Mt. Gainer

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Mt. Gainer, out there in Hays County. Now settle in, because this one starts with a single man and 320 acres, and it grows into something worth remembering.

Joseph P. Gainer, known to everyone around as Grandpa Gainer, came to this part of Texas in 1858 and put down roots on 320 acres of land about three miles north of where that marker stands today. His land held the highest point in the whole area, and folks did what folks do.

They named it after him. Mt. Gainer.

And then, almost as if the land itself had plans, a community started rising up along the south fork of Onion Creek, carrying that same name. By 1877, Mt. Gainer was showing up on county maps, which is about as official as it gets in those days.

That same year, a post office opened. It closed two years later, which tells you something about how hard this country could be, but also tells you the community didn't quit just because the mail stopped coming. Come the early years of the twentieth century, Mt.

Gainer had filled out considerably. Two general stores. A gristmill.

A molasses mill. A Methodist congregation. And a Baptist church that got itself established in 1907.

In 1906, the settlers pooled their determination and erected a one-room schoolhouse on land donated by a resident named Charlie Seal. That little building carried more than one purpose. It was a place for worship, for education, for social gatherings, the kind of building a small community leans on for just about everything.

Then in 1908, a farmer's union formed, aimed at pushing the area forward, and that union wove itself right into the social fabric of the place. By 1921, a two-room school had gone up, and it expanded quickly. A staff of three kept on teaching the children of Mt.

Gainer until 1944, when the Mt. Gainer School District was consolidated with the Dripping Springs schools. That's how these small communities often end their run, not with a bang, but with a quiet merge into something larger.

By 1998, what remained of that once thriving village was a school cistern, some steps, a teacherage, native rock fences, and a few buildings sitting on private land. Grandpa Gainer settled 320 acres and put his name on a hillside. A whole community grew up around it, lived hard and full, and then faded down to stone and memory.

That high point on his land is still out there, still called Mt. Gainer, and now you know why it matters.

What the marker says

Pioneer rancher Joseph P. Gainer, known as Grandpa Gainer, settled 320 acres of land approximately three miles north of this site in 1858. The highest point in the area, located on Gainer's land, was called Mt. Gainer. A small farming and ranching community also called Mt. Gainer evolved along the south fork of Onion Creek. The name Mt. Gainer appeared on county maps as early as 1877. At that time a post office was opened; it closed two years later. In the early years of the twentieth century, the village included two general stores, a gristmill, a molasses mill, a Methodist congregation, and a Baptist church established in 1907. A one-room schoolhouse was erected through the efforts of area settlers in 1906 on land donated by resident Charlie Seal. In 1908 a farmer's union was formed to promote further development of the area. The union played a significant role in the social life of the community; the school building provided a place for worship, education, and social gatherings. A two-room school erected in 1921 quickly expanded. A staff of three taught area children until 1944 when the Mt. Gainer School District was consolidated with Dripping Springs schools. In 1998, the school cistern and steps, a teacherage, native rock fences, and a few buildings on private land were all that remained of this once thriving village. (1998)