Kurten, Texas, Brazos Counnty. (original) (raw)

	The Post Office at Kurten TE photo

History in a Pecan Shell

Henry Kurten is said to have been a German soldier who decided not to go back to Germany after his furlough ended. It seems unlikely that soldiers in the 1850s would visit America while on leave, but until we have time to look into it further, we'll go with that explanation. Perhaps they had longer furloughs that enabled them to make Trans-Atlantic voyages.

Mr. Kurten bought a sizable piece of land and interested other Germans to come live on it. They paid off their smaller parcels of land by working on Kurten's farm.

The post office opened in 1890 and the population was 300 during the 1890s.

Kurten has never been over-populated and from the 20s to the 60s the population hovered around 100. It seems to be coping with the 50 people who have moved there in recent years. Its proximity to Bryan makes it convenient for Kurtenites to commute to work.

	The General Store at Kurten TE photo

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