Rock Island, Texas: How a Promising Brazos River Town Disappeared

Rock Island was a short-lived but notable early settlement in Washington County during the Republic of Texas and early statehood.

Origins

The community developed in the 1830s around a plantation called Rock Island, owned by Barbara Groce Clarke, a granddaughter of prominent planter Jared E. Groce. The site lay on the Brazos River, near present-day Farm Road 1736, about six miles north of Hempstead and roughly fifteen miles south of Washington-on-the-Brazos.

The name Rock Island was given by early settler Amos Gates, who noticed a small island in the Brazos River directly across from the plantation and used it to identify the place.

Growth and Institutions

By the late 1830s and 1840s, Rock Island developed into a small but active settlement. Near Mrs. Clarke’s plantation, residents established a general store, inn, cotton gin, and blacksmith shop, all serving surrounding farms and travelers.

Education was a notable feature of the community. The Rock Island Academy, one of the earliest schools in Washington County, attracted students from nearby plantations and settlements.

A post office was established at Rock Island in 1849, further signaling its role as a recognized local center.

Decline

Despite its early promise, Rock Island faced setbacks. In 1837, when Washington County voted on a county seat, Rock Island lost to the town of Washington-on-the-Brazos. Although it continued to function for another two decades, this decision limited its political and economic importance.

The most decisive blow came with the arrival of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad. Railroad officials considered a crossing at Rock Island, but the town of Washington refused to subsidize the bridge, making the project impractical. As a result, the railroad routed its line elsewhere, and in 1857 it crossed the Brazos near what became Hempstead.

The opening of Hempstead on the railroad immediately attracted commerce and settlers away from Rock Island. The Rock Island post office was closed and transferred to Hempstead in June 1857. Within a short time, most residents relocated, and the community ceased to exist as a functioning town.

Legacy

Today, nothing remains of Rock Island as a settlement, though its brief history highlights important themes in early Texas:

• Transportation and survival: The refusal to finance the railroad crossing and the railroad’s decision to bypass Rock Island directly determined its fate.

• Educational beginnings: The Rock Island Academy is remembered as one of the earliest schools in Washington County.

• Family connections: The Groce family, among the wealthiest and most influential in early Texas, played a role in the area’s development through Barbara Groce Clarke’s plantation.