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 ...
in
Matagorda County
Matagorda County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,255. Its county seat is Bay City, not to be confused with the larger Baytown in Harris and Chambers Counties. Matagorda County is ...
,
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. It is located at the intersection of FM 1728 and County Road 112. The community was established when a railroad was built through the area around 1900. It had a post office between 1910 and 1952 when it closed.
Geography
Ashwood is along FM 1728 about north of Bay City in northeastern Matagorda County.Caney Creek flows south on the west side of the community.
File:Ashwood TX Sign.jpg, Ashwood sign on FM 1728 near Bender Road
File:Ashwood TX Caney House.jpg, Caney House Weddings and Events on County 112
File:Ashwood TX Caney Creek.jpg, Rain-swollen Caney Creek at the County 112 bridge
Wharton Wharton may refer to:
Academic institutions
* Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
* Wharton County Junior College
* Paul R. Wharton High School
* Wharton Center for Performing Arts, at Michigan State University
Places
* Wharton, Ch ...
to Van Vleck. In its early days, ash logs were shipped from the settlement. In 1910, a post office opened and Mittie D. Hanson was postmaster. In 1914 there were 87 residents and the community had a general store and a mill. Annie M. Smith became the postmaster in 1916 and continued to hold the position until the post office was closed in 1952. Smith also operated the express office and the J. Fisher Smith Mercantile Store. In 1917 Ashwood had a one-room schoolhouse with four grades. In 1925 the population had grown to 200. By the mid-1930s there were two schools, a church, and one business in the community. In 1938 there was a school for African-American children with two teachers. Ashwood's population dropped to 100 in 1942 and to 20 by 1950. By 1967 there were 30 residents and by 2000 there were about 100.