Town of Whitsett

Duane's take

Here's my telling of the official marker for the Town of Whitsett, as recorded by the Texas Historical Commission. Now pull over a spell, because this little stretch of Live Oak County has been busy longer than most folks realize. It starts, as so many Texas stories do, with the land itself.

What would become Whitsett sits on an 1835 land grant from Mexico to a man named John Houlihan. Long before any town, long before any railroad, this spot had something travelers and drovers needed more than anything else out on the brush country plain. Water.

And so, in the 1800s, this site became a camp. Cowboys pushing cross-country drives, cattle and hogs both, would stop right here to rest and water the herds before pressing on. Then came 1913, and everything changed.

The San Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf railroad was built through here, and a post office opened right alongside it. A town arose. It was named for the ranch family that donated the right of way and the townsite, the Whitsett family giving the ground so the place could exist at all.

And once those rails were laid, this little town got to work. Steers went out by the thousands to northern markets. Thousands.

But here is where Whitsett gets genuinely strange and genuinely famous. In 1924, a man named H.A. Coffey acquired one hundred and twenty-five bee colonies.

He bred queens and sold them, and word spread. International fame, the marker says, and it does not say that lightly. And if you think bees were the whole story, think again.

The area around Whitsett also holds oil production, uranium production, farming, horse and cattle ranching, rock and gem hunting, game hunting, and fishing. A water stop in the 1800s. A railroad town in 1913.

The bee queen capital with an international reputation by 1924. All of it sitting right on John Houlihan's old 1835 Mexican land grant. Some places just refuse to be only one thing.

What the marker says

Situated on 1835 land grant of Mexico to John Houlihan. At this site in 1800's was water and a camp for cross-country drives of cattle, hogs. Town arose in 1913 when San Antonio, Uvalde & Gulf railroad was built here and post office opened. Named for ranch family donating right of way and townsite. Soon shipped steers by thousands to northern markets. International fame began 1924 when H.A. Coffey acquired 125 bee colonies, bred and sold queens. Besides beekeeping, area has oil and uranium production; farming; horse and cattle ranching; rock-gems and game hunting; fishing.