SOMERVILLE, TX. Somerville is located on the northeastern shore of Lake Somerville, approximately seventeen miles southeast of Caldwell in southern Burleson County. Anglo-American settlement in the area began in the mid-1830s and in 1880, the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway built a spur through the region. In 1883, William N. Landolt bought the first lot in a newly surveyed townsite along the rail line, north of Yegua Creek, and opened a commissary. The following year, a second rail spur from East Texas via Navasota reached the site, followed by the construction of a train depot, a railroad yard with repair shops, and a roundhouse for engine servicing. The first general store was established by J. R. Lyon in 1893, and a post office was opened in 1894, reopening in 1897. Named after Albert Somerville, the first president of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway Company, the community saw significant growth the mid-1890s with the establishment of the Texas Tie and Lumber Preserving Company, the county's first industrial plant. By the early 1900s, Somerville boasted various facilities including an electricity-generating plant, a cotton gin, and a bank, while church services began in 1898. Somerville was incorporated in 1913, and the construction of the Somerville Dam and Reservoir in the 1960s enhanced the area's recreational appeal. Over the years, the town's population has experienced an exciting journey, starting with 1,879 residents in 1925 and evolving to 1,704 by the year 2000.