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History in
a Pecan ShellNorth
Carolina native James Simonton is the city’s namesake. Simonton brought his family
here in the 1850 and set up a Brazos River plantation, only to lose it after the
Civil War.
In 1888 the SAAP Railroad (San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway)
arrived and a post office was granted in 1894.
Kansas farmers (brothers
John and Albert Spencer) thought the soil here ideal for potato farming and in
1905 they bought a large tract for that purpose.
By 1910 the company of
Spencer and Mullins Brothers donated land so that the railroad could open a siding
to provide easier shipping.
Although the 1914 population was a mere 50
residents in 1914, the community had its own cotton gin and two general stores.
The
population doubled by the mid 1920s and Simonton had added another general store
in addition to five other businesses.
Simonton’s population grew from the
1940 count of 150 to a peak of 910 for the 1990 census. The 200 census showed
a decline to 718 residents.
In 1979 the community incorporated as The
City of Simonton. |
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1907
Ft Bend County postal map showing Simonton
(NW
of Richmond)
Courtesy Texas General Land Office |
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