Alum Creek is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Bastrop County Bastrop County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in Central Texas and its county seat is Bastrop. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,216. Bastrop County is included in the Austin–Round Rock, Texas, metropolita ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, United States. According to the

Handbook of Texas The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). History The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President Wal ...

, the community had a population of 70 in 2000. It is located within the

Greater Austin The Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos metropolitan statistical area (or Greater Austin) is a five-county metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Texas, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget. The metropolitan area is situated in Ce ...

metropolitan area.

History

Alum Creek was founded in 1829, one of the oldest communities in the county. Members of the Cottle, Highsmith, Craft, Parker, Grimes, Ridgeway, and White families (from

Stephen F. Austin Stephen Fuller Austin (November 3, 1793 – December 27, 1836) was an American-born empresario. Known as the "Father of Texas" and the founder of Anglo Texas,Hatch (1999), p. 43. he led the second and, ultimately, the successful colonization ...

's lower colonies) built a fort for protection against Native Americans near the mouth of the community's namesake creek. With the families locating cabins and farms nearby, the town expanded enough to have the land deeded for a campground and meetinghouse in 1846. James Craft previously owned the latter. A post office was established at Alum Creek in 1851 and remained in operation until 1898. By 1853, a local

Methodist Episcopal The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

church had been formed. Alum Creek's population of 200 in 1884 supported three mills, two general stores, a blacksmith, and a saloon. This boom ended abruptly and by 1896, the population dipped to 40. The community failed to maintain enough of a population to be included in twentieth-century population estimates and census counts. The community had a community club in the 1930s and had only a few scattered homes and country antique shops by the mid-1980s. At the 2000 census, the population of Alum Creek was seventy. Today, Alum Creek sustains several businesses, including ''A Place For Your Stuff'', a portable building manufacturer, and an unspecified store called ''Clutterbugs''.

Geography

Alum Creek is located about southeast of Bastrop, where

Texas State Highway 71 State Highway 71 (SH 71) is a Texas state highway that runs . The northern terminus is at US 87 and US 377 south of Brady and its southern terminus is at SH 35 near Blessing. This highway is designated the "10th Mountain Division Highway" from ...

crosses Alum Creek.

Education

A private school was established in the community in 1835 and remained operational until 1937. Today, the community is served by the

Smithville Independent School District Smithville Independent School District is a public school district based in Smithville, Texas (USA). Located in Bastrop County, in which it serves Smithville and Rosanky, a small portion of the district extends into Fayette County. In 2009, ...

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Bastrop County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Texas