In the valley between the Lavaca and Guadalupe rivers, it began as an Indian settlement called "Half Moon." It was a place of ranchers and cattle, the railroad and Indians, outlaws and Texas Rangers -- and cotton was "King." Texas roots run deep in Shiner, Texas.
George West, one of the first to drive cattle in this part of Texas, was married to a Shiner - and Henry B. Shiner donated the land for the town of Shiner to have its start in 1887.
Shiner is at the intersection of U.S. Highway 90A and State Highway 95, fourteen miles west of Hallettsville in
western Lavaca County. In 1885, a post office called Half Moon was opened at a trading post near the present site of Shiner. When the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway came to the area in 1887, it bypassed Half Moon and built through land owned by Henry B. Shiner. Shiner donated 250 acres for a right-of-way and depot, and a town soon grew around the new transportation facilities. At first, the community was called New Half Moon, but in 1888 its name was changed to Shiner. Shiner was incorporated in 1890, and L.P. Amsler was elected the first mayor.
Czech and German immigrants soon became the dominant ethnic groups, and Shiner developed a cohesive Czech community through social organizations such as the National Sokol Society and the Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas. The population was reported at 2,213 in 1986. The town supports a weekly newspaper, the Gazette, which was established in 1892. The most important agricultural products are dairy and beef cattle, cotton, and corn. Shiner has industries that manufacture wire, racks, dye, and tool plating.
