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History in
a Pecan Shell
Local
business owner Van Raub Byron became the town namesake in the mid
1880s when it became a stop on the proposed San Antonio and Aransas
Pass Railroad.
The following year a church and school were built and the town had
its own newspaper. The population reached 300 and the town received
a post office (1889).
The town wasn’t bypassed by the railroad,
but as tracks continued on to Kerrville,
the effect on the community was just as devastating. By 1910 the population
had declined by half and mail came through Boerne.
Van Raub managed to pull through the Great Depression but prosperity
did it in. Increased wages in larger cities lured Van Raubites from
their tranquil home. The town became a virtual ghost until the 1990s
when developers built a San Antonio suburb very near the site of Van
Raub called Fair Oaks Ranch. |
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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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