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History in
a Pecan ShellPlatted
as a townsite in 1851 under the name Trinidad, initial settlement was before 1850.
The town's location on the East Fork of the Trinity River promised a bright future.
The watercourse was navigable at that time for barge and riverboat traffic. Trinidad
experienced healthy growth prior to the Civil War and the post office opened in
1854. River commerce decreased after the war as railroads expanded. The post office
(still named Trinidad) closed its doors in 1866. |
| | Rosser
depot and water tower
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, January 2006 |
| The Texas and Pacific
Railroad arrived in 1872 and Trinidad hosted scores of railroad workers, increasing
the population and creating a tent boomtown. The newcomers justified reopening
the post office and a new application was filed under the name of Burton. But
Washington County already
had a Burton and so the town was
renamed after Capt. Robert S. Rosser a local landowner who had become wealthy
through land and timber sales. |
| | Grain
elevator and water tower
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, January 2006 |
Under
the new name, the town continued to prosper. By 1894 there was a gin, sawmill,
and gristmill. A second gin was constructed just after 1900 and the town acquired
a hotel. A newspaper was first published in1902, under the name Review.
In the mid-teens a second paper (The Midget) appeared. In 1904 the population
of Rosser was 128 and by 1925 it had increased to 350 residents.
During
the Great Depression, while other East Texas towns were declining, Rosser experienced
a boom of sorts. The town was wired for electricity and a pork-slaughtering business
(which never materialized) was planned. |
| | The
closed school in Rosser
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, January 2006 |
| | The
Volunteer Fire Department
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, January 2006 | |
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