History of Carancahua, Texas: From Log Cabins to Community


By: Stephen L. Hardin

Published: 1952

Updated: December 1, 1994

Carancahua, in southeastern Jackson County, was originally an informal cluster of log cabins and was apparently named for its position near the banks of Carancahua Bay. By 1880 Carancahua was the site of a mail stop called Freeport, on the route from Texana to Matagorda. There was a post office at Carancahua from 1897 to 1926. In 1908 local boosters offered town lots for sale, but the town's location-conducive to malaria and floods-discouraged prospective investors. In 1915 the community reported a population of fifty. By the 1920s the population hovered around twenty-five, and by 1931 Carancahua no longer reported a population. In the 1960s a community building was at the site. Carancahua was still listed as a community in 1990.

TSHA is a proud affiliate of University of Texas at Austin
Ira T. Taylor, The Cavalcade of Jackson County (San Antonio: Naylor, 1938).

Places:

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

Stephen L. Hardin, “Carancahua, TX,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed March 09, 2026, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/carancahua-tx.

Published by the Texas State Historical Association.

TID: HVC24

1952
December 1, 1994

Find out more about this place from our Texas Almanac.

Place
Carancahua
Currently Exists
Yes
Place Type
Town
USGS ID
1379505
Town Fields
  • Has post office: No
  • Is Incorporated: No
Belongs to
  • Jackson County
Associated Names

Cheeseburg

Freeport

Lewis' Wharf

Coordinates
  • Latitude: 28.69665950°
  • Longitude: -96.38969360°
Population Counts
People Year
375 2009

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