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Mayberry goes
wild!
Flooding in Wharton circa 1935. Photo courtesy TXDoT |
Historical
Marker:
City of Wharton
The town of Wharton
was founded as the seat of Wharton
County in April 1846. Land for a courthouse, named Monterey Square,
was given from the land grant of William Kincheloe, one of Stephen
F. Austin's "Old
Three Hundred" colonists who settled in this area in 1822. The
townsite was surveyed by Virgel Stewart and William J. E. Heard, and
the rich farmland attracted many settlers. The advent of railroads
and irrigation brought increased settlement to the town, which remains
a center of agricultural, educational, industrial, and medical services
for a large area.
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Railroads – "The
cottonseed train arrives at the Wharton depot. Mule wagons unload
their wares in the late summer days following the cotton
harvest and ginning. Millions of dollars came to Wharton for cotton
in the latter part of the 1800’s."
Photo courtesy Wharton County Historical Museum |
Only
one county from Houston
and one county from the coast, Wharton is in a somewhat enviable position.
As Houston extends into
Ft. Bend County,
Wharton has time to study the changes from a safe distance.
Its inland location has and continues to provide fertile land for
a variety of crops and grazing land for cattle. We at TE are sold
on Wharton's attitude on preservation and its extraordinary potential.
They still have all of the important elements (courthouse,
depot, jail, theater)
a town needs, along with the Colorado River complete with park,
restaurant, and bridge. |
Wharton, Texas
Attractions & Landmarks
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The Wharton
County Historical Museum: Located at 3615 Richmond Road. 409-532-2600.
Hours: 9:30 - 4:30 Tues. through Fri., and Sat. 1-4. Knowledgeable
staff and interesting exhibits covering all facets of Wharton County
history.
The 1930 Highway
59 bridge has recently been repainted a handsome green.
It was chosen as the photo to accompany the introductory text in
the LCRA 2000 Calendar. Just downstream is Riverfront
Park and the large building in between is the soon-to-be-opened
(January 2000) Los Cucos Restaurant.
Antique
shops in Wharton as well as nearby Glen
Flora and Egypt.
The Colorado
River Band: Dr. Lowell Miller, formally of Houston,
was instrumental in organizing this 100-member group which performs
at City functions and events. A sub-group called The Brass Ensemble
does weddings and funerals.
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The Plaza
Theater (on the square) has recently been restored to its former
glory and now hosts live musical performances as well as theatrical
productions.
Photo
courtesy Barclay
Gibson, February 2009
More Texas Theatres |
City
of Wharton Historical Marker
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, February 2009 |
Wharton, Texas
Nearby Destinations:
Glen
Flora: Halfway to Egypt on FM 102 West, you'll find a cluster
of antique shops and a restaurant. The rest of the town consists
of comfortable yards and homes under huge pecan trees so regularly
spaced that it must have been a pecan grove at one time.
Egypt:
Although it's not large, this picturesque village is reminiscent
of the Pennsylvania Amish Country. A small cemetery, an empty silo
and lots of barns, as well as the general store/barbecue outlet
make this a place worth the 12 mile drive from Wharton.
Columbus
/ Alleyton: Continue
on FM 102 North another 28 miles to I-10 El
Campo: Wharton County's "Second City" was named after the site
where vaqueros would camp while cutting grass for their cattle.
Many brick buildings surround the park where herds rested on their
way to Northern Markets. Just off Highway 59, 14 miles South of
Wharton.
Danevang:
A Danish farming community now mostly a large cemetery. Large obelisk
next to the church details the history of the town, including storms,
and the date the first tractor was bought - all carved in stone.
On Highway 71; 19 miles south of El
Campo
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Marshal
Pitman by Mike Cox
Walter W. Pitman’s good luck held for more than half a century.
Not everything went his way, but in big-stake deals the figurative
roulette wheel of life generally spun in his favor...
When
Hollywood Came to Wharton by Robert G. Cowser
I do not regret sending the photographs my brother R. L. took of
Lee Remick and Steve McQueen to the college library in Wharton...
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Not
all Whartonians became award-winning playwrights or network anchormen
like Horton Foote and Dan Rather.
Some were content being human cow-catchers.
Courtesy of Wharton County Museum |
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First
East Bernard School Bus circa 1928
Courtesy Wharton County Chamber of Commerce |
"Hangman’s
Day – In 1910 a crowd gathered around the scaffolding adjacent to
the Wharton Jail for a hanging."
Photo courtesy Wharton County Historical Museum. |
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Early
Wharton County steamboat
Courtesy Wharton County Chamber of Commerce |
Wharton Chamber
of Commerce and Agriculture
225 North Richmond
Road
979-532-1862. E-mail: torieblakely@sbcglobal.net
Website - www.whartontexas.com
Located in the beautiful brick Dr. T. M. Neal Building (circa
1912), the enthusiastic and efficient staff can provide you with
brochures for dining, antiquing, and shopping as well as an excellent
History pamphlet on the town, the county, and the Wharton Brothers.
Wharton Hotels
› Book Hotel Here
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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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