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VON ORMY, TEXAS. Von Ormy is on Interstate Highway 35 and the Medina River, thirteen miles southwest of downtown San Antonio in southwestern Bexar County. The community, originally known as Medina Crossing, was settled after the Civil War.qv In 1879 a post office was established and named Manns' Crossing for a family who operated the ferry. In 1886 the name was changed to Von Ormy in honor of Austrian nobleman Count Adolph von Ormy, who bought a 2,300-acre tract nearby. He and his wife and some 20 liveried servants planned to establish a court in the former house of Enoch Jones,qv but the Countess von Ormy returned to Europe after a year's residence, and the Count disappeared under mysterious circumstances a year later. In 1914 the town had two grocers, a general store, a cotton gin, and a population of 350. In 1946 the population was still 350. After World War IIqv the community declined; in 1965 nine businesses and 100 residents were reported. Since that time the population has grown slowly, and in 1990 Von Ormy had 264 residents and twenty businesses.

Christopher Long

 

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