Hawkinsville, Texas, Matagorda County. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

Named after early settler James Boyd Hawkins, who arrived here in the 1840s, Hawkinsville was in fact, a sugar plantation. It�s first name was Hawkin�s Post. In the early 1850s, Hawkins built a brick sugar mill � made of bricks fired in his own kiln. A substantial enterprise, the slave-built mill vented through a 40-foot smokestack. As Hawkins diversified into ranching, the town became the headquarter�s for Hawkin�s Ranch.

During the Civil War, John Magruder maintained a contingent of troops and supplies here from late 1963 through January 1864. The end of the war did not mean the end of Hawkin�s empire. He merely changed his labor force from salves to convicts.

In 1874 Hawkinsville was granted a post office but the population remained below 25 � into the 1880s. By 1888 the post office had closed but a new one under the name Hawkinsville opened in 1898.

In 1903 the NewYork, Texas and Mexican Railway ran a tap line from Bay City, roughly running parallel to present-day FM 457. The railroad increased the number of residents to around 100. In the 1930s the railroad tracks were taken up and Hawkinsville settled into a deep sleep that continues to this day.

Although there are scattered houses in the vicinity, the town disappeared in the 1950s.

Hawkinsville, Texas Landmarks

Photographer's Note:
Hawkinsville looks like an unorganized village. Really just a road intersection: FM 2611 and FM 457. - Barclay Gibson, 2009

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