Belmont, TX

Belmont, between Gonzales and Seguin on U.S. Highway 90A in western Gonzales County, was established in the 1840s as a stage stop called Centerville. When citizens applied for a post office they had to choose a new name because another Centerville in Texas already had a post office. Residents selected Belmont, supposedly for the Belmont family of horse-racing fame. In 1885 the town had a steam sawmill, a cotton gin, a district school, two churches, daily mail service, and a population of 100. A stage made daily runs to Luling; tickets were $1.50 each. In 1896 the population reached its apex at 125. That year the town had three general stores, a grocer, a hotel, and a blacksmith.

On June 14, 1901, a shoot-out, which the newspapers labeled the "Battle of Belmont," occurred when lawmen attacked the home of Martín and Refugia Robledo, who were giving refuge to fugitive Gregorio Cortez. The early twentieth century witnessed a gradual decline in Belmont's population. In 1904 Belmont reported one school with forty-eight students. In 1914 the town had a physician and a telephone connection. In 1936 a school and a hotel served the community. In the 1940s Belmont had a church, a gin, a general store, a garage, and a population of around 100. By the 1980s the population had dwindled to sixty-five. It was sixty in 1990, when, held together by the church and a community hall, the rural community was a gathering point for local farmers. A nearby gravel pit contributed to Belmont's economy. In 2000 Belmont still reported sixty inhabitants and had eleven businesses.