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History in
a Pecan Shell
There really was
a college here - although it was the Gulf Coast University of Industrial
Arts - a school that doesn't have a big alumni association. The
college was established by the Hurd Ranch Company that was selling
land in the area.
The town got a post office in 1909 and became a stop on the St. Louis,
Brownsville and Mexico Railway in 1911.
The population was about 450 people around 1914. In 1924, a severe
ice storm killed most of the cattle in the area. The population was
about 200 in 1936. The school consolidations of the late 40s combined
Collegeport's schools with the Palacios
ISD. In the mid-60s the population had dropped to around 100, and
it now is estimated at less than that. |
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Palm
tree and silos
TE photo, 2001 |
Collegeport
now has the appearance of a ghost town. Some houses give the appearance
of having been used in the past as summer homes, but it's unlikely
that they're performing that function today. The largest home in the
area is surrounded by a large chain-link fence and another appears
to have had it's own small private golf course.
More
Collegeport Vintage Photos
›
Collegeport Cemetery ›
next page |
A former pier
at Collegeport
TE Photo, 2001 |
The cows don't
get to see many people in Collegeport
TE Photo, 2001 |
Collegeport
Vintage Photos
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Subject: Collegeport
Photos
"Two photos of my grandmother's brother who worked for the railroad
around the turn of the century. I'm not sure the second photo is Collegeport.
Several of the brothers worked for the railroad and were from Coleman
County (Camp
Colorado) area." - Dennis McDonald, May 04, 2007 |
Passengers and
locomotive crew at Collegeport
Photo
courtesy Dennis McDonald |
Express Agent
Photo
courtesy Dennis McDonald |
Collegeport,
Texas Forum
Your section on
Collegeport shows a large 2-1/2 story white house with a red roof
as an example of a circa 1900 home in Collegeport. A couple of weeks
ago, three teenage boys from Palacios were severely burned in a fire
which burned the entire house down in the early morning hours, and
one boy died this past week. The cause of the fire is still under
investigation.- Lynette Randall, August 18, 2003 |
A typical Gulf
Coast house c. 1900
TE Photo, 2001 |
Matagorda
County 1920s map showing Collegeport
on Tres Palacios Bay
From Texas
state map #10749
Courtesy Texas General Land Office |
| 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. |
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