Smithwick 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 Burnet County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, United States. It had a population of 52 in 2000.

History

Smithwick was formed from three smaller communities, Hickory Creek, Elm Grove, and Smithwick Mills, named after Noah Smithwick's mill on the Colorado River. Hickory Creek was established in the 1850s and had a church. A post office was established here in 1871 and remained in operation until 1926, after which mail was sent to the community from Marble Falls. Thomas A. Stinnett served as the postmaster. Its name changed to Smithwick in 1882. Its peak of prosperity was in the mid-1880s when it had a water-powered

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

, a church, and 150 inhabitants. Farmers in the area shipped

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

. When the Austin and Northwestern Railroad completed a track to Marble Falls in 1889, the community declined drastically. The population was 50 in 1890 and lost half of it two years later. It went up to 30 through the 1930s and 1940s. A church and several scattered houses marked Smithwick on county maps. It had a church, a cemetery, and a community center in the 1980s. Its population was 52 in 2000.

Geography

Smithwick is located on

Ranch to Market Road 1431 Ranch to Market Road 1431 (RM 1431) is a ranch to market road that connects Austin, Texas, to rural areas of Central Texas. Route description The western terminus of RM 1431 is in Llano County, at an intersection with SH 261 along t ...

eight miles east of Marble Falls.

Education

The Hickory Creek and Elm Grove communities had schools in the early 1850s. Elm Grove was described as a school community located near Post Oak Creek. The district kept the name Hickory Creek until the mid-1920s. The school continued to operate in the mid-1880s and was listed on county maps. It joined the

Marble Falls Independent School District Marble Falls Independent School District ("MFISD") is a school district based in the city of Marble Falls, in Burnet County, Texas, USA which is located in the heart of the Highland Lakes region of the Texas Hill Country. The district encompass ...

in 1951. The community continues to be served by the Marble Falls ISD today. Elementary kids attend Colt Elementary School.

Notable people

Dudley Meredith Cecil Dudley Meredith (January 16, 1935December 22, 1987) was a professional American football defensive end in the American Football League. He played six seasons for the Houston Oilers and the Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a prof ...

, American football player

References

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