Pierce 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 ...

Wharton County, Texas Wharton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 41,570. Its county seat is Wharton. The county was named for brothers William Harris Wharton and John Austin Wharton. Wharton County ...

, United States. The community is located along

U.S. Highway 59 U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA superhighway, NAFTA ...

in central Wharton County, between El Campo and

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 ...

. The town is named for

Abel Head "Shanghai" Pierce Abel Head Pierce (June 29, 1834 – December 26, 1900), known as Shanghai Pierce, was a Texas rancher. He was born in Little Compton, Rhode Island and was a direct descendant of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins, with nine generations in between. H ...

, an influential cattleman. Pierce had an estimated population of 49 in 2000.

History

Shanghai Pierce established the town as a tribute to himself and as an alternative place of business to nearby Wharton. Shanghai funded the construction of a fine hotel meant to anchor commerce and also attempted to have the county seat relocated from Wharton to the town of Pierce. Shanghai's efforts were in vain as the hotel eventually failed and the county seat remained in Wharton. Local folklore states that Shanghai's notorious reputation and local residents' disdain for him resulted in very few hotel patrons which led to the collapse of both hotel and eventually the town itself. In 1895 the name of the town was shortened to Pierce from its original name, Pierce's Station.

Geography

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Pierce has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Pierce, Texas
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Education

Public education in the community of Pierce is provided by the

El Campo Independent School District The El Campo Independent School District is a public school district based in El Campo, Texas, United States. The district serves El Campo as well as rural areas in central and south central Wharton County. In 2009, the school district was ra ...

and

Wharton Independent School District Wharton Independent School District is a public school district based in Wharton, Texas (USA). Wharton ISD's motto is "Preparing Today for a Competitive Tomorrow." Visit www.whartonisd.net for more information. In 2014, the Wharton Independent ...

. File:Pierce TX Post Office.JPG, Post Office File:Pierce TX Church.JPG, Church in Pierce File:Pierce TX Hotel Historic Marker.JPG, Historic marker at site of a former hotel

References

Unincorporated communities in Wharton County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Texas {{WhartonCountyTX-geo-stub