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COLLEGEPORT,
TEXASMatagorda
County
Texas Gulf Coast
FM 1095
18 miles E of Palacios
50 miles E of Port Lavaca
Population: 91 |
Palm tree
and silos
TE photo |
History
in a Pecan Shell
There really was a college here - although it was
the Gulf Coast University of Industrial Arts - a school that doesn't have
a big alumni association. The college was established by the Hurd Ranch Company
that was selling land in the area.
The town got a post office in 1909
and became a stop on the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway in 1911.
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| The
depot that once stood in Collegeport
Photo courtesy texasoldphotos.com
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The population was about 450 people around 1914. In 1924, a severe ice storm killed
most of the cattle in the area. The population was about 200 in 1936. The school
consolidations of the late 40s combined Collegeport's schools with the Palacios
ISD. In the mid-60s the population had dropped to around 100, and it now is estimated
at less than that. |
| | A
former pier at Collegeport
TE photo |
| | The
cows don't get to see many people in Collegeport
TE photo |
Collegeport
Today Collegeport
now has the appearance of a ghost town. Some houses give the appearance of having
been used in the past as summer homes, but it's unlikely that they're performing
that function today. The largest home in the area is surrounded by a large chain-link
fence and another appears to have had it's own small private golf course. |
| | The
largest house in Collegeport
TE photo |
| | A
typical Gulf Coast house c. 1900
TE photo |
More
Texas Towns
Collegeport Texas Forum
Your section on Collegeport shows a large 2-1/2 story white house with a red roof
as an example of a circa 1900 home in Collegeport. A couple of weeks ago, three
teenage boys from Palacios were severely burned in a fire which burned the entire
house down in the early morning hours, and one boy died this past week. The cause
of the fire is still under investigation.- Lynette Randall, August 18, 2003
Anyone
wishing to share history, stories or photos of Collegeport, Texas, please contact
us.
© John Troesser |
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