Saint Johns Colony, Texas
Saint John Colony is an unincorporated community in Caldwell County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 150 in 2000. It is located within the Greater Austin metropolitan area.
History
St. John Colony started with a group of Black farming families who came to the community from Webberville and purchased land here in the early 1870s. Since their leader was the Reverend John Henry Winn, the town was first called Winn's Colony. After the building of the St. John Regular Missionary Baptist Church was established, the community was renamed. The community's boundaries were somewhat hazy but included an area of up to of land. 40 families lived in the community in the 1980s and had three churches. In 2000, the population of the community was estimated as 150.At the community's zenith, it had 100 families residing there alongside farms, stores, a cotton gin, and a gristmill. A post office was established in St. John Colony in 1890 and remained in operation until the 1920s, but operated under the name Mackiesville. Lewis Mackey was the postmaster. The two other churches in the community were named Zion Union Missionary Baptist Church and Landmark Missionary Baptist Church. Its boundaries were extended into neighboring Bastrop County. Today, all three churches remain active, and the community's cemetery contains the graves of most of the community's original settlers. Most of the current residents are descendants of the original settlers.