Taft Agricultural Industrial Complex
The Coleman-Fulton Pasture Company laid out the town of Taft on the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad line in 1900. The intention of the company directors was to present Taft and surrounding farms as a model community to attract northern investors. By 1904 a post office and a company commissary had opened near the rail line, and soon other businesses and homes were built nearby. To promote the area's economic possibilities and the ease with which potential farmers and ranchers could market their products, the company planned a large agricultural industrial complex in the center of town. By 1909 they had built a slaughter and packing house, a cold storage facility and ice plant, and a cottonseed oil mill. By 1921, the complex also included two cotton gins, a feed mill, cotton compress, creamery and ice cream factory, and machine shop. As the company plan came to fruition, settlement and land values increased and the company realized a profit as it began selling off all of its holdings. Once solely a company town, Taft soon became diversified as the company presence gradually disappeared. Some of the industrial complex facilities remained in operation under private ownership until the 1950's. (1991).