By Dr. Tommy Stringer
July 26, 2008 07:34 pm
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Texas towns get their names from a variety of sources. Some are named for prominent Texans such as Houston and Austin. Others are named for cities in other parts of the world such as Paris and Athens. Some settlers were so impressed with their new homes they gave them positive names such as Joy, Comfort, Utopia, and Happy, but there are other communities have names that hare hard to explain. For example, some are named for food products.
According to the Handbook of Texas, the community of Oatmeal is located in Burnet County in the Texas Hill Country. A family named Habermill settled in the vicinity around 1850 and may have provided the town’s unusual name. “Haber” is a German dialect word for oats. One other possibility for the name’s origin is that it is a perversion of the name of a Mr. Othneil, who owned a gristmill in the area. Fruit orchards, a cheese press, and cotton production provided the economic base for the community. Following the Civil War, a group of former slaves settled in Oatmeal, but by the 1920s the community had virtually disappeared. In recent years residents have implemented an Oatmeal Festival to commemorate the town’s history.
To add to the “oatmeal,” Texas has a community called Raisin. Located near Victoria, Raisin was established in 1889 as a stop on the Gulf, Western Texas, and Pacific Railroad on its route from Victoria to Goliad to Beeville. Originally called Lucy, the postal service requested a more “distinctive” name when locals applied for a post office. They submitted the name Raisin to acknowledge rancher J.K. Reeves efforts to grow grapes. Never more than a hamlet with a population of 50, Raisin was negatively impacted when the Southern Pacific Railroad discontinued its day service to the community.
Another “breakfast” town is Pancake, located near Gatesville. Founded it 1884, it was named for its first postmaster John Pancake. By the mid-1890s the population of Pancake reached 200, but various factors led to its ultimate demise. The 2000 census reported a population of 11.
A “vegetable” town is Okra located in Eastland County east of Abilene. It traces its beginnings to 1880 when settlers took advantage of land made available by the Southern Pacific Railroad as it expanded its line west across Texas. It was named for the prolific production of okra by area farmers. The 2000 census reported a population of 20.
Corn Hill is in Williamson County near Georgetown. The first settler was Judge John King who built a house that served as a stage stop on the route from Georgetown to Fort Gates.
By the mid-1880s there were 250 residents and that number expanded to 500 by 1910. The town began to decline when bypassed by the railroad.
Many residents and businesses relocated to nearby Jarrell, leaving Corn Hill virtually abandoned.
So Texas has towns to that recognize oatmeal, raisins, pancakes, okra, and corn. Of course, there is Orange in southeast Texas as well as Apple Springs near Lufkin. And the list goes on with food related names.
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Dr. Tommy Stringer is executive director of the Navarro College Foundation. His radio program, “Texas Legends,” airs at 6:55 a.m. weekdays on KAND Radio.
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