Garwood
Garwood, Colorado County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Founded in 1901, the town of Garwood is located on land once occupied by Preston Gilbert, one of Stephen F. Austin's "Old 300" colonists, who acquired the acreage in 1827. In 1896, Marcus Hervy Townsend, Thomas A. Hill, and William Thomas Burford bought part of Gilbert's original league of land as a farming and ranching investment. By 1901, they had begun rice production, developed a canal and irrigation system, and platted a townsite on their land. Towsend was a lawyer and Texas legislator. Hill was a prominent merchant and banker, while Burford was a druggist and planter who served as Colorado County sheriff from 1898-1902. They named their town for Judge Hiram Morgan Garwood, a friend of Townsend who never lived in Garwood or in Colorado County. Streets and avenues were named for early area settlers, other friends of the founders, and for the founders themselves. From the town's inception, its economy has been based on rice production. The gravel industry, oil and gas production, and duck and goose hunting are also important businesses here. Throughout its history, the small community has been an important part of Colorado County's heritage.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Garwood sits on land granted in 1827 to Preston Gilbert, one of Stephen F. Austin's original "Old 300" colonists. In 1896 a lawyer-legislator, a merchant-banker, and a druggist-sheriff bought part of Gilbert's league as a farming venture, and by 1901 they had dug canals, launched rice production, and platted a town they named for a friend who never lived there. Rice has anchored the community's economy ever since, joined over the years by gravel, oil and gas, and waterfowl hunting.
Why it matters
Garwood's story traces the arc from an Austin-colony land grant to an irrigation-driven farm town, illustrating how railroads, canals, and cash crops built the rural Texas Gulf Coast.
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Related people
- · Preston Gilbert
- · Marcus Hervy Townsend
- · Hiram Morgan Garwood
Themes & tags
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