Whiteside's Prairie

Cistern is on State Highway 95 twelve miles northwest of Flatonia near the southwestern point of Fayette County. The community, first called Whiteside's Prairie and then Cockrill's Hill in honor of two early landowners, was settled during the 1850s on a hill overlooking fertile prairie land. Water wells in the area contained such high concentrations of minerals that residents were forced to build cisterns to trap rainwater for domestic use. By the time the post office was established in 1858, the community was known as Cistern.

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.