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CHESTERVILLE,
TEXASColorado
County, Central Texas S
FM 1093
On the Wharton-Colorado County Line
Just E of Eagle Lake towards Wallis
SE
of Columbus
Population:
Unknown |
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Browns
Dairy between Eagle Lake and Chesterville, 1922
Photo courtesy Nesbitt Memorial
Library #01635 | |
History
in a Pecan Shell
The
town was the 1894 brainchild of Chicago land developer John Linderholm. Linderholm
purchased 60,000 acres under the name Southern Texas Colonization Company. The
surveyor of the proposed townsite was one William P. Chester - the town's namesake.
Thanks to its railroad connection and a good first impression, the plan was successful.
Many new residents transmigrated from the Midwest and by 1895 there were enough
citizens to warrant a post office.
Chesterville had a population estimated
at 150-200 and a school, several churches and an estimated twenty businesses at
its peak. At the turn of the 20th Century rice farming was new but expanding rapidly.
The acreage around Chesterville was bought up by large companies for rice production
and cattle raising and the population dwindled to a mere seventy-five by 1914.
By the time the Great Depression arrived, Chesterville was down to only twenty-five
people. The post office managed to remain open through 1950. |
| | Chesterville
sign and grain elevator
Photo by John Troesser, February 2006 |
| | A
denizen of Chesterville
Photo by John Troesser, February 2006 |
| | Migrating
geese heading north in February
Photo by John Troesser, 2006 |
Last recorded population
figures remained at 25 in the mid 1960s. Today the land is owned or leased to
rice farmers.
Nearby Destinations:
Colorado
County >
Towns and ghost towns just a short drive away
Book
Your Hotel Here & Save
Columbus
Hotels
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Chesterville
Texas ForumAnyone
wishing to share history or photos of Chesterville, please contact
us.
© John Troesser |
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