Markham, TX

Markham is a small Matagorda County community at the junction of Farm roads 1468 and 2431, about six miles northwest of Bay City. It began as Cortes in 1901, when the railroad and nearby canal development helped draw homes and businesses into the coastal prairie. In 1903, residents changed the name to Markham for C. H. Markham, a Southern Pacific engineer. The post office followed the new name, and by 1914 the Texas and New Orleans Railroad had made Markham a stop on its line.

The community once held its own schools, churches, factory, and collection of small businesses. In 1949, its schools were consolidated with Tidehaven Independent School District, linking Markham to a wider rural school community that now operates four campuses. Agriculture remains a strong part of the surrounding landscape, while Bay City provides the nearest larger concentration of services. Markham’s story is written in the meeting of rail lines, farm roads, school consolidation, and the broad, flat country around Matagorda County.