|
Richard Page | Fall 2000 |
| History 1302 | Hines |
Origins:
Before there was Somerset, Texas, there was Old Somerset, Texas. Before there was Old Somerset, Texas, there was Somerset, Kentucky. And before there was Somerset, Kentucky, there was Somerset, England. The founders of Somerset, Kentucky were Baptists who moved there from Somerset, England at an undetermined time. A group of settlers moved to Texas and founded the city of Somerset. The town had a population of 100 in 1884. By 1890, the population declined to 50. Somerset was one of the oldest towns in the northwestern portion of Atascosa County. In 1909 Somerset was bypassed by a railroad that went to Lytle. At this time, the people of Somerset practically picked up their town and changed locations to its current place in southern Bexar County. After this, the original settlement was known as Old Somerset.
Founding Fathers:
There is no specific founder of Somerset, Texas. There is no statue or town holiday to honor anyone with the credit of beginning this quaint little town. The founding fathers of this town were all the people of Old Somerset. The names of the founders of Old Somerset are known however. Somerset can thank its existence to G.W.M. Ducks, William Klemkes, Aaron Rambies, the Millers, Lewises, Carruthers, Caughfields, Winans, Mudds, Edwards, and Desmukes. These are the people who moved from Kentucky to settle here in Texas.
Economy:
Somerset has had many various sources of income. The town started off as an agricultural town. Somerset has grown a variety of produce ranging from cotton, cucumbers, fruits, and livestock. Somerset was affected both positively and negatively when the railroad decided to run through the neighboring town of Lytle. Had the railroad come through Somerset, it would have greatly increased the economy and created more jobs. Although it didn't, farmers and others still benefited from it by transporting their goods to Lytle, which today is a ten minute drive. Somerset once produced a good deal of the area’s coal in the early twentieth century. Somerset also has had a rich past in the oil business. Oil was discovered in Somerset in 1913. The creation of Somerset Field soon followed. Somerset was one of the first places to operate shallow wells. Somerset people made a lot of money off of the oil business and lost most of what they earned in the later part of the twentieth century. The oil business has employed many of Somerset’s citizens throughout the years. Somerset once grew a great deal of cucumbers. It had a pickle factory that was located by the present day sewer plant. Somerset was once very involved with livestock. The ranchers around Somerset did their part to help the Somerset economy. The oldest business that is still open in Somerset is Encino’s Bar. The coalmines have long been gone from Somerset and there are only a few ranches left. The oil wells have been exhausted for years and serve mostly as rusted decorations of a part of Somerset’s past. Today, the people of Somerset mostly work in San Antonio. The school district employs a good deal of people also.
Historically Significant Stories:
During my research and while talking to some of the people, I have heard some interesting stories about the history of Somerset. One of the most interesting stories that I have heard involves how the cemetery came about. The story says that shortly after the city of Old Somerset was established, a gambler rode into town. He was interested with the new town and a couple of the townspeople gave him a tour. After seeing all that the town had to offer, the gambler asked where the cemetery was. The people told him that they hadn’t gotten around to building the cemetery yet. The gambler was puzzled by this but went about his business. Later that night, the gambler was playing a game of cards and a fight broke out. A shot was fired and the next day the gambler was the first person buried in Somerset’s new cemetery.
Another story that I have heard is something that would come right out of a Beverly Hillbillies episode. A man in Somerset was trying to dig a water well. He was having problems with it and was getting upset with the whole situation when he finally got it dug. Much to his surprise, his water was black. The year was 1913 and this man had just discovered Somerset’s fortune. Extremely frustrated about not getting water, he tried to plug the hole so that nothing else would come out. Someone got word as to what was going on and Somerset Oil Field soon followed.
A story that I know about Somerset was one that I personally know. It isn’t of much historical importance to many people but since I had to live in the house that it happened in it is to me. In the early twentieth century there was a prison camp about three or four miles outside of Somerset. An old man and his wife ran the prison camp and lived in the house in the center. One day the inmates killed the guards while they were working in the fields. They made their way to the house where they killed the old man and his wife. Because of this incident this house is said to be haunted. Every little town has to have a haunted house right?
Somerset at one time did actually have a train track. The track went from the Lytle tracks to the coal mines in Somerset. The interesting thing is that they only built one track. When the trains came to pick up the coal, they either had to pull in straight and then back all the way to Lytle, or back into Somerset so that they could go forward to Lytle. The train track for the coal mines has disappeared with so much other stuff.
Landmarks:
The Old Rock Baptist church is the oldest and only landmark of Old Somerset. A committee consisting of F.M. Avent, Elisha A. Briggs, and W.D. Johnson purchased the site of this church for ten dollars in 1867. Reverend Samuel E. Pearce was the first pastor at the church. The church was renovated in 1921 by the Grayburg Oil Company. The building was also used as a school beginning in 1873 up until 1931 when it consolidated with the Somerset School in Bexar county. There are regular services at the church to this day.
There are still many of the old buildings in Somerset that were there years ago. The first jailhouse is there, which was also a post office, and now is a taxidermist shop. The old Gulf station has become a drive thru beverage barn. An old convenience store turned into a video rental store and is now a little trading post. Encino’s bar is still open in the same building. It is the oldest business in Somerset. The old post office turned into a restaurant and is now a little knick knack store. A Super S store is the only grocery store that the town has now. There are a couple of Mexican food restaurants and a barbeque place. St. Mary’s Church stands in the middle of Somerset and was built in 1933.
The first high school still stands in Somerset. It was built in 1922 and took in the students from the Old Somerset School in 1931. The first football teams played on a dirt field with no bleachers on the land where the present day elementary is. There is controversy going on currently about whether or not to tear down the “red brick building.” Almost everyone in the little town of Somerset has gone to elementary school in this building. It is located in the middle of the elementary school.
Events:
The most important event of Somerset's past is when oil was discovered here. This changed everything for Somerset, even the town's location. The town was able to maintain an economy because of this. Another important event was the introduction of fruit trees. The town quickly began to grown fruit after it's introduction. The fruit industry was an important one to Somerset in the past. In recent days, all of the important events have to do with the school district.
Connections to Course Themes:
The agriculture of Somerset was helped greatly by improved technology throughout it's history just as many other small towns have been. The farmers of Somerset were greatly helped by the tractor and it's many implements. Somerset's oil industry was greatly helped by the development of shallow well drilling. The train that took Somerset's produce made it available for people to ship products easier. Maybe the most important thing was the invention of the automobile. This has allowed people to commute to San Antonio for jobs.
Somerset and the surrounding communities have had a long history of migrant workers as well. Migrant workers harvested the fields in days gone by. Some still do, but the same technology that has helped the agricultural industry has hurt them by taking away the need for a great deal of people to harvest a field. Somerset's major crop now is coastal hay. This is bailed by a tractor equipped with a bailer.
Ties to the Community:
Somerset's community is not as close as it once was. Since many of the people that live in Somerset commute to San Antonio to work, they are not in the city much. The main thing that holds the town together is the school. The football team isn't very good, in fact, they held the worst record in state for a few years. The big event in the town is homecoming. There is and has been for years a parade on the Saturday following the big game. The football players stumble half drunken onto the float for the parade. There is always a big turn out for the homecoming parade and there is usually a carnival that night.
Future Prospects:
The current population of Somerset is approximately 1,144 and there are about 426 families. The future of Somerset is uncertain though. The town is strong and has no major problems. The school is getting bigger and bigger. It is 3A and will soon be going to 4A. The town is growing and the community is benefiting from it. The town is cleaning up and is constantly becoming a better place to live. With the great deal of San Antonio people who keep moving outwards towards the city limits Somerset may one day be engulfed by the city like so many other small towns have been. Somerset has cleaned up, but I don't see it changing much in the near future. Many of the residents are people who like everything to be the way it was when they grew up.
Bibliography:
"SOMERSET, TX." The Handbook of Texas Online.
http://tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/SS/hjs18.html
This site only gave me the population and information like that.
Atascosa County History (Pleasanton, Texas: Atascosa History Committee, 1984). Margaret G. Clover, The Place Names of Atascosa County (M.A. thesis, University of Texas, 1952). Marker Files, texas Historical Commission, Austin.
There was very useful information on the old church.
Atascosa County Centennial 1856- 1956.
This book helped me get a lot of information on the town of Old Somerset and the founding fathers. The information was very good, but there was not much on the city of Somerset due to the fact that Somerset is in Bexar County.
Lytle Woman's Club; Patchwork Lytle Folks, Facts, and Fables
Copyright 1976 by the Lytle Woman's Club, Lytle, Texas.
Published by Heninton Publish Company, Wolfe City, Texas.
Interview with Jim Kurz.
Helped with a few stories and a brief description of what the town was like long ago.
Interview with Vicki Caddell
Some interesting stories that her late mother had shared with her about when she was a kid and how the town was.
19 years of being one of the townspeople.
A lot more information than I could remember.