Pettus in Bee County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Town of Pettus
(Located 3 Miles South)
Photographed by Dave W, March 20, 2022
1. Town of Pettus Marker
Oil capital of Bee County, Pettus was settled in the 1850's when John Freeman Pettus set up his sprawling ranch about 4 miles south of here.
The son of one of Stephen F. Austin's first 300 colonists, Pettus was an extensive cattle and horse breeder. The town, previously called "Dry Medio" for a nearby creek, was named for him during the Civil War.
The community was in the vicinity of two important Indian skirmishes in Bee County in 1859 and the 1870's; but the town slept until 1886, when the tracks of the San Antonio & Aransas Pass railroad reached this site. It then awoke to become the cattle shipping center for the area. In the same year, John S. Hodges, a pioneer citizen, laid out the townsite and donated land to be used for streets and S.A. & A.P. right-of-way.
For years the railroad stockyards and depot were places of bustling activity as freight trains came for loading and wood-burning steam engines took on water. In 1909 the presidential train of Wm. H. Taft stopped at the Pettus water tank. The tank--a final monument to steam railroading here--was razed, 1965.
In 1929 the Houston Oil Co. brought in its well "No. 1-Maggie Ray McKinney" and from that time Pettus has played a continuing useful role in Texas economy.
Erected 1968 by State Historical Survey Committee. (Marker Number 5536.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1859.
Location. 28° 38.447′ N, 97° 48.867′ W. Marker is in Pettus, Texas, in Bee County. It is on U.S. 181 south of Mineral Avenue, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11251 Hwy 181, Pettus TX 78146, United States of America.
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Regionally, this marker is in South Texas. It is also in the American South. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, and one of the Confederate States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: First Christian Church (approx. 1.6 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 4.9 miles away); Tuleta (approx. 5.3 miles away); Community of Normanna (approx. 8.8 miles away); Swedish Evangelical Free Church Cemetery (approx. 10 miles away); Elim Lutheran Church Cemetery (approx. 10.1 miles away); Early Trails in Bee County (approx. 11 miles away); Reed-McCampbell-Wiess Ranch Complex (approx. 11½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pettus.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Bee County (was approx. 1.8 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Photographed by Dave W, March 20, 2022
2. Town of Pettus Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on November 29, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 1, 2022, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. This page has been viewed 969 times since then and 194 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 1, 2022, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
