String Prairie is an unincorporated community in

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. According to the

Handbook of Texas The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). History The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President Wal ...

, the community had a population of 125 in 2000. 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

Settlement of String Prairie began before the Civil War. A post office was established at String Prairie in 1886 and remained in operation until 1929, with George Zimmerman as the first postmaster. By 1890, the town had a general store, a

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 pharmacist. From 1890 to 1914, String Prairie's population rose from 25 to 400. With growth, the community added new businesses, including three blacksmith shops, grocery and drug stores, as well as a millinery establishment. Then and now, St. Mary's Catholic Church has been a hub of social life.String Prairie, Texas, Deb Dahlberg Rowland-Career Realtor in South Central Texas, http://www.debdahlbergrowland.com/2014/07/string-prairie-texas/ The population declined through the remainder of the decade and by 1930, had returned to only 25 individuals. However, following World War II, it increased to 50, in the late 1940s, and then to 75, in the late 1960s. Over the next 40 years, it grew to 125.

Geography

Located on

Texas State Highway 304 State Highway 304 (SH 304) is a Texas state highway that runs in a north–south direction between Bastrop and Gonzales, Texas, United States. The highway's current route was in place by 1938. Route description SH 304 begins at a junction with ...

, the town is southwest of Rosanky and 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 ...

. It is also located west of Bastrop.

Education

In 1924, residents built a one-teacher school using funds acquired through a fifty-cent school tax. 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, ...

References

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