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A Brief History of Kingsland
Kingsland is at the juncture of the Llano and Colorado
rivers, fifteen miles southeast of Llano in east central Llano County. It was originally
called Kingsville, for Martin D. King, who with J. M. Trussell had purchased the land on
which it is located in 1877. The town was the site of a cotton gin and a small trading
center in the 1880s. Activity increased with the extension of the Austin and Northwestern
Railroad to Llano through Kingsville in 1892.
By 1901 the community was known as Kingsland and
had become the location of a growing number of businesses, including the Antlers Hotel,
built by railroad interests. Kingsland had a reported population of 750 in 1907 but
suffered a temporary decline, aggravated by a fire in 1922; in 1925 the population was
reported as 150.
Historic Sites
| Landmark |
Data
& Maps |
Photos |
| Antlers Hotel
was built by the railroad. The Antlers Hotel is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
listed on the National Register of Historic Places. |
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Antlers Hotel |
| Lake Lyndon
B. Johnson, Lake LBJ |
Historical marker |
Photo |
Austin and Northwestern Railroad Historic District
Fairland to Llano |
National Register listing
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Photo
Location map |
| Packsaddle
Mountain is an area land mark that stands five miles southwest of Kingsland in
eastern Llano County (at 30°37' N, 98°30' W) and is of interest to both historians and
geologists. Its twin-peaked silhouette resembles a saddle from some perspectives.
Intriguing traces of gold, silver and other minerals have been reported
in the sands of Honey Creek and the mountainside. It is said to be the location of the Los
Almagres mine, the object of Jim Bowie's searches for several
years; records indicate that the Spanish operated a mine in the region. Prospecting on
Packsaddle Mountain renewed interest in gold mining in Llano County in
the 1920s, but with no lasting result. At an elevation of 1,628 feet, the higher of the
two summits rises 650 feet above U.S. Highway 71. Local topography ranges from flat to
rolling to steep, with local escarpments, covered with soils ranging from shallow and
stony to deep, fine, sandy loams. Vegetation consists primarily of open stands of live oak
and Ashe juniper. The mountain was the site
of the Packsaddle Mountain Fight with Apache Indians on August 5,
1873, the last major Indian battle in the area. |
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Photo |
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Kingsland/Lake LBJ
Chamber of Commerce
325-388-6211
2743 W. RR 1431
Kingsland, Texas 78639
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