Editing Cove, Texas (section)

==Historical development==
This site was originally called Winfree's Cove, after an early pioneer settler named A. B. J. Winfree. In 1871, the first [[cotton gin]] in the county was operating there under the ownership of William Icet. Nine years later, Icet sold the gin and ran a shipyard with the help of his two sons until 1915.<ref>[https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hlc54 TSHA Online - Texas State Historical Association<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The post office at Cove was first opened in 1894 (now closed). The Icet family also operated a [[sawmill]] at the site, which had a population of 150 residents by 1920. After the 1940s, the nearby established chemical plants helped to boost the population. In the 1970s there were rumors that [[Baytown, Texas|Baytown]], {{convert|13|mi}} to the southwest, intended to annex the community. On September 22, 1970, 84 residents sent a petition to nearby [[Beach City, Texas|Beach City]] to annex the community. On November 24, 1970, Beach City annexed Cove, an area bounded generally on the west by FM-2354, on the east by the Old and Lost Rivers, on the south by Lawrence Road, and on the north by a line just north of FM-565. On December 2, 1970, Beach City extended its Cove annexation to include the property where the old Cove Community Building sits. Baytown did not concur. In 1971, Baytown sued Beach City in an attempt to stop the annexation of Cove. In 1973, Beach City released its claim to what are now the city limits of Cove. An incorporation election was held and the City of Cove was incorporated on May 23, 1973. Leroy Stevens was Cove's first mayor. The City Council of Beach City presented to Mayor Stevens Cove's first municipal seal, which is believed to be the one still in use.