Olivia

Haterius bought 13,565 acres for his colony from J. D. Mitchell, whose family and the Clementses had grazed cattle on the peninsula between Kellers, Matagorda and Carancahua bays; William Arnold had held the original grant. The first cotton crop, in 1893, had to be hauled to Edna to be ginned, so in 1894 local farmers set up a small plantation gin on Carancahua Bay. Olivia had 200 people in 1914 and fifty by 1927. The Hug-the-Coast Highway reached it in 1932, and in 1934 came electricity and the Olivia Cotton Growers Cooperative Marketing Association.

What the plaque says

Olivia Established in 1892, the community of Olivia was named for Olivia Haterius, wife of the Rev. Carl J. E. Haterius, a Swedish Lutheran minister who bought land in the area and advertised a new settlement to other Swedish immigrants in the Midwest. Twelve Swedish families responded to the initial advertisement and moved to Olivia with others following in a few years By 1900 a number of non-Swedish families had settled here, as well. The first public building in Olivia was a one-room schoolhouse where children were taught during the day and parents attended classes at night to learn English. The Eden Lutheran Church held services in the schoolhouse until 1910, when a sanctuary was built. John Lind built the first store in the community on Carancahua Bay in 1894. The post office was housed in Lind's store and mail was delivered once a week. Lind moved his store to the center of the townsite in 1900. In 1906 Edward Wilson, another Swedish immigrant, bought the Olivia store and was appointed postmaster. Other businesses included a hotel, doctor's office, grocery store, blacksmith shop, and cotton gin. Since 1900 the thriving community has changed and grown, but retains its proud Swedish heritage. (1992)

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Site of Cox's Point — 7.2 mi
• German Immigration Through Karlshafen — 7.7 mi
• Old Town Cemetery — 7.8 mi
• The Great Camel Experiment — 8.2 mi