In 1822 David Fitzgerald received land here. This is Arcola Texas. A significant part of Arcola’s history is woven into its cotton and sugar past. Jonathan Dawson Waters bought a large portion of Fitzgerald’s land in the 1840s. He created one of Texas’s largest plantations naming it Arcola. The Houston Tap Railroad arrived in 1858 transforming the landscape. After Waters’ death Colonel T W House purchased the plantation.
The Arcola community formed primarily from formerly enslaved people. A post office opened in 1869 closing and reopening before its final closure in 1920. The Gulf Colorado and Santa Fe railroad arrived in 1878. By 1884 Arcola thrived. It boasted two combined gristmills and cotton gins. Several businesses thrived as well. Two segregated schools served the community. Arcola’s population fluctuated. In 1914 only 50 people lived here. By 1949 it grew to 120 then to 1642 by 2010 and finally 2034 in 2020.
Arcola is situated at the intersection of Farm Road 521 and State Highway 6. It sits where the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe and the Missouri Pacific railroads meet. Arcola’s location is twenty miles east of Richmond in southeastern Fort Bend County. The growth of Arcola was linked to its proximity to Houston. In 1903 Arcola’s school district included two schools for white pupils and four for Black pupils. In 1940 a church school Riceton-Arcola cemetery and four businesses existed. Arcola incorporated in 1986.
Arcola’s story is a testament to resilience and growth. It is a community built on the legacy of former slaves and shaped by railroads and cotton. Today Arcola continues its evolution. It is a thriving community near Houston. It represents a unique blend of history and progress. The story of Arcola is one of endurance and transformation. A story etched into the very fabric of this place. A story continuing to unfold.