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Few
find the community of Hemphill, county seat of Sabine County, by accident
unless they are lost. One generally has a purpose for visiting this
old town. A good one might be finding a place to fish or to retire
since the completion of Toledo
Bend Reservoir provided the area with a fine 'fishing hole' not
far away.
Milam served as the seat of local government in Sabine County
until 1858, when voters decided to move the courthouse to a more central
location. E.P. Beddoe drew the assignment of finding the right spot
and platting a town there. They named it Hemphill in honor of John
Hemphill, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic
of Texas and of the State of Texas. |
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Sabine County Courthouse
1940 Photo courtesy TXDoT |
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Hemphill assumed
its role as a government center in 1859, and Michael Watson became
postmaster there the same year. Despite its promising beginning
as a central location of the Sabine County, the county itself lay
in the grip of dense forest.
With the Sabine River on one side and trees all around, Hemphill
was not benefited by the Houston, East and West Texas Railway,
the first constructed in East
Texas in 1882-1883.
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A feed store in Hemphill
TE photo |
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In 1884, Hemphill
had a population of only 350 souls, few retail businesses, a cotton
gin, and a lumber mill. Population declined to less than 300 in
1900, rose to 400 by World
War I, and reached perhaps 1,500 or so by the 1920s before declining
again during the Depression. In 1990 the official count stood at
1,182 residents. A significant portion of the present population
resulted from the economic stimulation of Toledo
Bend Reservoir.
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Historic jail in Hemphill, now a museum
Photo courtesy George Lester, April 2004 |
I
have some fond memories of Hemphill. On many weekends back in the
1960s, we drove from Nacogdoches
to the southern part of Sabine County to help my father-in-law, Bert
Barrett, clear brush from a lakeside subdivision he and his partners
were developing. Our route followed Highway 21 to Milam, then south,
through Hemphill, to the subdivision.
We rarely stopped, unless it was at the old Peddy's Restaurant, for
a cup of coffee or a meal. On one trip my wife wanted to stop in town
for a purchase, and my then four-year-old son and I strolled around
the square while she shopped. We received a guided tour of the old
jail, just then unoccupied, that shares the square with the seat of
justice in Sabine County. I had never seen the inside of a jail before,
and determined that this would be my last visit. So far, that has
turned out to be the case.
© Archie P. McDonald, PhD
All
Things HIstorical
July,
2002 Column
Archie McDonald is author of Pioneers, Poke Sallet and Politics with
Bob Bowman. It is available through the East Texas Historical Association,
Nacogdoches
Hemphill
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Hemphill
Chronicles
Saving
Sallie's Home
by Bob Bowman
Today, more than a few Hemphill townspeople are convinced Sallie's
prayers 95 years ago have protected her house from the wrecker's
ball and will lead to its eventual restoration. more
A
Personal Hero
by Bob Bowman
My favorite East Texans are the senior citizens whose agile memories
have helped me write columns such as this. Leon Herman Adickes, 88,
who was high on my list, died recently at Hemphill -- a place where
he helped make history by simply doing things to make his community
a better place. Most of what he did were acts like making sure Hemphill
had a doctor, a hospital, a nursing home and a Lions Club. more
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