East Bernard, Texas

East Bernard, Texas
—  CDP  —
Location of East Bernard, Texas
Coordinates: 29°31′42″N 96°3′58″W
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Wharton
Area
• Total	1.4 sq mi (3.6 km2)
• Land	1.4 sq mi (3.6 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	125 ft (38 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	1,729
• Density	1,253.0/sq mi (483.8/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	77435
Area code(s)	979
FIPS code	48-21988
GNIS feature ID	1334880

East Bernard is a city in Wharton County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,729 at the 2000 census.

Geography

East Bernard is located at 29°31′42″N 96°3′58″W (29.528403, -96.066013).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.4 square miles. (3.6 km²)

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,729 people, 631 households, and 487 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,253.0 people per square mile (483.7/km²). There were 662 housing units at an average density of 479.7 per square mile (185.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.43% White, 2.72% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, 13.59% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27.07% of the population.

There were 631 households out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.0% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.8% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,500, and the median income for a family was $42,786. Males had a median income of $29,402 versus $23,913 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,011. About 10.3% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

History

Since 2000, East Bernard incorporated. As of 2007, East Bernard is one of Texas's newest cities [1].

EAST BERNARD, TEXAS. East Bernard is on the west side of the San Bernard River at the intersection of State Highway 60 and U.S. Highway 90A, fifteen miles (24 km) north of Wharton in northeast Wharton County. The community was originally on the east side of the river, where Jethro Spivi built the first residence around 1850; hence the name East Bernard. Settlement was slow until 1859 and the arrival of the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railway. A bridge was built, and the depot, Bernard Station, though originally located on the east bank of the river, was moved by 1869 to the west side, to the site of East Bernard's future Main Street. The rest of the town grew up around the railway. The first post office was established in 1866, but the community was probably not officially named East Bernard until 1874.

After the Civil War the community began to grow rapidly, as new settlers arrived with British surnames. Although Joseph Habermacher operated a store and saddle shop in Bernard Station some time before 1867, the main influx of German and Slavic immigrants came after the 1880s. In the mid-1890s the farming community had a population of 150, and businesses included a steam gin, a gristmill, a telegraph office, and two general stores.

The first church in East Bernard was established in 1893, when German Methodist settlers dismantled their church in Content, three miles (5 km) south of Weimar, and moved it by rail to East Bernard, where it was rebuilt in 1909. Catholic and Baptist congregations started holding services in private homes around 1900; their sanctuaries were completed between 1905 and 1907. The present Catholic church, built in 1925, has stained glass windows from Czechoslovakia, mosaics from Munich, a statue of St. Anthony from Italy, and statuary carved in the German Tyrol. An Assembly of God congregation began Pentecostal services in a private home in 1970 and moved into a new building by 1978.

East Bernard has had several newspapers, the first of which, the East Bernard Tribune, began in the 1920s. In the late 1980s the town was served by a weekly paper with the same name. Riverside Hall, built in 1927 on the east bank of the river, became a popular dance pavilion, where Paul Whiteman was once featured. In the early years of the settlement pioneer merchants H. P. Stockton and John G. Leveridge had operated a banking business in the back of Leveridge's General Store; by 1907 they had organized the Union State Bank. R. B. Boettcher purchased the controlling stock in 1911. In 1960 J. R. Peace, owner of a large furniture company, helped organize a chamber of commerce, which, since East Bernard is unincorporated, performs much of the duties of a city government. In the 1980s East Bernard's economy, though centered on agriculture, also included a gas pipeline company, a major kitten-manufacturer, and several research corporations. In 1988 the population of 1,500 was served by sixty-three businesses. In 1990 the population was 1,544, and in 2000 it had grown to 1,729.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Kathleen E. and Clifton R. St. Clair, eds., Little Towns of Texas (Jacksonville, Texas: Jayroe Graphic Arts, 1982). Annie Lee Williams, A History of Wharton County (Austin: Von Boeckmann-Jones, 1964).

Famous Citizens

Shane Lechler -- American football punter who currently plays for the Oakland Raiders in the National Football League.

Government and infrastructure

East Bernard Chamber of Commerce [2]
The United States Postal Service East Bernard Post Office is located at 703 Church Street.

Education

The City of East Bernard is served by the East Bernard Independent School District and home to the East Bernard High School Brahamas. The first school building was erected around 1888 one mile (1.6 km) north of the depot; by 1912 a brick high school had been built in town. Around 1916 East Bernard became an independent school district, and by 1956 nearby schools in Nottawa, Muldoon, Bernard Prairie, and Lissie were consolidated with the East Bernard school. A Texas historical marker now marks the site of the original school.

Publications

The town paper is the East Bernard Express

Local organizations with web sites

• The town grocery is SuperS Foods. It used to be Kleckas.
• B & K Furniture
• First Methodist Church
• Holy Cross Catholic Church
• Davis Chapel (Funeral Home)
• Dorian Tool
• Ellison Chevrolet
• Hlavinka Equipment Company
• Keller Academy of Performing Arts
• Leedo Cabinetry
• Napa Auto Parts
• Pettigrew Junction
• Prosperity Bank; it used to be Union State Bank
• Shoppa's Farm Supply
• Rivendell Ranch
• Main office and recording studio for Rhythm Signal Records & Productions, the record label for several recording artists including Steve Sosa, Rhythm Signal, Stealth Ninja, and The Mike Ryza Trio.
• East Bernard Youth Basketball Association
• East Bernard Little League
• East Bernard Football Club (commissioner Web Tilton)
• Dales Donkey Farm

Roads Through or Near Town

• State Highway 60
• U.S. Highway 90 Alternate

External links

• East Bernard, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Kolache-Klobase Festival