Ezzell, TX

Ezzell is on Farm Road 531 ten miles south of Hallettsville and two miles north of the Lavaca River in southern Lavaca County. It is the oldest settled area in the county. Families from Stephen F. Austin's colony settled at the site between 1830 and 1836 and traded at Petersburg, the old county seat, six miles to the north, until Sam and Ira Ezzell started a store during the Civil War. A private school taught by literate slaves operated at Ezzell. After the war, school was held in church buildings until 1883. In 1980 Ezzell had a population of fifty-five, a church, a school, and no businesses. The population was still reported as fifty-five in 2000.