HARVESTER, TEXAS. Harvester, thirteen miles northeast of Hempstead in northeastern Waller County, probably originated sometime before 1887, when James M. Robertson opened a post office in his general store there. A church existed in the area at the time of the post office's founding. Robertson's brother, an unlicensed physician, practiced medicine in the vicinity. By 1896 Harvester had some twenty residents, two general stores, and a gristmill and gin. The community was reportedly named for the abundant crops harvested in the area. With the advent of rural free mail service between nearby Hockley and points in northeastern Waller County, the Harvester post office closed in 1913. Harvester was not shown on the 1941 county highway map.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Mildred W. Abshier, et al., Former Post Offices of Waller County (Hempstead, Texas: Waller County Historical Society, 1977).
