PART 2
Family lore and tradition says that James Manor first came to Texas in 1832 along with his friend Sam Houston who had been sent by President Andrew Jackson to make peace treaties with some of the Indian tribes in Texas. In 1835 James returned to his home and family in Tennessee, but in 1836 he moved his family to Texas where they settled in the area known as Webber’s Prairie, which later became the town of Webberville. His brother, Joseph John Manor, and his family, made the move to Texas with James.
But historical documents seem to state that James Manor first came to Texas in 1836 with only his wife and children. His brother Joseph came a year or two later.
In 1838, James Manor received two land grants from the Republic of Texas. Because he had been a resident of Texas in 1832, he received 640 acres. His second grant was given because he had served in the military after moving to Texas – it was for 1280 acres, giving him a total of 1,920 acres of land. On November 12, 1838 he had both grants surveyed on some prime prairie land between Wilbarger’s and Gilleland’s Creeks in the area which would later become Manor, Texas. Soon he built a log cabin on his land and moved his family there. His brother, Joseph, opened a store in 1840 and stayed in Webberville, where he remains even today; buried in the J. J. Manor Cemetery.
In 1842 James built a two-story house on his land and used the log cabin as the kitchen.
More people moved into the area around James Manor’s land because there was good farm land and lots of wildlife here. Over the years, some stores, churches and schools were built, but there was no actual town established.
In June, 1868 a state Constitutional Convention was held in Austin. Known as the Reconstruction Convention, the purpose of the Convention was to write a new Constitution for the State of Texas after the Civil War, but many other issues were also addressed. One of those issues concerned the importance of having a railroad running into Austin, the capital of the state.
Among the ordinances passed by the convention was a “DECLARATION” titled “Respecting the Central Railroad Company”. It said, “Whereas, The Houston and Texas Central Railroad Company has become the owner, by purchase, of the Washington County railroad…
Therefore be it declared by the people of Texas, in Convention assembled, That the….Houston and Texas Central Railway Company shall have the right to extend the said Western Branch of their road from the town of Brenham, in Washington county, to the city of Austin, in Travis county, by the most eligible route, as near an air line as may be practicable.”
An air line would be the shortest, most direct route possible.
The Houston and Texas Central Railway Company had already built its tracks from Houston to the city of Brenham. The route “most near an air line as practicable” into Austin would take the railroad tracks through the Webberville area.
In April, 1870 a meeting of the citizens of Austin was held at which time they requested that the State Legislature grant them the power to raise the funds necessary to bring a railroad into Austin. In addition, a committee of 10 men was appointed to confer with the Central Railroad Company to find out just what would be required in order to get the railroad built. One of those 10 men was James Manor.
Meetings were held involving the citizens of Austin and the Railway Company in which the Railroad was offered a $75,000 bonus to do the job, and a letter dated September 15, 1870, from the President of the Railway said;
“We have concluded to undertake to finish the Road by January, 1, 1872, and it will involve to do it in that time, considerable additional expense, and we shall look to your committee to get the land wanted for depot purposes and the 75,000 dollars as proposed…Our Engineers will be on the line within three days.”
At that time the committee had already raised $52,000 of the amount needed. They requested and received additional time to raise the remaining $23,000.
The new, eagerly-anticipated railroad would NOT be built through Webberville.
Travis County Deed Records also show that on November 30, 1871 another document was signed between James Manor and the trustees of the Houston and Texas Central Railway Company. In return for $5 paid to him, James Manor sold 200 acres of his land to the trustees. This acreage was located between Wilbarger and Gilliland Creeks and was apparently an excellent location on which to build a town. The trustees of the Railroad immediately started doing just that.
There was one stipulation included in this agreement: James Manor would not lay out and sell any town lots on any of his adjoining lands before January 1, 1873.
A December 7, 1871 news story in the Texas State Gazette newspaper published in Austin said the following;
“The little village known as Wheeler’s Store, about twelve miles from this place is now being laid off into lots, and extensive preparations are going on for building up a town. The name of the place will be “Manor”. It is situated in the heart of the best agricultural region in the State. The facilities for reaching it from Georgetown, Round Rock and many places north and south of the railroad, are much better than for reaching Austin, and it will doubtless become a thriving town at no distant day. The construction train on the Central Road, we understand, will reach it tomorrow evening.”
At this time it was said that railroad tracks were being laid at the rate of one mile per day, and the first train pulled into Austin on Christmas day, 1871.
By the 10th of January, 1872, the new city was ready. Travis County Deed Records show a document signed by all of the Trustees of the Railway Company detailing what had been done. It said;
1. “We have caused to be laid off lots and blocks, and streets and alleys, and have named the place “Manor” and have made a plan and map thereof…”
They had surveyed and laid out the town into 80 square blocks. Most of the blocks contained 10 lots each. Eight of the blocks contained 20 lots each. These were the 4 blocks on each side of the railroad tracks closest to the place where the railroad depot would be built.
2. “We give and dedicate unto the said Houston and Texas Central Railway Company, all that certain piece or parcel of land named, shown, and designated on said map as “Rail Road Reservation”…
3. “The said strip or parcel of land so designated on said map as Railroad reservation shall be a continuous strip or piece not intersected by any street or way; and all other streets or ways laid off, and designated on said map, by names and running at angles with said Railroad reservation so as to intersect it, shall not cross said “Rail Road Reservation” but shall abut upon and terminate at said “Rail Road Reservation” on both sides thereof…”
4. “The said Rail Road Reservation may be used as a Public Highway only so long as the same remains open and unenclosed…”
5. “Nothing in this deed shall prevent the proper municipal authorities from grading, paving, or otherwise improving said land as a street, so long as the same remains open and unenclosed; and they may erect and maintain a convenient number of crossings and bridges over the Railroad…”
6. “The Railway Company shall have the right to erect warehouses, or any other buildings whatever upon said land designated as “Railroad Reservation” and at any time hereafter to fence in and enclose said land or any part thereof and to hold the same to the exclusion of the public…”
7. “And we do hereby give, grant and dedicate to the public use as highways, each and all the streets and alleys other than said “Railroad Reservation” laid off and designated on said map…”
Finally, there were two more documents written, both dated January 20, 1872. In one of them, the Trustees of the Railroad received $5 from James Manor, along with title deed to one half of the lots and blocks in Manor.
As their half, the Railroad would own 412 lots in the new town.
In the other document, James Manor received $10 from the Trustees of the Railroad, along with title deed to the other half of the newly laid out lots and blocks in the town of Manor.
As his half, James Manor would own 411 city lots in his new town.
No more than 9 days later, on January 29, 1872 ads were already running in the Tri-Weekly State Gazette newspaper in Austin that said,
“TOWN LOTS FOR SALE - - The undersigned has a number of lots in the town of “Manor,” 14 miles east of Austin, on the Railroad, which he wishes to sell at reasonable prices. He would be pleased to show said lots to any persons desiring to purchase.” James Manor
Eight years later, in February 1880, a farmer and land owner in the Manor area, Addison Earldom Lane, purchased 38 ¾ acres of land from James Manor for $731.15. This land joined the town of Manor on its north side. In 1912, Mr. Lane surveyed and laid out a 20 block area that was added to the original 80 blocks, becoming a part of the town.
Blocks numbered 74 thru 80 on the original town map were actually only half blocks containing 5 lots each. In 1883 Mr. Lane purchased all 5 lots in block 77. At the time of his death in 1914, he still owned these 5, still vacant, lots. His widow, Mary Jane Eppright (who often went by the name of Jennie) donated these 5 lots to the town of Manor in 1921 to be used as a public park.
At the time of his death in May, 1881 James Manor still owned many of the town lots. According to his will which he had written 2 years earlier, ownership of these lots was divided among his daughters, Matilda, Elvira, Lavina, and Catherine. A 5th daughter, Ann, had passed away and her 4 children were to receive equal portions of her lots.
From the newly-formed town of Manor to the older, already established town of Webberville is only 8 miles.
But - WHAT A DIFFERENCE A TRAIN MADE!
After Webberville was laid out and mapped in the early 1850’s (20 years before the railroad was built) it was described as a “thriving colony” where people came from far away to trade, visit, and get the news.
There were several General Stores, a post office, drug store, doctor’s office, blacksmith shop, barber shop, meat market, grist mill, saddle shop, furniture factory and several other stores.
Mrs. Lee Manor, daughter-in-law of Joseph Manor, said that Joseph Manor owned and operated a twelve wagon freight train in Webberville and at one time Webberville was said to have a hotel, a furniture factory, a saloon, a broom factory, a water mill, two boarding schools, and a Mormon school, with two ferry boats crossing the Colorado River at Webberville.
A History of Texas and Texans published in 1914 said, “…in 1859…Webberville had a population of about two hundred, two churches, two schools, five stores, a hotel and a debating society…”
Austin Statesman newspaper article from 1966 – “Webberville was once in competition with Waterloo (Austin) as a site for the state capital.”
In a book Austin Colony Pioneers written in 1949 the author says about Webberville; “The village became a flourishing one, and continued prosperous until the arrival of the Western Branch, via Manor to Austin, when it ceased to grow.”
The Handbook of Texas published in 1952 said; “Bypassed by the railroad – the town failed to grow.”
TEXAS STATE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION - HANDBOOK OF TEXAS today says; “The post office at Webberville was discontinued in 1903, and mail for the community was sent to Manor. The Webberville schools were consolidated with the Hornsby-Dunlap common school district in 1951. The population of the community was estimated at fifty from the 1940s through 2000.”
In a history of Webberville written in 1995 by Banks McLaurin, Jr, he said; “Webberville is now practically extinct”.
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