Cedar Gap Community
Abilene, Taylor County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Originally named Coates for early settler Kem Coates, Cedar Gap community formed in the late 19th century. Coates, on whose land the post office was later located, arrived in the 1870s, and by the early 1880s, a number of families from Robertson County settled here. Residents soon organized Cedar Gap Baptist Church, which remained in existence until the 1970s. The Rev. G.c. Scott served as the first pastor. Cedar Gap grew as transportation improved. First served by the Cedar Gap Pike (later County Road 127), a stagecoach route running from Abilene South to Content, the community developed further as the Abilene & Southern Railway reached the area. Built in 1909, the railway ran from Abilene to San Angelo, passing through Cedar Gap, where the company constructed a frame waiting station. Contractors employed area residents to help build the railroad. Life in Cedar Gap revolved around a number of other institutions, including a school, which opened in the 1880s and first met in the Baptist church building before moving into its own structure in 1898. In the early 20th century, as the community grew, the school moved two more times, in 1908 and 1916, to accommodate the large number of students, eventually consolidating with the Tuscola district in 1948. Other community establishments included a blacksmith shop, general store, cotton gin and woodmen of the world lodge (no. 2184). Today, Cedar Gap Cemetery, located near the former church site and containing graves of early area settlers, serves as a reminder of this once-vibrant community.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
First called Coates for early settler Kem Coates, the Cedar Gap community took shape in the late 1800s as families from Robertson County put down roots, organized a Baptist church, and opened a school. Transportation made the town: a stagecoach pike ran south from Abilene toward Content, and in 1909 the Abilene & Southern Railway pushed through on its way to San Angelo, its frame waiting station and construction jobs drawing more residents. A blacksmith, general store, cotton gin, and lodge rounded out its life before the school consolidated away in 1948 and the community faded to a cemetery.
Why it matters
Cedar Gap is a small-scale portrait of how rail lines and roads made and unmade hundreds of West Texas farm communities within a single lifetime.
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Themes & tags
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