ROCHELLE

NAME: Rochelle COUNTY: McCulloch ROADS: 2WD GRID: 3 CLIMATE: warm mild spring fall hot summer cold winter BEST TIME TO VISIT: anytime no motel accomodations

COMMENTS: As you arrive Rochelle, TX U.S. 190 has not yet been altered since the railroad left in 1959. The highway do bend and dip as if the railroad did not leave. If you stand at the very bottom of the highway and look up very closely, you can see sections of the bridge support that once held the span of the bridge to the other side. Sections of the R.O.W. are either county road or city road. At times at night, you can hear theroar of a train or see a train crossthe bridge, hear various whistles ora ringing bell of a steam train. TheDepot is a Community Center. Theremains of the railroad exist as youdrive west to Rochelle from San Saba. REMAINS: Buildings Up For Sale Abandoned R.O.W.

Initial names for the community included Crewville and Crothers, both in honor of early McCulloch County residents. When a post office was established in 1879, the name Rochelle was suggested by a local settler from La Rochelle, France, which was accepted by postal officials.A one-room schoolhouse was first built in 1886 when the community had a population of approximately 30.The Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway Company laid its track from Brownwood to Brady in 1903. A second line, the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad completed its track from Eden to Lometa in 1912. The arrival of the railroads caused Rochelle to grown substantially. The number of inhabitants had risen to around 700 by 1914. In 1930, several smaller schools consolidated with Rochelle High School. These schools were Placid, Claxton, Corn Creek, and Round Mountain. Several more schools, including Cowboy, Fairview, East Sweden, and Mercury had transferred their students to Rochelle by the end of 1937. Rochelle's population during the 1930s was just over 500 and remained at that level until the 1950s. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway abandoned its track through the community in 1959, accelerating the rate of decline. By the early 1960s, only 100 people remained in Rochelle. That figure rose slightly to 163 in the 1960s and remained at that level through 2000. Although Rochelle is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 76872. Submitted by: Michael D. Lucas

BACK