Devine, Texas. (original) (raw)

Devine
TE Photo, July 2007

History in a Pecan Shell

Established with the arrival of the International-Great Northern railroad in 1881, it was named for railroad lawyer (and San Antonio Judge) Thomas Jefferson Devine. The town was incorporated in 1904 with a population of just over 500. Devine got a boost over other South Texas communities when it became irrigated from waters of Medina Lake in 1915.

Rain-dependant cotton producing land became a verdant landscape of corn and vegetable crops. The irrigation also doubled the population of the town to around 1,000 residents and it managed to maintain that level through the Great Depression. Its proximity to San Antonio has been a source of growth for the town and by the late 1980s it had grown to over 4,000. The 1990 census counted 3,928 residents which rebounded to 4,140 for the 2000 census.

Devine Area Attractions

• Bigfoot Wallace Museum - Open by appointment.
  Inquire in Big Foot, 6 miles SE via Hwy 173 and FM 472
• Stroud Blacksmith Shop - 103 Herring St.
  Blacksmith shop in continuous operation since 1903
• Burnt Boot Creek
  by Mike Cox ("Texas Tales" Column)
  "He pulled his pickup off the interstate for State Highway 132, which leads to Devine. That's when we saw the green Texas Department of Transportation sign...: Burnt Boot Creek..."

Devine brickwork
TE Photo, July 2007

Devine Ghost Sign
TE Photo, July 2007

A Devine fire truck
TE photo, 2002

L - Devine water tower
TE photo, 2002
R - Unusual construction in downtown Devine
TE photo, March 2005

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