Originally named Coates for early settler Kem Coates, Cedar Gap formed in the late 19th century. Coates, on whose land the post office was later located, arrived in the 1870s, and by the early 1880s a number of families from Robertson County had settled there. Residents soon organized Cedar Gap Baptist Church, which remained in existence until the 1970s, with the Rev. G.C. Scott serving as the first pastor. Cedar Gap grew as transportation improved, first with the Cedar Gap Pike, later County Road 127, a stagecoach route running from Abilene south to Content, and then with the Abilene & Southern Railway. Built in 1909, the railway ran from Abilene to San Angelo, passing through Cedar Gap, where the company constructed a frame waiting station, and contractors employed area residents to help build the railroad. Life in Cedar Gap revolved around other institutions, including a school that opened in the 1880s, first met in the Baptist Church building, moved to its own structure in 1898, then moved two more times in 1908 and 1916 to accommodate growing enrollment, and eventually consolidated with the Tuscola District in 1948. Other establishments included a blacksmith shop, general store, cotton gin, and Woodmen of the World Lodge No. 2184. Today, Cedar Gap Cemetery, near the former church site and containing graves of early area settlers, remains as a reminder of this once-vibrant community.