by Fread Stakey.
SPRINGER MACEDONIA CEMETERY - Located off the Macedonia Road.
ST. JOHN's LUTHERAN CEMETERY - Located on land donated by Fritz Hakemack.
ST. MARY'S CATHOLIC CEMETERY - Located 3 miles south of Hempstead on Highway 159.
TANK CEMETERY Located on the Guy Pattison Ranch.
TENNWOOD-RECEATION CENTER CEMETERY - On the Leverkuhn 100 acres.
TILLY-BROOKSHIRE COMMUNITY CEMETERY - Located on FM 359 South.
VESELEY CEMETERY - Located on Buller Road.
WALLER CEMETERY
EDWIN WALLER CEMETERY - Located 1 1/2 miles from Pattison.
WAWAROFSKY CEMETERY - Located about 9 miles southwest of Waller, 1/2 mile off Waller-Monaville road.
FRITZ WENDT CEMETERY - Located on land owned by Fritz Wendt.
WESLEY CHAPEL CEMETERY - Property donated by Roy Muske.
WILLIAMS CEMETERY - Located 4 miles off FM 359.
WILPITZ CEMETERY - Located on C.D. Wilson Property.
Return To Top
This Is A
Site For All Viewers
CLICK HERE
To Return To First Page
|
