Gates Valley Community

Gates Valley Community. . , William Norwood (W.N.) Gates (1818-1903) was born in Madison County, Tennessee, and served in the Army of the Republic of Texas, participating in the Seige of Bexar in 1835. In 1854, he settled in what was then Bexar County, near present-day Poteet in an area that became known as the Gates Valley Community, chosen for its natural water supply and picturesque valley. In 1857, Gates was among the 16 men appointed to the first Grand Jury of Atascosa County. He went on to serve as County Sheriff from 1862-64 and 1865-66, County Commissioner in 1864, 1866-76 and 1883, and the first Gates Valley Postmaster in 1876. , , William's brother, Abner Valentine (A.V.) Gates (1827-1916), arrived in Atascosa County in 1860 to help his brother develop the growing community of Gates Valley. Seeing the need for a house of worship, A.V. led a group of citizens to establish a church that was also used as the Gates Valley schoolhouse. A.V. left the community in 1863 when he enlisted in the Texas Cavalry. Once discharged from military service, he returned to Atascosa County and settled in the Tank Hollow Community. , The Gates brothers, their descendants and many other early settlers of Gates Valley played a foundational role in the development of the area and the town of Poteet. Many citizens worked on the railroad lines that were built through what would eventually become Poteet in the early 1900s. Most members of the Gates Valley Community are interred at either Shiloh Cemetery or Rutledge (Poteet) Cemetery. Although little remains of the Gates Valley Community, the impact of its early residents continues.