Cove

Cove is at the junction of Farm Road 565 and Interstate Highway 10, thirty-five miles east of Houston in western Chambers County. The settlement was named for its protected location on Trinity Bay and was once called Winfree's Cove, after pioneer settler A. B. J. Winfree. An Indian graveyard is nearby. In 1871 William Icet operated what was reputedly the first cotton gin in the county at Cove. Although the gin was sold and moved in 1880, Icet and his sons, W. S. and H. C. Icet, ran a shipyard there until 1915. The family also operated a sawmill at the Cove settlement. Fishing has been of considerable importance to area residents. The first school opened at the community in 1885, and the Cove post office was established in 1894. The community's school district was consolidated with the Barbers Hill schools in 1937. The Cove population, estimated to be 150 in 1920, had declined to about forty by the late 1940s. The construction of large plants for United States Steel, Houston Lighting and Power, and MoBay Chemical along nearby Cedar Bayou led to new growth in the community. In 1970 Cove reported a population of 106. The town was incorporated in 1973 and had 645 residents by 1980. In 1990 its population was 402, and in 2000 it was 323.

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Robert Wooster | © TSHA

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Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Belongs to

Cove is part of or belongs to the following places:

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Cove is classified as a Town

Associated Names

  • (Old River Lake)

Location

Latitude: 29.81462320
Longitude: -94.81092800

Has Post Office

No

Is Incorporated

Yes

Population Count, 2021 View more »

559