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MATAGORDA,
TEXASMatagorda County,
Gulf Coast
State Highway 60
At the Intracostal Waterway
92 miles SW of Houston
22 miles S of Bay City
47 miles S of Wharton
87 miles E of Victoria
62 miles E of Port Lavaca
Population 605 (1990 & 2000)
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The
Dale-Rugley-Sisk Home
Photo by John Troesser |
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History in
a Seashell
For such a sleepy place - Matagorda has a lot of History.
It was established in 1827 when Stephen F. Austin got permission
from Mexico to build a town. Fifty-two families from New York and
New England became the first settlers. It was incorporated in 1830
and two years later it had over 1400 people.
During the Mexican invasion, Matagorda was abandoned. When the people
returned after San Jacinto, they formed a county and made
Matagorda the county seat in 1836. The town continued to proper
and soon got a newspaper as well as several schools.
The Civil War created a tense atmosphere as Matagorda was a port
for blockade runners. Although it was never invaded, the town was
fired on by Federal ships. After the war, the "Plantation economy"
suffered from want of labor.
Hurricanes repeatedly swept the area, which perhaps explains the
expanses of open land today. Bay City
became the Matagorda County Seat in 1894 when they figured an inland
courthouse might be safer.
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Shrimp
Boats at Matagorda
Photo by John Troesser |
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Water
scene Near Matagorda
Photo by John Troesser |
A hurricane
in 1942 forced the county to build a levee. It was wise planning for
it minimized damage in 1961 when Hurricane Carla hit the area. By
1950 the population had declined to 650 people. It has continued a
slow decline to reach the (1990) population of 605.
Bay
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Church and Date Palm in Matagorda
Photo by John Troesser |
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Awaiting
restoration - Typical Gulf Coast Architecture
2000 photo by John Troesser |
Matagorda
Texas Forum
Subject:
Old Texas Swing Bridge
It has come to my attention that the old Swing Bridge in Matagorda,
TX is soon to be replaced by a more modern bridge. Is anyone researching
or doing a documentary on the renovation of this historic bridge?
Thanks. - Eryn Hall, July 16, 2005
Subject:
Matagorda History
Matagorda has historic significance, color, and is a very nice town.
An interesting fact is that a huge logjam existed on the Colorado
river near here for many years, and was cleared early last century,
creating a division in Matagorda bay with a new river delta. Now
we have East, and West Matagorda Bays. Cattle drives here are historic
too. - Patrick Feagins, January 02, 2002
Anyone wishing to share stories, memories or photos of pre-1950
Matagorda, Texas, please contact
us.
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