TexasEscapes.com HOME Welcome to Texas Escapes
A magazine written by Texas
Custom Search
New   |   Texas Towns   |   Ghost Towns   |   Counties   |   Trips   |   Features   |   Columns   |   Architecture   |   Images   |   Archives   |   Site Map

Williamson County TX
Williamson County


Texas Towns
A - Z

Georgetown Hotels

More Hotels

WEIR, TEXAS

Williamson County, Texas Hill Country

30°40'30"N 97°35'16"W (30.675007, -97.587862)

FM 971 and FM 1105
6 Miles NE of Georgetown the county seat
30 miles N of Austin
Population: 530 Est. 2019
450 (2010) 591 (2000) 220 (1990)

Book Hotel Here › Georgetown Hotels

Weir Texas since 1903 banner
TE photo

History in a Pecan Shell

Founded as a station on the railroad in 1903, the town was named after Calvin Weir, an early settler. Weir drew it's first population from citizens of nearby Townsville. Townsville, aka Towns Mill had been bypassed by the railroad. Weir inherited the Townsville post office - after a change of name. By 1914 Weir had a population of 200 a bank and two stores. The population peaked with 300 people - just as the Great Depression hit. By 1968 it was down to 100 - where it has more or less remained.

Weir Texas historical marker
City of Weir historical marker
FM 971, between South Main and CR 120

TE photo

Historical Marker:

City of Weir

Tenessee-native Thomas Calvin Weir (1826-1901) came to Williamson County in 1856. He bought land in this area and became a prosperous farmer. Alabaman James Francis Towns (1850-1937) came in 1870 and settled nearby on the San Gabriel River. He and his brother, Robert W. Towns (1848-1938), operated a gin and blacksmith shop, as well as Towns' Mill.

In the late 19th century, the communities of Weir and Townsville (or Towns' Mill) grew around these early settlers. Churches included Baptist and Presbyterian congregations that met at the Prairie Springs School, as well as an African American church that met in a school near Mankins Crossing. Calvin Weir's daughter, Lucy, served as postmaster at the post office in Townsville, where she also ran a small store.

The communities developed similarly until 1893, when the Georgetown and Granger Railrad came through Weir, bypassing Townsville. In 1903, after the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad (MKT) bought the line, known as the Katy, most area residents moved into the town of Weir, officially established that same year. The Katy Lake Resory, created by MKT on the river at Towns' Mill Dam, attracted tourists to the area. The Townsville post office moved to Weir, and with several new businesses, the town began to thrive.

A flood in 1913 damaged the resort and several local businesses, and after a severe drought, World War I and the Great Depression, Weir's population faltered but began to prosber again in the mid-20th century. Following voter approval, Weir incorporated as a city in 1987.
(2002)

Weir Texas water works house
TE photo



Take a road trip

Texas Hill Country

Weir, Texas Nearby Towns:
Georgetown the county seat

See Williamson County

Book Hotel Here:
Georgetown Hotels | More Hotels

Texas Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Texas Towns A - Z Texas Regions:
Gulf Texas Gulf Coast East East Texas North Central Texas North Central Woutn Central Texas South Panhandle Texas Panhandle
South South Texas Hill Texas Hill Country West West Texas Ghost Texas Ghost Towns counties Texas Counties

Texas Escapes Online Magazine »   Archive Issues » Home »
TEXAS TOWNS & COUNTIES TEXAS LANDMARKS & IMAGES TEXAS HISTORY & CULTURE TEXAS OUTDOORS MORE
Texas Counties
Texas Towns A-Z
Texas Ghost Towns

TEXAS REGIONS:
Central Texas North
Central Texas South
Texas Gulf Coast
Texas Panhandle
Texas Hill Country
East Texas
South Texas
West Texas

Courthouses
Jails
Churches
Schoolhouses
Bridges
Theaters
Depots
Rooms with a Past
Monuments
Statues

Gas Stations
Post Offices
Museums
Water Towers
Grain Elevators
Lodges
Stores
Banks

Vintage Photos
Historic Trees
Cemeteries
Old Neon
Ghost Signs
Signs
Murals
Gargoyles
Pitted Dates
Cornerstones
Then & Now

Columns: History/Opinion
Texas History
Small Town Sagas
Black History
WWII
Texas Centennial
Ghosts
People
Animals
Food
Music
Art

Books
Texas Railroads

Texas Trips
Texas Drives
Texas State Parks
Texas Rivers
Texas Lakes
Texas Forts
Texas Trails
Texas Maps
USA
MEXICO
HOTELS

Site Map
About Us
Privacy Statement
Disclaimer
Contributors
Staff
Contact Us

 
Website Content Copyright Texas Escapes LLC. All Rights Reserved