Pittsville Plaque

Amidst the quiet Texas landscape, stands the Pittsville Plaque. It whispers tales of a vanished town. A forgotten community. The Pittsville Plaque marks the spot where a bustling village once thrived. This isn’t just a historical marker. It’s a portal to a bygone era. Pittsville, established in the 1840s, was a haven for planters seeking refuge from the unpredictable Brazos River bottoms. They chose the higher prairie lands, away from the constant threat of floods. The Pitts family, A.R. and Amanda (Wade) Pitts, were central figures in this growing settlement. They ran a store and distributed mail, becoming so integral to the community that the town bore their name. By 1860, Pittsville was a key commercial hub. The plaque details Pittsville’s role during the Civil War. The Pittsville Home Guard and Confederate cavalry units camped in the area. Among them were notable residents like Confederate surgeons Robert Locke Harris and A.A. Laurence. Texas legislators William Sheriff and J. Wesson Parker, and John Huggins, a horse racing innovator, also called Pittsville home. The 1860 census recorded around 240 people living in Pittsville. Farming and stock raising were the primary occupations. The town also boasted a diverse workforce of wagoners, carpenters, schoolteachers, a brick mason, an engineer, a minister, a merchant, a clerk, a physician, a wheelwright, a machinist, an artesian-well borer, and various other tradespeople. Pittsville flourished, with several general stores, a blacksmith shop, a millinery shop, a photography studio, and even a two-story school or academy. A post office opened in Pittsville on May 31, 1870, with Mrs. Lucy Upton as postmistress. However, the arrival of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad in 1888 marked a turning point. The railroad bypassed Pittsville, leading to the establishment of Fulshear to the south. Residents gradually migrated to Fulshear to be closer to the new rail line, and Pittsville began its slow decline. The Pittsville post office closed on June 15, 1889. The last residents, Mrs. Alice Nesbitt and her daughter Doris, left in 1947. Today, the Pittsville Plaque, along with a lonely cistern and a cluster of trees, serves as a poignant reminder of this lost town. The plaque stands as a silent testament to the vibrant community that once called this place home.