History of Anderson, Texas
Anderson is situated on the Coshattee Trace and the later Old La Bahia Road. The Coshattee Trace was a section of the old "Contraband
Road" which ran through Grimes County and which was used by smugglers of
contraband goods in their illicit traffic between Alexandria, Louisiana, and
the Rio Grande. This section of the road got its name from the Coshattee Indians who used it in their hunting expeditions.
The area was first settled in
1821, when Andrew Millican constructed a double log
house one and a half miles west of the present community and raised one crop of
corn. In 1822, Francis Holland conducted a large group of relatives from
Louisiana. They came upon the log houses belonging to Millican
and purchased all the improvements, locating his league on both banks of Ten
Mile Creek (Holland Creek). One of Francis Holland's sons was Tapley Holland, hero of the Alamo. Tapley,
according to the Moses Rose story, was the first to volunteer his life when
Colonel Travis drew the line at the Alamo. For the years 1822 to 1830, Frances
Holland was the only settler in the Anderson area. But, by the end of the 1830s
there were no Hollands anymore. Francis, his wife,
and the four Holland sons all died from disease, Indians, or war.
In 1832, Francis Holland sold the
east 1,107 acres of his headright land to an
Englishman, Henry Fanthorp, for 25 cents an acre.
This land was known to the Spanish as Alta Mira (High View) and when, in 1833
and 1834, Henry Fanthorp began to build his home,
warehouses, and inn, the name remained in use. Fanthorp
first constructed a double log house quickly in 1833 for his wife. In the
following year he began the famous "Fanthorp
Inn." The 1833 house became a home for traveling merchants and then a
grocery store after the inn had begun operation. The inn slowly grew until it
reached it's largest size in
1851 upon completion of the second floor and residence wing, giving the
structure a total of thirty rooms.
A mercantile settlement developed
around the inn and was named Alta Mira. Many stores and warehouses were built
along with several houses. The importance of the settlement was intensified by
the crossing of stage lines which went from Washington to Nacogdoches and from
Houston to Cincinnati, Texas.
In 1846, Grimes County was formed
which began a search for a seat of the county government. Several landowners
offered land as possible townsites including Henry Fanthorp who proposed a site 1/2 mile north of the town of
Alta Mira. Henry Fanthorp's offer won over the others
and the new town was laid out the same year. It seems as if Mr. Fanthorp had a hand in the laying out of the townsite as the town square is Welsh in design and is the
only such laid out courthouse square in the State of Texas. The concept of the
design is to have the streets intersect at the courthouse itself. As a person
travels toward the square, he is aiming directly at the courthouse structure
which places much greater emphasis on the building than the common English
style which is meant to give an angular view of the courthouse which (in most
cases) gives the appearance of a larger structure than what is actually there
as the viewer is seeing two sides at once.
In the same year that Grimes
County was formed K.L. Anderson, last vice president of the Republic of Texas,
died at Fanthorp Inn. The new town, which was to have
been named Fanthorp, was named Anderson in honor of
K.L. Anderson who was buried in the Fanthorp family
cemetery, across from Fanthorp Inn.
The new town of Anderson quickly
gained importance over the old town of Alta Mira. By the early 1850's, most of
the businesses and homes had been moved to the new town. In some cases the
structures were physically moved up Main Street to new sites. Anderson
continued to grow rapidly throughout the 1850s and early 60s, maintaining its
importance as a mercantile plus a governmental center. By 1852, an Episcopal
College was begun which was quickly followed by a Baptist College and both
operated successfully for several years.
In November 1853, A.S. Beardsley,
whose letters and maps area a major archival resource on Anderson described the
community as follows:
"...there is about 500 or 600
population in out city as it truly is incorporated
and governed by Mayor, Aldermen and Co. it is more fashionable to incorporate
small towns in the South than it is in the North. There is at this time about
50 families living in the limits of this corporation which is 1/2 mile square
also 8 stores (dry goods), 14 groceries, 3 wagon makers shops, 3 black-smith
shops, 1 gun smith, 2 tailors, 3 hotels, 2 ten pin alleys, and about 20
carpenters in constant employment."
The 1840s and `50s were a time of
development of the plantation system in Texas and the growth of the town encouraged
the construction of plantation homes close to Anderson, on the surrounding
hills.
Anderson continued to prosper
until the late 1850s when the railroad reached Navasota and put an end to
Anderson's control of the mercantile industry. By the time the railroad did
reach Anderson it had lot all but the county seat and
would never regain the trade that once took place there.
Anderson's history spans the
entire period of Anglo settlement in Texas. Heroes of the Texas Revolution
lived here; i.e., Tapley Holland, Benjamin Goodrich
who was a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, lived here. Stephen
F. Austin, Sam Houston, General Grant, plus countless others visited here. This
was the outpost of culture and civilization during the Republic years with
fully stocked stores, one of the earlier newspapers in the state, and well designed homes built for comfort and style. Anderson
was an important mercantile center even before the Republic of Texas existed
and was a major cross-road for stage lines. Anderson does have the historic
significance to become a major historic center in Texas and there is a growing
awareness to preserve this community from unsympathetic development. An
Anderson historical foundation has been established and significant planning
steps are being taken to preserve the community intact.
BIBLIOGRAPHY ON
FILE IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER.