return to website

Fentress ~ ca 1850

Early settlers of the 1850s and 1860s called the area Riverside, located on the San Marcos River near the intersection of State Highway 80 and FM 20, Riverside. By 1880, though, the community had become Fentress in honor of Dr. James Fentress who practiced medicine there for many years and who subsequently became a large landowner. A school was established in the 1870s and a post office in 1893. The area changed from ranching to cotton production, with a horse-drawn gin as one of the first in the area. Eventually three large gins were built near the river. Mr. A. R. Harwood, a local dairy man, laid water lines for domestic use, and in 1902 an electric system was developed. Fentress became well known as a resort for camping and swimming. A maple-floored skating rink was constructed in 1917. This old rink was moved to Lockhart a few years ago. By 1929, Fentress had a population of 500, that has declined considerably and today only a few businesses remain. However, crumbling brick walls along main street are still a reminder of early day prosperity.

Source - Plum Creek Almanac, Vol. 14, No. 1, Spring 1996 and Caldwell County Kin: The First 150 Years published by the Genealogical and Historical Society of Caldwell County, November 2000

The Plum Creek Almanac is a project of  The Genealogical and Historical Society of Caldwell County.

The Genealogical and Historical Society of Caldwell County Copyright © 1963-2019  
Updated 10/14/2019