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ESPERANZA, TEXAS.
Esperanza was on U.S. Highway 75 just east of Interstate Highway 45
seven miles north of Willis in northern Montgomery County. The town was
founded around 1879 by William Spiller, who owned a tobacco farm in the
area and wanted a post office address. When the railroad passed through
the settlement the community was called Ada, after Lester Ada, who owned
the general store. A post office called Ada operated there from 1893 to
1899. In 1899 Spiller changed its name to Esperanza, which means "hope"
in Spanish. He hoped that the town would bring his tobacco business
success, but it failed soon after, though the community continued to
prosper. By 1915 Esperanza had a population of 100 and six businesses.
Its post office was discontinued sometime after 1930. In the 1940s the
community had two churches, two businesses, and eight dwellings. By 1965
the area was a part of the Willis Independent School District. In the
1960s a Texas Historical Commission marker was erected at the town site.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Montgomery County Genealogical Society, Montgomery County History
(Winston-Salem, North Carolina: Hunter, 1981).
Rebecca L. Borjas
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