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History in
a Pecan Shell
Named after Nathan Thomas, a donor of land for the townsite, the community
became DeWitt County’s first town to receive a railroad
connection when the the Gulf, Western Texas and Pacific Railroad arrived
in 1872.
A post office was granted the following year by storeowner (and stationmaster)
James Pridgen. By the mid 1880s, the town had somewhere around 100
residents. Cattle pens nearby made the town an important cattle shipping
spot for local ranchers into the 1940s. By 1892 Thomaston reported
300 people and the town enjoyed the amenities of a newspaper and dentist,
besides the usual array of essential business.
Thomaston residents benefited from their railroad connection and had
the choice of traveling to Cuero
or Victoria
with equal ease on one of the four trains that passed daily. In the
1920s the town had declined to less than a hundred residents and after
WWII improved
roads and school consolidations (with Cuero)
sent Thomaston into an even deeper decline. The railroad
connection ended in 1950 when passenger service was suspended. The
1985 count showed about 45 people receiving mail at the Thomston post
office, the estimate has been used since. |
Historical Marker
- On Hwy. 87
Thomaston
(Founded 1872)
DeWitt County's
first railroad town. Absorbed Price's Creek, 1848 settlement of Republic
of Texas patriot, Judge David Murphree (1811-66). Thomaston was
named for State Legislator Nathan Thomas (1809-91), who sold south
part of townsite (in Refugio Amador survey) to Gulf, Western Texas
and Pacific Railroad. North part of plat was donated (from Charles
Lockhart Survey) by John P. and Mary (Lockhart) Wright. Schoolteacher
J. H. Moore and wife Lou (Thomas) built first house and owned cotton
gin and grist mill. James Pridgen was first railroad agent, postmaster,
and merchant. At peak, town had 500 people.
1973 |
Thomaston,
Texas Landmarks & Cemetery
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Photographer's
Note:
Thomaston Texas is located in DeWitt
County on Hwy 87 near the Victoria County line. A new 4 lane highway
now bypasses the old main drag of town.
Located about 10 miles SE of Cuero, TX.
- William
Beauchamp, 2009 |
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Historical Marker:
Thomaston Cemetery
Thomaston was established
as DeWitt County's
first railroad town in 1872, with much of the land for the townsite
donated by John P. and Mary M. Lockhart Wright. Land for this cemetery
was given in 1886 by John P. Wright, and his widow (second wife, Margaret
Rankin Calliham Wright) donated an additional lot in 1917 to adjoin
the cemetery on the north.
There are approximately 283 graves located in the cemetery. Early
graves were marked with wooden boards, which were replaced by concrete
blocks about 1946. The earliest marked grave is that of an infant,
George E. McDonald (October 1, 1870 - March 8, 1871). Also buried
here are John P. Wright (October 29, 1829 - June 12, 1897), his first
wife, Mary Melvina Lockhart Wright (Sept. 21, 1841 - Feb. 16, 1875),
and his second wife, Margaret Rankin Calliham Wright (Feb. 5, 1847
- Feb. 15, 1921). Headstones in the cemetery also mark the graves
of veterans of the Civil War, World
War I, and World
War II.
The Thomaston Cemetery Association was formed in the 1930s, and is
responsible for maintenance of the cemetery. The original fence was
replaced in the 1940s with a chain-link fence. The cemetery serves
as a reminder of early Thomaston history.
Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986 |
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Thomaston Cemetery
historical marker
on Thomaston Cemetery Road
Photo courtesy William
Beauchamp, 2009 |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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