An affluent agricultural community of the same name was established near the lakeside in the mid-19th century, but dwindled in status, becoming virtually abandoned in the aftermath of the American Civil War.

It was strategically important during the early stages of the war, due to its proximity to fresh water and the Gulf of Mexico.

After reaching its low point during the Great Depression, the lakeside community modestly rebounded in 1947 following the nearby discovery of oil.

[3] The water level is shallower near the shoreline, but is deepest towards the center of the lake several hundred feet from the shore.

As the Guadalupe River shifted westward about 2,500 years ago, it deposited silt, developing a delta that prograded into San Antonio Bay.

Around 2,200 years ago the delta discharge extended completely across the bay, severing the northern extension from the system, which formed present-day Green Lake.

The Supreme Court of Texas affirmed this classification in 1988, rejecting the argument of the bed's then-owner that it was not a lake by definition, but a natural depression flooded with surface runoff.

After learning of such negotiations, the United States military moved to decommission Twiggs, and replace him with Colonel Carlos Waite.

Waite arrived and relocated troops near Green Lake, where they could await coastal departure near an adequate source of freshwater.

During the stay, Fort Sumter fell under siege, and Texas grew concerned about the concentration of armed federal troops in the area.

[15] On 12/4/2012, deed records show that the property, cited as 6,461.08 acres, was transferred from Indianola Liquidating Trust to Calhoun County, Texas.

While the property is now vested in Calhoun County, Texas, any future conveyances or encumbrances require written consent of the USFWS.

To the south, the Guadalupe Delta Wildlife Management Area serves as a wetland habitat for thousands of permanent egrets, and other birds,[2] including the brown pelican, reddish egret, white-faced ibis, wood stork, bald eagle, white-tailed hawk, peregrine falcon, and the whooping crane.

A large quantity of silt is now deposited in the lake from the Guadalupe River, after the dredging of a freshwater channel that supplies farmers and the Union Carbide plant in Seadrift.