View, Texas, Taylor County. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

Originally called Caps Sides, Texas, View came into being as an investment of a land development company who was betting on the future growth of the town � built alongside the railroad tracks. (Caps, Texas had already been established nearby.)

View�s name came from a slightly elevated hilltop location. The community was registered in August of 1910 with the railroad depot being the town�s first building.

A post office was granted that same year and other businesses opened � including a lumberyard and a general store. The population reached 40 residents in the community�s fourth year. One building served as school and church until a bond issue allowed the construction of a separate two-room schoolhouse.

The hopes that the developers had for View didn�t materialize. It is thought, however, that Views proximity to Abilene and the existence of a ready-made railroad depot made the establishment of Camp Barkeley in WWII a reality.

In the late 1980s View reported seventy-one residents and 75 for the 1990 census.

View, Texas Today

Photographer's Note:
The Baptist Church, fire department and a gas/grocery store are about all that's there except for homes. Back in the 50's View was a passenger pickup for one of the railroads that passed south of Abilene (Union Pacific/ Southern Pacific?). The Texas and Pacific passed through town and had the terminal there. View was pretty much smack in the middle of Camp Barkeley when it was active, if the town existed at all. The railroad was probably the main supply route to Barkeley. Nothing remain at the railroad tracks today. - Mike Price, April 02, 2010

View Baptist Church
Photo courtesy Mike Price, 2007

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