Maxwell, Texas. (original) (raw)

Maxwell History in a Pecan Shell

Once known as New Martindale, things changed in 1887 with the arrival of the Missouri Kansas, and Texas Railroad. The community was renamed after Thomas Maxwell who held the grant on the land since 1845. First settlers were transmigrating Southerners from Alabama and other states. German immigration started in the 1880s � as it did for the entire region from the coast to the Hill Country. The German immigrant population was bolstered by Mexican farm workers who made up the second-largest portion of the population. The town was granted a post office in 1888 and by 1892 the population was estimated to be 100 residents.

The community has been plagued with fires, the first occurring in 1887. In 1910 when the commercial district burned, the building were replaced by brick structures. Twelve years later another fire did damage to Maxwell, when its population was around 250 people.

In the late 1920s the population reached 400 but declined thereafter. By 1990 it was down to 185 but in recent years it has rebounded to an estimated 500 residents.

Maxwell Landmarks / Photos

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