Watterson, Texas | |
|---|---|
  Watterson  Watterson | |
| Coordinates: 29°59′21″N97°23′16″W / 29.98917°N 97.38778°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Bastrop |
| Elevation | 505 ft (154 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 512 & 737 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1380748 [1] |
Watterson is an unincorporated community in Bastrop County, Texas, United States. [1] It is located within the Greater Austin metropolitan area.
Watterson is named for Charles Coffin Watterson who, along with his wife Martha, settled in the area in 1852 to farm and raise livestock. The Wattersons were soon joined by Samuel and Caroline Wolfenbarger and others engaged in the same pursuits. Initially, the community was known as Live Oaks and a post office with that name was established in 1878. Charles Watterson served as the first postmaster. In 1891, the town was renamed in his honor. By 1896, the community had 100 residents, a Methodist church, a cotton gin, gristmill and general store. The post office closed in 1904. During the 1930s, the town still had a community center and Methodist church. By the early 1960s, larger farms in the region had been broken up into smaller plots, but the town remained a farming and ranching community. Watterson Ranch, currently owned by sixth-generation Wattersons, has been a cattle operation since the 1850s. Many other area residents are also direct descendants of the town’s first settlers. Although population figures are unavailable, Watterson was listed in Cities and Towns of Texas during the 1980s and still appears on county highway maps. [2]
A local landmark of note is Watterson Hall (formerly known as Big Annie's), a country music venue and old-style dance hall. In business for at least 55 years, [3] the site served as the Cherry Hill Dance Hall in the Sandra Bullock movie Hope Floats. [4]
The town is located on Old Watterson Road, 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Rockne, 11 miles (18 km) south of the town of Bastrop, 25 miles (40 km) west of Smithville and 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Austin. [5]
Children attended schools in Lentz Branch and Hilbig; these consolidated in 1900 as the Watterson school. [5] The school was merged with Eight Live Oaks school in 1927. A school for African American children was also constructed in Watterson at this time. [2] Today, the community is served by the Bastrop Independent School District.
Bastrop County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in Central Texas and its county seat is Bastrop.
Bastrop is a city and the county seat of Bastrop County, Texas, United States. The population was 9,688 according to the 2020 census. It is located about 30 mi (48 km) southeast of Austin and is part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area.
Smithville is a city in Bastrop County, Texas, United States, near the Colorado River. The population was 3,922 at the 2020 census.
Elgin is a city in Bastrop County in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 9,784 at the 2020 census. Elgin is also known as the Sausage Capital of Texas and the Brick Capital of the Southwest, due to the presence of three operating brickyards in the mid-20th century.
U.S. Route 290 is an east–west U.S. Highway located entirely within the state of Texas. Its western terminus is at Interstate 10 southeast of Segovia, and its eastern terminus is at Interstate 610 in northwest Houston. It is the main highway between Houston and Austin and is a cutoff for travelers wanting to bypass San Antonio on Interstate 10. Throughout its length west of Austin, US 290 cuts across mountainous hills comprising the Texas Hill Country and the Edwards Plateau; between Austin and Houston, the highway then travels through gradually hilly grasslands and pine forests comprising the Gulf Coastal Plains.
Lebanon was the name of two different communities that were founded in Texas in the 19th century, neither of which exist today. The first was a town located in Collin County that had a post office designated as Lebanon, Texas, before it was relocated to Frisco. The second was a smaller unincorporated community located in Live Oak County, of which only a cemetery remains today.
Maxwell is an unincorporated community in Caldwell County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, it had a population of 500 in 2000. It is located within the Greater Austin metropolitan area.
Cedar Creek is an census-designated place (CDP) in Bastrop County, Texas, United States. It is located about 11 miles (18 km) west of the city of Bastrop. The community takes its name from Cedar Creek, a tributary of the Colorado River that is close to the area. Cedar Creek is home to McKinney Roughs Nature Park, which features natural landscapes and an archaeological site.
Kovar is an unincorporated community in Bastrop County, Texas, United States. It is located within the Greater Austin metropolitan area.
Alum Creek is an unincorporated community in Bastrop County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 70 in 2000. It is located within the Greater Austin metropolitan area.
Rockne is an unincorporated community in Bastrop County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 400 in 2000. It is located within the Greater Austin metropolitan area.
Bateman is an unincorporated community in Bastrop County, Texas, United States. It is located within the Greater Austin metropolitan area.
Saint John Colony is an unincorporated community in Caldwell County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 150 in 2000. It is located within the Greater Austin metropolitan area.
String Prairie is an unincorporated community in Bastrop County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 125 in 2000. It is located within the Greater Austin metropolitan area.
Hills Prairie, or Hill's Prairie, is an unincorporated community in Bastrop County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 50 in 2000. It is located within the Greater Austin metropolitan area.
Grassyville is a ghost town located in Bastrop County, Texas, United States. The community was founded in the northeastern corner of the county, near the intersection of Farm to Market Road 2104 and Farm to Market Road 2239, six miles south of Paige, 14 miles east of Bastrop, and 50 miles east of Austin.
Salem is an unincorporated community in Bastrop County, Texas, United States. The town is one of 17 communities named Salem in the state. It is located within the Greater Austin metropolitan area.
Oak Hill is a ghost town in Bastrop County, Texas, United States. It is located four miles southwest of McDade, 12 miles southeast of Elgin, 13 miles northeast of Bastrop, and 37 miles southeast of Austin on the old Bastrop-McDade Road.
Butler is an unincorporated community in Bastrop County, Texas, United States. It is located within the Greater Austin metropolitan area.
Pin Oak is a ghost town in Bastrop County, Texas, United States. It is located on Farm to Market Road 2104, six miles northwest of Winchester, six miles northeast of Smithville, eight miles south of Paige and 45 miles southeast of Austin.
Municipalities and communities of Bastrop County, Texas, United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |