Sargent, Texas
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Sargent is a small
unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
located in the eastern corner of Matagorda County,
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, United States. Sargent is a fishing, boating, and water sports community with a variable population, as most of its inhabitants are weekend commuters from larger cities such as
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
,
Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...
, and
San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
. Sargent is on
Farm to Market Road 457 A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...
, five miles northwest of the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...
and twenty-four miles southeast of Bay City, in the eastern corner of Matagorda County. Approximately 501 permanent residents live in the Sargent area, while on holiday weekends the population may swell to as high as 5,000. The Sargent area, with its proximity to the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...
, East
Matagorda Bay Matagorda Bay () is a large Gulf of Mexico bay on the Texas coast, lying in Calhoun and Matagorda counties and located approximately northeast of Corpus Christi, east-southeast of San Antonio, south-southwest of Houston, and south-southea ...
, the
Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a Navigability, inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, the ...
, and Caney Creek, is home base to many commercial and sport fisherman and shrimpers.
Red drum The red drum (''Sciaenops ocellatus''), also known as redfish, channel bass, puppy drum, spottail bass, or simply red, is a game fish found in the Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to northern Mexi ...
(aka Redfish),
Spotted Seatrout Spotted seatrout (''Cynoscion nebulosus''), also known as speckled trout, is a common estuarine fish found in the southern United States along coasts of Gulf of Mexico and the coastal Atlantic Ocean from Maryland to Florida. While most of these ...
(aka Speckled Trout), Flounder,
Blue Crab Blue crab may refer to: * Blue Crab 11, an American sailboat design * ''Callinectes sapidus ''Callinectes sapidus'' (from the Ancient Greek language, Ancient Greek ,"beautiful" + , "swimmer", and Latin , "savory"), the blue crab, Atlantic blue ...
and
shrimp A shrimp (: shrimp (American English, US) or shrimps (British English, UK)) is a crustacean with an elongated body and a primarily Aquatic locomotion, swimming mode of locomotion – typically Decapods belonging to the Caridea or Dendrobranchi ...
are among the local favorites. In addition to the local fishing, one of the unique appeals of Sargent is that many of the homesites are waterfront. Several developments, such as Caney Creek Estates, became established in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Following the widespread damage caused by
Hurricane Carla Hurricane Carla was the most intense tropical cyclone landfall in Texas in the 20th century. The third named storm of the 1961 Atlantic hurricane season, Carla developed from an area of squall, squally weather in the southwestern Caribbean Sea ...
in 1961, other developments such as Downey's Caney Creek, Caney Court, and Caney Creek Haven were established, including new waterfront lots created by the digging of manmade canals off Caney Creek and the
Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a Navigability, inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, the ...
. Many waterfront lots were originally sold as campsites. Much of Sargent still has a fishing camp influence with many
recreational vehicles A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans (also known as travel trailers and camp ...
present, although the majority of developed homesites now have permanent dwellings. Also prevalent are the many private wooden piers and docks, where modern recreational watercraft can be docked. Most piers also have electric fishing lights that allow night fishing, particularly during the colder months where
Spotted Seatrout Spotted seatrout (''Cynoscion nebulosus''), also known as speckled trout, is a common estuarine fish found in the southern United States along coasts of Gulf of Mexico and the coastal Atlantic Ocean from Maryland to Florida. While most of these ...
are known to feed as they migrate inland. Sargent Beach, where multiple rows of beach houses in the 1960s eventually succumbed to continual
coastal erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of Wind wave, waves, Ocean current, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts ...
, has received more attention to preserve what remains of this relatively narrow island bordered by the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...
, the
Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a Navigability, inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, the ...
, Mitchell's Cut into East
Matagorda Bay Matagorda Bay () is a large Gulf of Mexico bay on the Texas coast, lying in Calhoun and Matagorda counties and located approximately northeast of Corpus Christi, east-southeast of San Antonio, south-southwest of Houston, and south-southea ...
, and the
San Bernard River The San Bernard River is a river in Texas. Course San Bernard River flows from a spring near New Ulm, Texas to its mouth on the Gulf of Mexico, some to the southeast of the source. It passes through portions of Austin, Brazoria, Colorado, ...
far to the east.


History

Sargent was named for George Thomas Sargent. Sargent and his family relocated to Texas from England in 1834, and established a permanent residence in Matagorda County in 1838, quickly becoming a major land owner in the area. Sargent and his daughter-in-law, Sarah Ann, drowned in a hurricane in 1875. They are buried in a small family cemetery located in Caney Creek Estates and maintained by local residents. The site was awarded a
historical marker A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, bearing text or an image in relief, or both, ...
by the
Texas Historical Commission The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the U.S. state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas. The commission also identifies Recorded Texas Histor ...
in 1986.


Geography


Mitchell's Cut

Mitchell's Cut is basically the continuation of Caney Creek. Caney Creek is almost long enough to be a river and has often had brackish water, even a few miles inland. The "Pass" runs into the gulf and is 1/4 mile down the cut, past the entrance to East Matagorda Bay. The "cut" is a favorite fishing site for families, and anglers. Many favorite local boat park onshore, anchor and wade in various fishing spots are in this area, such as "Leroy's Hole." Occasionally, an incoming blue ocean current will run into the pass at the beach-front for excellent fishing. The cut also allows boat passage to the gulf for offshore fishing and shrimping, and is vital to the live bait and shrimp sales for the community. The "Cut" (known as the Caney Creek Gulf Cut, or Mitchell's Cut) is the only pass from Freeport to Matagorda and has obvious importance to East
Matagorda Bay Matagorda Bay () is a large Gulf of Mexico bay on the Texas coast, lying in Calhoun and Matagorda counties and located approximately northeast of Corpus Christi, east-southeast of San Antonio, south-southwest of Houston, and south-southea ...
, Sargent, and the people who live in the general area. The shore line between Sargent's pass is a stretch of land between the gulf and East Matagorda Bay and part of the
Matagorda Peninsula The Matagorda Peninsula () is a narrow spit of land on the southeastern coast of Texas in the United States. The peninsula is in Matagorda County, Texas. The barrier island lies between Matagorda Bay, an estuary, and the Gulf of Mexico. The Te ...
. The pass allows for drainage of water from Caney Creek past the
Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a Navigability, inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, the ...
, into the gulf or East Matagorda Bay, especially in times of large rainfall in the
drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
s adjacent to Caney Creek. There are a multitude of shifting tides, water depth, and new sandbars throughout the year. A common problem is a sand bar that runs across the cut about 100 yards out and affects the bigger shrimp boats on a low tide. File:Sargent TX Caney Creek.jpg, Caney Creek looking downstream at Crab Trap Grill File:Sargent TX Caney Creek2.jpg, Caney Creek looking upstream at Hawkins Road bridge


Preservation and development

The most notable effort to protect Sargent Beach was obtaining funding for and completing development of a granite
breakwater Breakwater may refer to: * Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour Places * Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Breakwater Island, Antarctica * Breakwater Islands, Nunavut, Canada * ...
revetment A revetment in stream restoration, river engineering or coastal engineering is a facing of impact-resistant material (such as stone, concrete, sandbags, or wooden piles) applied to a bank or wall in order to absorb the energy of incoming water an ...
designed and installed by the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wor ...
in the early 1990s. This substructure is designed to help prevent
coastal erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of Wind wave, waves, Ocean current, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts ...
and protect inland homes from
storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...
in the event of a
tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
making
landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
near the area. In 2013, Coastal Technology Corporation from
Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
, in conjunction with the Conrad Blucher Institute of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, received two grants totalling $340,000 from the Port of Bay City Authority to study improving the pass. In early 2017, construction began on a pier built with concrete pilings extending into the Gulf at Sargent Beach. The pier project, first proposed in 2013, was funded by the federal Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) and administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The structure was originally designed to be a 10-foot wide pier, extending approximately 500 feet into the Gulf, terminating with a 140 foot wide T-Head. The pier surface was expected to be approximately 17.9 feet above mean low tide. On April 13, 2017, it was announced that construction of the Sargent Fishing Pier would be "temporarily halted", due to lack of funds. This funding cut resulted in the pier coming in short at approximately 180 feet, barely reaching the water at low tide, causing it to be affectionately dubbed by locals "Little Stubby."


Government

Sargent is an unincorporated community under Precinct 2 of Matagorda County. Sargent has a volunteer fire department, a branch of the Bay City Library, and a community post office. File:Sargent TX Volunteer Fire.jpg, Sargent Volunteer Fire Department is on FM 457. File:Sargent TX Library.jpg, Sargent Branch of the Bay City Library is on FM 457. File:Sargent TX Post Office.jpg, Sargent Community Post Office is in this building.


Demographics

Sargent first appeared as a
census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
in the 2020 U.S. Census.


2020 Census


Education

The community is within the Van Vleck Independent School District. The designated community college for Van Vleck ISD is
Wharton County Junior College Wharton County Junior College (WCJC) is a public community college with its main campus in Wharton, Texas. The college also has campuses in Richmond, Sugar Land, and Bay City. WCJC offers a range of postsecondary educational prog ...
.Texas Education Code Sec. 130.211. WHARTON COUNTY JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
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References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Matagorda County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Texas