Whon, Texas

31°29′25″N 99°18′22″W / 31.49028°N 99.30611°W / 31.49028; -99.30611CountryUnited StatesStateTexasCountyColemanElevation1,394 ft (425 m)Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)Area code325GNIS feature ID1380777^[1]

Whon is an unincorporated community in Coleman County, Texas, United States.^[1] According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 15 in 2000.

History

Whon is an anglicized version of Juan, which was the name of a cowboy from Mexico who lived on the McCain Ranch. The owner of the ranch, Sam H. McCain, bought half of Mrs. Wagie Cooper's property on its location on Camp Creek in 1903, and his wife became postmistress when the post office opened that year. The first house in the community was built by Tom Holmes. In the 1920s, Whon had a cotton gin, two churches, and several businesses and stores. During the Prohibition era, the area around the Colorado River became a popular hideout for bootleggers. The community started its decline as a result of the loss of cotton farming in the area. Whon had 60 residents served by a store and a post office in 1940. It lost half of its population in 1949. The first paved road in Whon depleted isolation from the area in 1967. The population was reduced by half again from 1966 through 2000. In 1961, the post office gained a unique feature of having a drive-in facility and continued to operate in the 1980s. Several of the community's old structures were still standing, such as the McCain Ranch. Whon was thought to have been in the geographical center of Texas, but it was disproven by 10 miles, as conducted by a land surveyor.^[2]

On May 2, 2007, an F1 tornado struck Whon. The tornado exited nearby Rockwood and continued damaging barns and trees for a couple of miles.^[3]

Geography

Whon is located at the intersection of Farm to Market Road 2633 and County Road LR, 12 mi (19 km) south of Santa Anna in far-southeastern Coleman County.^[4]

Education

Jackson Lindsay was the first schoolteacher in Whon. The first school and teacherage in the community were built in the 1920s and remained standing at the end of the 20th century.^[2] Today, the community is served by the Santa Anna Independent School District.

References