West Sinton Community
Sinton, San Patricio County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In the early days of the 20th century, the land in this area was situated within the large J. J. Welder Cattle Ranch. George Paul developed much of the local acreage and attracted settlers from many states by advertising a "homesteaders" program of land sales. The settlers cleared the mesquite and brush with the help of Mexican laborers, planting cotton and corn on their new land. In 1913 Gust Adams and his family arrived from Guadalupe County. The Adams family set aside land for a schoolhouse in 1914. Also used for worship services, the structure quickly became a social center. The area became known as both Adams School and West Sinton community. More settlers came after the first World War. The community grew steadily in spite of such tragedies as the influenza epidemic of 1918 and 1919 and the devastating hurricane of 1919. Local cotton farmers established the West Sinton Gin Company in 1923 and built a gin nearby. In 1924 a two-story stucco school building was erected by the newly formed Adams Independent School District on this site. The community was large enough for a separate Mexican American school and a grocery store. Neighbors enjoyed such activities as sports, community suppers, parties, and dances. The San Patricio Farm Bureau was organized here in 1936. Electric power came to the area in 1939. The Adams School closed its doors in 1943 when the students were transferred to other area schools. The schoolhouse was used for community events until 1948. It was razed in 1962. Although the cotton gin closed in the 1980s, cotton, milo and corn remain the community's main economic focus. The Lutheran church and many local organizations continue to serve the area. (1998)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Carved from the sprawling J. J. Welder cattle ranch, this coastal-plains community filled with settlers drawn by a promoter's "homesteaders" land program in the early 1900s, who cleared mesquite with Mexican labor and planted cotton and corn. A schoolhouse set aside in 1914 quickly doubled as church and social hall, giving the place its dual identity as Adams School and West Sinton. The community weathered the 1918 influenza epidemic and the devastating 1919 hurricane, built a cotton gin and a two-story school, and still farms cotton, milo, and corn today.
Why it matters
West Sinton shows how San Patricio County's ranchland was subdivided into a working farm community in a single generation, its one-room school serving as the civic heart of rural Texas life.
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Related people
- · George Paul
- · Gust Adams
Themes & tags
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