Katy can date its first settlers to about 1872. According to Louise Schlipf, an early Katy resident, in 1874 the Houston and Texas Central Railroad built a narrow gauge railroad that ran from Sealy to Houston, and located the station about two miles north of the present Katy town-site. As families began to come to the area, it was decided that a lay out for the town was needed. The town square of Katy was given by the men laying out the town. The town square of Katy was created, laid out and donated by Mr. Cash, Mr. Luckel and Mr. J.O. Thomas in 1895.
The families who came to make Katy their home did so for many different reasons. Some families came for cheap land; some came to bring sick loved ones to a warmer climate. Others came because, by 1895, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT) railroad had established a line and station near the center of town, and transportation to the area was available. Although the earliest history of Katy dates back one hundred years, we have very few historical homes and buildings dating earlier than 1900. Because building lumber was scarce, buildings that were no longer used were dismantled, and the lumber was used in newer structures.
The "Great Storm of 1900" leveled all but two homes in the city of Katy. Both of the homes that survived the storm are still standing and have markers telling of their history. When rice was introduced to the area in 1901, it became a profitable crop, and many of the farmers in the area became rice farmers. Today, residents of Katy remember our rice heritage with a celebration called the Rice Harvest Festival. Anyone driving into Katy passes a row of rice dryers, which are a constant reminder of our most profitable crop.
