Coldspring
Texas
Add an Article
Add an Event
Edit
San Jacinto County Government
SAN JACINTO COUNTY:
San Jacinto County (K-21) is in southeastern Texas on the Trinity River. Shepherd, the largest town, is fifty miles north of Houston on U.S. Highway 59. The county's center is at 30°41' north latitude and 95°00' west longitude. San Jacinto County comprises 628 square miles of the East Texasqv Timberlands and is heavily wooded with longleaf and loblolly pine, cedar, oak, walnut, hickory, gum, ash, and pecan. Sixty percent of the county is in the Sam Houston National Forest.qv Gently rolling hills characterize the area, and the soils are reddish with a loamy surface and mostly clayey subsoils that are high in iron. Along the Trinity River, there are dark loamy to cracking clayey subsoils. Between 20 and 30 percent of the land is considered prime farmland. The Trinity River serves as the eastern boundary of the county. The San Jacinto River, Big Creek, Winter Bayou, and Stephen Creek also flow through the county, and Peach Creek flows along the southwestern boundary. The elevation ranges from 374 to 386 feet. Average annual precipitation is forty-eight inches, and the temperature ranges from an average low of 36° F in January to an average high of 94° in July. The average growing season extends 261 days.
The original inhabitants of San Jacinto County probably belonged to either the Atakapa or the Patiri Indian tribes. Little is known about the latter group except the name. The Atakapans sparsely populated the area and hunted game such as deer and bear. Anglo-American settlement began in the lower Trinity River region during the 1820s. Numerous Mexican land grants were made in the area in the early 1830s. Among the largest grantees were José María de la Garza, J. Fernández de Rumayor, Vital Flores, Ralph McGee, and the Martínez family. The first post office in the area was established in 1847 in Coonskin, then in Polk County. The name was changed to Coldspring in 1850. The land on which Coldspring is located was originally granted by the Mexican government to Robert Rankin.qv The Texas legislature established San Jacinto County with Coldspring as the county seat on August 13, 1870, out of parts of Liberty, Montgomery, Polk, and Walker counties. The county was named in honor of the battle of San Jacinto,qv which ended the Texas Revolution.qv On March 12, 1877, the Commissioners' Court met to consider plans for building a courthouse and agreed to pay Thomas and Werner, builder and architects of Fort Worth, $8,000 to build the structure. A brick jail was also built for $1,500 by Thomas Ireland. The first census taken after the county was organized shows 6,186 residents by 1880. The county's first weekly newspaper began publication in 1897 in Coldspring under the name the San Jacinto Times.
San Jacinto State Bank was chartered in the county and opened in Coldspring on October 11, 1907. Sixteen years later the Guaranty State Bank assumed ownership of the bank, which in 1927 became known as the Coldspring State Bank. In 1932 it merged with the Peoples State Bank in Shepherd, and there was no longer a bank in Coldspring. Oakhurst Bank opened in 1916. It was organized to handle Liberty Bonds for the employees of the Palmetto Lumber Company and operated for three years. After the original county courthouse burned down in 1915, the town of Coldspring moved to a more elevated site, and a new $15,000 courthouse was built. Other businesses followed the county seat to its new site.
The lumber industryqv has been instrumental in the economic development of San Jacinto County. Most of the land lies within the East Texas pine timber area. The rainfall, soil, and long growing season have all contributed to the county's timber growth. Several large lumber mills were established along the Houston East and West Texas Railway. The Gibbs brothers made their first purchases of lands in San Jacinto County between 1869 and 1874 and began operation of the Palmetto Lumber Company in 1874. Between 1900 and 1939 they acquired another 32,000 acres of timberland. The Foster Lumber Company also owned thousands of acres along the East San Jacinto River. In 1935 the company sold 30,000 acres to the federal government; this land became part of Sam Houston National Forest when it was established that year. During the Great Depressionqv the Civilian Conservation Corpsqv established camps in San Jacinto County. A white camp was organized in Oakhurst in April 1933, and a black camp was established a short time later. Both camps were discontinued in 1940, the same year the Rural Electrification Administration's efforts reached San Jacinto County. Oil was first discovered in San Jacinto County in 1940. At that time Coldspring had five general stores, three filling stations, two garages, two cafes, two drugstores, a meat market, a pressing shop, a barbershop, and a food store. In 1950 the county had 1,100 farms and the population had fallen to 6,153. Until then African Americansqv had outnumbered whites. In 1970, however, there were almost three whites for every two blacks. Between 1970 and 1980 the county population jumped from 6,702 to 11,434. This reflected the general pattern throughout the state, as the oil boom rushed the economy forward.
County voters have supported the Democratic partyqv in most presidential elections through 1992, although the majority voted for Republican candidates in 1972 and 1984. In 1990 intercity bus service was available, and four motor freight carriers operated in San Jacinto County. The Southern Pacific Railroad, which had taken over the Houston East and West Texas Railway, carried 10 to 20 million tons of freight annually. While the economy was based on timber and oil, natural resources in also included industrial sand, sand and gravel, and gas. The number of farms in the county in 1987 was 350. Crop production has always been relatively poor compared to the rest of Texas. Primary crops include Indian corn, hay, sweet potatoes, peaches, and pecans. Livestock have mostly played a subsistence role in the economic life of the county. In 1990 livestock and livestock production earned 50 percent of agricultural receipts, primarily from cattle, milk, and hogs. Agribusiness employs most of the people in the county. Retail trade and service industries provided most of the other jobs. At least 70 percent of the population was employed outside the county, many in Houston or at the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville.qv
In 1990 there was one weekly newspaper in San Jacinto County, the San Jacinto News-Times, published in Shepherd. Coldspring's San Jacinto County Jail was on the National Register of Historic Places. Recreation areas include Lake Livingston State Recreation Areaqv and Wolf Creek Park, and hunting is plentiful in the county. The Texas Forest Trail is a scenic drive through the farming, ranching, and oilfield areas of the East Texas Pineywoods. Raven Hill, the plantation home of Sam Houstonqv built in 1844, is a local historic site. Pioneer Days are held each April in Coldspring, and the County Fair is held every September. The population of San Jacinto County in 1990 was 16,372; 80 percent were white and 15 percent were black. Most residents lived in rural areas. Shepherd was the largest town (1990 population, 1,812). Other towns included Coldspring (538), Pointblank (443), and Oakhurst (219). San Jacinto County had two elementary, two middle, and two high schools. There was one public library in Shepherd. There were a county ambulance service and a county health services clinic, three physicians, and four dentists. Twenty-nine churches met in San Jacinto County with a combined membership of 4,000; the largest denominations were Southern Baptist, United Methodist, and Baptist Missionary. San Jacinto County is known for the beauty of the Sam Houston National Forest and its timberland amid rolling hills.
San Jacinto County (K-21) is in southeastern Texas on the Trinity River. Shepherd, the largest town, is fifty miles north of Houston on U.S. Highway 59. The county's center is at 30°41' north latitude and 95°00' west longitude. San Jacinto County comprises 628 square miles of the East Texasqv Timberlands and is heavily wooded with longleaf and loblolly pine, cedar, oak, walnut, hickory, gum, ash, and pecan. Sixty percent of the county is in the Sam Houston National Forest.qv Gently rolling hills characterize the area, and the soils are reddish with a loamy surface and mostly clayey subsoils that are high in iron. Along the Trinity River, there are dark loamy to cracking clayey subsoils. Between 20 and 30 percent of the land is considered prime farmland. The Trinity River serves as the eastern boundary of the county. The San Jacinto River, Big Creek, Winter Bayou, and Stephen Creek also flow through the county, and Peach Creek flows along the southwestern boundary. The elevation ranges from 374 to 386 feet. Average annual precipitation is forty-eight inches, and the temperature ranges from an average low of 36° F in January to an average high of 94° in July. The average growing season extends 261 days.
The original inhabitants of San Jacinto County probably belonged to either the Atakapa or the Patiri Indian tribes. Little is known about the latter group except the name. The Atakapans sparsely populated the area and hunted game such as deer and bear. Anglo-American settlement began in the lower Trinity River region during the 1820s. Numerous Mexican land grants were made in the area in the early 1830s. Among the largest grantees were José María de la Garza, J. Fernández de Rumayor, Vital Flores, Ralph McGee, and the Martínez family. The first post office in the area was established in 1847 in Coonskin, then in Polk County. The name was changed to Coldspring in 1850. The land on which Coldspring is located was originally granted by the Mexican government to Robert Rankin.qv The Texas legislature established San Jacinto County with Coldspring as the county seat on August 13, 1870, out of parts of Liberty, Montgomery, Polk, and Walker counties. The county was named in honor of the battle of San Jacinto,qv which ended the Texas Revolution.qv On March 12, 1877, the Commissioners' Court met to consider plans for building a courthouse and agreed to pay Thomas and Werner, builder and architects of Fort Worth, $8,000 to build the structure. A brick jail was also built for $1,500 by Thomas Ireland. The first census taken after the county was organized shows 6,186 residents by 1880. The county's first weekly newspaper began publication in 1897 in Coldspring under the name the San Jacinto Times.
San Jacinto State Bank was chartered in the county and opened in Coldspring on October 11, 1907. Sixteen years later the Guaranty State Bank assumed ownership of the bank, which in 1927 became known as the Coldspring State Bank. In 1932 it merged with the Peoples State Bank in Shepherd, and there was no longer a bank in Coldspring. Oakhurst Bank opened in 1916. It was organized to handle Liberty Bonds for the employees of the Palmetto Lumber Company and operated for three years. After the original county courthouse burned down in 1915, the town of Coldspring moved to a more elevated site, and a new $15,000 courthouse was built. Other businesses followed the county seat to its new site.
The lumber industryqv has been instrumental in the economic development of San Jacinto County. Most of the land lies within the East Texas pine timber area. The rainfall, soil, and long growing season have all contributed to the county's timber growth. Several large lumber mills were established along the Houston East and West Texas Railway. The Gibbs brothers made their first purchases of lands in San Jacinto County between 1869 and 1874 and began operation of the Palmetto Lumber Company in 1874. Between 1900 and 1939 they acquired another 32,000 acres of timberland. The Foster Lumber Company also owned thousands of acres along the East San Jacinto River. In 1935 the company sold 30,000 acres to the federal government; this land became part of Sam Houston National Forest when it was established that year. During the Great Depressionqv the Civilian Conservation Corpsqv established camps in San Jacinto County. A white camp was organized in Oakhurst in April 1933, and a black camp was established a short time later. Both camps were discontinued in 1940, the same year the Rural Electrification Administration's efforts reached San Jacinto County. Oil was first discovered in San Jacinto County in 1940. At that time Coldspring had five general stores, three filling stations, two garages, two cafes, two drugstores, a meat market, a pressing shop, a barbershop, and a food store. In 1950 the county had 1,100 farms and the population had fallen to 6,153. Until then African Americansqv had outnumbered whites. In 1970, however, there were almost three whites for every two blacks. Between 1970 and 1980 the county population jumped from 6,702 to 11,434. This reflected the general pattern throughout the state, as the oil boom rushed the economy forward.
County voters have supported the Democratic partyqv in most presidential elections through 1992, although the majority voted for Republican candidates in 1972 and 1984. In 1990 intercity bus service was available, and four motor freight carriers operated in San Jacinto County. The Southern Pacific Railroad, which had taken over the Houston East and West Texas Railway, carried 10 to 20 million tons of freight annually. While the economy was based on timber and oil, natural resources in also included industrial sand, sand and gravel, and gas. The number of farms in the county in 1987 was 350. Crop production has always been relatively poor compared to the rest of Texas. Primary crops include Indian corn, hay, sweet potatoes, peaches, and pecans. Livestock have mostly played a subsistence role in the economic life of the county. In 1990 livestock and livestock production earned 50 percent of agricultural receipts, primarily from cattle, milk, and hogs. Agribusiness employs most of the people in the county. Retail trade and service industries provided most of the other jobs. At least 70 percent of the population was employed outside the county, many in Houston or at the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville.qv
In 1990 there was one weekly newspaper in San Jacinto County, the San Jacinto News-Times, published in Shepherd. Coldspring's San Jacinto County Jail was on the National Register of Historic Places. Recreation areas include Lake Livingston State Recreation Areaqv and Wolf Creek Park, and hunting is plentiful in the county. The Texas Forest Trail is a scenic drive through the farming, ranching, and oilfield areas of the East Texas Pineywoods. Raven Hill, the plantation home of Sam Houstonqv built in 1844, is a local historic site. Pioneer Days are held each April in Coldspring, and the County Fair is held every September. The population of San Jacinto County in 1990 was 16,372; 80 percent were white and 15 percent were black. Most residents lived in rural areas. Shepherd was the largest town (1990 population, 1,812). Other towns included Coldspring (538), Pointblank (443), and Oakhurst (219). San Jacinto County had two elementary, two middle, and two high schools. There was one public library in Shepherd. There were a county ambulance service and a county health services clinic, three physicians, and four dentists. Twenty-nine churches met in San Jacinto County with a combined membership of 4,000; the largest denominations were Southern Baptist, United Methodist, and Baptist Missionary. San Jacinto County is known for the beauty of the Sam Houston National Forest and its timberland amid rolling hills.