Simmons-Once known as Simmons City

Adapted from The History of the People of Live Oak County, Texas, published by The Live Oak County History Book Committee, 1982, pp. 17-23. (This entire passage lends some lively tales of the early development of Simmons and its originator, Dr. Charles F. Simmons. However, because of its length it is immediately condensed in this version but will be lengthened to include the whole story as time permits.)

According to Dr. Simmons account, the community began as the Simmons Ranch over time as he purchased 60,000 acres at $2.00 an acre. The ranch home site was developed about 1900. In a realatively short period of time, Dr. Simmons tired of his ranch life and decided upon a colonization scheme for its dispossesion.

The land was divided into 4,205 lots. Five of the lots and farms were for building and supporting his namesake town with a school, churches, and a minister's residence. Because of widespread publicity, people came from many different directions and bought this land. The town prospered for a time.

From the history:

In 1913, the S.A.U.& G. [railroad] bypassed three of the towns in Live Oak County, and all three became ghost towns. Lagarto, Simmons, and Oakville, the county seat, were the victims. The new railroad towns of Three Rivers and George West came to the fore; just as had happened in Karnes County, the railroad caused the moving of the county seat, and the county records are now in George West.