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TATUM,
TEXASRusk County,
East Texas
On the Rusk-Panola County Line
Hwy 43 and 149
20 miles SE of Longview
19
miles NE of Henderson
Population
1,289 (2000) |
 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Settled in the 1840s by Albert and Mary C.
Tatum, a large plantation was constructed in 1848. The homestead was so vast that
according to folklore, a shotgun blast at the property line couldn't have been
heard in the main house. When the railroad came through in 1885, a townsite was
platted and a post office opened in 1886.
An abbreviated timeline of
important events:
1896 or 1897: the Miller School was opened 6 Miles NW
of town.
1903: The first bank was established.
1904: Population reaches
154 and part of the town is destroyed by a tornado.
1905: fire destroys nearly
all of Tatums north side.
1925: population reaches 428.
1929: The eleven-grade
Tatum school consolidated with the school in nearby Stewart, Texas.
1954:
Tatum's population reaches 599 residents.
1976: A marker
was erected to commemorate Trammel's Trace,
an early East Texas trade route.
1988:
Tatums population reached 1,531
Book
Hotels:
Henderson
Hotels | Longview Hotels |
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Historical
Marker Text Town
of Tatum Wealthy
Alabama native Albert Tatum (1810-1870) settled here at Trammel's Trace and Grand
Bluff Road crossing in the 1840s. Slave labor built Tatum's plantation home, a
social center for the area. His wife Mary gave land and a station in 1882 for
Longview & Sabine Valley Railroad, later part of the Santa Fe system. In 1892
Tatum's son Paul (1848-1914), known as "Uncle Fox," donated land and laid out
the townsite. Farming and lumbering became the main industries. The formation
in 1971 of Martin's Creek Lake and an electrical generating plant brought
rapid growth.
1980 |
Tatum Sunday
DriveExcerpts
from "The East Texas Sunday Drive Book" by
Bob Bowman
" ... Texas 43. Turn south here and proceed
through the town of Tatum. Enroute
you will cross the Sabine River, one of the major tributaries in East Texas.
The name Sabine comes from a Spanish word meaning cypress and refers to the great
growth of cypress trees found on the river's lower regions. The river, which becomes
the border between Texas and Louisiana further south, was probably named by Domingo
Ramon in l716; it is so designated on a map from l721 giving the route of the
expedition led by the Marquis de Aguayo. At
Tatum, you'll find a restored Sante Fe railroad depot dating back to the days
when the town bustled with railroad commerce. The depot is located in a city park
about a block east of Texas 43. Tatum
was laid off in l885 on land donated by the Tatum family when the railroad arrived.
Not far from Tatum is Hendrick's Lake, which has been attracting treasure
hunters since l913 when a man name Miller supposedly dredged up three silver bars.
Treasure hunters have probed the 470-acre lake (located on private property) time
and time again, using everything from ox-drawn scoops to electronic equipment.
If they've found anything of value, they've kept the secret well.... When
you leave Tatum, drive a a few miles south of the community on Texas 43
and take a left on Farm Road 1716. You'll come to a dead end at historic
Harmony Hill Cemetery, one of the last vestiges of the old town of Harmony
Hill, once a trading settlement. Just down the road from the cemetery is Martin
Creek Lake State Park, a small but attractive lake overlooked by an electrical
generating plant. ... Back
on Texas 43, return to Tatum, take Texas 149 southeast to the settlement
of Beckville ... more
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Lumber & Hardware Store
Photo courtesy Gerald
Massey, October 2010 |
Trammel Trace Tribune, closed
Photo courtesy Gerald
Massey, October 2010 |
Trammel's Trace Historical Marker
Photo courtesy Gerald
Massey, October 2010 |
Historical
Marker TextTatum
CemeteryBegun
as a burial ground for the family of pioneer settler Albert Tatum (1810-70), this
land was the site of the rose garden near his plantation home. It was first used
as a cemetery in 1862 for the interment of his son william. Also buried here is
Tatum's son Paul (1848-1914), donor of the Tatum townsite. Known as "Uncle Fox,"
Paul Tatum deeded this site as a public burial ground in 1914. Still in use, the
cemetery serves as a reminder of the pioneers and early community leaders who
figured prominently in the town's development.
1983 |
Nearby
Destinations:
Martin
Creek Lake State Park -
9515 County Road 2181D Tatum, TX 75691-3425
903/836-4336
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us
Book
Hotels:
Henderson
Hotels | Longview Hotels
Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and
vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
and vintage/historic photos of their town, please contact
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