A short history of Coldspring
The history of Coldspring is linked to Stephen F. Austin's first colony in Texas, which established, among other locales, San Jacinto County. Austin's original colony extended to the Trinity River watershed (roughly along Texas 156 toward Point Blank). After receiving a commission from the Mexican government to settle the town, Joseph Vehlein, a German immigrant to Mexico, deeded 640 acres (2.6 km2) to Robert Rankin, an American Revolutionary officer. This acreage included the site of Coldspring.
The settlement of Cold Springs (old spelling) began around 1850. In 1848, the only building was a nearby trading post called "Coonskin" (later, "Fireman's Hill").
Coldspring had developed into a bustling county-seat town by 1915, but disaster struck on March 30, 1915, when the wooden courthouse burned, thus removing the economic foundation of the town. Plans for a new courthouse were made, and the present building was completed in 1918. The townspeople then moved their buildings to be closer to the new courthouse.
Terror on Highway 59 in 1984, which in turn was made into a made-for-television movie, Terror on Highway 91 (1989), starring Ricky Schroder.
Adapted (trimmed) from the Wikipedia article Coldspring, Texas, revision 1377157733 by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.