Bracken, Texas
Bracken is an unincorporated community in Comal County, Texas, United States. It lies along the eastern bank of Cibolo Creek, southwest of New Braunfels. The community is found in close proximity to Garden Ridge, and is included in the Greater San Antonio area.
Bracken is located at 29°36′36″N 98°19′16″W / 29.6099493°N 98.3211244°W, 801 feet (244 m) above sea level. It is considered a part of the Texas Hill Country.
Bracken Cave is found near the town and is notable for housing the largest collection of Mexican free-tailed bats in the world, numbering 20 million in habitation during spring migration. As a result, the cave also holds the record for the largest known concentration of mammals in the world. These bats have ventured to the cave for 10,000 years, helping the local agrarian economy by controlling the insect population.
William Bracken, for whom the town was named, purchased 1,114 acres (4.51 km2) of land in the area in 1849 after receiving a grant from Governor Peter Hansborough Bell. Originally the town was known as Davenport, named for James G. Davenport, a landowner who settled in the area in 1868. The Davenport family cemetery still stands on the western bank of Cibolo Creek. To account for the growth of the city as construction began on the International and Great Northern Railroad, the establishment of a post office was requested in 1883. However, a Davenport Post Office already existed elsewhere in Texas, forcing the town to change its name to Bracken, after the early settler. Eventually, the town was given a Post Office.
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