Chappell Hill, Texas

Chappell Hill is located at the junction of US Route 290 and Farm to Market Roads 1155 and 2447. Chappell Hill is located within the Brazos River watershed. The area is part of the Gulf Coastal Plain, and the terrain is rolling hills. The community is located east of Brenham, east of Austin, west of Hempstead, and northwest of Houston. ==History==

19th century The town was established in 1849 by Mary Elizabeth Haller, who founded the town on of land she bought and having opened a post office two years earlier. She then named the town after her maternal grandfather Robert Wooding Chappell. The area around the town was settled by planters from the Deep South and, thanks to the fertile soil of the Brazos River valley, cotton became the area's main crop. Jacob Haller and Mary built in 1850 a large home that served as a boarding house and then became the Stage Coach Inn, which Mary or her mother Charlotte Hargrove operated until 1859, continuing under new ownership until 1871. Because the inn was about halfway between Houston and Austin, it was a convenient stopover for travelers along the two major stagecoach lines. Before the Civil War, the population reached a maximum of about 3,000 people; at that time, San Antonio and Galveston were the largest towns at around 8,000 people. A sawmill, a railroad line, five churches, and a Masonic Lodge were built in the area. The town was incorporated in 1856. On May 10, 2008, an election was held to incorporate Chappell Hill into its own town government. 201 ballots were cast out of a possible 297 eligible voters. Incorporation was rejected by almost 3 to 1 voters: 148 votes against and just 53 for. 90 votes were cast in the mayoral poll; Julie Edwards received 55 votes and Mary Tom Middlebrooks won 35. For the two unopposed council positions, Travis Bevers received 62 votes while Larry C. Wiese received 60. The results of these contests were immediately invalidated by the anti-incorporation outcome. The Brenham Banner-Press occasionally covers the news in Chappell Hill. ==Buildings on the National Register of Historic Places==

• Chappell Hill Circulating Library • Chappell Hill Methodist Episcopal Church • Chappell Hill Public School and Chappell Hill Female College Bell • Isaac Applewhite House • Main Street Historic District (Chappell Hill, Texas) • Stage Coach Inn • Routt-Crockett House ==Demographics==

As of the 2000 U.S. Census, approximately 600 people were living in the town of Chappell Hill itself. Of the 1,319 people, 925 are white, 343 are black, and 34 are of another race. Most people are Roman Catholic, Methodist, or Southern Baptist in faith. ==Education==

Chappell Hill's first school was established in 1850.Today, the community is served by the Brenham Independent School District. ==Notable people==

• Aubrey Drake Graham, Canadian singer/rapper • Susan Isabella Travis, daughter of William B. Travis, married a planter from Chappell Hill. • James P. Buchanan, U.S. Representative from the 10th district of Texas. • Martin Ruter developed land for a school in the community. • Joe Routt, American football player and World War II soldier, was born in Chappell Hill. • Hosea Garrett, clergyman, philanthropist, and university administrator. • Rodney Brown, track and field specializing in the discus throw. • Alonzo Sledge, preacher and Texas State Representative, was born here. ==See also==