|
|
|
|
The
masonic building in Caldwell
TE Photo,
2001
More Texas Lodges |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Caldwell was designated county seat in 1840 when the Texas Congress
annexed all of Washington
County north of Yegua Creek to Milam
County. The proposed town, surveyed by George B. Erath and named
for Mathew Caldwell, was laid out parallel to the Old San Antonio
Road. Caldwell served as the county seat of Milam
County until Burleson
County came into being in1846.
The town had a population of 300 prior to the Civil War and it's prosperity
was reflected in its brick courthouse. During Reconstruction, a company
of State Police was stationed in Caldwell. Postwar Caldwell had its
own newspaper, bottling works and an ice plant.
The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway built through in 1880 and
in 1905 six passenger trains arrived daily.
The first tax supported public school was built in 1882.
Company E of the Texas National Guard, was headquartered in Caldwell
became part of the Thirty-sixth Infantry Division. Many soldiers of
this unit were captured at Salerno, Italy, in 1943 and remained POWs
until the war's end.
See City of Caldwell Historical Marker
|
 |
 |
Historical
Marker:
City
of Caldwell
In 1840 the Republic
of Texas Congress annexed to Milam
County all of Washington
County north of Yegua Creek and west of the Brazos River. The
name Caldwell, which honored Mathew "Old Paint" Caldwell, a noted
pioneer and a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, was
chosen for a settlement that would become the seat of a future county.
Following a land title dispute, this site was selected for the proposed
town. Located on the Old
San Antonio Road, it had been settled earlier by Virginia native
Lewis L. Chiles, a veteran of the Battle
of San Jacinto who had operated a trading post on Davidson Creek.
George B. Erath platted the town of Caldwell in 1840. Streets running
parallel to the Old
San Antonio Road were named for native animals and intersecting
streets were named for the commissioners who had selected the townsite.
When Burleson County
was created six years later, Caldwell became the permanent seat of
government. Incorporated in 1891, Caldwell developed as a major agricultural
shipping center with the completion of area rail lines in 1890 and
1912. Since the 1840s the city has played a vital role in the region
through its steady commercial growth and rich heritage.
(1892) |
Caldwell,
Texas Attractions
Burleson
County Courthouse
Burleson County
Czech Heritage Museum, corner of Shaw and Fawn Street, Caldwell
Texas.
Kraitcher
House Museum, East Buck Street, Caldwell Texas.
Burleson County
Historical Museum, 100 West Buck (in court house building), Caldwell
Texas.
Caldwell Visitors
Center Museum, 103 Presidential Corridor W., Caldwell Texas.
Somerville
Area Museum, Hwy 36 and 8 Street, Somerville Texas.
The Annual Kolache Festival
Second Saturday in September
On the Square Downtown
Nearby Destinations:
Lake Somerville
Burleson County Chamber of Commerce
301 N. Main Street
979-567-0000
|
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. |
|
|
HOME
Texas
Gulf Coast
East
Texas
Central
Texas North
Central
Texas South
Texas
Panhandle
South
Texas
Texas
Hill Country
West
Texas
Texas
Ghost Towns
Texas
Counties
