Hill's Prairie, Texas, Bastrop County. (original) (raw)
Grazing in a Pecan Grove
TE photo, April 2010
History in a Pecan Shell
First settled in the 1830s, Elisha Barton and Edward Jenkins are credited with being the area�s first settlers. In 1833 a man by the name of John Gilmer McGehee visited the region and left � returning two years later with 140 people from Georgia and Alabama.
Edward Jenkins had since died and his widow sold substantial acreage to Abram Wylie Hill. The settlement was thereafter referred to as Hill�s Prairie.
A private school was constructed and in 1843, the community had a cotton gin � constructed by Wylie Hill himself.
In 1877 a post office was granted and seven years later the population was reported as 30 residents.
In the late 1880s the name of the post office changed to McDonald's Store, but two years later Sarah Hill became postmistress and the name reverted to Hill�s Prairie.
Hill�s Prairie found itself with a railroad connection in the 1880s when an extension of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad arrived. In the mid 1890s the population had risen to 50 and town businesses included a drugstore as well as a general store.
1914 found Hill�s Prairie with a population of 75, but for some reason, the 1925 figure was given as 6. The proximity to Bastrop had to have been a factor, but the town closed its school in 1928 and by 1930 the post office closed its doors. There was a slight rise in the population as the Great Depression wound down, and although it rose to 62 by the late 1960s, a decline again set in and the 1990 census reported 35 residents. It has since risen to 50 for the 2000 count.
Where to Stay: Smithville Hotels | Bastrop Hotels
Hill's Prairie Baptist Church
TE photo, April 2010
Rip shops for a church
TE photo, April 2010
Mailboxes by the Pecan Grove
TE photo, April 2010
Exotic Livestock
TE photo, April 2010
Spring
TE photo, April 2010
Not your everyday tree
TE photo, April 2010
The Hill in Hill's Prairie?
TE photo, April 2010
1920s Bastrop County map showing Hills Prairie
From Texas state map #2090
Courtesy Texas General Land Office
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