Littig, Texas
Encyclopedia
Littig is a small unincorporated community
in eastern Travis County
, Texas
, United States
established in 1883. Littig is on the Southern Pacific line two miles (3 km) south of U.S. Highway 290 and eighteen miles (29 km) northeast of the state capital, Austin
, in eastern Travis County. It began with one of the oldest black communities in the state, and now has a diverse population. The Littig Cemetery is located nearby.
, and 1 miles (1.6 km) west of Elgin
. The community is in easternmost Travis County.
Littig is on the Southern Pacific line, 2 miles (3.2 km) south of U.S. Highway 290. Littig is surrounded by blackland prairie soil
, appropriate for growing cotton
, maize
and corn
. An important creek, part of the watershed, meanders along the Southern Pacific right-of-way with numerous wooden trestles near Littig.
, Manda and Lund
began to decline during the 1930s due to advances in automobile transportation and mechanized agriculture; its population fell from an estimated 150 in 1936 to thirty-five by the 1940s. The Littig schools were consolidated with the Manda Common School District in 1952. The post office at Littig was discontinued in 1954, and mail for the community was sent via Elgin
in Bastrop County. A church and several houses marked the community's location on topographic maps of the area in the 1980s. The population of Littig was reported as thirty-seven from the late 1960s through 2000.
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 Travis County
Travis County, Texas
As of 2009, the U.S. census estimates there were 1,026,158 people, 320,766 households, and 183,798 families residing in the county. The population density was 821 people per square mile . There were 335,881 housing units at an average density of 340 per square mile...
, 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...
established in 1883. Littig is on the Southern Pacific line two miles (3 km) south of U.S. Highway 290 and eighteen miles (29 km) northeast of the state capital, Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, in eastern Travis County. It began with one of the oldest black communities in the state, and now has a diverse population. The Littig Cemetery is located nearby.
Geography
Littig is located 18 miles (29 km) east-northeast of the state capital, AustinAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, and 1 miles (1.6 km) west of Elgin
Elgin, Texas
Elgin is a city in Bastrop and Travis Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 5,700 at the 2000 census. By 2005, the population grew to an estimated 8,689...
. The community is in easternmost Travis County.
Littig is on the Southern Pacific line, 2 miles (3.2 km) south of U.S. Highway 290. Littig is surrounded by blackland prairie soil
Texas blackland prairies
The Texas Blackland Prairies are a temperate grassland ecoregion located in Texas that runs roughly from the Red River in North Texas to San Antonio in the south.-Setting:...
, appropriate for growing cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
and corn
Field corn
Field corn is maize of varieties that are not, in the United States, grown primarily for consumption as human food in the form of fresh kernels. More than 98% of corn-growing land in the U.S...
. An important creek, part of the watershed, meanders along the Southern Pacific right-of-way with numerous wooden trestles near Littig.
History
The townsite was laid out in 1883 on land donated by Jackson Morrow, a former slave. The original plat placed the train depot in the center of a one square mile area. The town was named for A. B. Littig, former general division agent of the Houston and Texas Central Railway, who surveyed the townsite, following the practice of naming new railroad towns after officers of the company. It had a railroad depot and locomotive water tank. A church and school were built in 1887 on land donated by J. W. Bitting. In 1889 a post office was established there with Thomas B. Fowler as postmaster. (The Houston and Texas Central Railway was succeeded by the Southern Pacific Transportation Company). By 1900 Littig had a general store, two cotton gins, three churches, and 168 residents. In 1907 the Littig common school district had three one-teacher schools for 185 black students and a one-teacher school for thirty-three white students. The population of Littig and many other small Texas communities such as nearby KimbroKimbro, Texas
Kimbro is a small unincorporated community in northeast Travis County, Texas, United States....
, Manda and Lund
Lund, Texas
Lund is a small unincorporated community in northeast Travis County, Texas, United States....
began to decline during the 1930s due to advances in automobile transportation and mechanized agriculture; its population fell from an estimated 150 in 1936 to thirty-five by the 1940s. The Littig schools were consolidated with the Manda Common School District in 1952. The post office at Littig was discontinued in 1954, and mail for the community was sent via Elgin
Elgin, Texas
Elgin is a city in Bastrop and Travis Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 5,700 at the 2000 census. By 2005, the population grew to an estimated 8,689...
in Bastrop County. A church and several houses marked the community's location on topographic maps of the area in the 1980s. The population of Littig was reported as thirty-seven from the late 1960s through 2000.