Cedar Gap Community

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Cedar Gap Community in Taylor County. Now settle in, because this one starts with a name that didn't stick. The community that would become Cedar Gap was first called Coates, named for an early settler by the name of Kem Coates.

Coates arrived in the 1870s, and it was on his land that the post office was later located. By the early 1880s, families from Robertson County had made their way out here and put down roots alongside him. A community was taking shape.

One of the first things those families did, the way folks out here tended to do, was organize a church. Cedar Gap Baptist Church came together not long after, with the Reverend G.C. Scott serving as its first pastor.

That church would remain a part of community life all the way until the 1970s. Now, a community needs a school too, and Cedar Gap had one, opening in the 1880s. For a time it met right there in the Baptist church building, which tells you something about how a small community makes do.

By 1898, the school had moved into its own structure. Then it moved again in 1908. Then again in 1916, each time to accommodate the growing number of students pouring in.

Eventually, in 1948, the school consolidated with the Tuscola district. Cedar Gap also had a blacksmith shop, a general store, a cotton gin, and a Woodmen of the World Lodge, number 2184. That is a full community right there.

Transportation shaped Cedar Gap in a real way. The community was first served by the Cedar Gap Pike, later known as County Road 127, a stagecoach route running from Abilene south to Content. Then came the Abilene and Southern Railway.

Built in 1909, that railway ran from Abilene to San Angelo, and it passed right through Cedar Gap. The company put up a frame waiting station there, and contractors hired area residents to help build the railroad itself. Cedar Gap wasn't just watching progress roll through.

It was part of building it. Today, what remains is the Cedar Gap Cemetery, located near the site of that old church, its graves belonging to the early settlers who built all of this. The church is gone.

The school is gone. The stagecoach route is a county road now. But those graves are still there, quiet and keeping the story.

What the marker says

Originally named Coates for early settler Kem Coates, Cedar Gap community formed in the late 19th century. Coates, on whose land the post office was later located, arrived in the 1870s, and by the early 1880s, a number of families from Robertson County settled here. Residents soon organized Cedar Gap Baptist Church, which remained in existence until the 1970s. The Rev. G.c. Scott served as the first pastor. Cedar Gap grew as transportation improved. First served by the Cedar Gap Pike (later County Road 127), a stagecoach route running from Abilene South to Content, the community developed further as the Abilene & Southern Railway reached the area. Built in 1909, the railway ran from Abilene to San Angelo, passing through Cedar Gap, where the company constructed a frame waiting station. Contractors employed area residents to help build the railroad. Life in Cedar Gap revolved around a number of other institutions, including a school, which opened in the 1880s and first met in the Baptist church building before moving into its own structure in 1898. In the early 20th century, as the community grew, the school moved two more times, in 1908 and 1916, to accommodate the large number of students, eventually consolidating with the Tuscola district in 1948. Other community establishments included a blacksmith shop, general store, cotton gin and woodmen of the world lodge (no. 2184). Today, Cedar Gap Cemetery, located near the former church site and containing graves of early area settlers, serves as a reminder of this once-vibrant community.