Seclusion

Seclusion is a decentralized community southeast of the intersection of Farm roads 530 and 2437, twenty miles southeast of Hallettsville in far eastern Lavaca County. During the 1840s settlers including John D. Ragsdale, Stephen Townsend, and Aaron Monroe secured grants as their headrights or bought land along the eastern bank of the Navidad River below its confluence with Ragsdale Creek. A Methodist church and a school called Boxville were established, but the community became known as Seclusion due to its isolation. A post office was established in 1879 and continued operation until 1914. The surrounding area is flat and poorly drained and, along the river, subject to floods. Heavy vegetation grows along the river, and cleared areas are used for pasture. Toward the eastern end of the community large acreages are given to rice. The discovery of oil and the Provident City gas field during the 1950s led to the construction of the Wilcox Gas Plant. No other businesses remain in Seclusion; and most of the community's students attend school in Hallettsville.