Bastrop County
Bastrop County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in Central Texas and its county seat is Bastrop.
As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,216. Bastrop County is included in the Austin–Round Rock, Texas, metropolita ...
, Texas, United States. The town is one of 17 communities named Salem in the state. It is located within the
Greater Austin
The Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos metropolitan statistical area (or Greater Austin) is a five-county metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Texas, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget. The metropolitan area is situated in Ce ...
metropolitan area.
History
Originally called St. Philip's Colony, the agricultural community was first populated by slaves freed following the Civil War. Since it was paired with the white town of Jeddo, it is unclear how many people lived in Salem. St. Philip's Church and several houses were already in existence when the school was built. The religious denomination of the church is unknown. St. Philips Church and several houses have marked Salem on county maps from the 1940s to the 2010s, but no population estimates are available.
Geography
Salem is located northwest of Jeddo in southern Bastrop County. It is also located 25 miles south of the town of Bastrop and 50 miles southeast of
Austin
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
.
Education
A two-room, one-teacher schoolhouse for 29 children was constructed in 1881. In 1905, the school had 55 students. It merged with the Jeddo district when the county instituted a school district system in 1907. The ruins of the old school still exist. Today, the community is served by the
Smithville Independent School District
Smithville Independent School District is a public school district based in Smithville, Texas (USA).
Located in Bastrop County, in which it serves Smithville and Rosanky, a small portion of the district extends into Fayette County.
In 2009, ...