Winnie-Stowell

Stowell took its name from the railroad engineer H. C. Stowell and by 1900 was the largest community in the county. Its farmers, many of them recent immigrants, grew fruit along with rice until the 1915 hurricane, a freeze, low prices and salt water in the canals wore them down. When the Farmers Canal Company failed, the Devers Canal Company took over most of its operations. The next stage came in 1941 with the Stowell oilfield, where the wildcatter Glenn McCarthy built a large gas plant east of Winnie.

What the plaque says

Winnie-Stowell Winnie and Stowell are two communities in northeastern Chambers County that were founded in the mid-1890s on the Gulf & Interstate Railway. The towns share a common economic history and cultural heritage and often are referred to simply as Winnie-Stowell. The town of Winnie was organized by the Winnie Loan and Improvement Co., a corporation based in Galveston that promoted settlement in the townsite. A school and bank were in operation by 1910, and Winnie became the retail center for the surrounding area. Early settlers in Stowell included the W. W. Gregory and Spencer families and F. W. Schwettman. In 1899 Schwettman helped build the Farmers Canal, which served the area's irrigation needs. The canal proved very successful until a 1915 storm ruined it and most of the surrounding rice fields. during the 20th century irrigation systems improved, which allowed for the successful commercial development of orange, fig, and rice production in the area. In 1931 the school systems of Winnie and Stowell were combined into one district. This system, along with the establishment of Winnie-Stowell Park in 1957, has provided the two towns with shared interests that have brought them together over the years. (1984)

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Town of Winnie — 0.5 mi
• Anahuac Oil and Gas Field — 12 mi
• Harmon Saddle Shop — 13 mi
• Near Site of the Signing of Turtle Bayou Resolutions — 16 mi