Clairette, Texas, Erath County. (original) (raw)

Recreation Building ruin
Photo courtesy Jordan Gibson, January 2008

History in a Pecan Shell

The town is one of a handful of Texas towns named after a defunct product. In Clairette�s case it was a brand of soap. (The town of Fashing in Atascosa County was named after a brand of snuff.)

The town was born with the arrival of the Texas Central Railroad ( See Texas Railroads) in the 1880s. No population figures are available for the towns early years through the Great Depression, but by 1940 there were nearly 300 people living here. Improved roads after WWII allowed people to seek jobs in larger cities and the town suffered greatly. By 1968 until the present the population has been estimated at just 55.

Photographer's Note: The old Clairette schoolhouse (which is now the community center) and the former recreation building were right beside each other. - Jordan Gibson, January 2008

Historical Marker:

Clairette Schoolhouse

The first Clairette schoolhouse was a one-room log structure built as early as 1871. This two-story building was constructed in 1912, one year after the creation of the Clairette Independent School District. It served until 1949, when the rural school was closed. The native stone building was then used for various community functions. The old Clairette schoolhouse features a one-story porch with Tuscan columns at the entryway.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1985

Historical Marker:

Clairette Cemetery

Joseph and Elizabeth Salmon and their children moved to the Republic of Texas in 1839. They settled in this area in 1854. When their 15-year-old son, Albert, died in 1858, he was buried at his favorite campsite in a grove of oak trees on the family land. Albert's brother, Joseph Salmon, Jr., deeded the acre of land surrounding the grave site for use as a community cemetery in 1876. Additional land acquisitions over the years have increased the size of the cemetery. The diverse styles of gravestones found here serve as reflections of the area's pioneer heritage.
(1991)

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