Green Lake
Port Lavaca vicinity, Calhoun County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Named for the nearby tidal lake of the same name, the community of Green Lake began to develop in the late 1840s, although records indicate there were some settlers in the area before that time. A group of wealthy planters from Kentucky migrated to the area about 1849, along with their families and many slaves. They established extensive cotton plantations and built large and impressive homes. Early in its history, in 1851, a tornado struck the settlement, but miraculously caused little property damage and no injuries. A private school was established in 1852 and served children of the Green Lake and surrounding communities. The outbreak of the Civil War caused many changes in Green Lake. Following the U.S. surrender by General David Twiggs in 1861, Federal troops camped near here awaiting transport ships. With its agricultural economy based largely upon slave labor, Green Lake declined following the war when landowners, facing a labor shortage, began to leave the area. By 1875 most of the original settlers were gone. Although in existence a relatively short period of time, Green Lake contributed to the history of Calhoun County. (1988) Incising on reverse: Erected by Calhoun County Historical Commission, George Fred Rhodes, Chairman
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The community of Green Lake grew up beside its namesake tidal lake in the late 1840s, given fresh impetus around 1849 when wealthy Kentucky planters arrived with their families and enslaved workers to raise cotton. They built grand homes and a private school, but the Civil War upended everything: after Texas seceded, Federal troops camped nearby awaiting transport ships. With its economy resting on slave labor, Green Lake declined once the war ended and most original settlers had left by 1875.
Why it matters
Green Lake's brief rise and fall captures how thoroughly cotton and slavery, and then emancipation, remade the social order of the Gulf Coast plantation belt.
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