Pilot Knob, Texas Explained

Pilot Knob
Settlement Type:Unincorporated community
Pushpin Map:Texas#USA
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within the state of Texas
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Texas
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Travis
Unit Pref:Imperial
Population As Of:2000
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Coordinates:30.1642°N -97.6931°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP codes
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID

Pilot Knob is an unincorporated community in southern Travis County, Texas, United States, named after an extinct volcano found in the area.[1] The area is semi-rural with residences on large lots or acreage and convenience stores and other small businesses. It is located within the Greater Austin metropolitan area.

History

Pilot Knob was named for Pilot Knob, the remnant hill of an extinct volcano. It was first settled sometime after the American Civil War. A church and a few scattered houses were visible in the 1940s. Residents tried to incorporate Pilot Knob in 1963, but it did not have enough signatures.

In 2012, the Easton Park neighborhood of Austin became a planned unit development and is being developed within the area.[2]

Geography

Pilot Knob is located at the intersection of US 183 and Farm to Market Road 812, 8miles southeast of Austin in southern Travis County.

Education

In 1907, Pilot Knob had a school with two teachers and 99 students. It joined the Del Valle Independent School District in 1956 or 1957. Schools serving the community are Hillcrest Elementary School, John P. Ojeda Junior High School, and Del Valle High School.

Notable person

Newton Collins, a freedman from Alabama, had a 506acres farm in Pilot Knob, and an elementary school was named after him in 2018.[3]

Notes and References

  1. https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot-info/trv/maps/austin.pdf Texas Department of Transportation-Austin, Texas
  2. http://www.virtualbx.com/construction-preview/23203-long-awaited-pilot-knob-pud-gets-through-austin-planning.html
  3. News: Taboada. M. B.. August 24, 2018. Del Valle district opens newest school, named for a twice-freed slave. Austin American-Statesman. November 15, 2020.