Groveton

Duane's take

The official marker for Groveton, Trinity County, is the one I'm bringing you now — let me tell it right. Picture a grove of blackjack oaks standing thick and stubborn in the East Texas forest. That grove gave this town its name, and the trees themselves — well, they'd eventually have a lot to answer for.

It was 1882 when things started moving fast in this corner of Trinity County. The Trinity County Lumber Company put down a sawmill, and that sawmill put down roots for a whole town. But before any of that could really take hold, you needed a way to get the timber out.

The Trinity and Sabine Railroad Company had already seen to that — they built a sixty-five mile branch line right through those area forests. Once those tracks were laid, the Trinity County Lumber Company moved in and bought up about twenty-nine thousand acres of land from the Trinity and Sabine Timber Company. Smart move.

They left acreage on either side of those railroad tracks just sitting there, practically begging to become a town. And Groveton obliged. Also in 1882, the county seat was picked up and moved from Pennington to this brand-new settlement.

By 1884, the first permanent courthouse was done, and the town had filled in around it — a barber shop, a grocery store, a drug store, a hotel, a boarding house, a school, homes, and, well, several saloons. Several. Trinity County wasn't leaving anything to chance.

The town kept on, kept growing, and on September 29, 1919, Groveton was officially incorporated and its officials were elected. A real city now, with papers to prove it. But here's the thing about building a town on timber.

The timber doesn't last forever. By 1930, all the timber for miles around had been cut. Every last stick.

And so the sawmill — the very reason Groveton existed in the first place — closed on December 31, 1930. The last day of the year, the last day of an era. The once prosperous town of Groveton went into decline.

Now, some towns just fold at that point. Roll up the street and call it done. But Groveton had the Civilian Conservation Corps show up in the 1930s, responsible for road construction and a reforestation program — putting trees back into the ground where trees had made the town's fortune in the first place.

There's a kind of stubbornness in that you have to respect. Through the years, Groveton has seen economic booms and hard times. But it held on as the county seat, survived, and left behind a rich heritage.

The blackjack oaks, the sawmill, the railroad, the saloons, the courthouse — all of it woven together into one town's long, complicated story. Groveton's still standing. And in East Texas, that counts for plenty.

What the marker says

Named for a grove of black jack oak trees, Groveton resulted from the establishment of the Trinity County Lumber Company sawmill in 1882. After the Trinity and Sabine Railroad Company built a sixty-five mile branch line through area forests, the Trinity County Lumber Company bought about 29,000 acres of land from the Trinity and Sabine Timber Company, leaving acreage on either side of the railroad tracks for a town. The county seat was moved from Pennington to Groveton in 1882. By 1884 the first permanent court house was completed and the town included a barber shop, grocery store, drug store, hotel, boarding house, several saloons, homes, and a school. The city was incorporated on September 29, 1919 and officials were elected. By 1930 all the timber for miles around had been cut; consequently, the sawmill closed December 31, 1930. The once prosperous town of Groveton went into decline. The Civilian Conservation Corps was responsible for road construction and a reforestation program in the 1930s. Through the years Groveton has sen economic booms and hard times, but as the county seat, it and survived to leave a rich heritage.