Raccoon Bend: History and Growth of an Austin County Community


By: Laurie E. Jasinski

Published: July 8, 2005

Raccoon Bend is located south of State Highway 159 about eight miles northeast of Bellville in northeastern Austin County. Settlement had taken place in this area west of the Brazos River by the early 1900s and the community experienced widespread growth when the Humble Oil and Refining Company found oil and gas wells and opened the Raccoon Bend oilfield in 1927. In the 1930s Raccoon Bend consisted of numerous homes, oil-related businesses, a school, and a church. Pleasant Grove Cemetery was also located in the area. The school had closed by the second half of the twentieth century. No population estimates were available until 2000, when the census reported 400 residents.

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The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.

Laurie E. Jasinski, “Raccoon Bend, TX,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed March 09, 2026, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/raccoon-bend-tx.

Published by the Texas State Historical Association.

TID: HLR58

July 8, 2005

Find out more about this place from our Texas Almanac.

Place
Raccoon Bend
Currently Exists
Yes
Place Type
Town
USGS ID
1344692
Town Fields
  • Has post office: No
  • Is Incorporated: No
Belongs to
  • Austin County
Coordinates
  • Latitude: 30.01188890°
  • Longitude: -96.13301580°
Population Counts
People Year
775 2009

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