Minerva, Texas

Minerva was once named Midway because it was halfway between Rockdale and Cameron.[2] The land for a train station was granted by Minerva Adeline Sanders, who contributed to it when the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway passed through the region in 1891. A post office opened that next year. A brief boom resulted from the 1921 discovery of a shallow oilfield close to Minerva; oil production peaked in 1927 with a gross yield of 455,985 barrels for the year. Although a modest refining industry was still supported by the oilfield, Minerva remained mostly an agricultural village. When the Texas and New Orleans Railroad abandoned the stretch of track between Cameron and Giddings in 1959, the town's train service was terminated. In the mid-1960s, the Minerva post office was shut down. In the 1980s, when the population was listed as 60, the village was identified on county highway maps by two churches and three businesses. Through 2000, it was still listed as 60.[3]

The oldest building in Minerva was built by SAAP stationmaster Thom Jones. David Robinson served as the first postmaster in the community from 1915 to 1949.[2]

Minerva is located on U.S. Highway 77, 6 mi (9.7 km) south of Cameron, 41 mi (66 km) southeast of Temple, 52 mi (84 km) west of Bryan\College Station, and 68 mi (109 km) northeast of Austin in central Milam County.[2]

Minerva is served by the Rockdale Independent School District. It joined that district and the Cameron Independent School District in 1949.[2]

• C. R. Smith, American Airlines CEO, was born in Minerva.[4]