Welcome to Copperas Cove

Copperas Cove was founded March 25, 1879 as a small ranching and farming community, and today the city is the largest in Coryell County. The locals usually refer to the town as just “Cove”. In 1825, Mexico provided Stephen F. Austin with a land grant encompassing a large area including present-day Copperas Cove. Starting in the 1830s, the first settlers came into the Five Hills region; however, the area lacked stability until after the Civil War. Substantial settlement did not arrive until the development of the cattle industry during the 1870s, when a feeder route of the Chisholm Trail was cut through the region. Settlement centered around a local general store about two miles southwest of present-day downtown. In 1878, residents applied for a post office under the name “Cove”, so chosen for the site’s sheltered location. However “Cove” was already taken by a nearby community (now called Evant). Inspired by the taste of nearby spring water, residents amended the name to “Copperas Cove” (officially in 1901). The post office was established in March 1879, with Marsden Ogletree as the town’s first postmaster. The original building remains today and is the site of the Ogletree Gap Heritage Festival.

Copperas Cove’s fortunes were greatly improved when, in 1882, the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway expanded into the region. Local resident Jesse M. Clements lobbied to obtain train service and provided the railroad company with the necessary right-of-way about two miles northeast of town. Residents soon moved to a new set of streets laid out by the company’s engineer, E.F. Batte. The train depot at Copperas Cove served as the shipping point for farmers and ranchers in the area between Cowhouse Creek and the Lampasas River. Businesses opened to provide services for these area residents, including a steam gristmill-cotton gin, three hotels, a barbershop, and an opera house. Many of the town’s early buildings remain to this day, focusing around the block of Avenue D between Main Street and 1st Street. While you’re checking out the town’s historical buildings, stop in at Lil-Tex, the best restaurant in town!

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