Collegeport Residences
 

Jonathan Edward Pierce and Abel Brown Pierce hired land developer Burton D. Hurd to sell off 9,000 acres of their ranch lands in 1908. The agreement with Hurd called for the development of a town that would include a college and a port on Trespalacios Bay.

Advertising the venture in newspapers of northern states, Hurd promoted the area's mild climate and promising farming opportunities. A number of families relocated to Collegeport to purchase land, establish farms, and build new homes.

The Gulf Coast University of Industrial Arts, the college promised by the town's developer, opened in 1909, served by the Missouri Pacific (Mopac) railroad. Collegeport grew quickly and by 1912 included a bank, post office, school, two churches, retail stores and other commercial businesses. It boasted the county's first free public library, its first boy scout troop, and the Woman's Club founded in 1910.

In 1914 a heavy freeze killed most of the farmers' crop, and the area experienced a drought and a disease which devastated the livestock herds, causing many families to move away. The railroad depot was dismantled, rebuilt as Mopac House, and attached to the public library in 1935.
 

Collegeport residents were always on the "move!" Moving in, moving around and moving away.
The "moving" entries below were gleaned from Collegeport articles.

A few other interesting items are included as well.

The dates on the entries are the dates the items ran in the newspaper.
 

1910 - 1919
 

1910 Jun 3

 J. B. McCain is now occupying the new residence recently built by Mrs. Hodden on E Ave.

1910 Jun 3

Albert S. Gunn and family are occupying the residence of C. V. Rutherford in his absence.

1910 Jun 3

S. G. Anderson’s bay front dwelling is progressing rapidly and when completed will be one of the finest homes in our city.

1910 Jun 3

S. G. Anderson and family are spending a few weeks among friends in El Campo, awaiting the completion of their new dwelling on Ave A.

1910 Jun 3

Wm. Pfeiffer, our cement contractor, is building a home on Ave. D, and Fourth Street

1910 Jun 3

The artesian well at the home of Burton D. Hurd is complete. Its depth is 602 ft. and reached through 31 feet of sand and gravel stratum and a fine flow of soft water was obtained. The water will flow out the top of a pipe 15 feet above the surface of the ground.

1910 Aug 4

The foundation for the new church and school was completed Wednesday.

1910 Aug 4

The new barn of I. N. Glasser just south of the depot grounds is about completed now except painting. It is 24X40 feet, 14 ft. posts. It is a credit to its owner and shouts his optimism of his favored section.

1910 Nov 11

Mr. E. O. Jones has finished his new house north of town and has moved into it.

1910 Nov 11

Mr. Burton D. Hurd's pipe organ arrived Friday.

1910 Nov 18

Mr. Theo Smith's new home on the bay front is growing fast.

Mr. Leech is having a room built on to his cottage.

1911 Jun 16

Judge F. H. Jones and family came from Bay City on Friday last and will make their home in Collegeport hereafter. They occupy the bungalow, the property of Mr. Theo Smith, until their new home is built on the bay front.

1911 Jul 21

Judge Jones has finished his cottage and the men are now busy on the garage.

1911 Aug 11

Grace Chapel of St. Mary's Mission will be used for the first time the 9th Sunday after Trinity, August 13, 1911 .

1911 Aug 25

Earl Ford, of Palacios, was here this week looking after the plumbing of Judge F. H. Jones residence.

Henry Hartung is getting material on the ground to build on his 5 acre tract near the freight dock north of town.

E. C. Everson is building a residence and barn on his tract northeast of town. Henry Hartung is the contractor.
 

1911 Oct 13
The Gulf Coast University is refitting the dormitory throughout with improved metal beds and springs.

Mr. O. J. White and daughter Anna Elizabeth, arrived Friday and will make their home here. They have an orange tract just east of the depot and will occupy their new home just recently completed thereon.
 

1911 Oct 20

Robt. L. Price, wife and baby returned Tuesday from a visit to their old home in Stephenville, and will have rooms at Hotel Collegeport until their new residence is completed.

1911 Oct. 25

Collegeport , Tex. , Oct. 25--Fire destroyed the beautiful little bungalow of J. E. Barnard on the bay shore. The bungalow was erected by J. A. Kling, and Mr. Barnard and family of seven had just moved in on Saturday last.

1911 Nov 2

E. A. Holsworth caught some red fish Monday at the end of his pier on the bay front which weighed eight pounds each.

Charlie Heck, locomotive engineer on the Frisco Collegeport branch, has rented the residence of C. U. Pierson on the bay shore, and will soon occupy it with his family.

M. L. Bonnett, of Masena Iowa , is here and is building on his home tract one mile north of town.

1911 Nov 3

H. A. Clapp is soon to begin the construction of a fine new residence on his orange tract adjoining the town of Collegeport.

Another brick building is being talked of for a store with lodge hall above to be built in the business section, with a good promise of being done soon.

W. S. Hipps, Houston, the general contractor who built the Collegeport canal, was here from Friday until Monday last. He says he will begin very soon to do dirt work to improve and strengthen the canal and banks and to build some new laterals and extensions preparatory for the 1912 crop. The dirt will soon begin to fly and the old activity will be again renewed.

A fire destroyed the new residence of E. L. Kling, of Dixon, Illinois, which was situated on the block across the street from Hotel Collegeport.
 

1911 Nov 10

B. L. Bonnett moved this week into his new residence on his home tract just north of town and will plant an orchard and other things in season.

1912 Apr 23

Mr. and Mrs. Lee and son, Robert, who have been spending the past few months at their winter cottage near the bay...

The King's Daughters were entertained at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Livers, two miles east of town, last Saturday.

1912 Nov 12

Mr. Julius Tower who with Mrs. Tower has returned to improve his property on the south Boulevard drive between the Holsworth house and the channel. He has a force on the ground erecting a large barn, also a cottage which the family will occupy for the winter. Later he plans to build a handsome residence on the property.

1912 Sep 20

Mr. Towers of Laurel , Neb., has arrived and taken possession of his Boulevard lot. He is erecting a nice residence which will be one more of the bay shore villas.

1913 Jun 27

Mr. Frank D. Yott of the Yott Realty Company.

1913 jul 25

Bo McCain will soon have his residence completed on Avenue C near Robert Price's home.

1913 Sep 12

Mr. F. L. Hoffman and family are now very pleasantly at home to their friends in the Theo. Smith bungalow on Central Avenue .

Mr. and Mrs. Bo McCain are now residing in their lovely new cottage on Third Avenue , having moved there this week.

1913 Sep 19

Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Wright, east of town...

1913 Sep 26

J. S. Henderson and wife of Bay City were here over Monday night. Mr. Henderson is an electrician and was adjusting the lighting plant of Theo. Smith.

Matt Pierce was in the city Tuesday with Frank Shires by which he gets 150 acres near Citrus Grove and a 10-acre tract near Collegeport. This is the fourth farm Mr. Pierce has become the owner of near here, all of them fine improved tracts with artesian wells and other good improvements. He intends to make his home here.

1913 0ct 17

Frank Withey started the foundation for a new house on his farm, two miles east of Collegeport. Mr. Wm. Pfeiffer is doing the work. 

Mr. S. E. Core [Corse] and family are here from Sublette, Kansas, arriving Monday evening. They have taken quarters in the Merck dwelling on north Boulevard and will probably remain till spring.

1913 Oct 24

Mr. Ben Rozell, ...exchanged a farm in Southwest Kansas for the C. W. Phillips farm near Mr. Haisley's

Mr. George D. Ross sold his home last Saturday on Central Avenue to Mr. Matt Pierce

1913 Nov 28

Mr. B. B. Bramham, wife and baby, foreman under Mr. Rylander is in the city and have rented the home of Mr. Marks for the present.

1914 Jan 8    Mr. Booze, referred to in the foregoing will be remember by many of our readers as one of the pioneers of the Collegeport Country, having formerly owned a farm on Colorado Boulevard near the pumping plant.

1914 Nov 26
J. T. Parker has moved onto the Pierce farm, southeast of town.

1915 Jan 1
Mr. and Mrs. Bandy arrived from Bay City and will occupy the house recently vacated by C. E. Heard.

1915 Feb 9
Mr. and Mrs. Lee and son, Robert, returned from Baraboo, Wis., after a long absence, and are occupying their bungalow on the bay front.

1915 Mar 5
The home of Mr. and Mrs. John Sundstrom, on the Pierce ranch south of town

1915 Mar 26
The Misses Yerxa are spending the week with Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Livers, east of town.

1915 May 11
E. C. VanNess and family moved into their cottage on South street last week.

J. H. Hamilton has purchased the B. V. Merck resident property on north street

1926 Apr 3
Old Hurd home - Boeker

1915 May 14 Mrs. Richenmore arrived from Long Beach , California , last Thursday and is having her bungalow put in good repair before returning to her home in Michigan .

Mr. Pine, who recently purchased the cottage owned by Mr. D. E. Hurd moved in the first of the week.

Mr. Hoffman has purchased the Boody property near the bay and is moving in this week.

1915 Jun 18
The Lee family arrived in Collegeport last week and are occupying the Evans' summer cottage for the summer.

1915 Aug 6
 Mr. John Heemes [Heemer?] and family have moved into town and are occupying the Miller place.

1915 Sep 3
Mrs. F. C. Benedict of Odom , Texas , and her daughter Ethel are visiting at the old home east of town.

1915 Sep 17
Mrs. Weidemeir, who now occupies her cottage on Central Street.

D. J. Sparks and family have moved into their house on Central Street . They come from Alton , Kansas . Welcome.

1917 Nov 2
I. M. Clark has added an ell to his house and moved it to the front on Central Street .

1919 Dec 19
Mr. E. D. Yeatts has moved his family from Citrus Grove into the Edwin Leach home, which he purchased.

1920 - 1929
 

1920 Mar 12
Jack Holsworth is erecting a bungalow on his farm east of Collegeport.

Mr. Bacon, who purchased the Smith hardware store and cottage, is spending several days in town.

Mrs. Houghton and son and Mr. Ben Hill have moved into the Miller house. Mrs. Houghton and brother, Ben Hill, are the daughter and son of "Uncle Charlie" Hill, who returned a few weeks ago from California .

1923 Oct 19
Mr. D. C. Powers has moved to Houston and Mr. Jesse Garnett, the school truck driver, is occupying the house vacated by them.

1925 Jan 9
Among the tragedies of the snow several houses were injured. A house in which Mr. Oliver lives in Collegeport lost its front porch. A window was wrecked at G. S. Wellsby's. Many trees lost limbs.

1925 Jan 16
Mrs. Anna Crane with her daughter, Dorothy, has moved to Collegeport to make their home in the Shubring house. They come from Baraboo, Wisconsin , and will stay until June. Dorothy is in school, entering the seventh grade.

The E. I. Montgomery family has moved from the hunting club back to their home in Collegeport.

1925 Feb 13
Homer F. Goff and family have moved to their farm east of this place known as the Rogers farm. Mr. Goff has purchased the place and will put in a crop.

1925 Sep 25
Several new residents have moved into Collegeport. The Olivers live in the house next to the Community House. The Hales have moved into a house near the beach.

1925 Oct 23
Mr. Sapp and family, owners of several acres of new fig orchards, have settled at the old Tower home south of E. A. Holsworth's palatial residence.

1926 Nov 26
Mowery home, which old timers will remember as the Theo Smith home on the Bay Shore.

1928 Jan 21
Cecil McNeil is the busiest man in town. He not only operates the Bachman store, fires up and delivers the engine to the waiting crew, but works over autos in his spare time.

1928 Feb 2
Mr. Harry Louis Eisel, our local grocer...

Jim Hale moving into the Urban house and McNeils moving into the old Theo Smith bungalow. Very few empty houses in this burg.

1928 Feb 15
Mrs. Carl Boeker distributing flower plants. As they come from the Hurd place we naturally think of Dena H.

1928 Feb 21
Mrs. Welsby considering moving the Terminal Café to the center of the world.

Wonder why Bachman & Son need two or three clerks in their store?

1928 Feb 28
The Center of the Heart of the Midcoast is now a very busy place. At the retail business center we now have the post office, barber shop, the Terminal Café and the new grocery store of Vernon Bowers. We needed the latter very much for its presence may result in the Bachman store being open for morning trade. Hugo is now all by himself and Hattie way out in the suburbs, but we all wish he would hitch a tractor on his store and move back to the center.

1928 Mar 7
Cecil McNeil has been called to railroad service as has also his father Tom McNeil. Sorry to lose Cecil from the Bachman store, for he is a courteous and obliging store keeper. Maybe we can arrange for his first assistant to remain in charge.

Vernon Bowers opens his store in the Chapin building.

1928 Apr 3
The Fusom family packed their freight and pulled out to Springfield.

The Kay Legg house has been moved down to the corner lot, formerly owned by L. E. Liggett, and directly across the street from the Scholl home.

1928 Apr 11
Rev. Merriman Smith led an early rising bunch to the Ackerman pasture on the Slough Ranch for a sunrise service Easter morning.

1928 Apr 17
Cecil McNeil, cut off the Mopac board, has been cut in on the Bachman board, and is now home for an indefinite stay.

1928 May 5
Our station agent, E. R. Brazil, has taken another similar position down the Valley way.

1928 Jun 11
The McNeil family moving to Houston. But thank God, another family is moving in to take their place.

1929 Dec ??
They brought with them Miss Mabel Berger from Tulsa . Miss Berger should be counted as an old timer for she bought land here in 1910. She also owns several lots in town and is planning extensive improvements on her home, located at the corner of Central Street and Avenue E.

1930 - 1939
 

1930 Nov 6

The Penland family moved into the Pierce home on the bay front during the week-end. Mr. Jenkins moved into his home which was formerly occupied by the Penlands.

1930 Nov 28

Mr. and Mrs. George Welsby moved back to the farm last Wednesday.

The Thompson family from Buckeye, moved into Mr. Hughes home last week.

1932 Dec 1
Mr. and Mrs. John Merck have moved from the Van Ness house to the Wilkinson house near Jenkins.

1933 May 25
George Hill and family are moving to the Carl Boeker farm east of here where he has a rice crop.

1933 Aug 24
Eisel family moved from Collegeport to Houston

1933 Sep 7
The Carl Boeker family moved into the house just vacated by the Eisel family.

The Eisel family are now located in Nacogdoches

1933 Sep 14
The Curtis family will occupy the Mrs. Burgy house

1933 Oct 26
We are very sorry to report that we have lost two more of our pupils, Omar Jay and Robbie Crabill. Johnnie Mae Stanley also tells us that they are going away.

Mr. and Mrs. Omar Crabill and family are moving to San Marcos

1933 Nov 9
We are again the losers of two of our classmates, Johnnie Mae Stanley, who moved to San Augustine and Doris Caldwell, who moved to Palacios.

Down on Fulcher Boulevard, Mr. J. S. Conover is erecting a new residence. I am informed that the residence, when completed, will be occupied by Mr. T. P. White

1933 Nov 23
Pat Jenkins has moved away to Dilley.
We have a new pupil whom we all welcome, Dolores Guyer from Prairie Center.

1933 Dec 7
I am informed that Dean and Dorothy Merck have bought the Thomas McMillan Clark house

1933 Dec 14
We are sorry to lose two pupils in the first grade: Sarah Fossett has moved to Buckeye and Lloyd Arnold will attend school in Wadsworth. Donato Calderon moved to Blessing last week.

No sooner does the Mopac rip up our railroad track than Messrs. Miller and Harvey open a new blacksmith shop.

1933 Dec 21
We regret very much to lose Mr. and Mrs. John Adams and their family from our midst. These good people are citizens of the truest type, eager to always do whatever is in their power for the good of the community of which the school is a vital part. If anyone can speak for this type of school we have, and what we stand for, we feel that these people can. Our loss is El Maton's gain.

Mr. and Mrs. Ray King have moved from the country to the town for the convenience of school.

1933 Dec 28
Mr. and Mrs. Dean Merck moved into their newly purchased home Thursday. The house was formerly occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Eric Watkins.

1934 Jan 4
Rev. Travis and Stanley Duckworth both former residents of this place but now of McAllen, Texas

1934 Jan 11
Mr. Ballhorst has rented the Collegeport Fig Company warehouse to Mr. Miller and Mr. Harvey, who are operating a blacksmith shop there. 

Mr. Melvin Spoor has plowed the Jack Lunn property that was formerly a fig orchard and will plant it in corn. Mr. S. E. Dickinson has broken the Della Betta Brothers land and will dry farm it.

1937 Aug 29
Things I remember-- Mr. Clapp 24th of January, 1909, my eyes first saw what I now call the place where the star fell.  I landed on Lot 50, Block 1, on March 17th

Also came the Shoemakers to tell me all about the big lake they are making out at the ranch. The lake will cover about eight acres and will have a depth of about eight feet and fed from a large artesian well. Mr. Shoemaker will stock the lake with gold fish and will sell the grown fish to the Rice Hotel in Houston where they will be served on golden plates at royal banquets.

1938 Sep 29
Mr. Dan Sutton and family have moved to Wharton where they will make their future home.

1939 May 18
Mr. G. H. Jones moved into the Hurd house, last week.

1939 Jun 3
Mr. and Mrs. Clapp of El Campo have leased the Hurd house for the summer.

1940 - 1949
 

1940 Sep 19
Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Mize moved to the Burns farm last week.

1940 Sep 26
Mr. Earl Huitt and family who have resided on the Slough ranch for several years moved to the Corse property in town which they recently purchased and remodeled.

1940 Oct 3
The Graves family who have lived in the Cottingham house for a year moved to East Texas last week.

1940 Oct 10
Galen Savage and family moved to the Travis farm they recently bought and improved.

1940 Oct 17
Mr. and Mrs. Ben Shoemaker have moved to Palacios. We regret to lost them from our community, but with them success in their new home.

Mr. and Mrs. Clark and Mr. and Mrs. Frank Brown have moved into the Kundinger house.

Mrs. Clapp has moved from the Hurd house to the house vacated by Mr. and Mrs. Shoemaker.

1941 Jan 15
Mrs. Vernon K. Hurd of Washington, D. C., was a guest in our midst while overseeing the interior decorating of the Hurd home in preparation for tenants.

1941 Jan 23
Mr. Floyd A. Mize and family have moved to Palacios.

Mr. John Hunt and family have moved to Palacios.