Angelita (Littlest Angel)
Odem, San Patricio County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Angelita was one of several rural communities which grew up in San Patricio County after the Civil War. A schoolhouse was erected in the 1880s and was the center of community life. After the arrival of the St. Louis, Brownsville, and Mexico Railroad in 1904, a town was platted and businesses were established. The railroad station at Angelita provided a shipping point for agricultural products and cattle from nearby farms and ranches. The relocation of the post office and school to Odem in 1916 caused the town of Angelita to decline and eventually vanish. (1988)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Angelita was one of several rural communities that sprang up in San Patricio County after the Civil War, its 1880s schoolhouse serving as the heart of local life. When the St. Louis, Brownsville, and Mexico Railroad arrived in 1904, a town was platted and its depot became a shipping point for cattle and crops. But when the post office and school moved to nearby Odem in 1916, Angelita dwindled and finally disappeared.
Why it matters
Angelita's brief rise and fall shows how the railroad—and its rerouting—made and unmade countless small towns across rural America.
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Themes & tags
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