|
|
|
|
Two blocks
from downtown
TE Photo
November 2006
|
| |
History in
a Pecan Shell
Named for Jacob Waelder, a San Antonio lawyer, the town was platted
in 1874 in anticipation of the arrival of the Galveston, Harrisburg
and San Antonio Railroad. Waelder's location on the rails drew population
and businesses from the established community of Hopkinsville, five
miles north.
Even Hopkinsville's Masonic Lodge made the move (1878). By the early
1880s Waelder was thriving with all essential businesses including
a brickyard, restaurant and photographer. |
|
The busiest
part of downtown Waelder
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson December 2006
|
| The cattle industry
was historically Waelder's main economic engine, and in the early
1880s fence cutting became such a problem that Texas Rangers were
called in. Waelder maintained its railroad connection up until 1958
when the depot was closed. |
|
|
The current
condition of Miller's Store
TE Photo
November 2006
|
| |
| R. L. Miller's
General Store, which first opened in Hopkinsville remained in continuous
operation from 1866 through December 1979. The following year it was
bought by the J-Bar-B Food Company, which makes sausage and is today,
Waelder's sole industry. Dwarfed by added buildings, the original
building remains - and is marked by a plaque. |
|
The marker
for the original Miller's Store
TE Photo November 2006
|
|
Construction of Interstate 10 just south of old highway 90 closed
several of Waelder's businesses and from a population of 1,276 in
1950, it has decreased to the present 947. |
Waelder Municipal
Building
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2006 |
Waelder Methodist
Church
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2006 |
First Baptist
Church
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2006 |
St. Petersburg
Missionary Baptist Church
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2006 |
Texaco "ghost
sign" reappears
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2006 |
|
|
A shady backyard
TE Photo
November 2006
|
| |
|
|
Specimen
Agave
TE Photo November 2006 |
| |
Waelder has three
cemeteries in a cluster just north of downtown and another just east
of town on old Highway 90.
An article in a San Antonio newspaper in December 2006 reported that
Waelder is currently divided on what to do with their 1936 WPA-built
school. Some want to bus students to the schools in Gonzales ISD,
while others want to raise funds for a restoration. |
|
|
