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GROVETON,
TEXASTrinity
County Seat, East Texas
Highway 94 and 287
35 miles SW of Lufkin
28 miles SE of Crockett
43 miles NE of Huntsville
127 miles N of Houston
Population 1107(2000) 1,071 (1990 )
Groveton
Area Hotels - Book Here & Save
Lufkin
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History
in a Pecan Shell
The Trinity County and Sabine Pass Land and Railway
Company is credited with Groveton’s birth in 1881. The company built a mill and
platted a townsite named Grovetown after a stand of trees. Residents preferred
the name without the w and the current spelling came into being.
The first
building in town was reportedly a saloon. In 1882 Groveton became the county seat
after the courthouse at Pennington burned. |
| Early
Trintity County motorists lined up for a photo. 1884 Courthouse in background.
Photo courtesy THC | |
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A new
brick courthouse was built in Groveton in 1884. The town and mill grew – but existed
as two separate towns – each with their own mayor.
Around 1900 when lumber
mills were closing – Groveton inherited displaced workers and the elements of
sawmill society that weren’t so law-abiding. Saloons were ordered closed by law.
By the late 20s, Groveton was still open at full throttle, but at midnight December
31, 1930 the mill was dismantled, and rail lines abandoned. Population dropped
by 75%.
The Great Depression hit Groveton hard. With the closing of the
mill and the abandonment of the railroad, the future looked bleak. CCC and WPA
projects included the construction of needed buildings as well as reforestation
projects – the fruit of which is still evident today.
The population hit
bottom in 1952 with less than 800 people.
Trinity
County Courthouse |
Groveton
Chronicles
Pistol-packing
Preacher by Bob Bowman ("All Things Historical")
On his
first morning in Groveton Lee presided at the funeral of a young church member
who had been murdered. He soon named criminals from his pulpit and where they
gathered... | |
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