Bellville, Texas is located in the center of historic Austin County, in the heart of the picturesque Texas wildflower country.
Bellville is a charming, clean, well-planned community featuring a colorful mixture of various cultures, along with festivals celebrating those heritages. With smog-free air, a pastoral atmosphere, and high accessibility to major highways, Bellville offers many desirable features to the visitor, the resident, and various business interests.
Founded in 1848, and incorporated in 1927,
Bellville enjoys a population of approximately 3,800 residents.
Initially settled by Thomas and James Bell who immigrated from Florida in 1822, as some of Stephen F. Austin’s earliest settlers. They donated over 145 acres to Austin County, and Bellville was named for them. Bellville is the county seat of Austin County, and the town was platted in 1846 to center around the Courthouse and town square. View a Bellville Map in a separate window.
| Bellville is a city rich in local Texas history. The many markers in the area chronicle incidents from the early days of Texas, both as a republic and later as a state. Noted with plaques are the original school sites in the county, over 170 cemetery locations (some on private property), The Austin County Jail, as well as many buildings and homes located around the town square and in the residential districts. |  |
RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Bellville boasts a challenging, pretty nine-hole golf course (par 72 for 18 holes). Spot the occasional deer as you enjoy the country air and singing birds. The Clubhouse is home to the Men’s Golf Association and the Ladies Golf Association, both of which welcome new members with the typical friendliness found throughout the community. Green fee players are welcome on most days.
Country Market Days on the Square - The first Saturday of each month, enjoy arts, crafts, collectibles and antiques from the many antique shops open daily around the town square, and the vendors who "set up shop" during the first Saturday every month.
The Bellville Chamber of Commerce is involved in our community, with special emphasis on "the way things use to be". Antique dealers from around Texas and other states offer their wares during the Antique Shows in March and October. The Austin County Fair in October brings youth from the entire county into Bellville to show and market their livestock. The Bellville Heritage Gathering in May will take you back to how things were done in the old days. Country theatre groups, civic chorale emsembles, Small Town Christmas on the Square, Quilt Guild Bazaar, Firemen's Celebration, July Celebration, all combine to round out the quiet and friendly quality of life that residents and visitors to Bellville enjoy.
| The Austin County Jail building constructed in 1896 is now a museum and is open for tours on a regular basis. The building consists of three complete stories, plus a fourth, smaller area known as the "gallows". The "gallows" were used only once, on March 14, 1901, at 2:14 p.m., Gus Davis was hanged for the murder of Herman Schlunz. In 1976, the Austin County Jail building was awarded a Texas Historical Commission Medallion and was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. For more information on other historic buildings contact the Bellville Historical Society . |  |
Points of Interest in and around Bellville include:
Lake Somerville, which offers, beaches, boating, fishing and park locations,
Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham, offering guided tours of their facility,
Washington on the Brazos State Park, museum and park facilities,
Stephen F. Austin State Park, San Felipe, TX.
Bellville has a conference center available, a public library, two commercial banks, one savings and loan association, a volunteer fireman’s association, and a very competent and professional city police force and county sheriff’s department. Air service is available through Grawunder Field, which has a 2500' lighted asphalt runway, and through George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas.
CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS
Bellville’s churches include congregations of Baptists, Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, Church of Christ, a Full Gospel Mission, other Christian Churches, a Christian Science Society and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Several churches offer preschool programs.
Bellville Independent School District encompasses a great part of northern Austin County. The district operates six campuses: O’Bryant Primary (K-3), O’Bryant Intermediate (4-5), West End Elementary (K-5), Bellville Jr. High (6-8), Bellville Senior High (9-12), and the Alternative Education Campus. Bellville’s schools employ principals and assistant principals, as well as counselors for all locations. With approximately 2100 students, the schools are well staffed to meet the needs of all students, including speech therapy, dyslexia, English as a second language, and special education. At the high school level, vocational and agricultural cooperative educational programs are also offered. Student participation in academic, music, and athletic U.I.L. competition, has resulted in district, regional, and state championships in a variety of areas. |
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Faith Academy of Bellville is fully accredited with the Texas Association of Accredited Private Schools. Faith Academy is housed on more than 10 acres along Hwy. 36 just south of Bellville. The campus features an early childhood building, elementary building, secondary building with classrooms and common area, library, computer lab, gym, playground and athletic fields. In addition to curriculum, secondary students are offered a variety of extracurricular courses and physical education classes for all of its students. In addition, as student enrollment allows, Junior High and High School students are offered Football, Volleyball, Cheerleading, Basketball, Track, Golf, Baseball and Softball.
Faith Academy currently has an enrollment of over 130 students in Pre-School through 12th Grade. Kindergarten classes are also offered.
Blinn College and Prairie View A & M University are both within 30 miles of Bellville. Texas A & M University at College Station, Texas, is approximately 60 miles north.
HEALTH CARE FACILITIES
Medical care is provided by the Bellville General Hospital and by the Emergency Medical Services of Austin County. The Bellville Hospital serves a wide belt between Katy and Brenham. The hospital offers the latest technology in equipment, and quality medical attention providing area residents with excellent health care. The hospital offers state-of-the-art services, including emergency, laboratory, mammography, outpatient care, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, CAT scan, heart monitoring, and other modern health care technologies. Life Flight is available to Bellville through association with Hermann Hospital in Houston.