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| History
in a Pecan Shell
One of the earliest communities in Gregg
County, Camden grew around a crossing of the Sabine River (John Walling’s Ferry).
Mr. Walling arrived in Texas in the early 1830s or
before. Walling’s operation had been licensed by the Mexican government and was
doing business when Sam Houston entered Texas in
1932. During the early years, the names Camden and Walling’s Ferry were used interchangeably.
In the mid 1840s, an entrepreneur named Enoch Hays saw the need for a hotel and
built an eight-room, two story tavern with sleeping rooms. From the late 1840s
through 1872, the community had a post office – usually named Walling’s Ferry
and sometimes called Camden. The postmaster would accept either address.
Steamboats
could navigate up the Sabine
River as far as Camden into the 1850s, but a decline set in even before the
end of the Civil War. The river bottom provided harborage for mosquitoes and the
populace was constantly under threat of malaria and other water-borne diseases
and parasites. Residents relocated to higher ground but what finally erased Camden
from maps was the establishment of Iron
Bridge.
Camden’s population had fled by the late 1860s and by the
1870s it was a full-fledged ghost town. It was dropped from maps, long before
the 20th Century although the Camden cemetery is said to remain in use.
Photographer's
Note: |
 |
"We
were out there again today and walked through the woods a bit more."
- Maryanne
Gobble |
Subject: Camden
Cemetery near Easton
"About 10 miles
South of Longview, take FM
2906 to Easton. Near Easton lies what remains of
Camden, formerly known as Walling's Ferry.
Direction to the Cemetery
The
cemetery is on an unmarked road directly west from Church St. in Easton.
It dead ends into a field with the cemetery to the right and a few crumbled houses
in the woods to the left. There is a small gated section of the cemetery, then
a few grave sites nearby that are falling apart. As far as we could see there
weren't any no tresspassing signs of any sort. |
The Houses in the
Forest
They are visible from the field if you look closely. One is flattened
but has glass bottles and bricks scattered about. There is a concrete well and
remains of the structure. Many bricks had "Dallas" printed on them. The second
house is about to cave in and should not be entered. The brush is a little thick
and has lots of sharp thorns. Long sleeves and pants are necessary. |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, and vintage/historic
photos of their town, please contact
us. | |
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