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HOOKS,
TEXASBowie
County, East Texas
U.S. Highway 82
13 Miles W of Texarkana
Population:
2,973 (2000) |
History
in a Pecan ShellThe
town dates from the 1830s when it slowly appeared around Warren Hooks's plantation.
The railroad arrived in 1876 and in 1884 the community was granted a post office.
By 1890 the town had a population of 250 which grew to 400 by 1914. It suffered
a decline in the early to mid 1920s when it dropped to a mere 100. It grew again
to 350 by 1929, only to return to 100 by the mid 1930s.
The Red River Army
Depot and the Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant caused an immediate growth spurt
during WWII. The two facilities
have now employed generations of Northeast Texans, including the residents of
several nearby communities.
See Hooks
Historical Marker |
Red River Army Depot Main Entrance
Photo courtesy Gerald
Massey, 2010 |
Historical
Marker TextHooksEstablished
about 1848 as a supply center for 5,000-acre plantation of Warren Hooks; 1841-1860
post office for area was Myrtle Springs, home of Hooks' son, Col. Robert W. Hooks,
11th Texas Cavalry, Confederate Army.
Post office placed here 1884 was
named for Warren Hooks.
Farming continued until 1942, when Hooks "boomed"
suddenly. Population soared from 400 to 3,000 with opening of Lone Star and Red
River Ordnance plants.
Economy is diversified, with cotton and soybean
production.
A religious town, Hooks has sixteen churches.
(1969) |
1940s
Bowie County map showing Hooks
(Above "I" in "B-O-W-I-E")
Courtesy
Texas General Land Office | |
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