From Matagorda County History & Genealogy page
Matagorda County was a significant portion of Stephen F. Austin’s colonization during the period 1822-1836. Thomas Marshall Duke (1795-1867) and Pleasant M. Pruit (Prewitt) (c1797- ____) were two of Austin’s Old Three Hundred colonists who settled in Matagorda County.
They received adjoining leagues of land on Caney Creek on July 24, 1824.
The community of Allenhurst grew up in the area where these two leagues joined.
During the antebellum period, large sugar and cotton plantations were established in Matagorda County, especially along Caney Creek from Pledger to Hawkinsville.
Caney Creek not only provided fertile soil along its banks, but water transportation which was preferable to overland transportation.
African American slaves came with their owners to farm the lands along Caney Creek.
The descendants of slaves in the Allenhurst area began to establish their own settlements with churches and cemeteries at the close of the Civil War.
In 1905, Allenhurst was the first new townsite east of Bay City on the newly-completed St. Louis, Brownsville, and Mexico Railway (SLB&M).
The townsite was named after Allentown, Pennsylvania, the birthplace of Jeff N. Miller (1858-1939), vice-president and general manager of the Brownsville Railway.
The townsite consisted of 14 blocks.
Eight of the blocks were 300’ x 300’ with the other 6 being partial blocks since its southern border was the meandering Caney Creek.
The full blocks contained 12 lots with 6 lots on the east and west sides.
There was a 20’ alley running north and south in each block, making each lot 140’ x 50’.
West and east streets were named Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Avenues and north and south streets were named First, Second, Third and Fourth Streets.
Surprisingly, there was no First Avenue noted on the plat. The partial block east of Block 2 and South of Block 14 was reserved for the Baptist Church & Public School.
The townsite never developed, other than being an early stop for the passenger trains traveling from Brownsville to Houston.
It did have a depot, church and school, but there is no record of a store.
It was not large enough to support a post office.
The closest post offices were at Caney, about 3.4 miles, and Van Vleck, about 4.2 miles.
In 2022 Allenhurst Road parallels the railway tracks of the Missouri-Pacific until it crosses the tracks and becomes Hasima Road.
From its founding, the families in the community were primarily African American, and were descendants of slaves who were in the area before the Civil War.
After the war, small farms developed as the former slaves began to acquire property.
The Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church No. 1 was established in 1908 on the Allenhurst site which was on the West side of Caney Creek.
The building was moved from Van Vleck in 1908.
It was a modest rectangular frame building with gable ends.
The exterior was clad with horizontal wooden siding.
A hip-roofed apse formed the chancel area.
The interior walls were paneled with horizontal bead board siding, and bead board planks also covered the ceiling.
Double-hung wooden sash windows lined the side walls. Plain wooden casings framed the windows on both the interior and exterior of the building.
The lower sashes were composed of two vertical rectangular panes.
The upper sashes had three panes forming a gothic arch.
Four identical windows surrounded apse. At a later time, the building was moved to the other side of Caney Creek and was razed in the 1990s.
The first pastor was Rev. Cooper. Other pastors included Rev. Henry Hayes, Rev. Mayfield and Rev. Brown. Deacons included Calvin Scott, Fred Abbott, Nathaniel Scott (1880-1947), Tobbie Wiley and Louis Campbell (1884-1958).
Some of the early members were William Jackson, Green Campbell (1848-1938), George Harrison, Milton Pea, Vonnie McCall, Alice Campbell (c1867-1943), Burly Harrison (1896-1975), Clara Abbott, Francis Brown, Irene Hayes, Gurbott Alliniece, Henry Hayes (1875-1950), Lela Hayes (1880-1927), Marah Scott (1886-1939), Hannah Campbell (1889-1954) and Piggie Harrison.
In 1909, the Allenhurst depot was demolished by a hurricane.
Reports were that the winds were strong enough to blow train cars from the tracks.
The train still stopped at the site, but C. A. Jacob, conductor of the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico line reported the depot was scattered along the track.
The 1912 Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide reported that the Allenhurst Community elevation was 24 feet.
The Allenhurst area was primarily farms.
In 1913, A. P. Verser (1866-1927) was growing potatoes on his Allenhurst farm which produced two railroad carloads to send to market despite the dry weather that year. His Irish potatoes were sold in San Antonio for 25c per bushel. George G. [C.] Johnson (1867-1927) was also growing potatoes on his farm. Corn was a cultivated crop in Allenhurst at that time.
Cotton was apparently grown there in 1914 as evidenced by the following article from the March 13, 1914 issue of the Aransas Pass Progress.
Comparative Statement of Cotton Rates From St. L. B. & M. Railway Points to Port Aransas and Galveston, Including Compressing and Wharfage
Allenhurst to Port Aransas – 162 miles – Rate in Effect 52 ½/per 100 pounds - Tex. Comm. Rate 52 ½
Allenhurst to Galveston – 76 miles – Rate in Effect 47 ½ - Tex. Comm. Rate 41 ½—Aransas Pass Progress, March 13, 1914
The small community had an African American school and in 1913-1914, Anita B. Harris was the teacher.
The school was also known as Bouldin School in school census records.
In 1926-27 the Bouldin School was in Common School District #3. It had one teacher, six grades, 47 pupils, a seven months’ term with a total attendance of 4500 days. Allenhurst school census records exist for the years 1923 – 1937. The teacher for the 1931 – 1932 term was Nina E. Brown. In 1938, the school was consolidated with Van Vleck Independent School District. After consolidation, the number of students from Allenhurst included 16 in 1938 and 18 in 1939. With the onset of the 1940s, it appeared that younger families with children were moving away from Allenhurst. Only two students were registered in 1940 and one in 1941, with seven in 1942.
There was no school for white children which required white families to move to towns such as Bay City so their children could receive an education.
The May 7, 1915 issue of the Matagorda County Tribune reported a freight train wreck near
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