Sheldon, Texas is an unincorporated community in northeastern Harris County, Texas. The Sheldon area is located along Beltway 8 and US Highway 90 approximately twelve miles northeast of Downtown Houston.
Sheldon, Texas opened in the 1850s and served as a retail marketing point for agricultural goods and lumber from an area on the San Jacinto River. Its name originated from Henry K. Sheldon, who was a stockholder in a railroad company. By 1896, Sheldon had 50 residents serviced by a general store and one grocer, along with the post office which opened in 1887. The community’s first school opened later in 1905. In the 1940s Sheldon had grown to 150 residents and ten businesses and would continue that growth in the 1950s. In 1955, the post office burned down and was not rebuilt.
In 1955, Beaumont Road Volunteer Fire Department was formed, and later merged with Sheldon Volunteer Fire Department in 1996 creating Sheldon Community Fire & Rescue.
From 1955 to 2003 the fire department was exclusively volunteer, with an annual budget under $10,000. To call out the firefighters, a Q2 air horn siren was blasted over the neighborhood. The Department’s response area was approximately 50 square miles with limited hospital and medical outlets nearby. Since then, Sheldon has had extensive growth with residents and industry. The area currently has an estimated population of 175,000 residents and a response area of 100 square miles. One home-based station has expanded into four stations, with construction of the newest building, Station 1, costing $14 million. The department now operates 24/7/365, has over 1,800 calls per year, employs 26 full-time firefighters and 46 part-time firefighters and is overseen by Harris County Emergency Services District No. 60.