Peters, Texas

Peters, Texas
Unincorporated community
Peters, Texas

Location within the state of Texas

Coordinates: 29°51′36″N 96°11′12″W / 29.86000°N 96.18667°WCoordinates: 29°51′36″N 96°11′12″W / 29.86000°N 96.18667°W
Country United States
State Texas
County Austin
Elevation 169 ft (52 m)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 77474
Area code(s) 979

Peters is an Unincorporated community in Austin County in the U.S. state of Texas. No longer marked on maps, the tiny community is situated along State Highway 36 (SH 36) 5.8 miles (9.3 km) north of Sealy. The settlement was founded along a railroad line around 1880 but decreased in population after the 1920s. The BNSF Railway still exists but there are currently only a few homes, a Boy Scout camp and two churches in the immediate area.

Geography

The community of Peters is situated at 29°51′36″N 96°11′12″W / 29.86000°N 96.18667°W.[1] This location is 5.8 miles (9.3 km) north of Sealy and 7.7 miles (12.4 km) south of Bellville on SH 36 at Peters San Felipe Road. The location is bracketed by Farm to Market Road 949 which is 1.0 mile (1.6 km) north on SH 36 and Farm to Market Road 331 which is 1.6 miles (2.6 km) south. The BNSF Railway runs parallel with SH 36 between Sealy and Bellville. On the west side of SH 36, Peters San Felipe Road goes south-southwest 0.5 miles (0.8 km) to end at Trenckmann Road. On the east side of SH 36, Peters San Felipe Road heads 6.3 miles (10.1 km) southeast to San Felipe. Two places of worship, the All Around Cowboy Church and the Christian City Fellowship are on the east side of SH 36 just to the south of Trenckmann Road.[2] Camp Brosig, owned by the Boy Scouts of America, is located nearby at 1893 Trenckmann Road 1.6 miles (2.6 km) to the northwest of SH 36.[3]

History

Austin County was first settled by Anglo-Americans in the 1820s, but Peters did not come into existence until the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway was built between Sealy and Bellville in the 1880s. A station on the railroad, the community received a post office in 1883 and was named for Albert Peters, an early settler. The population reached as high as 125 in 1925 but declined to 70 by 1943. The post office closed in the 1940s at a time when there were two local businesses. In 1968 there were about 100 in the area. In the early 1980s the community boasted a hospital, three commercial establishments, a church and a clubhouse. From 1990 to 2000, there were approximately 95 persons living in the area.[4]

References

  1. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Peters, Texas
  2. ↑ Google (May 17, 2013). "Peters, Texas". Google Maps. Google. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Camp Brosig". Sam Houston Area Council. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
  4. ↑ Jackson, Charles Christopher. "Handbook of Texas Online: PETERS, TX". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved May 17, 2013.