Greenvine 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 ...

in southwestern Washington County,

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 35 in 2000. It is located within the

Greater Houston Greater Houston, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land, is the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States, encompassing nine counties along the Gulf Co ...

metropolitan area.

History

The first German Baptist Church in Texas was established there in 1861 after J. Frank Kiefer, a German Baptist evangelist, led a revival there in 1860. When neighboring Vinegrove began to deteriorate, Greenvine, which had its own post office from 1879 until 1907, began to flourish. The community served as a supply hub for the nearby agricultural region by 1879. In that year, Greenvine businessman and farmer William Seidel found natural gas and used it as fuel for the first time in Texas. The community prospered thanks to

cotton Cotton 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 cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

production, processing, and agricultural trade. 300 people were living there in 1882, mostly

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

with a small minority of Anglo. Greenvine had a

Grange Grange may refer to: Buildings * Grange House, Scotland, built in 1564, and demolished in 1906 * Grange Estate, Pennsylvania, built in 1682 * Monastic grange, a farming estate belonging to a monastery Geography Australia * Grange, South Austral ...

store and a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

by 1884. The Greenvine Lutherans founded Emmanuel Church in 1884. The community's population had dropped to 150 by 1890. The settlement was home to the region's first five-and-dime store. In 1915, the Texas Lutheran Synod convened in Greenvine. By 1904, 182 people were living there, but the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

and county urbanization caused that number to decline to 100 by 1936. Six businesses existed in 1890 compared to fifteen, including a hotel. The three gins and the enterprises had been reduced to one store and one business by 1949. Greenvine reported a population of 35 between 1980 and 2000. Greenvine's Baptist and Lutheran churches provided for the community in the 1980s despite losing its business district status. There are two Texas historical markers there, one of which honors the first time natural gas was used as fuel and the other of which marks Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Geography

Greenvine is located on FM 2502 near Pond Creek, south of Burton and southwest of

Brenham Brenham ( ) is a city in east-central Texas in Washington County, United States, with a population of 17,369 according to the 2020 U.S. census. It is the county seat of Washington County. Washington County is known as the "Birthplace of Texas, ...

in southern Washington County.

Education

Greenvine had its own school in 1884. Since 1943, the community has been served by the

Burton Independent School District Burton Independent School District is a public school district based in Burton, Texas (USA). In 2009, the school district was rated " academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is the branch of ...

References

{{Washington County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Texas Unincorporated communities in Washington County, Texas