Howellville or Howell 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 ...

Harris County, Texas Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas; as of the 2020 census, the population was 4,731,145, making it the most populous county in Texas and the third most populous county in the United States. Its county seat is Houston, ...

, United States, which has been absorbed by

Greater Houston Greater Houston, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land, is the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States, encompassing nine counties along the Gulf Co ...

. The site is located at the intersection of Alief Clodine Road and Sugar Land Howell Road on the west side of

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

, approximately halfway between the original settlements of Clodine and

Alief Alief is a working-class suburb in Southwest Harris County, Texas, Harris County, Texas, United States. Most of Alief is within the city limits of Houston, while a portion of the community is in Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated ...

. There are no road signs identifying the place. The community began as a stop on a railroad line that no longer exists.

Geography

Howellville is located on Alief Clodine Road, east of

Texas State Highway 6 State Highway 6 (SH 6) runs from the Red River, the Texas–Oklahoma state line, to northwest of Galveston, where it is known as the Old Galveston Highway. In Sugar Land and Missouri City, it is known as Alvin-Sugarland Road and runs per ...

(SH 6). The

Westpark Tollway The Westpark Tollway, also Fort Bend Westpark Tollway, is a limited-access toll road in Texas, serving western Houston and Harris County, and northeastern Fort Bend County. Construction on the facility began in 2001 and portions of the road we ...

is on the north side and parallel with east-west running Alief Clodine Road. O'Donnell Middle School in

Alief Independent School District Alief Independent School District is a school district that is based in southwest Houston, Texas, United States. Alief ISD, which covers of land, covers a small portion of southwest Houston and parts of unincorporated Harris County. In Hous ...

is located on the southeast corner of the Alief Clodine Road and Sugar Land Howell Road intersection. The southwest corner is occupied by the Park Village Apartments. Hearne Elementary School is one block south of O'Donnell School. A few manufacturing businesses are located a short distance to the northeast on the north side of the tollway. An artificial lake, which is part of Brays Bayou, can be seen about to the north. The name Howell is preserved in two local roads. Sugar Land Howell Road (or Howell Sugar Land Road) begins at the site and extends south to Old Richmond Road in

Fort Bend County Fort Bend County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. The county was founded in 1837 and organized the next year. It is named for a blockhouse at a bend of the Brazos River. The community developed around the fort in early days. Th ...

. SH 6 is also called Addicks Howell Road through the area and almost as far north as Interstate 10 at the site of Addicks.

History

T. E. Howell founded a town about southwest of Houston which became a stop on the railroad. A 1919

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

map identified the site as Howell on the

San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway The San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway first began operation in the U.S. state of Texas in 1886. It was developed by Uriah Lott and businessmen of San Antonio as a direct route from the city to Aransas Bay on the Texas Gulf coast. It was eventual ...

. The settlement had a post office from 1920 to 1934. With the help of a drainage program, the land supported dairy farming and the raising of corn and rice. A population of around 36 persons lived in the area from the 1920s to the 1990s. A 1955 USGS map named the community Howellville and situated it on the

Texas and New Orleans Railroad The Texas and New Orleans Railroad was a railroad in Texas and Louisiana. It operated of railroad in 1934; by 1961, remained when it merged with parent company Southern Pacific. Location The Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad was a partl ...

. The 1982 USGS map identified the location as Howellville on the Southern Pacific Railroad. The Westpark Tollway was built on the Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way after the land was sold to the

Harris County Toll Road Authority The Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA, pronounced "HECK-trah") maintains and operates a toll road system in the Greater Houston area. Its headquarters are located in Houston's Fairbanks/Northwest Crossing neighborhood. History HCTRA came ...

Gallery

File:Howell from Clodine 1915 Quad.jpg, Howell is on a 1915 USGS map. The railroad is identified as the San Antonio and Aransas Pass while the road going north from the 85' benchmark (BM) is Addicks Road. File:Alief TX ODonnell Middle School.JPG, Ann Osterloh O'Donnell Middle School is at Alief-Clodine Road and Howell Sugar Land Road. The school is part of Alief Independent School District. File:Howellville TX from Clodine 1982 Quad.jpg, Howellville appears on a 1982 USGS map. State Highway 6 is the vertical red line at left while Alief-Clodine Road is the dashed red and white line from left to right.

References

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