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QUICKSAND,
TEXASNewton County,
East Texas
State Highway 87 and FM 1414
55 miles NE of Beaumont
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History
in a Pecan Shell
Early settlers named the community after a nearby creek. The town
was thought to be the geographic center of the county and for that
reason (and to comply with the legislature's mandate) it was made
the Newton County seat.
The first meetings of the county officials took place at the home
of Josephus S. Irvine, a San Jacinto veteran. When it became known
that Quicksand was a little off center - a vote was taken and Burkeville
was made the seat in 1848. This was contested, so an election was
held in 1849. Burkeville was retained by an 86-82 vote.
In 1853 a new town called Newton*
- four miles southwest of Quicksand was established as county seat.
It is reported that Quicksand had a post office for only one month
(in 1871), which might be a state record.
© John Troesser
*Newton
was named for an American Revolutionary hero from South Carolina as
was Jasper County and Jasper, Texas. The two patriots
have 8 counties named after them around the U.S. - and in most cases
- as in Texas - they border one another.
See Jasper
and Newton Counties Beyond the Sabine. |
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