CRIMS CHAPEL

Was named for J. W. Crim who granted land for church way back when. Located about  9 miles north of Henderson.

CROSS ROADS

A small farm community up near the Gregg Co. line.

CYRIL

See Joinerville.  Located four and a half miles northeast of Carlisle; had only one postmaster, henry Studdard, opened in 1900 and closed in 1902.

DIRGIN

A small farm community about 15 miles north of Henderson and seven miles southwest of Tatum; opened in 1898 with William R. Adams postmaster and closed in 1918. 

EASTON

Located seven miles west of Tatum, This town has gone through a couple of name changes, 1st in 1830"s, as Walling's Ferry, named for the Walling family who operated the ferry that ran across the Sabine River at that spot. Jesse Walling was in the battle of San Jacinto.  It boasted of one of the earliest telegraph lines in Texas, installed in 1854.  It was also known as Camden.  The town declined after the Civil War when Rusk Co. products began to be shipped to Shreveport, Louisiana, instead of to Jefferson & hence didn't require the ferry services. The Santa Fe RR built a track through the line in 1885.   The post office in Camden opened and closed many times, but closed for good in 1904.  Today it is known as  Easton,  which were a black community started in the 1940s.

EULALIE

Located in northeast Rusk County and was established in the 1880's.  Had two postmasters, Henry Morehead and Henry Hardy and then closed in 1900.

FLANAGAN

Located four miles north of Tatum.  Was named for Lester Flanagan (also source noted a Webster Flanagan) and was initially a train station for the Longview & Sabine RR in 1882. By 1900 it housed a post office was a shipping point for locally cut lumber. It later became a predominently black community. It is in northeast Rusk Co.

FLANAGANMILLS

Located seven miles north of Harmony Hill and had three postmasters:  Robert Flanaga, 1872, Allen V. Hendrick, and Elizabeth Flanagan.  Post Office then closed in 1877.

FREDONIA

One of the oldest post offices in the county.  It opened in 1849 and closed in 1859.

FUSSELL

Located two miles south of Laneville.  Had two postmaster, Richard McNeil, 1894 and Thomas McNeil 1902 and closed in 1906.

GAGES

Located in southern Rusk County near Mt. Enterprise, named for David Gage, who came to Texas in 1839 from Alabama, was representative in Congress of the Republic of Texas and later in Congress of the United States.  he was the only postmaster, office closed in 1847. 

GLENFAWN

Located twelve miles west of Mt. Enterprise.  Was supposedly named for Ellis Glen who killed a fawn in the area. It is also said to have been named by Julien S. Devereux who was a large plantation owner in the area before 1860 (I'll be adding a lot on him because he has papers in the archives, including his journals! The first postmaster was Charles Nunnally, 1872.  Others were: William Blanton, William Devereux, William Black, Jacob Blanton, James Belk, James Fussell, Jefferson Fussell, Charles Lehman, Tom Crawford, Luther McMillan, Fred Evans, and Dolly Lowe.  It was discontinued in 1955 and the mail was sent to Cushing. 

GOOD SPRINGS

A small agricultural community about 10 miles to the southwest of Henderson.

GOULD

Located four and a half miles east of Genfawn and was opened in 1884 and had three postmasters   George Wood, Elijah Creel, and Maria Clayton and closed in 1903.

GOURD NECK

Located seven miles southwest of Minden and opened in 1880 and closed in 1881.  Its two postmasters were H. Perkins and Frank Galloway.

HARMONY HILL

Located three miles southwest of Tatum.  The postmasters were William M. Johnson, 1854: Homer Harris 1879; James Findley, 1890; and others; office discontinued in 1905 and mail sent to Tatum. This is a community that was started in the 1840's on land belonging to John W. Kuykendall who was a very wealthy plantation owner in the area. He had a 1000 acre plantation there at one time. The town was laid out & rapidly became an important trading center because of its' proximity to the 3 main roads at the time (Trammel's Trace, Grand Bluff Road & Old Wire Road). It developed the nickname of "Nip 'n' Tuck in the 1860s supposedly because of two hunting dogs (fox hounds) named as such who ran down the streets of Harmony Hill after a fox one day. When the owner of the dogs was asked how the hunt was going, he replied "Just Nip 'n' Tuck" & the name stuck. It was a pretty large community by the 1860s, with 3 main streets, a small furniture factory, a blacksmith shop, 2 churches, 8-10 stores, a Masonic hall & school. There were also several nice homes in the area. Because of railroads which were built to Henderson & Tatum in the 1870-80s making them more important for trade, people started moving away. In 1906 a tornado swept through the area, destroying much of what was left of Harmony Hill & it is now known as a "ghost town".

HENDERSON

Built on the site of an old Shawnee Village. It became the county seat in 1844, the same year it was settled.  The first postmasters were J.C. Miller, 1846; William McMurray, 1846; and Many other to the present time. 

HENDRICKS

Located eight miles northwest of Pinehill.  Had only one postmaster, Daniel J. Barlow, opened in 1884 and closed in 1896.

IRON MOUNTAIN

Located three miles southeast of Glenfawn, first postmaster was James Everett, office closed in 1906. 

IRWIN

Located five and a half miles northwest of Laneville.  The only postmaster, James T. Irwin, 1900.  Office closed in 1905 and mail was sent to Laneville. 

JACINTO

Located seven miles southeast of Overton, was opened in 1891 and closed in 1900.  Its two postmasters were Henry Griffin and John McWilliams.

JOINERVILLE

This town, formerly known as Cyril, was renamed for C. M. "Dad" Joiner, the one who brought in the first oil well in the area in 1930. It was also known as Miller Schoolhouse before that. This was one of the "boom towns" in the area, with its' poplulation swelling to around 1500 people immediately after the discovery, but declining again afterwards. It is located close to where the old Cherokee village used to be, about 7 miles west of Henderson.   

LAIRD HILL

Was named for S. S. Laird and is located on the northern border of Rusk Co., up near Kilgore. It was also known as Pistol Hill during the time of the oil boom.  Post office opened in 1936 with Ignatius Crutcher as postmaster. 

LANEVILLE

Located thirteen Miles south of Henderson and was named because the town sprang up at the intersection of several lanes. At one time in the early half of the 1900s it bragged of having 2 lumber mills in, addition to a gin, among other things.  Post office opened in 1888 with Philetus Williamson as postmaster. 

LAWSONVILLE

Located seven miles east of Mt. Enterprise and was name for a local lawyer, Frank Lawson, who was a landowner in the area before 1880. By 1885, there was a sawmill, 3 grist mills & 3 cotton gins, among other things.  The first postmaster, Amanda Lawson in 1877 and was discontinued in 1907 and mail was sent to Mt. Enterprise

LEVERETT'S CHAPEL

Was probably named for D. B. & J. D. Leverett, settlers in 1852. One of the largest Cherokee Indian villages was about a mile from there.

LIBERTY

A small farm community about 10 miles northeast of Henderson.

LIBERTY HILL

See Millville

LOCKLIN

Located four and a half miles south of Mt Enterprise and had only one postmaster, Hattie in 1902 and closed in 1905.

LOCUST GROVE

Located ten miles west of Harmony Hill.  The postmaster was L.S. Markham in 1873 and discontinued in 1875.

LONDON

Located ten miles northwest of Henderson and was supposedly settled by English people in about 1850 who named the community. Edward Vinzent was the first postmaster in 1852;   The office discontinued in 1876 and the mail was sent to Overton.   Was also known as New London.

LYLE

Located four and a half miles west of Mt Enterprise.  Morris Fussell was the poost master in 1903 and post office closed in 1904. 

MARCH

Located five miles southeast of Minden and the only postmaster was Lowranzo Fryman in 1901 and discontinued in 1902. 

MILLER SCHOOLHOUSE

See Joinerville

MILLVILLE

Located nine miles northeast of Henderson.  Was also known as Liberty Hill in the 1840s. It was settled in the 1830s, but the town wasn't formally set out until 1853. The town's name changed to Millville, after a water mill was built there by Enoch Hays & Willis Calloway. Jesse Walling deeded the land for the Millville Male & Female Acadamy which was began in the late 1850s. As with so many other towns, the railroad caused the eventual downfall of Millville, which when combined with the construction of a highway which bypassed the town, caused the remaining businesses & families to move to Oak Hill. It was the location of the first oilwell drilled in Rusk Co. in 1911. It is now considered a "ghost town".

MINDEN

Located Nine miles east of Laneville, Was named by H. W. Watson who called it Minden after his hometown of Minden, Louisiana. It was first settled in the area that later was called "Old Minden" by the Lewis family from Georgia in 1849 and was on the stagecoach route that ran between Marshall, Texas & nearby Nacogdoches. Later the town slowly evolved into a new location near where "Old Minden" had been. In 1880, the Rock Hill Institute was opened in Minden (the present location) by G. I. Watkins. A fire swept through the town in 1942 & destroyed the post office & 3 businesses.

MONROE

Located fourteen miles north of Henderson.  Named after Monroe Co., GA, where many early settlers were originally from, it is in northeast Rusk Co.  Post office opened in 1860 and closed in 1904 and the mail was sent to Kilgore. 

MOTLEY

Located six miles southeast of Monroe and the first postmaster was Frank Spharler in 1880 and mailed service was discontinued in 1906 and mail was sent to Henderson.  

MOUNT ENTERPRISE

Post office established in 1846 under the name of Mulberry Grove; has had many postmasters and is still open today (2002)  First settled by the Vinson brothers and probably named after the store they started (a new enterprise). It bragged of a furniture factory early on, as early as 1850 and was situated in the middle of "timber country". There were also several large plantations in the area early on (before the Civil War). 2 colleges have called Mt. Enterprise home: the Mt. Enterprise Male & Female College which was open from 1851-55 & the Mt. Enterprise Male & Female Acadamy in 1853. The Caro Northern RR came through in the late 1800s & because it ended about a mile and a half from what was later called "Old Mt. Enterprise" & the citizens of the town voted to move the town to the RR spur.

MURVAUL

See Brachfield

NEW DANVILLE

Established in 1850 under the name of Rabbit Creek. 

NACOGDOCHES

Was a Tejas Indian settlement near the later town of Minden between 1761-1810.

NEW LONDON

See London. Located three miles southeast of Overton.  Post office opened in 1930'0 and is sstill open.  Sprang up as a result of the oil "boom" of 1930. A horrible explosion occurred at the London Consolidated School there, killing 294 people in 1937. I'll be doing a separate page on this terrible tragedy in the near future.

NEW PROSPECT

A small farm town about 4 miles north of Henderson.

NEW SALEM

Located ten miles southwest of Laneville,  post office opened in 1849 with Poindexter Payne as postmaster, discontinued in 1955 and the mail was sent to Henderson.Was named Oscar Wilson in honor of his old homeplace in Victoria County. It was first settled by Col. John Pruitt & the 1850s saw a lot of new folks moving into the area. It was home to the New Salem Academy in the 1850s.

NIP 'N' TUCK

See Harmony Hill

NORFOLK

Was Located ten Miles north of Carlisle and post office opened in 1892 and closed in 1903.

OAK FLAT

A small farm community in mid-south Rusk Co.

OAK HILL

A small farm community about 3 miles southeast of Henderson.

OVERTON

Located 16 miles northwest of Henderson.  James Harper was the first postmaster in 1873 and is still open.  Named for Frank Overton who donated the land for the town from his massive land holdings. One of the boom towns of the 1930s, it was originally laid out in 1873 as the result of the building of the Missouri Pacific RR. Hubbard College was started here in 1876 & after 1830 when oil was discovered in the area, it also gained refineries & an iron works among other things. This was also the hometown of Robert Lee Howze who Camp Howze in WWII was named for & Allison Mayfield, Sec. of State under Gov. Cumberson.

PEPPER

Located eight miles west of Harmony Hill.  Post office opened in 1902 with James Wilson as postmaster and closed in 1905. 

PINEHILL

Located fifteen miles southeast of Henderson.  First settled by "Uncle" Henderson Hillin in 1844 & got its' own post office in 1857. It was also known as "Rake Pocket", named by a gentleman who said he had been overcharged for a motel room. It was named for the obvious reasons; it was located on a hill & there were lots of pine trees in the area. Lumber was a prominent industry in the area for the same reason. The Timpson & Henderson RR had a station there in the early 1900s & they had their own newspaper, the Pinehill Times. Many of the businesses were destroyed by a fire there in 1916, and then again in 1937.  Thomas Clark was the first postmaster 1847 and discontinued in 1958 with the mail being sent to Henderson. 

PIRTLE

Before the Civil War, this town was known as Belleview. It once boasted of the most famous racetrack in the country. Located eight miles east of Overton; one of the earliest post offices; opened in 1849 with George W. Pirtle as first postmaster and closed in 1867.  Name of the communtiy was later changed to Pirtle.  Then post office Opened in 1884 with Charles Wood as postmaster and discontinued in 1907 and mail sent to Overton. 

PISTOL HILL

See Lairde Hill

PLEASANT GROVE

A small farm community about 12 miles southwest of Henderson. It was also known as "Shake Rag"

PONE

Six mIles southwest of Henderson.  Luther Neeley, 1898 , first postmaster, Henry Neeley in 1900, and Frank Judson in 1902, office closed in 1905 and the mail was sent to Laneville. Also known as "Short Pone", the communiy is 6 miles southwest of Henderson.

PRICE

Located nine miles west of Henderson.  Post office opened in 1940 with Herbert Burton as postmaster and is still open.  Was named for the J. M. Price family & developed around a post office by that same name. It was also known as Carlisle for John Griffin Carlisle for a while, but then the name was changed back to Price.

PYLAS

Located three miles northwest of Pone, the first postmaster, George Smith was appointed in 1900 and the office discontinued in 1904. 

RAKE POCKET

See Pinehill

REAGAN

Post Office opened in 1858 with James Pinkston as postmaster and the office closed in 1966.

REDLAND

A small farm community right outside of Laneville.

REKLAW

Located sixteen miles west of Mt. Enterprise.   Is the name "Walker" spell backwards. It is on the southwest border of Rusk Co. & Cherokee Co., with part of it lying in each county. Many of the people from this town moved to Iron Mountain in the 1860's & in 1891.  The post office opened in 1903 in Cherokee County and transferred to Rusk Co. in 1958.  Post Office is still open.  

ROCKY MOUNT

When the Missouri Pacific RR bypassed this town, many people from this community moved to nearby Overton.

RHODES

Located two and a half miles southeast of Brachfield.  First postmaster was Addie Wallace in 1893 and discontinued in 1906 and mail was sent to Mt. Enterprise.

SAM COSME

Located eleven miles southwest of Henderson.  Post office opened in 1847 with William Grigsby as postmaster and closed in 1877.

SAND HILLS

Post office opened in 1847 with Asher Branch as postmaster and closed in 1854.

SCOOBA

Only one posstmaster, E. W. Eiland, appointed in 1877 and office closed in 1888 with the mail being sent to Henderson.

SELMAN CITY

Opened post office in 1939 with Raymond Crawford as postmaster

SEXTON CITY

Named for a pioneer family, it is another oilfield community that boasted 2 large oil refineries.

SHAKE RAG

See Pleasant Grove

SHAWNEE TOWN

A Shawnee village that was located in the southwestern portion of present day Henderson. The Cherokee Indians & the Shawnee were driven out of east Texas in 1839.

SHILOH

A small farm community in southeast Rusk Co.

SHORT PONE

See Pone

SPIVEY

Located five miles northeast of New Salem.  Had only one postmaster, Emma Wiggins in 1879.  Office closed in 1882 and the mail was sent to Henderson.

STEWART

A small farm community in northeast Rusk Co.

TASSO

Located ten miles north of New Salem; the only postmaster, Irene Gaston was appointed in 1892 and closed in 1895 and mail was sent to Henderson. 

TATUM

Named for Albert Tatum, a plantation owner in the area. It was originally settled in the 1840's & the Santa Fe RR came into the area in 1885. A tornado swept through the town in 1904 & a large portion of the town was destroyed. The next year a fire burned most of the northern portion of the town. Post office opened in 1886 and is still open 2002.

TURNERTOWN

Named for Horace Turner, a landowner from Henderson, this town sprang up as a result of the oil "boom".

WALLINGS FERRY

See Easton

WELCH

Located five miles southwest of Pinehill, and had only one postmaster, Nathaniel Johnston, who was appointed in 1896 and closed the same year.

WHERRY

Located eight miles southeast of Henderson.  Elizabeth Wherry, was the first postmaster and was appointed in 1895.  the office closed in 1914 and the mail was sent to Henderson. 

WHERRY'S (altho they had the same name, records do not show they were at the same location.)

Only had one postmaster, John Wherry, appointed three times in 1858, in 1861 by the Confederacy, and again in 1866.   The office closed in 1889