Manchaca, Texas. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

Named after early settler Jos� Antonio Menchaca, the name is now spelled with an a for the second letter. The pronunciation is what's really different. If you attempt anything but "Manshack," you will immediately be recognized as an outsider.

The first post office opened in 1851 under the name Manchac House. This was just south of town and closed the following year. The second post office opened under the simpler name of Manchac in 1874 and this lasted almost exactly a year. Onion Creek started sending and receiving mail after that point - until the arrival of the International Great Northern Railroad in 1881. Renamed Manchaca, a new post office opened and mail left and arrived on state-of-the-art leather pouches and metal hoops.

The town had around 75 residents in the mid-1880s and before ten years had passed, Manchaca had a school, church and even boasted a hotel.

The town kept its distance from Austin and as late as the 1960s, the population barely broke 200 residents. It was worse in the 1970s when it bottomed out at a mere 36. But the 1980s were boom times and the population soared to nearly 5,000. The 2000 census recorded about half that figure.