| Our Hometown |
| The Kosse Cemetary |
The Kosse of the 1870's was a bustling and growing town. There were four cotton gins, two sawmills, and three gristmills. John Dimelow, an English immigrant, opened a ceramics lab in 1870. Kosse also had the first brickyard in the county. On October 1, 1884, an acre of land was granted for a public school. In 1893 Kosse became an independent school district with J. Thomas Hall named as the KISD's first superintendent. Segregation was the accepted norm of this era and Kosse was no exception. The school for white students initially had two hundred-twenty-five students and six teachers, while the black school had eighty students and two teachers. By the beginning of World War I, Kosse had a population of over 700, and commerce was booming. Further growth was on the horizon and by 1930 (on the cusp of the Great Depression) the population was over 1,500. In 1931 Kosse reached its peak commercial activity with fifty-eight separate business entities. |
| Kosse City Park playground and picnic area. |
| Lake Kosse at the Kosse City Park. |
| On the right is the building that was the downtown grocery store for over sixty years. On the left is the Farmer's State Bank of Kosse. |
| The Houston & Texas Central depot from Kosse, TX. It is now located in Saginaw, TX and is being used by the Chamber of Commerce. |
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| We are very proud to say Kosse, Texas is the home of the Kosse Cafe. It is located at the southwestern tip of Limestone County on State highways 14 and 7. The city motto of Kosse is "The Little Town With a Big Heart". It is home to 497 residents according to the 2000 census, although a surge in population is predicted once the TXU Mining lignite coal extraction operation planned for the Kosse area gets underway. Original Kosse pioneers settled at nearby Duck Creek in the mid-1840s and operated a stage stop for the Franklin-Springfield and Waco-Marlin stage routes. Following the Civil War (in which community sentiment was overwhelmingly in favor of the Confederate government), Kosse was chosen as the final destination for the Houston and Texas Central Railway. The town was named for Theodore Kosse, a chief engineer for the railroad who surveyed the original road for Kosse. The nearby (and much larger) town of Eutaw was bypassed by the railroad's decision to choose Kosse as the location of its depot, and the people of Eutaw began to move their enterprises and government facilities to Kosse. In 1870 the United States government moved the Eutaw post office to Kosse, and in 1871 the city of Kosse was chartered and a municipal government was formed. The 1880 census showed a population of 500 and the new town was prospering. Four churches were soon organized and Kosse worshipers could choose between Union, Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian churches. The media was also seeing its earliest appearance in Kosse. The New Era newspaper was first on the scene in 1878, and the Kosse Cyclone beginning publishing in 1885 by owner/editor James Jones. The Kosse Cyclone was eventually incorporated into the Groesbeck Journal, where it is in publication to this day. The Kosse Echo newspaper was begun in the 1970's by Peggy Truett and Nell McKinney, and currently publishes monthly under the ownership of Nell McKinney with the assistance of her daughter Kelley Self. |
| The Kosse 1st Methodist Church |
| The Kosse 1st Baptist Church |
| After that the population and number of businesses began a slow but steady decline as the depression began to take its toll. Finding itself unable to afford the expense of operating an independent school district, the Kosse school board voted to consolidate with the Groesbeck Independent School District in 1968. Kosse held a stable population and business profile through the 1980's until today. As is the case with many Texas communities, the downtown area is not as vibrant as it once was, although there is still a strong presence by the remaining businesses. The former White's Hardware is now doing business as Wright's Hardware under the ownership of Rickey and Jodi Wright, and the former Kosse 1st State Bank is now a member of the Groesbeck-based Farmer's State Bank group. Automotive businesses include De's Parts and Service and Jimmy O'Neil's automotive repair. US Silica is located eight miles east of Kosse and is a major community employer, as is RTLC, a local pipeline company. The Cefco convenience store is located across from the Kosse Cafe at the intersection of State Highways 7 and 14 and new businesses such as Sign Creations, Kosse Feeds, Need for Knead Massage Therapy, AG Accounting & More, Bushwhackers Hair Salon and Perfect Pear Consignment Boutique have been established. As mentioned earlier, significant growth is expected as a result of the TXU Mining project. The town of Kosse holds the distinction of providing more per capita armed services members during World War II than any town in the United States. It is also the birthplace of Western Swing icon Bob Wills. This article was written with information garnered in part from the Handbook of Texas Online. Photos compliments of George Rasco, www.texasescapes.com., and www.forttumbleweed.net |
| Kosse, Texas |
| Kosse, Texas. Home of 497 unique and friendly people. |
| Lake Kosse has been restocked with fish and they are now in the process of maturing. |
