Thomaston, Texas, DeWitt County. (original) (raw)
History in a Pecan Shell
Named after Nathan Thomas, a donor of land for the townsite, the community became DeWitt County�s first town to receive a railroad connection when the the Gulf, Western Texas and Pacific Railroad arrived in 1872.
A post office was granted the following year by storeowner (and stationmaster) James Pridgen. By the mid 1880s, the town had somewhere around 100 residents. Cattle pens nearby made the town an important cattle shipping spot for local ranchers into the 1940s. By 1892 Thomaston reported 300 people and the town enjoyed the amenities of a newspaper and dentist, besides the usual array of essential business.
Thomaston residents benefited from their railroad connection and had the choice of traveling to Cuero or Victoria with equal ease on one of the four trains that passed daily. In the 1920s the town had declined to less than a hundred residents and after WWII improved roads and school consolidations (with Cuero) sent Thomaston into an even deeper decline. The railroad connection ended in 1950 when passenger service was suspended. The 1985 count showed about 45 people receiving mail at the Thomston post office, the estimate has been used since.
Historical Marker - On Hwy. 87
Thomaston
(Founded 1872)
DeWitt County's first railroad town. Absorbed Price's Creek, 1848 settlement of Republic of Texas patriot, Judge David Murphree (1811-66). Thomaston was named for State Legislator Nathan Thomas (1809-91), who sold south part of townsite (in Refugio Amador survey) to Gulf, Western Texas and Pacific Railroad. North part of plat was donated (from Charles Lockhart Survey) by John P. and Mary (Lockhart) Wright. Schoolteacher J. H. Moore and wife Lou (Thomas) built first house and owned cotton gin and grist mill. James Pridgen was first railroad agent, postmaster, and merchant. At peak, town had 500 people.
1973
Thomaston, Texas Landmarks & Cemetery
Photographer's Note:
Thomaston Texas is located in DeWitt County on Hwy 87 near the Victoria County line. A new 4 lane highway now bypasses the old main drag of town.
Located about 10 miles SE of Cuero, TX.
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William Beauchamp, 2009
Historical Marker:
Thomaston Cemetery
Thomaston was established as DeWitt County's first railroad town in 1872, with much of the land for the townsite donated by John P. and Mary M. Lockhart Wright. Land for this cemetery was given in 1886 by John P. Wright, and his widow (second wife, Margaret Rankin Calliham Wright) donated an additional lot in 1917 to adjoin the cemetery on the north.
There are approximately 283 graves located in the cemetery. Early graves were marked with wooden boards, which were replaced by concrete blocks about 1946. The earliest marked grave is that of an infant, George E. McDonald (October 1, 1870 - March 8, 1871). Also buried here are John P. Wright (October 29, 1829 - June 12, 1897), his first wife, Mary Melvina Lockhart Wright (Sept. 21, 1841 - Feb. 16, 1875), and his second wife, Margaret Rankin Calliham Wright (Feb. 5, 1847 - Feb. 15, 1921). Headstones in the cemetery also mark the graves of veterans of the Civil War, World War I, and World War II.
The Thomaston Cemetery Association was formed in the 1930s, and is responsible for maintenance of the cemetery. The original fence was replaced in the 1940s with a chain-link fence. The cemetery serves as a reminder of early Thomaston history.
Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986
Thomaston Cemetery historical marker
on Thomaston Cemetery Road
Photo courtesy William Beauchamp, 2009
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