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GROVETON, TEXAS

Trinity County Seat, East Texas

31° 3' 22" N, 95° 7' 46" W (31.056111, -95.129444)

Highway 94 and 287
35 miles SW of Lufkin
28 miles SE of Crockett
43 miles NE of Huntsville
127 miles N of Houston
ZIP code 75845
Area code 936
Population: 918 (2020)
1,057 (2010) 1107 (2000) 1,071 (1990)

Groveton Area Hotels › Lufkin Hotels

Texas - 1884 Trinity County Courthouse
Trintity County motorists lined up in the square
In the background is the now demolished 1884 Courthouse

Vintage photo courtesy THC

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.

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.

TX - 1914 Trinity County Courthouse, Groveton
Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, 2006
Trinity County Courthouse
Texas Historic Landmark


Groveton Texas, Trinity County jail  W.P.A.  project
"The W.P.A. Trinity County jail was built on the courthouse square in Groveton in 1938 and is still in use today."
- Terry Jeanson, February 2006 photo.
More Texas Jails

Groveton, Texas 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...more

Two Courthouse Fires by Bob Bowman ("All Things Historical")



Take a road trip

East Texas

Groveton, Texas Nearby Towns:
Trinity
Crockett
Lufkin
Huntsville
See Trinity County

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Crockett Hotels | Lufkin Hotels | Huntsville Hotels | More Hotels


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