Cologne, Texas

The community of Cologne is located on U.S. Highway 59 in Goliad County, TX. Former slaves Jim Smith and George Washington are credited with establishing the African American settlement. The first settlers, five families of former slaves from Tennessee and Kentucky, moved to the area in 1870.

First known as Centerville, the community's name was changed to Cologne when the post office was established in 1898; the post office was discontinued in 1925. In 1997, as the community was preparing for the Juneteenth celebration, the population was estimated to be 85.

For more see C. Clack, "Juneteenth, born of slavery, evolves into free-form day of joy," San Antonio Express-News, section SA Life, p. 1E; Cologne, Texas, by C. H. Roell, at the Texas State Historical Association website; Cologne, Texas AKA Perdido at TexasEscapes.com; From These Roots, by F. D. Young; Sara Massey, "Cologne, Texas," 2/13/2007, on the BlackPast website; and Michael Gibson, Area 3 Report: The history behind Cologne, Texas," 11/6/2017, at the KIII-TV website (includes video and photographs).