Alleyton is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in central

Colorado County Colorado County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 20,557. Its county seat is Columbus. It is named for the Colorado River of Texas. The county was founded in 1836 and organized the next ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. According to the

Handbook of Texas The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is an American nonprofit educational and research organization dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, United States, on March 2, 1897. In November 2008, the ...

, the community had a population of 165 in 2000.

History

Once the location of an ancient Indian camp, Rawson Alley established the community in 1821. His brothers Abraham, John C., Thomas V., and William A. Alley Jr. followed in 1822. William gave land for the right-of-way and the construction of stores, a roundhouse, a station, and loading facilities in 1859. He also arranged for the

Buffalo Bayou, Brazos, and Colorado Railway The Buffalo Bayou, Brazos, and Colorado Railway (B.B.B.C. or B.B.B. & C.), also called the Harrisburg Road or Harrisburg Railroad, was the first operating railroad in Texas. It completed its first segment of track between Harrisburg, Texas (now a ...

to be extended to his property. After the town was surveyed, all of the city lots—apart from one set aside for William Alley's residence—were put up for public auction. The railroad and William Alley split the earnings of the deal evenly. When the railroad to Alleyton was finished in 1860, the town became the endpoint of the state's southernmost railroad. Alleyton became Colorado County's biggest and busiest town. In 1860, a post office was opened there. Alleyton marked the start of the "cotton road," which allowed cotton to be transported by wagon train from Texas to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, avoiding the Union blockade of Texas ports. Military and civilian supplies were transported back by wagon trains, and they were subsequently railroaded to the other

Confederate states The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States from 1861 to 1865. It comprised eleven U.S. states th ...

. The

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

was crossed following the war, and the railroad was extended to Columbus, the county seat, and other western locations. Although Alleyton's significance as a rail hub decreased, it remained significant as the hub for supplies in a densely populated agricultural region. The village had two churches, five general stores, a drugstore, a saloon, and 200 residents as of 1890. The population was estimated to be 320 in 1896, but by 1914, it had decreased. Even until the 1940s, it stayed at 200. During the first part of the 20th century, Alleyton's main agricultural products were

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

, with minor emphasis on

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

, and

pecan The pecan ( , , ; ''Carya illinoinensis'') is a species of hickory native to the Southern United States and northern Mexico in the region of the Mississippi River. The tree is cultivated for its seed primarily in the U.S. states of Georgia ( ...

s. Large-scale

strip mining Surface mining, including strip mining, open-pit mining and mountaintop removal mining, is a broad category of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit (the overburden) are removed, in contrast to underground mining, in which ...

activities along the river that removed gravel caused the construction of numerous lakes that are famous fishing spots in the area as well as the destruction of some productive farming and grazing land. During the 1950s, Alleyton's population had dropped to about 125 due to the growing usage of synthetic clothing during the post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

era and more government regulation of cotton production. The town had 65 residents in 1986. There were six companies in the area, including an auto salvage yard, a

welding Welding is a fabrication (metal), fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, primarily by using high temperature to melting, melt the parts together and allow them to cool, causing Fusion welding, fusion. Co ...

and well-drilling service, and a few entertainment venues. Its population was recorded as 165 in 2000.

Geography

Alleyton is located on the east bank of the Colorado River and Farm to Market Road 102 between

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...

and the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...

's main line, east of

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...

in central Colorado County. It used to be on

Texas State Highway 73 State Highway 73 (SH 73) is a Texas state highway that runs from Winnie through Port Arthur to near Orange. In September 2008, Hurricane Ike forced the closure of SH 73. Among other road debris left by the storm were two 20 ...

Education

Alleyton had its own school in 1890. Today, Alleyton is served by the

Columbus Independent School District Columbus Independent School District is a public school district based in Columbus, Texas ( USA). Columbus ISD serves the northern portion of Colorado County, including the city of Columbus and the communities of Frelsburg and Rock Island as ...

Notable people

Shelly Lee Alley Shelly Lee Alley (July 6, 1894 – June 1, 1964) was an American singer, musician, songwriter and western swing bandleader. As a songwriter, Alley wrote "Travelin' Blues" for Jimmie Rodgers, a song which has been recorded by over 20 artists, incl ...

, musician and songwriter * Joseph J. Mansfield, member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

. * Mose Bozier, who was lynched here on May 20, 1922, for assaulting a white woman.

Gallery

File:Alleyton TX Sign FM 102.JPG, Alleyton road sign on FM 102 looking north File:Alleyton TX Historical Marker.JPG, Historical marker explains the town's role in the US Civil War

References