Bellville

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and here's how Duane's gonna lay it out for you. Brothers Thomas and James Bell came to this stretch of Texas all the way from Florida back in 1822, riding in with Stephen F. Austin's colony.

They weren't just passing through. By 1837 they had acquired about two thousand acres of land right here in this area, and that's the kind of foothold that tends to matter. Now, fast forward to 1846, and Thomas Bell made a decision that would shape this entire county.

He offered a portion of his land as the site for a brand new town, one that voters chose to replace San Felipe as the county seat. The voters accepted, and just like that, the ground beneath your wheels had a future. The town was platted in 1848, and people came from places you might not expect, England, Germany, Connecticut, Maryland, Georgia.

Folks from all those distant corners found their way here, and before long the town had a name. Popular vote called it Bellville. A courthouse and a jail went up in 1848.

The first hotel opened in 1849. Within ten years, that booming little town was carrying about fifteen businesses on its back. Not bad for a patch of Texas prairie.

Then came the Civil War, and it left the town nearly deserted. Reconstruction was hard on Bellville, same as it was hard on so many Texas towns, and rebuilding was slow, difficult work. But somewhere around 1877, new business ventures started taking root, and the ground began to firm up again.

Then 1880 brought something that tends to change everything: the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway rolled into Bellville, and the population doubled rapidly. The Episcopal and German Methodist churches organized about 1881. The Bellville Standard newspaper got its start in 1882.

A telephone company began operations, and a library was established by 1886. And the land kept delivering. Cotton production climbed in the late 1890s until more than ten thousand bales were being shipped every single growing season.

By the turn of the century, Bellville was thriving, culturally and economically both. Then 1915 arrived, and the story shifted again. Black gold was discovered around Bellville, and just like that, oil replaced cotton as the area's major industry.

The development of local oil fields spurred further growth and kept on supporting this town all the way through the twentieth century. Two brothers from Florida, two thousand acres, and a town that just kept finding new ways to survive. That's Bellville, and the marker says it plain.

What the marker says

Brothers Thomas and James Bell came to this area from Florida in 1822 with Stephen F. Austin's colony and acquired about 2,000 acres of land in 1837. Thomas Bell offered a portion of his land at this site for a new townsite to replace San Felipe as the county seat; his offer was accepted by voters in 1846. Pioneers from such faraway places as England, Germany, Connecticut, Maryland and Georgia were drawn to the new town, which was platted in 1848 and soon called Bellville by popular vote. A courthouse and jail were erected in 1848 and Bellville's first hotel opened in 1849. Within ten years, the booming town boasted about fifteen businesses. The Civil War left the town nearly deserted, and as in many similar Texas towns it was difficult to rebuild during the Reconstruction era. Positive growth began about 1877 as new business ventures took root. In 1880 the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway arrived in Bellville, and the population doubled rapidly. The Episcopal and German Methodist churches organized about 1881, and the Bellville Standard newspaper was established in 1882. A telephone company began operations and a library was established by 1886. Cotton production rose in the late 1890s and more than 10,000 bales were shipped each growing season. By the turn of the century Bellville was thriving both culturally and economically. Oil replaced cotton as the area's major industry in 1915 when black gold was discovered around Bellville. Development of local oil fields further spurred the town's growth and continued to help support Bellville throughout the 20th century. (1999)