Van Alstyne

Mantua was established about 3 miles southwest of here in 1854 and prospered until it was unexpectedly bypassed in 1873, when the Houston and Texas Central Railway extended its track through this area instead. That year a depot was built and a post office established in the new town, named for Maria Van Alstyne, widow of W. A. Van Alstyne, a principal stockholder of the railway. Churches, businesses, and residents of Mantua and other area towns moved there to be near the railroad. Van Alstyne was incorporated and gained a newspaper in 1883, and Columbia College was founded in 1889. By 1900, it had banks, schools, hotels, an opera house, a literary club, and electric service, while cotton and other farm production dominated the local economy. Interurban transportation began in 1908. The local Grays semi-pro baseball team, established about 1902, played for many decades and produced a number of major league players. Many local businesses, churches, and social organizations trace their origins to Mantua and nineteenth-century Van Alstyne, and the historic downtown area, once the site of popular Saturday night social activities, continues as a business and social center.

Van Alstyne, Texas · United States