Rabb Switch, Texas history, historical marker, photo, vintage maps. (original) (raw)

Rabb Switch historical marker
TE Photo, 2004

History in a Pecan Shell

Although John Morris, a traveling Methodist preacher once held the grant, little is known about him. In the 1880s Dr. Edward M. Rabb arrived and acquired the property. The land may have remained part of Dr. Rabb's estate, but in 1918 the Texas and New Orleans Railroad arrived - connecting this part of Lavaca County to Houston.

The railroad negotiated with Dr. Rabb and built a spur (switch) as a collection point for wood and water. The site now had a name and two stores opened there. An older schoolhouse was relocated here in 1919 and enrollment was said to have exceeded 30 students. But the community was too close to the county seat to grow beyond the two stores.

The school was closed in 1953 when road improvements allowed students to attend the Hallettsville ISD. With the school gone, and the railroad discontinued, people left for greener pastures. No population figures are available for the community's early years, nor are any available for its later years.

Lavaca County 1940s map showing Rabbs,
Texas & New Orleans Railroad, and Navidad River
From Texas state map #4335
Courtesy Texas General Land Office

Historical Marker:

RABB SWITCH

Edward M. Rabb (1855-1908) a native of La Grange, Fayette County, Texas, was the son of William and Prudence Smalley Rabb. In the 1880s Dr. Edward M. Rabb settled in this area and purchased 2089 acres of land from S. W. Campbell.

At his death, Dr. Rabb left a will with instructions calling for a wood and water switch to serve the railroad to be built on a portion of his land. The San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad was built across the Navidad River in 1887. The switch was constructed and local residents cut and loaded firewood for shipment to Houston. The land that was cleared of firewood was used to farm cotton and corn, the primary source of income for farmers in the area. Two stores opened at Rabb Switch, and a school built in the 1800s was moved to the community in 1919 and served 30-35 students.

The railroad ceased operations during the 1950s, at the same time that U.S. Highway 90-A was improved. When the school was closed in 1953, students were transferred five miles west to the Hallettsville Independent School District, and the population declined thereafter as businesses closed.

(1997)

Lavaca County 1920s map showing
The San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad,
the Navidad River
and Rabbs, E of Hallettsville
From Texas state map # 10749
Courtesy Texas General Land Office

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