Bethel

Harvey is on Farm Road 30 some two miles southeast of Bryan in central Brazos County. It was established in 1879 and named for Col. Harvey Mitchell, an early settler of Booneville. Mitchell was known as the "Father of Brazos County" for his contribution to the development of the area. He was a justice of the peace, a minister, a hotel and store owner, a surveyor, and a blacksmith. The area was first settled in the 1860s by planters. A community grew up around the Bethel Church, and in the late 1800s the Bethel Academy was established with 150 students; during the 1970s a community center was at the site of the academy. In 1890 J. W. Barron opened a post office in his local grocery store, and a gristmill and a steam cotton gin were eventually established at the community. Once the soil was depleted from local cotton production, ranching began to dominate the local economy. The population in Harvey was reported as twenty-five in 1910. During the 1930s the community had two schools, two churches, and a number of scattered dwellings. By 1964 its population had grown to 110. From 1970 to 2000 Harvey reported a population of 310.