Earliest History

Robert Morris Elgin, Houston and Texas Central Railroad, Radical Republicans, Texas Land Office

   The Texas Central Railway began construction of the line westward from Ross Station north of Waco in 1879.  By the winter of 1880, the line had reached Mount Airy Hill between present day Dublin and De Leon.  The Central paused there for a period while engineers determined the most efficient way to descend the hill.  On December 21, the dedication of the land for the town site of Mount Airy was entered into the the minutes of the Erath County Commissioners’ Court and town lots were sold on December 31.

    After designing a series of horizontal stair steps that lowered the rails over 200 feet from Mount Airy westward, the line reached present day Comyn in late March 1881.  The tracks reached what is now De Leon on April 10, 1881 but continued further westward toward present day Cisco without establishing a town. 

   The Central intended for Mount Airy to be its principal city between Waco and its ultimate terminus and on July 1, Mount Airy became the western most city on the Central to get telegraph service.  But Mount Airy had a problem, there was no source of well water in the area and much of west Texas was experiencing a drought in 1881.

     So after establishing Carbon and Cisco, the railroad returned to De Leon on July 7, 1881 and auctioned off town lots.  The broadsides advertised the sale would be at Coonerville Station. 

    The railroad officials arrived on a train from Mount Airy and tradition has been that the auction was conducted by Elgin from one of the railroad’s flatcars.  However, new evidence indicates that the railroad built a stand about where LaSalle Street or Comanche County Tractor stands today and the auction was conducted from that platform.

      About 100 people attended the sale.  The Comanche Chief reported that the sale brought in less than $1,000 with the highest lot selling for $112 and only nine lots were sold.  (One lot actually sold for $125.)

     Enthusiasm for buying lots in a new city may have been dampened by the fact that President Garfield had been shot only five days earlier on July 2.  He died on September 19. 

      The town was called Leon on many early maps due to its proximity to the Leon River, but the Post Office rejected that name as there was already a Leon in Leon County.  Railroad officials then submitted De Leon based primarily on their knowledge of Ponce de Leon.  Old Ponce has no ties to De Leon what-so-ever.  The river was named for Alonzo de Leon, the man sent by the Spanish government to destroy La Salle’s French settlement in Texas.

   Robert Morris Elgin, Land Commissioner for the Houston and Texas Central Railway auctioned the town lots in De Leon on July 7, 1881.

       Elgin (pronounced L-gin as in begin) was born in Tennessee in 1825 and came to Texas in 1841 in an ox drawn wagon during the days of the Republic. He initially served as  Deputy County Clerk of Washington County.

     During the Mexican War he served with the American forces under General Zachary Taylor.  Following the war, Elgin moved to Austin where he became Chief Clerk of the General Land Office.

     During the Civil War, he served with Company A, Texas Cavalry.  In 1865 when the Radical Republicans took control of the state, they expelled anyone who had previously held a state position.  Elgin then moved to Houston and assumed the duties of Land Commissioner for the Houston and Texas Central Railroad.  Over the years he became one of the leading citizen of Houston.    

   In 1872 when the Houston and Texas Central was constructing the first line into Austin, the city of Elgin was established just east of the Capitol City. 

      Numerous other Texas cities are named for officials of the Houston and Texas Central or the Texas Central itself.  Those cities and communities include Bremond, Kosse, Allen, Morgan, Comyn, Gorman, Cisco, and Hico. 


SALE OF LOTS

    Many reports exist that the first lot sold in De Leon was purchased by E.N. Waldrop, but his deed was apparently never recorded.  He purchased Lot 10 of Block 18 directly south of the present day depot. 

  The lots now covered by Comanche County Tractor. The lots directly across the street now covered by the brick peanut warehouse are all 25 foot wide lots that face the railroad rather than Texas Avenue.

  Waldrop, who immediately constructed a store and later the Star Hotel probably also bought several other lots to the west (perhaps Lots 7-9).

     A.L. Hamilton paid $125 for the corner lot occupied today by the building on which the Wall of Recall is painted (Lot 10 block 25).  He gave $75 cash and a one year note  for the remaining $50.

     F.M. Brown paid $25 cash and signed a $75 note for the lot on which Dr. Pino’s clinic was located (Lot 11 block 18). 

    William Lindley and F.E. Boniparte bought the corner lot on which De Leon Auto stands (Lot 12 block 18) for $112.50 with a $28 down payment and two notes for $42.50 each. 

    M.E. East and L.J. Tuggle jointly purchased a lot for $50.

     John Gorman the Mount Airy merchant and ultimately one of De Leon’s noted citizens purchased a lot for $50.  The Gorman lot as well as the lot purchased by East and Tuggle faced the railroad in the warehouse block (Block 10).

   The town plat of Mount Airy, Texas was drawn by Theo Kosse, the railroad’s engineer who also laid out De Leon.  Mount Airy, as laid out, was about twice the size of De Leon.

Plat is from the Erath County Commissioner’s Court Minutes.

Above: Robert M. Elgin in 1866. 

Photo taken at Lone Star Gallery in Galveston


Below:  Elgin in later years.