Olivia, Texas

28°38′19″N 96°27′20″W / 28.63861°N 96.45556°W / 28.63861; -96.45556CountryUnited StatesStateTexasCountyCalhounElevation10 ft (3 m)Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)Area code361GNIS feature ID1364529^[1]

Olivia is an unincorporated community in Calhoun County, Texas, United States.^[1] According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 215 in 2000. It is part of the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The site where Olivia presently stands was originally granted to William Arnold. The Mitchell and Clements families grazed cattle on the peninsula in the late 1800s. A Swedish Lutheran colony headed by C. J. E. Haterious of Galesburg, Illinois, purchased 13,565 acres (5,490 ha) from J. D. Mitchell and established Olivia in 1892. Haterious gave his wife Olivia's name for the settlement. A. G. Bergstrom, M. L. Cavallin, John Lind, Nels Larson, Charles Johnson, Pete Swenson, Gust Swenson, Olaf Martinson, Eben Williams, Bengt Fyher, and J. F. Skogberg were also among the first to settle here. In 1893, a modest crop of cotton was brought in by the newcomers, but it had to be ginned in Edna. Local farmers bought a small plantation gin the following year and installed it on Carancahua Bay. Olivia operated a semiweekly mail service and general store in 1896. In 1903, Charles Erickson opened a mail and freight service to Olivia. 200 people called the town home in 1914. Its population had fallen to fifty by 1927, though. Towns in Jackson County were connected to Olivia by the Hug-the-Coast Highway's construction in 1932. By 1934, Olivia inhabitants had access to electricity, and the local planters organized the Olivia Cotton Growers Cooperative Marketing Association to gin cotton for their fellow members. The village expanded during the 1960s, and in 1972, 200 people were living there. Its population was recorded at 215 from 1990 through 2000.^[2]

Many non-Swedish families had also made this place their home by 1900. A sanctuary was built in 1910. In 1894, John Lind constructed the community's first store on Carancahua Bay. Lind's business served as the post office's location. In 1900, Lind relocated his store to the townsite's center. Another Swedish immigrant, Edward Wilson, acquired the Olivia store and was named postmaster in 1906. A hotel, medical facility, grocery store, blacksmith shop, and cotton gin were among the other establishments. The vibrant community has expanded and altered since 1900, yet it has managed to hold onto its strong Swedish background. The community is a part of the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail.^[3]

Geography

Olivia is located near the intersection of Texas State Highways 172 and 159, 2 mi (3.2 km) from Port Alto, 14 mi (23 km) east of Port Lavaca, 12 mi (19 km) east of Point Comfort, and 28 mi (45 km) southeast of Edna in eastern Calhoun County.^[3] It is on a peninsula that is bounded by Kellers Bay to the west, Matagorda Bay to the south, and Carancahua Bay to the east.^[2] It is also on Lavaca Bay.

Education

Olivia's first public structure was a one-room schoolhouse where parents attended lessons at night to learn English and where children received instruction during the day. Up until 1910, services for the Eden Lutheran Church were conducted in the schoolhouse.^[3]

In 1904, Olivia had a school with one teacher and 44 students. In 1939, there were 75 students taught by four teachers up to the ninth grade. It joined the Calhoun County Independent School District in 1955.^[2]

References