Wallis, Texas
Encyclopedia
Wallis is a city in Austin County
, Texas
, United States
. The population was 1,172 at the 2000 census
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), of which, 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) of it is land and 0.65% is water.
of 2000, there were 1,172 people, 422 households, and 314 families residing in the city. The population density
was 767.7 people per square mile (295.8/km²). There were 455 housing units at an average density of 298.0/sq mi (114.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 71.50% White, 13.74% African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 10.92% from other races
, and 3.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.38% of the population.
There were 422 households out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.8% were married couples
living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,328, and the median income for a family was $40,000. Males had a median income of $30,481 versus $20,664 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,877. About 6.4% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 15.6% of those age 65 or over.
According to Austin County courthouse records, William Guyler owned 12 slaves in the 1860s which most likely operated his numerous businesses including the only gristmill, cotton gin and sawmill within twenty miles (32 km). He was also a prominent real-estate man, buying and selling land throughout the prairie, aiding in the development of the community.
Mr. Guyler served in the Civil War on the side of the South with General John Sayles Company in the 23rd Brigade. Mrs. Guyler aided the soldiers at home and donated supplies wherever most needed. During the yellow fever scourge in Galveston in 1867, she helped to nurse the sufferers. She was personally acquainted with prominent men and women of pioneer days and named one of her children after General Sam Houston in memory of his victory at San Jacinto.
William Guyler had the first post office in the area established on October 13, 1873, where he was listed as Post Master of Bovine Bend by the Tenth Congressional District of Texas.
In 1880 Mr. Guyler sold 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of land for $10.00 to the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad for their right-of-way and the building of a town. The community known as Bovine Bend was renamed Wallis, after the then Senior Vice President of the Railroad, J.E. Wallis. The name of the post office was changed to Wallis Station in 1886 and into Wallis in 1911. In 1973 Wallis was officially incorporated as a city.
Historical Markers
Guardian Angel Catholic Church
The church standing today is the third built by its parishioners. The congregation first organized in 1892, holding services in the Krasna School building, a 42 by 80 feet (24.4 m) structure located on 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) donated by a parishioner. The first sanctuary building was erected closer to the Wallis railway in 1899. During the 1900 storm a tornado destroyed the church. With $1,000 still owed on the structure, and their renowned trust in the Lord, construction was again started on a second sanctuary which was completed in 1904. By 1912, with the parish growing to some 75 families, plans for the present church were begun.
One of the last Painted Churches built in Texas, construction started on June 3, 1913 with the blessing of the cornerstone, and was completed two years later on October 21, 1915. It is believed to be one of the oldest and largest solid wood structures of its type in Texas. Despite hard times of illnesses, crop failures, tornadoes, heavy rains and storms, some $10,000 was raised towards a building project by its 75 family congregation. This church, in Gothic Style, was designed by architect Leo Dielman of San Antonio and was built by Jan Bujnoch of Wallis with the help of parishioners who volunteered their carpenter skills. The interior is newly painted artistically while keeping the ornate altars as close as possible to the original design, white with gold etchings. The leaded, stained glass windows were created in Italy. There are three brass bells in the tower which are gracefully named. The land, stained glass windows, altars, bells, and statues were all donated by the parishioners in memory of their loved ones.
Guardian Angel Catholic Church is listed on the national Register of Historic Places, with a historical marker dedicated in 1996.
The church is opened daily, with group tours by appointment (979-478-6532).
Wallis United Methodist Church
In the year 1890, the Town of Wallis had grown to some 400 people. A need for another church was foreseen by the townspeople, and on October 13, 1893 a loan was taken out by trustees in the amount of $300 to build a Methodist Church. This is considered to be the birthday of this church.
A mortgage was registered to N.P. Ward, M.L.H. Harry, D.N. Harris, F.D. Brandt, and W.T. Brown in the Austin County Courthouse as Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church South of Wallis, Texas. The land was donated by M.L.H. Harry, a ferry boat operator who transported passengers across the Brazos River between Wallis and Simonton.
The first known pastor was A.S. Blackwood who served from 1891 to 1893.
In 1939 the Methodist Episcopal Church South of Wallis later became known as the Methodist Church and in 1968 was renamed the Wallis United Methodist Church.
The Church celebrated its 100th anniversary in October 1993, and to date is very active in many programs which continue to serve as an integral part of the community. A Historical Marker for the church was dedicated in 1997.
Austin County, Texas
Austin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas adjacent to the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The population was 28,417 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Bellville. Austin County is named for Stephen F...
, 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...
. The population was 1,172 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...
.
Geography
Wallis is located at 29°37′50"N 96°3′46"W (29.630649, -96.062751).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), of which, 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) of it is land and 0.65% is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,172 people, 422 households, and 314 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 767.7 people per square mile (295.8/km²). There were 455 housing units at an average density of 298.0/sq mi (114.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 71.50% White, 13.74% African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 10.92% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.38% of the population.
There were 422 households out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,328, and the median income for a family was $40,000. Males had a median income of $30,481 versus $20,664 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $16,877. About 6.4% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 15.6% of those age 65 or over.
History
In 1845, William and Lydia Ann English Guyler, pioneer settlers of Bovine Bend in Texas (later to be called Wallis, Texas), were proud new owners of some 2900 acres (11.7 km²) of land marked only by the posts in the prairie. They started their journey from Kentucky to Texas traveling by riverboat and Gulf passenger ship down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to new Orleans, and then across the waters of the Gulf, landing in Galveston on New Year's Day in 1859. They then traveled by small boat to Harrisburg, then by railroad, migrating to the town of Richmond, in Fort Bend County. There they sold approximately 100 barrels of flour to local merchants to finance the purchase of their new homestead in Austin County. Then, traveling by wagon train, they ended up on the banks of the Brazos River. Their first home, a log cabin, was in the Milburn and Davis Grant, where they resided throughout the Civil war years.According to Austin County courthouse records, William Guyler owned 12 slaves in the 1860s which most likely operated his numerous businesses including the only gristmill, cotton gin and sawmill within twenty miles (32 km). He was also a prominent real-estate man, buying and selling land throughout the prairie, aiding in the development of the community.
Mr. Guyler served in the Civil War on the side of the South with General John Sayles Company in the 23rd Brigade. Mrs. Guyler aided the soldiers at home and donated supplies wherever most needed. During the yellow fever scourge in Galveston in 1867, she helped to nurse the sufferers. She was personally acquainted with prominent men and women of pioneer days and named one of her children after General Sam Houston in memory of his victory at San Jacinto.
William Guyler had the first post office in the area established on October 13, 1873, where he was listed as Post Master of Bovine Bend by the Tenth Congressional District of Texas.
In 1880 Mr. Guyler sold 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of land for $10.00 to the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad for their right-of-way and the building of a town. The community known as Bovine Bend was renamed Wallis, after the then Senior Vice President of the Railroad, J.E. Wallis. The name of the post office was changed to Wallis Station in 1886 and into Wallis in 1911. In 1973 Wallis was officially incorporated as a city.
Historical Markers
Guardian Angel Catholic Church
The church standing today is the third built by its parishioners. The congregation first organized in 1892, holding services in the Krasna School building, a 42 by 80 feet (24.4 m) structure located on 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) donated by a parishioner. The first sanctuary building was erected closer to the Wallis railway in 1899. During the 1900 storm a tornado destroyed the church. With $1,000 still owed on the structure, and their renowned trust in the Lord, construction was again started on a second sanctuary which was completed in 1904. By 1912, with the parish growing to some 75 families, plans for the present church were begun.
One of the last Painted Churches built in Texas, construction started on June 3, 1913 with the blessing of the cornerstone, and was completed two years later on October 21, 1915. It is believed to be one of the oldest and largest solid wood structures of its type in Texas. Despite hard times of illnesses, crop failures, tornadoes, heavy rains and storms, some $10,000 was raised towards a building project by its 75 family congregation. This church, in Gothic Style, was designed by architect Leo Dielman of San Antonio and was built by Jan Bujnoch of Wallis with the help of parishioners who volunteered their carpenter skills. The interior is newly painted artistically while keeping the ornate altars as close as possible to the original design, white with gold etchings. The leaded, stained glass windows were created in Italy. There are three brass bells in the tower which are gracefully named. The land, stained glass windows, altars, bells, and statues were all donated by the parishioners in memory of their loved ones.
Guardian Angel Catholic Church is listed on the national Register of Historic Places, with a historical marker dedicated in 1996.
The church is opened daily, with group tours by appointment (979-478-6532).
Wallis United Methodist Church
In the year 1890, the Town of Wallis had grown to some 400 people. A need for another church was foreseen by the townspeople, and on October 13, 1893 a loan was taken out by trustees in the amount of $300 to build a Methodist Church. This is considered to be the birthday of this church.
A mortgage was registered to N.P. Ward, M.L.H. Harry, D.N. Harris, F.D. Brandt, and W.T. Brown in the Austin County Courthouse as Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church South of Wallis, Texas. The land was donated by M.L.H. Harry, a ferry boat operator who transported passengers across the Brazos River between Wallis and Simonton.
The first known pastor was A.S. Blackwood who served from 1891 to 1893.
In 1939 the Methodist Episcopal Church South of Wallis later became known as the Methodist Church and in 1968 was renamed the Wallis United Methodist Church.
The Church celebrated its 100th anniversary in October 1993, and to date is very active in many programs which continue to serve as an integral part of the community. A Historical Marker for the church was dedicated in 1997.
External links
- City of Wallis
- http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/WW/hjw2.html Handbook of TexasHandbook of TexasThe Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association .-History:...
Online article