Site of Old Town of Senterfitt
Lometa, Lampasas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The town was named for Reuben S. Senterfitt, the Cattle King in this area in 1850s. The post office was established at an early stage stand in 1877. Mr. Senterfitt laid out the townsite and donated land for a cemetery and a school. The town served a large area of central Texas by producing many supplies such as wool, hides, cotton, and pecans. Senterfitt had a population of 400 people before removal of the railroad around 1890.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Named for a 1850s cattle king who laid out the townsite and donated land for a cemetery and school, Senterfitt grew up around an early stage stand and post office established in 1877. At its height the town of some 400 people supplied a wide swath of central Texas with wool, hides, cotton, and pecans. When the railroad passed it by around 1890, the town faded away—a common fate for settlements that lived and died by the rails.
Why it matters
Senterfitt's rise and disappearance capture how completely the coming of the railroads redrew the map of Texas, making and unmaking towns depending on which way the tracks ran.
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Related people
- · Reuben S. Senterfitt
Themes & tags
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