Shaws Bend, Texas

Shaws Bend is an unincorporated community in Colorado County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 100 in 2000.

History
The community was given its name in honor of Josiah Shaw, who founded Sunnyside, a sizable plantation, there in 1859 alongside his wife Delinda Fitzgerald Shaw. During the Civil War, the town expanded, and by the 1870s, it included multiple churches, a blacksmith shop, a dance platform, a cotton gin, and stores. In 1893, a post office was founded and named Hillebrand in remembrance of Herrmann Hillebrand, the first and only postmaster. Two years later, the post office closed as regular mail delivery from Columbus started. There was a flag stop and siding at Shaws Bend for loading cotton before floods wrecked the La Grange Tap bridge of the Texas and New Orleans Railroad. From the train yards at Glidden, young people from the south side of the Colorado River frequently rented handcars to get to the Shaws Bend dancefloor on Saturday nights. Early in the 20th century, the businesses moved away due to the loss of the railroad bridge, the abandonment of the La Grange Tap, and the community's bypassing by State Highway 71. Up until the gins' closure in the 1950s due to land constraints, the region was nevertheless significant for the production of cotton. In 1986, maize and pecans were the main crops grown there, while cattle were grazing on the majority of the property. Shaws Bend's general area is still marked by four cemeteries and St. John's Lutheran Church. Its population was 100 in 2000.

Geography
Shaws Bend is located on Farm to Market Road 1890 in a Colorado River bend, 5 mi northwest of Columbus in north-central Colorado County.

Education
In the 1870s, Shaws Bend had segregated schools for Black and White students. Today, Shaws Bend is served by the Columbus Independent School District.