Moffat, Texas
Encyclopedia
Moffat is a small unincorporated community
in Bell County
, Texas
, United States
. It is part of the Killeen
–Temple
–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
Moffat is west of State Highway 36 and eight miles northwest of Temple in northern Bell County. The community was founded by Amelia Vancil and Chauncey Warren Moffet in February 1857. A store, built by William Elisha Pruett in the late 1860s, served as main social focus for area residents for several years. The community has been referred to by several names-Moffattown, Moffatsville, Mount Green, and Gandertown-but Moffat was chosen as the official name when a post office opened there in 1872. By the mid-1880s Moffat had a district school and three churches as well as a steam gristmill and cotton gin and a variety of other businesses to serve its 200 residents.
Cotton, cottonseed, and pecans were the area's principal shipments. The Moffat community reached a peak population in 1890, when it reported 350 residents. By 1900 its population had fallen to 147. The post office at Moffat was discontinued in 1918, and mail for the community was sent to Bland; the office opened again from February 1925 to December 1926, after which local mail was sent to Belton. From the late 1940s through the mid-1980s the population of Moffat was reported at seventy-five to 100 residents. The school at Moffat closed in 1974, and local students began attending classes within the Belton Independent School District. Moffat had 150 residents in 1990 and 2000. A Texas historical marker has been placed on State Highway 36 ten miles west of Temple to commemorate the community.
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 Bell County
Bell County, Texas
Bell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Bell County was founded in 1850. It is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2000, the county's population was 237,974; in 2010 the U.S. Census Bureau reported that its population had reached...
, 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 part of the Killeen
Killeen, Texas
Killeen is a city in Bell County, Texas, The United States. The population was 86,911 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, Killeen had 119,510 people. In 2010 Killeen's population shot to 127,921...
–Temple
Temple, Texas
Temple is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. Located near the county seat of Belton, Temple lies in the region referred to as Central Texas. Located off Interstate 35, Temple is 65 miles north of Austin and 34 miles south of Waco. In the 2010 Census, Temple's population was 66,102, an...
–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area
Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood metropolitan area
The Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in Central Texas that covers three counties - Bell, Coryell, and Lampasas...
.
Moffat is west of State Highway 36 and eight miles northwest of Temple in northern Bell County. The community was founded by Amelia Vancil and Chauncey Warren Moffet in February 1857. A store, built by William Elisha Pruett in the late 1860s, served as main social focus for area residents for several years. The community has been referred to by several names-Moffattown, Moffatsville, Mount Green, and Gandertown-but Moffat was chosen as the official name when a post office opened there in 1872. By the mid-1880s Moffat had a district school and three churches as well as a steam gristmill and cotton gin and a variety of other businesses to serve its 200 residents.
Cotton, cottonseed, and pecans were the area's principal shipments. The Moffat community reached a peak population in 1890, when it reported 350 residents. By 1900 its population had fallen to 147. The post office at Moffat was discontinued in 1918, and mail for the community was sent to Bland; the office opened again from February 1925 to December 1926, after which local mail was sent to Belton. From the late 1940s through the mid-1980s the population of Moffat was reported at seventy-five to 100 residents. The school at Moffat closed in 1974, and local students began attending classes within the Belton Independent School District. Moffat had 150 residents in 1990 and 2000. A Texas historical marker has been placed on State Highway 36 ten miles west of Temple to commemorate the community.