Moffat is a small

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 Bell 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 part of the Killeen–

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

–

Fort Hood Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarters ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

History

The community was founded by Amelia Vancil and Chauncey Warren Moffet in February 1857 (the town was named after them but, at some point, misspelled). A store, built by William Elisha Pruett in the late 1860s, served as the main social focus for area residents for several years. The community has been referred to by several names: Moffattown, Moffatsville, Mount Green, and Gandertown; Moffat was chosen as the official name when a post office opened there in 1872. By the mid-1880s, Moffat had three churches as well as a steam

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

and

cotton gin A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); a ...

and a variety of other businesses to serve its 200 residents.Bell County Historical Commission, Story of Bell County, Texas (2 vols., Austin: Eakin Press, 1988). John J. Germann and Myron Janzen, Texas Post Offices by County (1986). Cotton, cottonseed, and pecans were the area's principal shipments. The Moffat community reached a peak population in 1890 when it reported 350 residents. By 1900, its population had fallen to 147. The post office at Moffat was discontinued in 1918, and mail for the community was sent to Bland; the office opened again from February 1925 to December 1926, after which local mail was sent to Belton. From the late 1940s through the mid-1980s, the population of Moffat was reported at seventy-five to 100 residents. Moffat had 150 residents in 1990 and 2000. A Texas historical marker has been placed on State Highway 36 west of

Temple, Texas Temple is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. As of 2020, the city has a population of 82,073 according to the U.S. census, and is one of the two principal cities in Bell County. Located near the county seat of Belton, Temple lies in t ...

, to commemorate the community. Chauncey Warren Moffet came to the area from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and was a union loyalist during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and was also a

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

soldier. He mysteriously disappeared after returning to the community in 1868. The community was platted by D.F. and Calista Wiswell. A local cemetery is also in use today.

Geography

Moffat is west of

Texas State Highway 36 State Highway 36 (SH 36) runs from Freeport to Abilene. It was designated as the 36th Division Memorial Highway between Cameron and Sealy by the Texas Legislature in 1985. History SH 36 was originally proposed on November 21, 1917, as a route ...

and northwest of

in northern Bell County.

Education

By the mid-1880s, Moffat had a district school. The school at Moffat closed in 1974, and local students began attending classes within the

Belton Independent School District Belton Independent School District is a public school district based in Belton, Texas (USA). Finances As of the 2010–2011 school year, the appraised valuation of property in the district was $1,975,956,000. The maintenance tax rate was $0.11 ...

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Bell County, Texas Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood metropolitan area Unincorporated communities in Texas Populated places established in 1857 1857 establishments in Texas