Gleckler

Gleckler (Glecklar) is a decentralized farming community on U.S. Highway 77 about five miles south of Schulenburg and fifteen miles north of Hallettsville in northern Lavaca County. In 1831 William P. Hensley, a member of Green DeWitt's Gonzales colony, received land in the area from the Mexican government. This grant straddled the old road from San Felipe to San Antonio and, during the retreat of the Texas army from Gonzales in 1836, was crossed by both the Texans and the Mexican army. As early as 1842 Gleckler's store, on the old road, was a regular stop and horse-changing station for the mail and passenger coach between Houston and San Antonio. After 1845 many German immigrants moved to the area and replaced most of the earlier Anglo-American colonists. The new settlers broke the large grants into smaller farms for the production of cotton rather than cattle. In 1874 the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway reached a point about five miles north of Gleckler and established Schulenburg. Although the store remained at Gleckler, most other businesses moved to the new town. From 1885 to 1905 a post office operated at the Gleckler store. In the early 1890s the community reported a population of twenty, and A. Gleckler served as postmaster and ran the general store. The community's population dropped to thirteen by 1896. By 1948 the town had two stores and a population of eighteen. After 1950 most of the cotton land reverted to pasture, and the most productive sites were planted in corn. When the local school was closed, most students went to classes in Hallettsville, although many Catholic students attended church schools in Schulenburg. In 1987 three businesses remained in the area.