Delhi
Delhi, Caldwell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The earliest known permanent settlers in this area were Orrin L. and Susannah Winters and their extended family. By 1873, enough of a settlement existed to make application for a U. S. Post Office. Postal officials rejected the first name selected for the community, Iron Mountain, but accepted the second name, Delhi. According to local tradition, Delhi was the name of a traveling salesman who stayed in the area for a time dispensing patent medicines and providing entertainment for the settlers. John P. Reid served as first postmaster. The first store in Delhi was in operation by the early 1870s in the home of Daniel t. Winters. The Delhi community experienced some growth in the 1880s with the founding of two churches, a school, and two cotton gins. Over the years, additional businesses, including a blacksmith shop, casket shop, and a syrup mill have served the community. Although the post office closed in 1929 and the public school consolidated with the McMahan district in 1947, Delhi remains a strong rural community in eastern Caldwell county. Many of its residents are descendants of the town's pioneer families.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Orrin and Susannah Winters and their kin were the first known permanent settlers here, and by 1873 the community was large enough to seek a post office. Postal officials rejected the settlers' first choice, Iron Mountain, but accepted Delhi, said locally to honor a wandering patent-medicine salesman who once entertained the pioneers. Churches, a school, cotton gins, and assorted trades followed in the 1880s.
Why it matters
Delhi's story shows how rural Texas communities coalesced around a post office, a store, and a school, and how many endure as living neighborhoods long after the businesses that built them closed.
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Related people
- · Orrin L. Winters
- · Susannah Winters
- · John P. Reid
Themes & tags
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