Hye is an

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 ...

in western Blanco 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. According to the

Handbook of Texas The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is an American nonprofit educational and research organization dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, United States, on March 2, 1897. In November 2008, the ...

, the community had a population of 105 in 2000.

History

The first settlers came to the area in 1860 when several farmers and ranchers moved to Rocky Creek, located three miles east of the community. It continued to grow when

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and Anglo settlers came to the area throughout the 1860s and 70s. Hiram ("Hye") G. Brown and his parents settled in the Rocky Creek area of Blanco County, circa 1872. He constructed a small store and house near the

Pedernales River The Pedernales River ( ) is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in Central Texas in the United States. It drains an area of the Edwards Plateau, flowing west to east across the Texas Hill Country west of Austin. The name "Ped ...

on the

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 ...

- Fredericksburg road. Brown was appointed postmaster upon getting a post office established in his store on April 17, 1886. The post office was named Hye for him. The establishment of the post office drew other businesses to the area, eventually bringing in a grist mill, a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

shop, and a cotton gin. In 1904, Brown erected a new building for the store and post office. In 1965, on the porch of the Hye post office,

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

swore in Lawrence F. O'Brien as

United States Postmaster General The United States postmaster general (PMG) is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The PMG is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency. The PMG is selected and appointed by ...

. Johnson's boyhood home is located nearby and is reported to be where he mailed his first letter at the post office when he was just four years old. The community's population was 200 during the 1920s and 30s, dropped to 50 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, grew to 90 in 1947, its zenith of 140 in 1968, and settled at 105 from 1970 through 2000. In 1966, the Hye General Store and Post Office was designated a

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the st ...

, marker number 2607. The

Garrison Brothers Distillery Garrison Brothers Distillery is a distillery in Hye, Texas. The distillery produces Texas Straight Bourbon, as well as some experimental variants. In 2006, the distillery was granted the first stiller's permit for bourbon outside of Kentucky and T ...

also operates in the community.

Geography

Hye lies along U.S. Route 290 near the Gillespie County line, west of Johnson City, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Blanco County. It is also located west of Austin and east of Fredericksburg.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Hye has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Hye, Texas
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Education

Hye is served by the

Johnson City Independent School District Johnson City Independent School District is a public school district based in Johnson City, Texas, Johnson City, Texas (United States, USA). Located in Blanco County, Texas, Blanco County, small portions of the district extend into Hays County, ...

References

External links