Chocolate Community

Chocolate Community. . , Located along Chocolate Bayou, which empties into Chocolate Bay dividing Port Lavaca and Indianola, the Chocolate Community predates the organization of Calhoun County. In 1846, Massachusetts native and Old 300 family head Sylvanus Hatch (1788-1885) purchased a league of land southwest of the town of Lavaca in what was then Victoria County. He moved his family from Jackson County to a bend of Chocolate Bayou, building a home on nearby Agua Dulce Creek and establishing a ranch. The dark soil gave the bayou its name, and fresh water provided for the family and livestock. Sylvanus became one of Calhoun County's first commissioners, and the area around the Hatch home eventually became known as Hatchbend., Sylvanus brother, Joseph Hatch, settled his family nearby on what was called the "Ridge." Another early settler, Dr. Moses Johnson (1808-1853), was an early mayor of Austin and treasurer of the Republic of Texas. Charles Brett, Sr. (1805-1895) and wife, Mary, arrived in 1847. Thomas Clark and his extended family immigrated in 1850 from Scotland. His brother, John Clark, donated property and built stock pens in the area that became known as Clark's Station located along the Indianola Railroad, it provided area residents with the ability to ship their crops and stock to market., The focal point of the community was St. Paul's-On-The-Prairie Episcopal Church. Sylvanus and Joseph Hatch donated land for construction of the church. Around 1872, a separate building was built for the Chocolate school. In 1918, the school consolidated with the Port Lavaca school. In 1919, a new Episcopal church was built by the Brett family on land donated at Clark's Station. By 1936, the Chocolate Community had declined. Hatch Cemetery, Clark Cemetery, and the names of Chocolate Bayou and Chocolate Bay remain as historic reminders of this once vibrant settlement.