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In 1832, James B. Manor moved to Texas from Tennessee with Sam Houston. He cleared the rich blackland prairie of eastern Travis County, building a log cabin for his family on the eastern banks of Gilleland Creek, just west of present day Manor. He was a busy and involved home- steader as well as a business owner, opening a saloon, or what was known then as a grocery, in addition to functioning as postmaster.
In 1871, the Houston and Texas Central Railway was being established, giving Texans easy access to markets. James Manor donated land toward the railroad's right of way, insuring the line would come through Manor. The area's cotton, cottonseed, and grain were in demand and the population grew to approximately 500 in 1892. By the late 1920's, the population had grown to 1,000 residents but the Great Depression hit hard and Manor's population began a decline and remained static for most of the twentieth century.
Today, Manor enjoys rapid growth like most of Central Texas with a quietly preserved reputation among film and music aficionados who recall the days of Farm Aid II at Manor Downs and the filming of several noteworthy films, including "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" with Johnny Depp and Leonardo de Caprio. The water tank featured prominently in the film remains a landmark.
SOURCES: City of Manor. John Holmes Jenkins III ed. Recollections of Early Texas, The Memoirs of John Holland Jenkins. Austin, University of Texas Press, 1958.