Oakland, Colorado County, Texas. (original) (raw)
The sign for the former post office now sits in the closed building.
Photo courtesy John J. Germann, September 2015
History in a Pecan Shell
Once known as Prairie Point, Oakland was on the stage line between Gonzales and Columbus in the 1840s.
The town was platted in the late 1850s and an existing post office in Lavaca County relocated here on the condition that the post office continue under its name of Oakland � named after the estate of Texas President David G. Burnet.
In 1861 a Masonic lodge was built and a two story building was added in the 1870s � doubling as a school / lodge.
In 1882 Oakland Normal School was organized to train Black school teachers. By 1884 Oakland had a population of 200 with most essential businesses.
At the turn of the (20th) century, the population had risen to 264, declining back to 200 through the Great Depression. The population declined by half through the 50s and remained at 95 for the 1970 census. From the mid 70s the population estimate of 80 has been in used on the state map.
Oakland Past & Present
Oakland Post Office in operation in 2006
Zip Cod 78951
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2006
Photographer's Note:
".. Talking about Colorado County and "abandonment, I'm attaching 2 photos of the post office in the very historic town of Oakland. It was one of the offices and towns that I REALLY wanted to visit. Although the USPS still lists it as active and you have a nice photo of it on TE, we were surprised to find the building shut down and a notice posted that it had closed in 2014! After I peered through the doorway I got a good photo which I think you'll enjoy. Quite sad, actually - another post office gone and another Texas town in decline." - John J. Germann, September 05, 2015
Oakland Academy
1906 Vintage photo courtesy of Nesbitt Memorial Library
See Texas Schoolhouses
John McIntosh Store
Vintage Photo courtesy of Nesbitt Memorial Library
More Texas Stores
Oakland Historical Marker on FM 532
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2006
Historical Marker Text
OAKLAND
Originally known as Prairie Point, a town was platted at this site in 1856 by A. C. Hereford. A native of Virginia, Hereford was a veteran of the Mexican War who had arrived in this area in the early 1850s.
Located on part of the original James Bowie Survey, the community is the second oldest in Colorado County. When Hereford applied for a post office for Prairie Point in 1861, his request was denied because of the settlement's close proximity to an existing post office on the plantation of Amasa Turner (1800-1877). Turner agreed to relocate his post office to Prairie Point upon the condition that its name, Oakland, be retained. The town was thereafter known as Oakland.
Oakland was a stop on the Old Gonzales Road, an important early route from San Felipe to Gonzales. As settlement in the town increased, a school was established in 1859. Soon churches, stores, business, and fraternal organizations were also in operation. The town became a major trading and social center for the farm families of western Colorado County. The population of Oakland began to decline in the 1870s when the railroad bypassed the community in favor of Weimar.
Oakland, Texas Chronicles
Wild Navidad by Mike Cox
"The Navidad River is only 74 miles long but it is as tangled in history and folklore as the vines and trees along its banks. The tales range from a belief by some that Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna ordered a cash of gold buried near the river to the story of the Wild Woman of the Navidad..."
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