Marcelina Community
Floresville, Wilson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Located on the Old San Antonio-Indianola Road, this rural settlement, named for nearby Marcelinas Creek, began in late 1873, when Wiley R. Franklin (1837-93) bought land in the area (1.5 miles S) and built a small horse-powered cotton gin. In 1874, a Baptist congregation was organized, holding services in the home of Gabriel Moffit; a one-teacher school opened in 1875; and the cemetery was begun in 1882 with the death of Martin Donaho. William Y. Elkins established a mercantile store in 1886, and was named postmaster when the post office opened on Feb. 1, 1887. By the mid-1890s, Marcelina had 2 stores, 2 cotton gins, a blacksmith and wheelwright shop, gristmill, large school and church buildings, and several homes. From the beginning, the local economic base had been agriculture, primarily cotton production, but in 1901, the crops became infested with boll weevils and the prosperous community began to decline. Improvements in transportation diverted trade to Floresville (5.5 miles W), and the advent of rural mail delivery caused the post office to close on Oct. 1, 1906. All that remains of the Marcelina Community are the cemetery and the Baptist Church. The present sanctuary was erected in 1935. (1974)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Marcelina grew up along the Old San Antonio–Indianola Road after Wiley R. Franklin settled here in 1873 and built a horse-powered cotton gin. A Baptist congregation, school, store, and cemetery soon followed, and by the mid-1890s the cotton community boasted two gins, shops, and sizable school and church buildings. Then the boll weevil arrived in 1901, better roads pulled trade toward Floresville, and rural mail delivery closed the post office in 1906 — leaving today only the cemetery and Baptist church.
Why it matters
Marcelina's rise and fall traces the whole life cycle of a Texas cotton hamlet, undone by the same forces — pests, better transportation, and consolidation — that emptied countless rural communities.
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Related people
- · Wiley R. Franklin
- · William Y. Elkins
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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