Details for Steele's Store Community

Historical Marker — Atlas Number 5041008697

Data

Marker Number 8697
Atlas Number 5041008697
Marker Title Steele's Store Community
Index Entry Steele's Store Community
Address FM 50
City Mooring
County Brazos
UTM Zone 14
UTM Easting 734825
UTM Northing 3395573
Subject Codes Italian immigrants/immigration; settlements
Marker Year 1992
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark No
Marker Location FM 50, E side between Fazzino Rd. and Sims Ln. Reported missing August 2021. Replacement in progress.
Private Property No
Marker Condition Replacement In Progress
Marker Size 27" x 42"
Marker Text Anglo settlement in this area can be traced to 1851. Henry B. Steele built a general merchandise store in 1855 to serve residents of the rural community, originally called Mudville because of frequent Brazos River floods. The store became the center of the community, and when a post office was established there in 1878 the settlement was renamed Steele's Store. Italian immigrants, primarily from the provinces of Trapani and Palermo, began settling here in the 1870s. Many of the families established large farms, and by the early 20th Century the Italian community here was one of the largest in the United States. A one-room schoolhouse built in 1889 was later replaced with larger structures as the population grew. The school eventually was consolidated with the Brazos County Independent School District. Predominantly Roman Catholic, the settlement was served by priests from St. Anthony's Church in Bryan until 1903, when San Salvador Catholic Church was built. The church became the focal point of the community, with traditional Sicilian celebrations held each March to honor St. Joseph. Many descendants of the area's pioneer Italian families still reside in the vicinity. (1992)

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