Edroy

Edroy is on Interstate Highway 37 in southwest San Patricio County. It was planned in 1913 by Ed Cubage and Roy Miller after the San Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf Railroad was built from San Antonio to Corpus Christi. It derived its name from the first names of the two developers, who bought the site from John J. Welder and divided it up into farm lots for sale. The first settlers in the area were E. J. and William Heuermann, who bought land in 1900. In 1921 the Heuermann brothers bought land from Cubage and Miller, laid out the townsite of Edroy, and opened a store at the crossroads on the railroad. A depot and vegetable-packing sheds were built, and during the 1920s and 1930s Edroy was a major shipping point for vegetables. During that time thousands of Mexican laborers hand-grubbed the land to prepare it for farming. Corded mesquite wood was shipped out of Edroy by the carloads. A local post office operated from 1914 until 1917. In 1950 it was reopened. The economy of Edroy has always depended on agriculture. Bob Tewes built the first cotton gin in 1916, and in 1988 a large co-op cotton gin and two grain elevators served a wide farming area. The population may have reached 500 in 1950, but by 1987 it was estimated at 200, where it remained in 1990. By 2000 the population had grown to 420.