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History in
a Pecan Shell
The original owner
of the Rossville site was Col. José Antonio Navarro, the namesake
of Navarro County. In the 1870s he bequeathed the site to his son
J.A. George Navarro who subdivided the land into small farms, each
having access to the Atascosa River.
Scotsman John Ross married J.A. Navarro’s daughter. John and his brother
W.F.M. Ross, were co-founders of the town of Rossville in the early
1870s.
The community was granted a post office in 1877 and grew as a shipping
point for cotton and livestock.
In 1900 the community consisted of the post office, a school, three
stores, two churches and a population of around 300.
Improvements in the early years of the 20th century included a Catholic
church and a two-room school.
The anticipated railroad from San
Antonio to Laredo bypassed
Rossville, dashing hopes of growth. By the mid teens, the population
had declined by half and the boll
weevil had devastated the cotton crop, forcing the community to
diversify. To peanuts and watermelons.
Two stores managed to survive the Great Depression although other
buildings were razed or cannibalized for their material. The post
office closed in 1947 and the school merged with the Poteet
schools in the mid 1950s.
In the mid 1980s, Rossville residents opened a community center which
serves as an election precinct and for general community gatherings. |
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Historical Marker:
On east side of FM 2504 about 1 mile south of intersection with FM
476, Rossville
Rossville
First Scottish
community in southwest Texas. Founded 1873 by brothers William F.M.
Ross and John C. Ross. Born in north Scotland, they came to Texas
in 1867. Here they were awarded a contract to carry U.S. Mail. On
the route, they noticed fertile soil and plentiful game of this region.
They soon settled here and persuaded other Scottish families to join
them.
Rossville came to have a one-room school, cotton gin, post office
(established 1877), two grocery stores, a bakery and a saloon; but
it declined after being by passed by the railroad.
(1969) |
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Historical Marker:
At intersection of FM 476 and FM 2504, take County Road west to cemetery
about 200 yards, Rossville.
Rossville
Cemetery
Texas statesman
Jose Antonio Navarro (1795-1871) transferred land here along the Atascosa
River to his eldest son Jose Antonio George Navarro. J.A.G. Navarro
(b.1819) then gave 160 acres here to his daughter Maria Antonia Navarro
(1845-1922) in 1870, on the occasion of her marriage in San Antonio
to Scotsman John C. Ross (1839-1925). One acre at this site was reserved
for a cemetery. Ross and his brother William subsequently founded
the community of Rossville here after 1873. The first burial was that
of Juana Chaves Navarro (1820-1874), wife of J.A.G. Navarro. Other
pioneers who lived in this area before the founding of Rossville are
buried here. Their family names include Alvarez, Bergara, Castanon,
Cruz, Galindo, Gonzales, Tabberer, Tober, Riojas, and Stokes. Confederate
veteran Clemente Galindo (1844-1881) and his wife Martha Goins Galindo
(1845-1903) are buried here along with many of their descendants.
By the 1920s the road to the graveyard was often impassable, so John
Ross was buried in the family plot at the Episcopal Church Cemetery
(1 mi. E). His wife Maria Antonia is buried here, near their home
site. Other Navarro, Chaves, and Ross descendants are also buried
here, including Texas Ranger Captain Tom Ross (1871-1946), son of
John and Maria Antonia Ross.
(1986) Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986. |
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| 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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