Hackberry is an
unincorporated area
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 ...
that formerly held a distinct community in
Lavaca 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
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. It is located along
Farm to Market Road 532 (FM 532) eleven miles northeast of Hallettsville.
Its origins began in 1846 when Ludwig Von Neuhaus came from
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
to settle in Texas. He arrived at the midway point on the train from Houston and
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
. The town was named for a grove of nearby hackberry trees. Neuhaus farmed the property for several years and in 1853 opened esteem sawmill-gristmill. He added a cotton gin several years later. The town acquired a post office in 1862. A Methodist church was built in 1861 and doubled as a school until it burnt down in 1896. Neuhaus in 1865 had a general store, which he later rebuilt in 1880 as a two-story store. The iron shutters may have been used as a protection against bandits or Indians in the area. Since the closure, the store has become a local reminder of the rich history of the area on FM 532 and been mostly ransacked by looters. Now the area is scattered with descendants of Neuhaus and other Central European immigrants. Farming mostly consists of cattle grazing and hay production.
References
Ghost towns in South Texas
{{LavacaCountyTX-geo-stub