Old Waverly: Founding and History

Old Waverly, Texas Historical Marker The historical marker describes different aspects that Waverly endured from 1830s to early 1900s. Starting in 1834, early settlers came from Alabama, starting with members of the Winters family. Settlers would bring slaves to the region with them, and after clearing farmland, soon after arose plantations. For a short period of time, the plantations became main providers of food and cotton for the community. In the early 1860s three congregations made their start, a Methodist, Presbyterian, and an Episcopalian. During the Civil War a Polish Jew by the name of Meyer Levy, who was a respectable merchant and store owner in the area, was a blockade runner. Source: https://oldwaverlytexas.com/2019/08/18/example-post/

Just southeast of Huntsville, in Walker County, lies the town of Old Waverly. Though small, this community carries a history that dates back before the Civil War. The streets of Old Waverly contain markers of its history that demonstrate the growth, changes, and migrations the town has hosted and endured.

The origins of New Waverly date to 1834, when the Winters family arrived from Alabama. In 1834, James Washington Winters and John F. arrived in East Texas from North Carolina and Tennessee, respectively. The following year, the rest of the Winters family, including James’s wife, Rhoda Creel Beal, and their children James, Washington Winters, William Carvin, Mary, Carolina, Orin Lemon, John F., Nancy, Sallie Dursilla, Benjamin Franklin, Lillie Ellen, Billington Taylor, Willis, and Susan Bernice Winters, joined them. Upon settling, James prepared the land for agriculture and constructed a homestead. Over the coming years, additional families and individuals migrated to the area, attracted by the availability of cheap farmland. [1]

In 1851, Colonel John C. Abercrombie, who was also from Alabama, stumbled into the area in search of a place to reside and obtain land. Following Abercrombie, many more people, including planters and enslaved African Americans, migrated to the region with the same ideas. Settlers arrived in Old Waverly by horseback and by wagon, carriage, and buggy along land routes. William P. Fletcher was among the many who stumbled upon the region in 1851, and after a few years, he moved his family and several friends to the Waverly area. Fletcher bought hundreds of acres of land in the Walker County area. More enslaved people were brought into the area at this time and were forced to build homes, chop wood, and dress logs. [2]

As the region grew into a community with families continually arriving, the year 1852 saw the population reach just over 300. With the town’s population on the rise, settlers started to clear land for crop production. Cotton farming soon becomes a staple, making Waverly a smaller version of the slave-plantation system that settlers had imported from Alabama. Enslaved African Americans worked hard to produce not only cotton but also a variety of crops, including vegetables and fruits. These plantations also supplied the local community with meat, butter, eggs, milk, and nuts. [3]

Once plantations began operating, they relied on cotton gins. The cotton gins used on each plantation were timber-framed and powered by mules or oxen. After cotton harvests, planters sold part of their crop for profit and distributed the rest to the surrounding population. [4]

As agriculture became more successful, businesses and institutions began to sprout and flourish. In 1855, Waverly’s first post office opened and operated for only 17 years. [3] In 1856, the Texas legislature passed a law creating the Waverly Institute, the first town in Old Waverly. The school boasted a large student body culled from the surrounding area and soon became a reputable institution. Colonel John Hill oversaw the school’s first teachers, including Miss Shackleford, Mr. Davis, and Professor C. Gustav Fitze. These educators strengthened the institute, which in turn benefited the Waverly community. The school was split into two buildings, each one a different academy. One became the female academy, while the other structure was reserved for the male academy. [5]

By the 1850s, Old Waverly had a surging population, new construction, and a thriving business class, as noted on July 10, 1858. John R. Johnson completed his survey of the community, and city leaders incorporated the town. Settler Maxey Lewis named the town after the novel Waverley by Sir Walter Scott. Today, the small community is known as Old Waverly because settlers established New Waverly, Texas, just west of the town.