Lone Stars: Chappell Hill, Texas

Old Town Chappell Hill today
(photo by S. Braswell of Spring, Texas)
Located roughly halfway between Austin and Houston, Chappell Hill was founded in 1847 on 100 acres owned by a woman. (Texas granted women extraordinary rights for the time.) Mary Haller and her husband Jacob built a stagecoach inn on the site -- at the junction of two major stagecoach lines -- and soon other folks from the Deep South migrated to the area and planted cotton, for which the climate and soil were perfectly suited.

By 1856, the population had risen to 3,000 people and the town included a sawmill, five churches, and a Masonic Lodge, in addition to two of the first colleges in the state -- one for men and another for women. A railroad line followed soon after.

During the War of Northern Aggression (otherwise known as the American Civil War), the men of Chappell Hill served in both Hood's Texas Brigade (infantry) and Terry's Texas Rangers (cavalry). Two years after the war ended, in 1867, many of the Chappell Hill men who survived the war perished in a yellow fever epidemic that decimated the town and the rest of the area around the Brazos River.
Longhorn relaxing in the bluebonnets near Chappell Hill

Chappell Hill never recovered, plunging from one of the largest, most vibrant communities in the state to little more than a memory.

Today, Chappell Hill is one of the best historically preserved towns in Texas. Main Street is listed as a National Register Historic District by the National Register of Historic Places; restored homes, churches, businesses and the Stagecoach Inn offer tours to tourists. If you're ever in the area, it's worth a visit.

4 comments :

  1. Devon MatthewsJune 24, 2012 at 9:41 PM

    Talk about a walk down memory lane... I LOVED Chappell Hill. Wonder if the old bank is still there. People used to make deposits and payments by slipping them underneath the front door when the bank was closed. We used to drive over there quite often to eat in one particular restaurant. Can't remember the name of the place now because it was 30 yrs. ago, but it was owned by a pretty famous ball player, and I can't remember his name either. Whatever you ordered in the side dish line, like say mashed potatoes, they brought out an entire bowl like you would have at home. It held enough to serve everyone at the table. The food and atmosphere were wonderful. I lived halfway between Tomball and Conroe and the drive over to Chappell Hill was half the attraction. When the bluebonnets were in bloom, the countryside was literally covered and seemed to go on forever. Beautiful country. Thanks for posting this!

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  2. UnknownJune 25, 2012 at 7:50 AM

    There's nothing quite like a small town, is there, Devon? I didn' know you lived in Texas at one time. No wonder your western historicals are so vivid. The area you lived in is beautiful still, if you can get far enough from Conroe to avoid the traffic. :-)

    Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Cindy Nord July 1, 2012 at 12:57 PM

    Wonderful article. This ol' Yankee hates to admit this, but...Texas is startin' to (gasp) grow on me. ;-P

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  4. UnknownJuly 1, 2012 at 1:40 PM

    OMG. What is the world coming to when a Yankee starts to think fondly of Texas? ;-)

    Thanks for the kind words, Owl. You're welcome in Texas anytime.

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