Katemcy, Texas
Encyclopedia
Katemcy is an unincorporated community
on Katemcy Creek in Mason County
, Texas
, United States
. The community is located on Farm to Market Road 1222, a mile east of Texas State Highway 87. The creek and the community were named after Penateka Comanche
Chief Ketemoczy (Katemcy) who gave John O. Meusebach
the nickname El Sol Colorado (The Red Sun) because of his red hair. Ketemoczy was also one of the chiefs who signed the Fort Martin Scott Treaty
.
In 1879, Doctor William Flemon Cowan, and his spouse, midwife Mary Ann Primm Cowan, moved to the community from Limestone County
. The plot of land on which they settled became the community of Katemcy. Dr. and Mrs. Cowan provided medical services to the settlers by riding horseback throughout the county. In the style of the day, Mrs. Cowan rode sidesaddle in a riding skirt.
Dr. Cowan's sons John, Elias and Alfred ran a sawmill, gristmill and cotton gin.
, an arrangement that contributed to the thriving rural community that supported three churches, a school, two doctors, two general stores, two blacksmith shops, and a cotton gin. By 1920, the tractor had replaced a lot of field hands, and farm employment began to disappear. The population began its decline in 1925. The Katemcy school system was consolidated with Mason in 1945. Today, the rural community population remains small.
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...
on Katemcy Creek in Mason County
Mason County, Texas
Mason County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 4, 012. Its county seat is Mason...
, 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 community is located on Farm to Market Road 1222, a mile east of Texas State Highway 87. The creek and the community were named after Penateka Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
Chief Ketemoczy (Katemcy) who gave John O. Meusebach
John O. Meusebach
John O. Meusebach , born Baron Otfried Hans von Meusebach, was at first a Prussian bureaucrat, later an American farmer and politician who served in the Texas Senate, District 22.-Early years:John O...
the nickname El Sol Colorado (The Red Sun) because of his red hair. Ketemoczy was also one of the chiefs who signed the Fort Martin Scott Treaty
Fort Martin Scott Treaty
The Fort Martin Scott Treaty of 1850 was an unratified treaty between the United States government and the Comanche, Caddo, Quapaw, Tawakoni, Lipan, and Waco tribes in Texas...
.
Early settlement
The community was originally named Cootsville after colonist Andrew Jackson Coots. Settlers began moving in during the late 19th Century.In 1879, Doctor William Flemon Cowan, and his spouse, midwife Mary Ann Primm Cowan, moved to the community from Limestone County
Limestone County, Texas
Limestone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 22,051. Its county seat is Groesbeck.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water....
. The plot of land on which they settled became the community of Katemcy. Dr. and Mrs. Cowan provided medical services to the settlers by riding horseback throughout the county. In the style of the day, Mrs. Cowan rode sidesaddle in a riding skirt.
Dr. Cowan's sons John, Elias and Alfred ran a sawmill, gristmill and cotton gin.
School
Baptist minister Lawson Jones donated land in 1883 for the construction of Friendship School. A community collection provided the building fund, and J.M. Heatherly became the first teacher of the one-room school. Funding for the school came from tuition, which could be off-set for needy families by having their child perform chores at the school. A public school was later built in Katemcy, and the Friendship School was moved and became the Friendship Baptist Church.Post office
Alfred R. Cowan was appointed postmaster when Katemcy received its post office on November 17, 1884.Later years
Katemcy became attractive to settlers with its inexpensive acreage and bountiful water supply. The area received its first telephone in 1914. Local farms were often tenant farmsTenant farmer
A tenant farmer is one who resides on and farms land owned by a landlord. Tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and management; while tenant farmers contribute their labor along with at times varying...
, an arrangement that contributed to the thriving rural community that supported three churches, a school, two doctors, two general stores, two blacksmith shops, and a cotton gin. By 1920, the tractor had replaced a lot of field hands, and farm employment began to disappear. The population began its decline in 1925. The Katemcy school system was consolidated with Mason in 1945. Today, the rural community population remains small.