Vancourt, Texas. (original) (raw)

Vancourt, Texas

By Clint Skinner

The town of Vancourt is located in the eastern portion of Tom Green County along U. S. Highway 87. Twenty miles southeast of San Angelo, it relies upon farming and ranching for its livelihood. William C. Dickey and his wife Ida opened the area's first business during the 1800s. Their stage station served as a place where exhausted horses and other animals could be replaced by fresher ones in order to quicken travel along nearby routes. W. S. Kelley established the town's post office in his quest to provide a mail route for the El Paso Mail Company and named it after his wife Mary Ann Van Court.

In 1907, White Swan School moved from its location outside Vancourt and established itself within the town's perimeter on the south side of U. S. Highway 87. On the other side of the roadway, Calvin J. York, Jr. opened a general store in 1908, which remained the only store in town. That same year, records indicated a population of 125. The 1920s brought about the construction of a cotton gin and the Works Progress Adminstration provided a brick schoolhouse in 1937. Three years later, the school was closed and replaced.

During the 1970s, York's general store served its last customer. The 1980 Census brought the amazing news that the population had not changed since 1908 with 125 people claiming residence. In 1988, Vancourt had two cotton gins, two grain storage facilities, and a mill. In 2016, the estimated population was 64.

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