Briggs, Texas
Encyclopedia
Briggs is an unincorporated community
in eastern Burnet County
, Texas
, United States
. It lies along U.S. Route 183
and northeast of the city of Burnet
, the county seat
of Burnet County. Its elevation is 1,102 feet (336 m), and it is located at 30°53′23"N 97°55′30"W (30.8896255, -97.9250199). Although Briggs is unincorporated, it has a post office
, with the ZIP code
of 78608; the ZCTA
for ZIP Code 78608 had a population of 279 at the 2000 census
.
Founded as Springs, the community was soon renamed Gum Springs. The first settler in the area, a Missouri
an named W. T. Gann, arrived in the area in 1855, but the community was established along the Berry Creek in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. A post office was established under the name of Taylor's Gin (named for leading settler Stephen Taylor) on 27 March 1888; it did not assume its current name until 21 June 1898, when local doctor
William Hazelwood was able to have the community renamed for his mother-in-law. The community prospered in the early 1900s; although major fires and the early effects of the Great Depression
seriously impacted the community, it reached its height in 1936, from which it has since declined.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in eastern Burnet County
Burnet County, Texas
Burnet County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 34,147. The 2008 Census Bureau Estimate was 44,488. Its county seat is Burnet. Burnet is named for David Gouverneur Burnet, the first president of the Republic of Texas...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It lies along U.S. Route 183
U.S. Route 183
U.S. Route 183 is a north–south United States highway. U.S. 183 was the last US route to be completely paved. The 20 mile segment in Loup County, Nebraska, north of Taylor, was unpaved until 1967. The highway's northern terminus is in Presho, South Dakota, at an intersection with...
and northeast of the city of Burnet
Burnet, Texas
Burnet is a city in and the county seat of Burnet County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,735 at the 2000 census.Both the city and the county were named for David Gouverneur Burnet, the first president of the Republic of Texas. He also served as Vice President during the...
, the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Burnet County. Its elevation is 1,102 feet (336 m), and it is located at 30°53′23"N 97°55′30"W (30.8896255, -97.9250199). Although Briggs is unincorporated, it has a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, with the ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
of 78608; the ZCTA
ZIP Code Tabulation Area
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are statistical entities developed by the United States Census Bureau for tabulating summary statistics from Census 2000. This new entity was developed to overcome the difficulties in precisely defining the land area covered by each ZIP code...
for ZIP Code 78608 had a population of 279 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
.
Founded as Springs, the community was soon renamed Gum Springs. The first settler in the area, a Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
an named W. T. Gann, arrived in the area in 1855, but the community was established along the Berry Creek in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. A post office was established under the name of Taylor's Gin (named for leading settler Stephen Taylor) on 27 March 1888; it did not assume its current name until 21 June 1898, when local doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
William Hazelwood was able to have the community renamed for his mother-in-law. The community prospered in the early 1900s; although major fires and the early effects of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
seriously impacted the community, it reached its height in 1936, from which it has since declined.
External links
- Profile of Briggs from the Handbook of Texas OnlineHandbook of TexasThe Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association .-History:...