City's start originated with fruit

Farming potential brought people to Iowa Colony

ANDY SUMMA, Chronicle correspondent

July 11, 2002

Following is one in a series examining the story behind the names at prominent venues and facilities in the community.

Motorists passing through Iowa Colony won't see any fields of strawberry patches, orange trees or fig trees. But it was that fruit -- or the potential to grow it -- that brought developers to the area nearly 100 years ago.

The tiny city of Iowa Colony and its 800 residents are nestled between Rosharon, Manvel and Arcola. It was founded in 1908 by land developers from -- you guessed it -- Iowa, who saw potential for growing vast fields of fruit.

Developers G.I. Hoffmann and Robert Beard of Iowa chose the name, according to The Handbook of Texas Online. At the time, many of the people moving to the area were expected to come from Des Moines, Iowa.

Mild winters and long summers made the area ideal for crop production. People came from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but most came from Iowa.

The first settlers were mostly farmers, but also included doctors, lawyers, merchants, ministers and pharmacists. Fields of satsuma oranges and figs were planted, but the crops eventually were replaced by thousands of acres of rice farms, according to documents with the Brazoria County Historical Museum.

In 1912, farmers were aided by the first hard-surfaced road in Brazoria County, which ran from Angleton to Houston and right through the heart of Iowa Colony. During that time, more than 154 miles of hard-surfaced roads were built in the county.

The Federal Land Bank at Houston was established in Iowa Colony in 1917 and the Iowa Colony National Farm Loan Association was organized. The first church was founded in 1917, with the Rev. B.D. Clark as pastor.

By 1920, rice farming was Iowa Colony's largest industry, thanks to the nearby Brazos River. The town also received a post office that year.

"There's a lot of history here," said City Councilman Richard Ledbetter. "When it was founded, people came from all over to settle in Iowa Colony. At one point, there were two post offices and two schools. But fruit crops kept freezing, so they left."

The first elementary school was built in 1911. Iowa Colony High School was built the next year on Chocolate Bayou near what is now County Road 48. Years later, the district was absorbed into the Alvin Independent School District. The population was about 65 until the 1940s when a modest oil boom brought prosperity to the area, according to The Handbook of Texas Online.

The city was incorporated in 1973.

"I think we're about to see another big change in Iowa Colony," Ledbetter said. "People will start coming here to get away from Houston. Some people will like it and some people won't. But Iowa Colony is about to change forever."