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History
in a Seashell
Named
for railroad engineer H. C. Stowell of the Gulf and Interstate Railway
- Stowell's history is tied to that of neighboring Winnie.
Both experienced the same disasters, discoveries, booms and busts.
The towns first homestead was established in 1894 and the post office
opened six years later when Stowell's 176 people made it the largest
town in Chambers County.
A hurricane in 1915, a freeze and salt water invading irrigation canals
made things tough for the immigrants that had been lured by the agricultural
promise of wet and fertile land. Stowell's population dropped to a
mere 46 in 1920. The schools of the two towns were consolidated in
1931. Oil was discovered in 1941 and Houston oilman Glen McCarthy
opened a gas plant near Winnie.
Stowell had a population of 1,500 in the 1970s and the two towns are
now linked by their hosting of the Texas Rice Festival.
Winnie-Stowell historical marker › |
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One
of Stowell's rice elevators
TE photo |
Historical Marker
- In County Park, LeBlanc & Park St, Winnie
Winnie-Stowell
Winnie
and Stowell are two communities in northeastern Chambers County that
were founded in the mid-1890s on the Gulf & Interstate Railway. The
towns share a common economic history and cultural heritage and often
are referred to simply as Winnie-Stowell.
The town of Winnie was organized by
the Winnie Loan and Improvement Co., a corporation based in Galveston
that promoted settlement in the townsite. A school and bank were in
operation by 1910, and Winnie became
the retail center for the surrounding area.
Early settlers in Stowell included the W. W. Gregory and Spencer families
and F. W. Schwettman. In 1899 Schwettman helped build the Farmers
Canal, which served the area's irrigation needs. The canal proved
very successful until a 1915 storm ruined it and most of the surrounding
rice fields. During the 20th century irrigation systems improved,
which allowed for the successful commercial development of orange,
fig, and rice production in the area.
In 1931 the school systems of Winnie
and Stowell were combined into one district. This system, along with
the establishment of Winnie-Stowell Park in 1957, has provided
the two towns with shared interests that have brought them together
over the years. |
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Stowell TX 1914
canceled postmark
Photo courtesy Dan
Whatley |
| 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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