Taft, Texas
Taft, Texas is a small friendly town, located in the Coastal Bend of the Gulf Coast of Texas. The town has a rich history, based on cattle, ranching, cotton, and fertile blackland soil. Originally known as Mesquital, the town's humble beginning was as a water stop for the San Antonio and Aransas Railroad.
Because of the availability of good water, the site was chosen as the location for the headquarters of the Taft Ranch, the successor to an older enterprise known as the Coleman-Fulton Pasture Company. In the early 1900's, the town was named Taft by Charles P. Taft, in honor of his brother -- the future U.S. President (and Supreme Court Justice) William Howard Taft. A post office was established officially in 1904.
The Taft Ranch and its affiliated enterprises prospered for many years. As the ranch headquarters, the town boasted many amenities found only in larger cities. When the ranch's charter expired in 1927, the assets of the 'company town' were sold in true Texas style -- with barbeques and public auctions.
As an incorporated city, Taft continued to grow. The town had several banks, a mercantile store, a creamery, an ice plant, a library, schools, car dealerships, and churches of every denomination. The town's mainstay was agriculture.
Today, Taft is a more established community. The city has excellent schools, numerous churches, and active social and civic organizations. The town still relies heavily on agriculture -- primarily cotton and grain. Although today's lifestyle is more hectic and cotton is picked by machine, the citizens of this small community still consider Taft as the friendliest cotton pickin' town in Texas!
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