Owensville, Texas
Encyclopedia
Owensville is a former community in Robertson County, Texas
, United States
. Owensville was located on Farm to Market Road 46 five miles northwest of Franklin
.
in 1855, and county records were moved from Wheelock
to the courthouse in Owensville in 1856. County officials named the Owensville after Harrison Owen, the first county clerk of Robertson County. A post office opened in Owensville along with the courthouse in 1856. Owensville quickly expanded and was the county seat through the Civil War
, but railroads in the region bypassed the community. During Reconstruction, county judge I.B. Ellison declared Calvert
the new county seat, and county records were moved from Owensville to Calvert in 1870. After Owensville lost the county seat, it rapidly declined. The post office closed in 1872, though it briefly reopened from 1895 to 1897. By 1990, all that remained in Owensville was a cemetery.
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...
. Owensville was located on Farm to Market Road 46 five miles northwest of Franklin
Franklin, Texas
Franklin is a city in Robertson County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,470 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Robertson County...
.
History
Owensville was chosen as the site of Robertson County's county seatCounty seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
in 1855, and county records were moved from Wheelock
Wheelock, Texas
Wheelock is an unincorporated community in Robertson County, Texas, United States. It is located 15 miles northeast of Bryan and 11 miles southeast of Franklin. Wheelock is located on Farm to Market Road 46 and Farm to Market Road 391...
to the courthouse in Owensville in 1856. County officials named the Owensville after Harrison Owen, the first county clerk of Robertson County. A post office opened in Owensville along with the courthouse in 1856. Owensville quickly expanded and was the county seat through the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, but railroads in the region bypassed the community. During Reconstruction, county judge I.B. Ellison declared Calvert
Calvert, Texas
Calvert is a city in Robertson County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,192 at the 2010 census, a 16.4% decline from the 2000 census. It is part of the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area.-Geography:...
the new county seat, and county records were moved from Owensville to Calvert in 1870. After Owensville lost the county seat, it rapidly declined. The post office closed in 1872, though it briefly reopened from 1895 to 1897. By 1990, all that remained in Owensville was a cemetery.