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Cotton Wagon
in 1911 Sealy.
See Texas Cotton Gins
Postcard courtesy rootsweb.com/%7Etxpstcrd/ |
Historical Marker:
415 Main St.
Sealy
Founded in 1879
on the route of the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad, Sealy was
named for Galveston businessman and railroad president George Sealy
(1835-1901). By January 1880 a depot was established here, and both
freight and passenger service were inaugurated. Sealy became a main
division point between Galveston
and Temple, and the
railroad was the town's principal employer. In addition to the depot,
Sealy was the site of a roundhouse, wooden turntable, and machine
shops. By August 1880 two passenger trains and two freight trains
passed through the town daily. Sealy soon boasted numerous homes and
businesses, including hotels, retail stores, factories, cotton gins,
and grist mills. The citizens organized a public school and a number
of churches. By 1899 the Santa Fe Railroad division point was moved
to Bellville, causing
Sealy's economic base to shift to agriculture. The Missouri, Kansas,
and Texas (Katy) Railroad had built a line through here in 1892, however,
and the Cane Belt Railroad, linking Sealy to Matagorda,
began operations in 1903. Diversified businesses kept the town thriving,
and in 1949 the citizens of Sealy voted to incorporate. (1991) |
If the name is
familiar, yes, it is where Sealy Mattresses were first made. There
is a historical marker at the site of the Haynes Mattress
Factory. Buildings still remain and we were told "they could
still put together a mattress today" (if they really had to).
If it wasn't for Sealy, we might all still be sleeping on Spanish
Moss.
Driving/Walking Tour
You can pick up a driving/walking tour at the chamber of commerce
- if it's open. A project of the Sealy Area Historical Society, the
brochure provides you with street by street details of businesses,
homes and points of interest.
Heritage Park/Santa Fe Park Museum:
Items from the original colonial period are on display as well as
more modern items. These include the old jail (complete with bent
bars from an escape attempt) and a road grader once pulled by oxen.
East of downtown, across the RR tracks. Open by appointment.
The Texas Theater: Dating to 1929, the theater is (as of Fall
2005) in use as a restaurant and apartments. |
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The facade of
the former Texas Theater in Sealy.
Photo by John Troesser, 2001 |
The Texas Theater
In regard to
Texas Theatre...Charles Krampitz was the operator/owner of the theatre
which opened in 1929 in Sealy, Texas. - Judy Oakes, June 07, 2005
The Texas Theater
was owned and operated by my grandfather, Frank Jacob Krampitz,
Sr. Charles Krampitz was his second son, who recently passed away.
The theater was operational until it burned in 1981. Until that
time, my grandfather had the distinction of being the oldest and
continuously-operating independent "showman" in the country. I am
not certain, but I believe he began showing silent films in a tent
in Sealy long before 1929. - John B. Krampitz, Ph.D., October 06,
2005
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Sealy, Texas
Nearby Attractions
San
Felipe and the Stephen
F. Austin State Historical Park are two of the must-see stops
on the Texas Independence Trail. Tiny San Felipe de Austin was the
first capital of Austin's Colony. Burned by its citizens upon the
approach of Santa Anna, it was rebuilt after San
Jacinto. Buildings include a replica of SFA's "dog-trot" cabin
as well as a store. There is also a bronze seated statute of Stephen
F. Austin. The park is divided into historic and recreational sections.
Sealy
Hotels > Book Hotel Here
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Historical Marker:
Main Street, West End, Sealy
Sealy Cemetery
In 1879 Gulf, Colorado
and Santa Fe Railway Company agent George Sealy purchased 11,635 acres
at this location from the township of San
Felipe de Austin for the purpose of establishing a railroad depot.
The village of Sealy soon developed around the depot and on July 5,
1883, it recorded its first burial here, that of the infant Annie
Fowlkes. Families that settled in Sealy purchased cemetery plots directly
from the railroad until the company donated the land to cemetery trustees
C.H. Ruff, R.P. Josey, and John Hackbarth in 1887.
The Sealy Cemetery Association was founded sometime prior to 1898
and officially chartered in 1924. The laides of the cemetery society,
organized in 1904, helped the association cultivate community support
to upgrade and maintain the cemetery. Two notable society members,
Mrs. J.W. (Vera) Ripple and Mrs. Paul (Mahala) Hackbarth helped organize
a Christmas bazaar fundraising event in the 1930's that developed
into an important annual social affair in the community. Among the
more than 2,400 grave sites are those of many of Sealy's early residents.
The cemetery boasts a variety of gravestones and statuary and includes
two mausoleums.
(1993) |
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Sealy
on stone - The old high school name - rescued from the landfill by
Pete Schiller.
TE photo |
Sealy Chamber
of Commerce
309 Main Street P O Box 586 Sealy, Texas 77474
Phone: (979) 885-3222
Website: http://www.sealy-tx.com/
Sealy Convention and Visitor's Bureau
Phone: (979) 885-3222
http://www.sealycvb.org/
Sealy
Hotels > Book Hotel Here
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| 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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