Caps, Texas
Encyclopedia
Caps is an unincorporated community
in Taylor County
, Texas
, United States
. It is located southwest of Abilene
near the intersection of U.S. Highway 277
and FM 707
. The community is part of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
Caps was first settled in the early 1880s. The area was known as Border's Chapel until 1905. That year, residents gathered to select a new name for the community. A man reportedly threw his cap in the air and said, "Let's call it caps," and the idea was approved.
In 1935, Butterfield School was constructed between the communities of Caps and View
. The name was chosen in honor of the Butterfield Overland Mail
line, a semi-weekly mail and passenger stage service from St. Louis
, Missouri
, and Memphis
, Tennessee
, across northern Texas to San Francisco
, California
that operated from 1858 to 1861. The school opened in 1936 and served students in grades one through ten.
The opening of the Camp Barkeley
military installation in 1940 shifted area commercial activity to U.S. Highway 277. When it closed in 1945, the site became a commercial feedlot. Aircraft noise from Dyess Air Force Base
, which opened in 1953, forced two Caps community churches to move closer to Abilene.
In 1978, Butterfield School consolidated with the Wylie Independent School District
. It remained operational until its closure at the end of the 2005-2006 school year. A dispute over territorial rights between the city of Abilene and the View-Caps Water Supply Corporation began in 1979 and became known as one of Abilene's longest legal battles.
Caps had a population of approximately 300 in 1985, up from 75 in 1965. A year later in 1986, the city of Abilene annexed a portion of the community, fifty of which were View-Caps water customers. As of 1990 and 2000, the community had a population of around 100 residents.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Taylor County
Taylor County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 126,555 people, 47,274 households, and 32,524 families residing in the county. The population density was 138 people per square mile . There were 52,056 housing units at an average density of 57 per square mile...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located southwest of Abilene
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
near the intersection of U.S. Highway 277
U.S. Route 277
U.S. Route 277 is a north–south United States Highway. It is a spur of U.S. Route 77. It runs for 633 miles across Oklahoma and Texas. US 277's northern terminus is in Newcastle, Oklahoma at Interstate 44, which is also the northern terminus of the H.E. Bailey Turnpike. Its southern...
and FM 707
Farm to Market Road 707
Farm to Market Road 707 runs from FM 1750 in Abilene, Texas to US 83 and US 277 in Anson, Texas. It runs to the west of Dyess Air Force Base.-Major intersections:* FM 1750* US 83/US 84* FM 89* US 277* Interstate 20/US 84* Business Loop 20* FM 605...
. The community is part of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area
Abilene metropolitan area
The Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in west central Texas that covers three counties—Taylor, Jones, and Callahan. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 160,245 .-Counties:*Callahan*Jones*Taylor-Places with 2,500 to 5,000 people:*Anson*Clyde*Dyess...
.
Caps was first settled in the early 1880s. The area was known as Border's Chapel until 1905. That year, residents gathered to select a new name for the community. A man reportedly threw his cap in the air and said, "Let's call it caps," and the idea was approved.
In 1935, Butterfield School was constructed between the communities of Caps and View
View, Texas
View is an unincorporated community in Taylor County, Texas, United States. It is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 277 and FM 1235, approximately thirteen miles southwest of Abilene...
. The name was chosen in honor of the Butterfield Overland Mail
Butterfield Overland Mail
The Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was a stagecoach route in the United States, operating from 1857 to 1861. It was a conduit for the U.S. mail from two eastern termini, Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri, meeting Fort Smith, Arkansas, and continuing through Indian Territory, New Mexico,...
line, a semi-weekly mail and passenger stage service from St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, and Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, across northern Texas to San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
that operated from 1858 to 1861. The school opened in 1936 and served students in grades one through ten.
The opening of the Camp Barkeley
Camp Barkeley
Camp Barkeley was a large United States Army training installation during World War II. The base was located eleven miles southwest of Abilene, Texas near what is now Dyess Air Force Base. The base was named after David B. Barkley, a Medal of Honor recipient during World War I...
military installation in 1940 shifted area commercial activity to U.S. Highway 277. When it closed in 1945, the site became a commercial feedlot. Aircraft noise from Dyess Air Force Base
Dyess Air Force Base
Dyess Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately southwest of Abilene, Texas.The host unit at Dyess is the 7th Bomb Wing assigned to the Air Combat Command Twelfth Air Force...
, which opened in 1953, forced two Caps community churches to move closer to Abilene.
In 1978, Butterfield School consolidated with the Wylie Independent School District
Wylie Independent School District (Taylor County, Texas)
The Wylie Independent School District is a public school district based in the far southern portion of Abilene, Texas, United States....
. It remained operational until its closure at the end of the 2005-2006 school year. A dispute over territorial rights between the city of Abilene and the View-Caps Water Supply Corporation began in 1979 and became known as one of Abilene's longest legal battles.
Caps had a population of approximately 300 in 1985, up from 75 in 1965. A year later in 1986, the city of Abilene annexed a portion of the community, fifty of which were View-Caps water customers. As of 1990 and 2000, the community had a population of around 100 residents.