City of Rogers
Rogers, Bell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Cotton boom town in 19th century. Founded 1881; named for John D. Rogers, Santa Fe Railroad official. By 1884 had post office, stores; at peak had schools, churches, doctors, newspaper, 3 banks, 6 gins, many businesses. From here came four Bell County sheriffs, including first one, William Reed. (1971)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Founded in 1881 and named for Santa Fe Railroad official John D. Rogers, this Bell County town rode the great Central Texas cotton boom. Within a few years it had a post office and stores, and at its peak boasted schools, churches, a newspaper, three banks, and six cotton gins. Among its native sons were four Bell County sheriffs, including the county's first, William Reed.
Why it matters
Rogers captures the railroad-and-cotton economy that briefly turned dozens of Texas prairie crossroads into bustling boom towns in the late nineteenth century.
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Related people
- · John D. Rogers
- · William Reed
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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Founded in 1834 by settlers of the Sterling Robertson colony, Reed's Lake was the earliest settlement in Bell County, established while Texas was still part of Mexico. It took its name from the family of John Burnett Reed, who in 1859 built a large house that still stands, added a cotton gin, and donated land for a school and cemetery. The settlement anchored the surrounding countryside as Anglo colonization pushed into central Texas.
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