Campbellton

Duane's take

The official marker for Campbellton, Atascosa County, tells it like this, and I'm just here to pass it along. Now, every town out here on the South Texas plain has a story underneath it, and Campbellton's story starts with a boy who came a long way to get here. Atascosa County itself was carved out of Bexar County in 1856, by the Sixth Legislature of Texas.

That's a young county in a young state, and into it, around 1857, rode a man named John Campbell. He'd come to Texas from Ireland, as a boy, with his parents. And when he finally set himself down in Atascosa County, he did what a man did in that country: he started ranching.

Then the Civil War broke out. Campbell joined the Confederacy, enlisting in Company I, 32nd Regiment, Texas Cavalry, serving as Second Lieutenant. When it was over, he came back.

Came back to Atascosa County, started a ranch between Pleasanton and Oakville, and got to building something that would outlast him. Here's where John Campbell the rancher starts to become something more. He opened a store.

That store became a relay station for the mail route. And in 1874, he established the first post office. You put all that together and you've got the bones of a town, and sure enough, the town would carry his name.

But Campbell wasn't finished. In 1880, he looked around at the community growing up around him and saw a need. He donated land for a school.

That school did double duty for years, serving as a place of worship until a proper church was built in 1897: the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church. The community kept growin'. Train service reached Campbellton in 1913, and two years later, in 1915, a new brick schoolhouse opened.

Then, late in the 1950s, oil was discovered in the area, though ranching held its ground as the top industry. Campbellton could also claim two Texas legislators among its own: John Files Tom, who served in 1873, and Joseph Daniel "Dan" Struve, who served in 1961. For years, State Highway 9, and later U.S.

Highway 281, ran right through Campbellton and kept business humming. Then came Interstate 37, stretching between San Antonio and Corpus Christi, and the traffic that used to roll through town found a faster road and took it. That's the kind of thing that quietly hollows a place out.

But Campbellton's residents still come together, still raise funds for the Volunteer Fire Department and Sacred Heart Catholic Church. A boy came from Ireland, put down roots, and a community took hold. Takes more than a highway bypass to pull those roots up.

What the marker says

CAMPBELLTON ATASCOSA COUNTY WAS CREATED FROM BEXAR COUNTY IN 1856 BY THE SIXTH LEGISLATURE OF TEXAS. THE TOWN WAS NAMED AFTER JOHN CAMPBELL WHO CAME TO TEXAS FROM IRELAND AS A BOY WITH HIS PARENTS. JOHN CAMPBELL FIRST CAME TO ATASCOSA COUNTY AROUND 1857 AND BEGAN RANCHING. WHEN THE CIVIL WAR BROKE OUT, HE JOINED THE CONFEDERACY AND ENLISTED IN COMPANY I, 32ND REGIMENT, TEXAS CAVALRY, SERVING AS SECOND LIEUTENANT. AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, JOHN CAMPBELL RETURNED TO ATASCOSA COUNTY WHERE HE STARTED A RANCH BETWEEN PLEASANTON AND OAKVILLE. LATER, CAMPBELL OPENED A STORE THAT BECAME A RELAY STATION FOR THE MAIL ROUTE AND, IN 1874, ESTABLISHED THE FIRST POST OFFICE. IN 1880, JOHN CAMPBELL SAW THE NEED TO EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY AND DONATED LAND FOR A SCHOOL. THE SCHOOL WAS ALSO USED AS A PLACE OF WORSHIP FOR THE COMMUNITY UNTIL A CHURCH WAS BUILT IN 1897, NAMED THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS CATHOLIC CHURCH. IN 1913, TRAIN SERVICE TO CAMPBELLTON BEGAN. THE POPULATION GREW AND, IN 1915, A NEW BRICK SCHOOLHOUSE OPENED. DURING THE LATE 1950s, OIL WAS DISCOVERED IN THE AREA BUT RANCHING REMAINED THE TOP INDUSTRY. CAMPBELLTON WAS HOME TO JOHN FILES TOM AND JOSEPH DANIEL "DAN" STRUVE. BOTH MEN SERVED AS TEXAS LEGISLATORS IN 1873 AND 1961, RESPECTIVELY. FOR YEARS, STATE HIGHWAY 9 (AND LATER U.S. HWY 281) IN CAMPBELLTON GENERATED BUSINESS FOR THE COMMUNITY UNTIL CONSTRUCTION OF INTERSTATE 37 BETWEEN SAN ANTONIO AND CORPUS CHRISTI DIVERTED TRAFFIC AWAY FROM CAMPBELLTON. DESPITE THIS SETBACK, RESIDENTS OF CAMPBELLTON STILL COME TOGETHER TO VISIT AND RAISE FUNDS FOR THE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT AND SACRED HEART CATHOLIC CHURCH.