Carmine, Texas - Fayette County, Her History and Her People

Fayette County, Her History and Her People

Carmine lies in tiie northeastern part of Fayette County, right on the Washington County line, on the Austin branch of the Houston and Texas Central. South of it lies the rich La Bahia prairie, north of it is sandy postoak.

It is a thriving business town. It consists of four general merchandise stores, four saloons, two blacksmith shops, one lumber yard, two drugstores, one millinery, one furniture house, one livery stable, two gins, two meat markets. The town has a newspaper, the New Century, edited by Messrs. iMenn and (loerdel, two enterprising gentlemen who promise to make a success of their paper. There live three resident physicians in the town.

Of the business men who treated the author of this book with kindneas, he mentions Mr. Chas. Wagner, a public-spirited citizen, well known not only in Carmine, but in the county, the proprietor of the leading drugstore in Carmine; Umland & Hoppe; A. M. Weyand & Bro., proprietors of large general merchandise stores, and E. F. Hetzel, a worthy ypung man from Austin County, who has established himself in the butcher business at Carmine.

Carmine has two lodges, the Woodmen of the World and the Sons of Hermann. In the VV^oodmen lodge, C. Gillespie is presiding oflicer and Henry Menu secretary. In the Sons of Hermann lodge, Hermann Wendorf is president and Julius Menke, secretary.

Carmine was built in the year 1884. It lirst went by the name of Sylvan. After the establishment of the post office at that place, it took the name of Carmine. The first settler in the town was Dr. B. J. Thigpen, who owned the land on which

Old settlers of the Carmine neighborhood are the L. Fuchs family, C. Krueger, F. Hermann, Hermann Eichler, Wm. Johle, Ed. Garland, Wm. Krause and Chas. JNIeinicke.

Cedar

About five miles west of La Grange lies the Cedar settlement. It lies on the La Grange Flatonia road on the north edge of the fertile Navidad Prairie. The name of Cedar was given to the settlement on account of the many cedars planted in its neighborhood. In old times, it used to be a very popular resort for amusement and it was known as such throughout the county. The laud around Cedar is very fertile. The first settlers in the Cedar district were Bill Lewis, John Lewis, Ferrill, Dr. Denker, Franke and Allen. They settled there in the forties. Cedar consists of a store, saloon and postoffice combined, also of one large hall. It has a physician. It is not a voting place, but is a post-office. The people vote at the Bluff box. The Cedar Macnnerchor which holds its meetings at O'Quinn takes care of the social side of life.- Cedar also has a lodge of the Sons of Hermann. The population of Cedar is mostly German.