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RUSK, TEXAS
Cherokee County
Seat, East
Texas
Highways 69, 84 and 110
FMs 23, 241, 343 and 768
31 miles E of Palestine
37 miles NW of Nacogdoches
120 miles SE of Dallas
Population
5085 (2000) 4,805 (1990)
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| "Melons
grown by Hulen Wilcox" c. 1950. Mr. Wilcox (who appears somewhat
reluctant to add one last melon) and two unidentified helpers. Photo
courtesy Arcadia Publ. & Cherokee Co Hist Commission |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Named
for Thomas Jefferson Rusk who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence,
Rusk also was the birthplace for James
Stephen Hogg and Thomas
Campbell who were the first two Governors of Texas to be born
in the state. |
A timeline
of significant events in Rusk:
1846: Rusk becomes
county seat
1847: Post office granted, courthouse and jail built
1850: Population 355 residents
1851: Stephens and Carter Academy was opened - to later become the
Rusk Male and Female Academy
1870s: When bypassed by the International-Great Northern Railroad,
Rusk built its own railroad to Jacksonville - a railroad with wooden
rails.
1880s: Population more than triples to nearly 2,000
1877: Work begins on State Penitentiary which later becomes the Rusk
State Hospital
1893: Rail line constructed linking prison with (what is now) Maydelle
1903: Gov. Thomas M. Campbell helps pass a bill extending the Texas
State Railroad from Rusk to Palestine.
1927: Courthouse square paved
1929: Population reaches 2,750
1936: Population reaches 3,859
1952: Population reaches its zenith at 6,617
Cherokee County Courthouse
Rusk Postcard Images |
Workmen
at the state prison foundry at Rusk
Courtesy Arcadia Publishing & Cherokee Co Hist Commission |
Rusk Texas
Attractions
Architectural:
The Bonner
Bank Building c. 1865 - first bank in Cherokee County
The Cherokee
Theater - Restored movie house now house local theater - downtown
Old Rusk Penitentiary
Building: c. 1878 - U.S. 69 and Avenue "A"
Natural / Outdoors:
Fairchild State
Forest - 13 miles west of Rusk on Highway 84
Jim Hogg State
Historical Park - 2 miles NE of Rusk on Highway 84
Footbridge
Garden Park: the 546 foot bridge is two blocks east of the square
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People
(From "All
Things Historical" Column)
Governor
James Stephen Hogg by Archie P. McDonald
Governor
Thomas Mitchell Campbell by Archie P. McDonald
Legacy
of an Oldtimer by Bob Bowman
"Alvin Burchfield of Rusk is the kind of oldtimer every historian
dreams of interviewing. At 92, he remembers more facts and dates
than you'll find in most county history books."
Jim
Swink Comes Home by Bob Bowman
Jim Swink, the lanky halfback who thrilled high school and Texas
Christian University football fans in the 1950s, has returned home
to his roots...
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Confederate
Veterans on the lawn of the Third
County Courthouse.
Courtesy Arcadia Publishing & Cherokee Co Hist Commission |
Rusk
Tourist Information
Rusk Chamber
of Commerce: 1-800-933-2381
Website:www.rusktx.com |
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