Flood Mitigation in Westfield, TX

In 1846 Herman Tautenhahn, a German immigrant, built a general store near Cypress Station. By 1876 Westfield was established; the community was named after Gadi F. West, a man who owned a field along the International-Great Northern Railroad. In 1873 a post office opened. Tautenhahn moved his store closer to the rail line. Westfield’s economy consisted of loading goods such as cattle, cotton, hides, and lumber from local warehouses and cattle pens onto freight cars. The community shipped a tonnage of goods equalling that shipped by nearby Spring. By 1890 Westfield had 200 people, of which most were Anglo-American and German-American. The community included several sorghum manufacturers, three churches, three combination gristmill and cotton gins, one steam sawmill, and one school. Some residents manufactured barrels, farm implements, and furniture. In 1905 Westfield became an overflow point for employees from the nearby Humble oil field. Between 1925 and 1930 the population increased from 50 to 450. During the Great Depression the population decreased to 50. During World War II 200 residents and 10 businesses were in the community. The population decreased to 125 after the end of the war. By the 1950s Farm to Market Road 1960 was constructed. In 1962 the store established by Tautenhahn, renamed Big T Shopping Center, moved to the intersection of F.M. 1960 and Interstate 45. The population stayed at the same level from the post-war years until the mid-1960s, when it increased to 275. From 1966 to 1990 the population remained at 275 and the area had a maximum of 32 businesses. The area post office closed in 1972. The state of Texas did not find population figures for the year 2000.