Blogs from Rusk, Texas, United States, North America

A few years ago I purchased a book on 1891 New Birmingham, Texas. I got pics from that book before I lost the book. The book documents the third year (of five years) that New Birmingham was a national boom town before it went bust in 1893. In 1888 Anderson Blevins and a group of investors aquired the Cherokee Land and Iron Company and 20,000 acres of land with plenty of iron ore to be mined or picked up off the ground. (There was nearby lignite coal to be used for fuel.) In 1889 New Birmingham was incorporated and open for business. They had two 50 ton iron blast furnaces: "Tassie Belle" (named after Blevins wife), and the "Star and Crescent" that provided pig iron and iron pipe for sale. New Birmingham had one of the ... read more

According to Historic Texas Wildhurst was founded by Milton Smith when he established the Chronister Lumber Company in 1895. Their operations included sawmills, mill ponds, drying kilns, planing mill, commissary (company store), and a locomotive and logging tram. 75% of the workforce was Afro-Americans that had segregated housing, schools, and churches. Cuz of the logging there was a shortage of available pine timber the sawmills closed in December, 1944. Then the population declined quickly with their major employer gone, finishing the town. A Historic Marker was located at the intersection of Texas FM 1911 & 1247, one mile North of Forest. There was no mention if or when Wildhurst had a post office. According to jacksonvilleprogress.com several older local women helped in the internet history of Wildhurst, One of those ladies was Ira Vee Arnold. I ... read more

A week ago I passed through the de-funked town of Barsola (population zero) in Cherokee County on Texas FM Hwy, 1911 a few miles North of the Forest settlement (and South of Alto). With no traffic on the highway I drove very slow hoping to find a spot to pull of the road so I could zoom in on the Barsola Community Center that is no longer in use. There was a dirt trail from the highway to the community center. Cuz there was no fence and was not posted (no entry) Old Blue and I drove up to the Barsola Community Center to check it out. According to TSHA (Texas State Historic Association) Barsola was named after Jose Barsola who received the first land grant there (from Spain or later Mexico). The small community of ... read more

According to Historic Texas, members of a Baptist Church from South Carolina moved and settled in what became the Sardis Community in Cherokee County in about 1848. In 1854 they organized the Sardis Baptist Church. Their early baptisms happened in the Neches River and also Box's Creek. Little is known about their first Sardis Baptist Church building. The second church structure served as a church and a community school, on the first floor. The Woodmen of the World occupied the second floor. Later a third building was constructed only for church activities. In 1948 the Sardis school consolidated with the Rusk schools; then the congregation moved their church activities (including their worship) in the second building at the former Sardis schoolhouse. Sardis is located eight miles SW of Rusk on FM Hwy 1857. From Rusk I ... read more

I was coming up from Southern Cherokee County, Texas and turned West on US Hwy 84 and turned North on FM Hwy 347 to the old downtown Dialville. What I noticed for the first time was the Masonic corner-stone. I drove West for six miles on FM Hwy 1910. At the junction of FM Hwy 2138 was the Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church & Cemetery. The Union Grove area was settled just before the US Civil War. In 1887 they organized the Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church. In 1905 land was donated for the church and cemetery. The current church structure was built in 1924. I turned South on FM 2138 to Maydelle, Texas where I made a stop at the Old Cherokee Trading Post. I talked with the historians at the trading post and got ... read more