Nuecestown, Texas, Nueces County ghost town. (original) (raw)
Nuecestown Cemetery
Photo courtesy Roxanne Krisch
History in a Pecan ShellEstablished as �The Motts� by English and German settlers in the early 1850s, it was renamed after the Nueces River. A temporary post office (1854-1855) was reestablished as a permanent one in 1859. In 1875 the town was raided by Mexican bandits in what is known as �The Nuecestown Raid.�
In 1885 Nuecestown had a school with 32 students � considered one of the largest in Nueces County. The preserved 1892 schoolhouse is now the largest reminder of the town that once numbered 200 (1896)
The town went into a decline in 1905 after being bypassed by the St. Louis, Brownsville, and Mexico Railroad. The post office closed in the late 1920s when the population was reported as 50. Residents left as the city limits of Corpus Christi grew closer and today it sits not far from fast food restaurants � with only the cemetery and schoolhouse.
Nuecestown Cemetery & Historical Marker
Photographers' Notes:
"The old cemetery I'm sure was intended to be on a nice quiet hill over looking the town area and Nueces River bottom but urban sprawl from Corpus Christi and Calallen has overtaken it and the cemetery is bordered on the south by a busy Leopard Street and just a few hundred yards north is interstate 37." - Will Beauchamp
"I recently came across your website while trying to find the "hanging tree" I saw as a child. I have spent hours just browsing and getting lost in your photos. I would like to add my own. I live fairly close to the Nuecestown cemetery in Corpus Christ, Texas and had ventured into it in 2005, I believe. Having lived in this area all my life, I never knew the history until I came across your site. I am attaching five photographs for your consideration. Thank you." - Roxanne Krisch
Photo courtesy Roxanne Krisch
Photo courtesy Roxanne Krisch
Cemetery statue
Photo courtesy Roxanne Krisch
Nuecestown Cemetery angel
Photo courtesy Roxanne Krisch
"Beynon's Headstone with tree in front & Taco Bell sign in the back ground. These were the parent of 4 year old Elizabeth Beynon who was the first known person buried in the cemetery." - Will Beauchamp
"William Ball - Survived being kidnapped during the 1875 raid by bandits, escaping to return to Nuecestown." - Will Beauchamp
"Side view of Beynon's parents stone is Elizabeth's name. The parents died the next year after her." Will Beauchamp
Nuecestown Historical Marker &
Nuecestown Raid Historical Marker
These markers are located on Up River Road near the old townsite.
Historical Marker:NuecestownHenry L. Kinney (b. 1914), who founded Corpus Christi, established Nuecestown in 1852 at the location of the first ferry crossing on the Nueces River west of Corpus Christi. He sent agents to Europe, primarily England and Germany, to promote his new settlement. Each immigrant purchased 100 acres of land, a town lot, and 10 head of cattle.
Nuecestown, known locally as "The Motts" because of several clusters of trees, grew to have, in addition to the ferry, a hotel, packery, and one of the county's first cotton gins. A Post Office opened in 1859.
After the Civil War it was a gathering place for cattle drovers in the area herding longhorns to be driven to northern railheads. On Good Friday, March 26, 1875, Mexican bandits entered the region on a raid, causing many Corpus Christi residents to flee. After plundering the Frank Store (3 miles east), the raiders turned on Nuecestown, looting and burning T.J. Noake's store and Post Office, killing one man, and capturing several hostages. A party of citizens pursued the attackers unsuccessfully, and another man was killed.
When bypassed by the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway about 1905, Nuecestown began to decline. The post office closed in 1927.
(1973)
The 1875 Nuecestown Raid Historical Marker
Photo Courtesy Will Beauchamp
Nuecestown Schoolhouse & Markers
Nuecestown, Texas Forum
- Subject: Nuecestown
Back in the '60s & early '70s--and perhaps before that--there existed a tourist attraction known as 'Old Nuecestown.' It was near the actual site of Nuecestown. It had a fine restaurant, along with several buildings salvaged from the area. It featured 'gunfight' shows & had a lot of antiques on display, including a player piano that came from one of Corpus Christi's more noted brothels. I recall, as well, a horse-drawn hearse & several other horse-drawn vehicles. Unfortunately, a fire in, as I recall, the early '70s, rendered it a total loss. - C. F. Eckhardt, Seguin, July 08, 2011
1907 Nueces County postal map showing Nuecestown 13 miles NW of Corpus Christi
From Texas state map #2090
Courtesy Texas General Land Office
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