PETRONILLA, TEXAS. Petronilla (Petronila) is a small rural community located in central Nueces County on Farm Road 665 between Driscoll and Corpus Christi. Petronilla derived its name from the Santa Petronila Ranch, which was located on Petronila Creek. Petronilla is credited with being the first European settlement in Nueces County. In 1911 a school district was established, and in 1912 the first school was opened; Mattie Roy McEwen taught thirty-four pupils. By 1946 there were only a few scattered dwellings in the area. In 1989 Belk Poultry Farm and Belk Country Store were in operation. The population was 155 in 1990. The population dropped to eighty-three in 2000.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Nueces County Historical Society, History of Nueces County (Austin: Jenkins, 1972).
