Prairie Lea 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 Caldwell County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

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. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had an estimated population of 255 in 2000. It is part of the Austin–

Round Rock Round Rock is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, in Williamson County, Texas, Williamson County (with a small part in Travis County, Texas, Travis County), which is a part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Its population is 119,468 as of ...

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History

The community, Caldwell County's oldest, was built on the 1820 land grant of Joe Martin of Gonzales. Sam Houston named the town for his future wife

Margaret Lea Houston Margaret Lea Houston (April 11, 1819 – December 3, 1867) was First Lady of the Republic of Texas during her husband Sam Houston's second term as President of the Republic of Texas. They met following the first of his two non-consecutive term ...

. Edmund Bellinger, a veteran of the

Battle of San Jacinto The Battle of San Jacinto ( es, Batalla de San Jacinto), fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day La Porte and Pasadena, Texas, was the final and decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Samuel Houston, the Texan Army engage ...

and

Battle of Plum Creek The Battle of Plum Creek was a clash between allied Tonkawa, militia, and Rangers of the Republic of Texas and a huge Comanche war party under Chief Buffalo Hump, which took place near Lockhart, Texas, on August 12, 1840, following the Great ...

, became Prairie Lea's first settler in 1839. Other early settlers were largely slave-holding families. Growth followed the establishment of a sawmill, gristmill, and gin by Thomas Mooney on the nearby San Marcos River. The remains of this dam can still be seen today. James Hugh Callihan opened the first store in the community in 1849. By 1853, there was a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

, two stores, and a post office in Prairie Lea. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, men from Prairie Lea served with

John Bell Hood John Bell Hood (June 1 or June 29, 1831 – August 30, 1879) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Although brave, Hood's impetuosity led to high losses among his troops as he moved up in rank. Bruce Catton wrote that "the de ...

Texas Brigade The Texas Brigade (also known as Hood's Brigade) was an infantry formation of the Confederate States Army, Confederate Army that distinguished itself in the American Civil War. Along with the Stonewall Brigade, they were considered the Confederate ...

and joined forces with an army in northern

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and took part in the ill-fated Sibley Campaign in New Mexico Territory. Members of that expedition who were either starving or stranded were brought back to their homes by a community committee that had organized wagons, mules, harnesses, food, and supplies for the mission in June 1862. A

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

called Mooney gristmill paid for other food supplies by a special county tax and donations to the families living in Caldwell County made destitute by the war. Hardship in the community was caused by reconstruction. Nothing could stop violence in the community, not even the stationing of troops nor appeals to the Freedmen's Bureau. Some families living in the community moved to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. Peace and prosperity did come back to the community by the 1870s, but an 1877 fire destroyed the community's business district, which contained 17 stores. By 1884, Prairie Lea had a population of 100 with gristmills, cotton gins, and two churches. It eventually shipped cotton. By 1914, the number of residents had grown to 350 and had three general stores and two blacksmith shops. Development of the nearby Luling oilfield during the 1920s caused an increase in Prairie Lea's population. During the latter half of the twentieth century, the population slowly declined. By 1990, Prairie Lea was home to 100 residents. That number had risen to 255 in 2000 with five small businesses and two churches operating in the community. Its population shrunk to 100 in 2010. Although Prairie Lea is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP Code of 78661. On September 18, 2018, an 18-year-old student was arrested and charged with making terroristic threats towards a student and Prairie Lea School, as well as evading arrest.

Geography

Prairie Lea is situated along State Highway 80 in southwestern Caldwell County, approximately six miles northwest of Luling and ten miles southwest of

Lockhart Lockhart may refer to: *Lockhart (surname) Places Australia *Lockhart, New South Wales *Lockhart River, Queensland *Lockhart River, Western Australia United States *Lockhart, Alabama *Lockhart, Florida *Lockhart, Minnesota *Lockhart, Sout ...

near the San Marcos River. The nearest major city is Austin, located 44 miles to the north. San Marcos is located 20 miles northeast.

Education

The community's first school was organized in a log cabin in 1848 and was used for church services as well. A

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

called Prairie Lea Academy was established by a

Masonic Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

order in 1852 and then a school for girls called Prairie Lea Female Institute opened in 1860. It had a school in 1853 and another school was built by the Grange in 1878. Another school was established in 1890. A five-room school building was constructed in 1925. Higher enrollment caused the school to add five new classrooms the following year. By the 1940s, students in nearby Fentress and Stairtown attended the school. It was still the focus of community life in 1990 and was classified as a cooperative educational effort. Today, Prairie Lea, including Fentress and Stairtown, are all served by the Prairie Lea Independent School District. There is only one campus, Prairie Lea School, and it serves students in grades Pre-kindergarten through twelfth. It is home to the Prairie Lea Indians.

Notable person

Scott H. Biram Scott H. Biram aka The Dirty Old One Man Band (born April 4, 1974) is an American blues, punk blues, punk, country, heavy metal musician, record producer, and ordained minister. He is primarily known as one of the prominent musicians of the o ...

, musician, was raised in the community.

Gallery

File:Prairie Lea TX ISD.jpg, Prairie Lea Independent School District building File:Prairie Lea TX Post Office.jpg, US Post Office in Prairie Lea File:Prairie Lea TX Civic Center.jpg, Tri-Community Civic Center building

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Caldwell County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Texas Greater Austin