The name Montopolis, associated with a vibrant community in Austin, Texas, carries a complex history marked by two distinct origins and locations. For many, the name conjures images of the modern neighborhood south of the Colorado River. However, historical records reveal an earlier, planned townsite bearing the same name, founded during the Republic of Texas era on the north bank of the river. This duality has often led to confusion, as the two Montopolises,
though sharing a name and a historic river crossing, developed independently and represented different phases of Texas history. Understanding this dual identity is key to appreciating the full narrative of Montopolis.
The Republic Era Vision: Jesse Tannehill's Planned Town
The first Montopolis was the brainchild of Jesse Cornelius Tannehill, who arrived in Texas in 1828. After initially settling near Caney in Matagorda County and then moving to Bastrop as a member of Stephen F. Austin's "Little Colony," Tannehill and his family experienced the tumultuous Texas War for Independence. In 1836, they participated in the "Runaway Scrape," fleeing eastward from Mexican forces. Following the war, the Tannehills resided in Huntsville and La Grange before making their pivotal move in 1839.
In 1839, Tannehill, along with his wife, Jane L. (Richardson) Tannehill, their children, and possibly several enslaved persons, settled on a 4,428-acre headright along the Colorado River. From this extensive land, 800 acres were surveyed to establish a platted town. A partnership deed, recorded on July 2, 1839, officially designated the location of this new settlement on the left, or north, bank of the Colorado River. Tannehill himself never held ownership of any part of the Santiago del Valle grant south of the Colorado, nor was he involved in the development of the area where the current Montopolis community stands.
A City on a Hill: Ambition and Dissolution
Tannehill named his town "Montopolis," a combination of "mont" (Latin for "mountain") and "polis" (Greek for "city"), often interpreted as "city on a hill." This planned townsite featured a systematic design of building lots, farm lots, out lots, and streets laid out on a grid, mirroring the design of Austin by Edwin Waller. Montopolis was established even before Edward Burleson laid out nearby Waterloo, which would later be renamed Austin and selected as the Republic of Texas's seat of government. There is evidence that Tannehill's Montopolis, along with the town of Comanche, was also considered for the honor of becoming the capital.
However, the site selection commissioners ultimately chose the Waterloo location, about a mile from Spring Creek (Barton Springs). Consequently, the Montopolis venture proved short-lived, dying within two years of its conception. By 1841, the partnership that had established Montopolis was dissolved, and the land was subsequently sold. Despite its brief formal existence, the "sense of place" associated with the original Montopolis persisted, even being referenced in O. Henry's fictional short story, "The Door of Unrest," based on his memories of Austin from 1884 to 1898.
The Rise of the Southern Community and Fading Memory
The second Montopolis, the community recognized by most Austinites today, began to take shape south of the Colorado River during Texas's Reconstruction era and into the early 20th century. The common thread linking these two distinct entities was a historic river crossing, which evolved from a ford to a ferry and then a bridge, all bearing the Montopolis name. The earliest map to feature the place name "Montopolis" south of the Colorado was a USGS topographic map from 1894, referencing the "Montopolis Ferry," indicating the crossing rather than a settled community.
A post office named Montopolis was established on the south bank of the ferry crossing in 1897, though it was discontinued in 1902. This short-lived post office likely marked the beginning of the adoption of the name Montopolis for the community south of the river. As the City of Austin began annexing this southern community in the early 1950s, and fully by the 1970s, the memory of Jesse C. Tannehill's original townsite on the north bank gradually faded. Today, while the original town tract's location is known with legal certainty and its roads align with parts of modern Austin, the name Montopolis is predominantly associated with the enduring community that grew on the river's southern side.
