1961 Map of Hempstead

About this map

The Southern Pacific rail line bisects this 1961 landscape, anchoring the city of Hempstead as it serves as a central hub for the surrounding Waller and Austin County agricultural lands. The city's grid is well-defined, showing the County Fairground and essential local infrastructure like the Sewage Disposal plant. To the south and west, the terrain transitions into the fertile bottomlands of the Brazos River, where the Oil Field at Raccoon Bend indicates the region's mid-century petroleum industry. Numerous watercourses, including Clear Creek and Threemile Creek, carve through the terrain, while landmarks like Greater Wyatt Chapel and the Pine Island Ch point to established rural communities. This survey also records the small settlement of Lewisville and an Abandoned Branch Road northwest of town, reflecting shifting transportation patterns during Texas's postwar expansion.