Ace--first called Smithfield. Name was changed to Ace in 1915. (See Smithfield).
Andressville--a farming community about 1880-1930. Also called Tigerville.
Asia--a sawmill in 1880's.
Bay Ridge--a ridge near Boldsprings once covered with bay trees.
Several families
lived there in the 1880's
and 1890's.
Barnes--settled in 1858 or 1859, but not named until a post office
was applied for and the
following names of pioneers
were submitted: Handley, Havis, Beard, and Barnes. The
Barnes were a respected
elderly couple who lived in the area and it was named for them.
Barnum--a sawmill town in 1882, said to have been named for the
P. T. Barnum Circus.
Only two families lived
there in 1965.
Bering--a small sawmill town built by Conrad Bering about 1882.
A post office was operated
from 1906-1928.
Beech Creek--farming community on Beech Creek, so called from the abundance of beech trees.
Benford--a sawmill town from 1889 until about 1920. First called
Silver Hill because the mill paid
in silver dollars instead
of cheques as did other mill companies.
Boldsprings-- farming community settled by 1860. Several big
springs furnished water for the
church and school.
Battise Camp--1806, early Indian camp established by Coushatta
and Kickapoo Indians, near
the mouth of the Kickapoo
Creek.
Buck--J. W. Cochran had a sawmill here in 1890's, but sold it
to H. Dyer in 1902, who in turn,
sold it to Buck Reynolds
of Arkansas in 1904. Post Office, 1904-1930, although the mill
was moved about 1920.
Big Sandy--a farming community on Big Sandy Creek, founded prior to 1860.
Blanchard--a farming community, obtained post office 1905. Said
to have been named for an
official of a railroad extended
through the community in 1905. Also said to be named for two
families, Pierre and
Lorance Blanchete, on whose survey the railroad flag station was built.
Blue Water--farming community on Blue Branch, so called because the water is so clear it looks blue.
Camp Ruby--first called Old Hope, established by 1885. In 1924,
W.T. Carter Lumber Company
sent A. Cayton to lay out
a sawmill there. Cayton said he would name it for the first girl he saw
there. She was named Ruby,
daughter of John Thomas Moore, who in 1965 was married to
Carl Vinson of Camden,
Texas. The mill camp was moved and the community is still called
Camp Ruby. (Note: Mrs. Ruby
Vinson is living in Livingston, Texas in 2001).
Camden--a large sawmill town built by W. T. Carter Lumber Company
in 1898, still in operation.
Was named Camden by Mrs.
Carter.
Center Grove--farming community established about 1875. Later,
a cemetary, church, and school
were located in the center
of a grove of pines, oaks, and other trees.
Carmona--a farming community by 1860, a sawmill town 1890-1920,
located on land obtained
from Coahuila and Texas
in 1835 by Juan Carmona.
Chink--a small sawmill built about 1880 by Dave Hackney, was
sold to Abe Peebles about 1883.
Peebles' son, Johnny, 89,
said in 1965 he does not know why the mill and community were
named Chink.
Corrigan--founded about 1860, was first called Gant, later, Kurth,
under which name it had a post
office. When a railroad
was extended through the community in 1882, the name was changed
to honor Pat Corrigan, the
first official of the railroad to come there.
Coleta, Colita, Kalita--center of a number of ante-bellum plantations,
settled by families from
Louisiana in 1840's, was
first called the Louisiana Settlement. In 1853, Samuel Rowe, agent
for the Alabama Indians,
and a resident, applied for, and obtained a post office, asking that
it be named for the Indian
chief, Kalita, who aided the pioneer white settlers in many ways.
Polk County, location of
the Alabama-Coushatta Indian Reservation, was formed from
Liberty County in 1846.
Dallardville--farming community founded before 1880, named for
a leading citizen,
John J. Dallard, a doctor
and a teacher.
Drew's Landing--a Trinity River port founded by 1840. In 1843,
Monroe Drew and Joseph
Baird bought a sawmill under
construction, a ferry and a dwelling. Later, Drew bought out
Baird, and the port became
Drew's Landing. In 1965, it was a large subdivision, with lakes
attracting many retired
couples to build there.
Darby--a farming community, established in 1830's by Augustus
Darby, for whom it is named,
probably because he built
the schoolhouse. No longer a community, it boasts the Holcombe
Home, bearing an Official
Texas Historical Medallion, occupied by R. L. Holcombe, a Darby
descendant. The home
was built in 1860, although Darby had an earlier home there.
Easom--a small sawmill town in the early 1880's a post office
1883-1889. Changed to Fant by
Napoleon Fant 1889-1892.
(Petersville and Potomac are the same location.)
Elwood--a farming community, which had a small sawmill by 1880,
which only lasted a few years.
Probably named for the many
elm trees. First called Elmwood.
East Tempe--a farming community by 1860, perhaps not named until about 1880.
Goodrich--established by 1885 on land obtained by William Goodrich
in early 1840's. A United
Gas sub-station was located
there in 1930. Once known for cotton farming, is largely ranch
area in 1965.
Holly Grove--farming community, so named by 1845, supposedly
from the abundance of native
holly trees.
Hortense--first called Bear Creek, along which most of the settlement
was located about 1875.
In 1891, John A. Handley,
who operated a store, applied for a post office, and a "drummer"
suggested that it be name
for Handley's new baby girl. She was, in 1965, Mrs. Hortense Drew,
of Livingston, Texas.
Indian Springs--a post office in the 1870's, a school in 1892, is located near Leggett, Texas.
Indian Village--a reservation, established in 1853, now has about
400 Alabama and Coushatta
tribe members living there.
Opened a museum in 1965.
Israel--founded before 1860, was not named until several families
of a religious sect, the Israelites,
settled there in 1895, and
named it Israel.
Jones Prairie--established by relatives Jesse R. Jones, John
R. Jones, and Enoch Jones, in 1850,
where they were shortly
joined by Dr. Erskine Virginia Jones, (not related), and a number of
other families. It was a
very fertile prairie, readily adaptible to large plantations. In 1965,
was largely rand and timber
land.
Johnson's Bluff--a ferry and port on the Trinity River, known
to exist by 1846, but probably
before 1840, built by John
R. Johnson, a surveyor, by 1858, large enough to be listed as a
town on tax records. Most
of the town was on the side of the Trinity that became San
Jacinto County in 1870.
Kickapoo--a large farming community established a few miles from
the mouth of Kickapoo
Creek in the 1850's.
(B)--a tiny town and ferry
were established at the mouth of Kickapoo Creek by 1845,
remained until the 1870's.
(C)--In 1909, another farming
community was established a mile from the mouth of the
creek, a post office obtained in 1919. People came to designate it as Lower
Kickapoo
and the northern one as Upper Kickapoo. Upper Kickapoo was abandoned about
1940.
Lamonth--a small sawmill town, built by Middleton Tackaberry
about 1890, is said to have been
named for Lamont, Ohio,
the birthplace of Tackaberry's father. The town was abandoned
about 1915.
Lajarza--small farming community and school in 1890's located on the LaJarza Survey.
Leggett-- named for Ralph Leggett, first settler there, about
1870. In 1882, when the railroad
came through this community
of three or four families, railroad official boarded with the
Leggett's and named the
station Leggett. The place was also called "Red Horse" from a sign
on Will Freeman's store.This
name is still affectionately used.
Liberty Hill--located two miles from Magnolia Hill, was founded
by a small group by 1880,
who chose the hill located
for its beauty.
Laurelia--a sawmill town from about 1880 until about 1910, was
named for the laurel trees there.
(There is also a Laurelia
Creek.)
Lily Island--is a Black community in 1870's. In 1880, the new church was named Lily Island.
Long King's Village-- near the mouth of Long King Creek,
named for an Indian Chief of the
Coushatta Indians.
Livingston--founded 1836, by Moses L Choate, a native of Tennessee,
perhaps of Livingston,
Tennessee, though there
is controversy that it was Livingston, Alabama. Established as
Springfield, because of
the many springs. In March, 1846, a committee which had been
asked to suggest a county
seat suggested Springfield, Swarthwout, and Johnson's Bluff.
Choate offered 100 acres
of land to Polk County if the site of Springfield were chosen,
with the stipulation that
the name be changed to Livingston. There are conflicting stories
about this, that his hometown
was of the same name in Alabama or Tennessee, whether
they were named for Robert
Livingston or Edward. Anyway, the county seat was
Springfield, and the named
changed to Livingston.
Lime Ridge--appropriately named for the lime ridge upon which
it was located in northeast
Polk County.
Magnolia Hill--a farming community founded in the southern part
of the county on a low hill,
among magnolia trees, before
1860.
Magnolia--established about 1890, by several families who built
a Methoidst Church the same
year, named it for the numerous
magnolia trees. Fifteen years later, the economic influence
of the Onalaska sawmill
influended twenty families to settle there. The mill stopped
operations in 1925 and in
1965, there were only three families and a cemetery at Magnolia.
Marston--first called Norma, for a young lady, had its beginning
in 1895 as a sawmill. When the
sawmill closed, most of
the community moved a short distance. In 1901, a new post office
was applied for under the
name of Marston.
Menard's Chapel--a small farm community, settled by several families
by 1860, is located by
Menard's Creek, named for
Pierre Menard, who settled at its lower course by 1834.
A church and cemetery by
the creek give the name "Menard's Chapel".
Midway--a large agricultural community, established by 1850,
but unnamed until about 1888.
Two leading families conflicted
about the schoolhouse, each wanting it located nearest them.
When the dispute threatened
to explode, an intermediate family suggested a compromise
--locate it half-way. The
school was so located, but since there was no spring available,
(as had been at the two
proposed sites), the children had to bring their own drinking water.
Morgansville--a small town, on Wood's Creek, was mapped out by
James Morgan, and by 1840,
bore his name. Because it
became a farming community, the name was changed to Wood's
Creek when a school was
established, about 1888. James B.Woods obtained the land in 1836.
Morgansville was a post
office 1856-1870's.
Moscow--founded in 1844, by David G. Green, from Moscow, Tennessee,
was first called
Green's Shop, Green's Post
Office, then Greenville, for David Green. In 1853 the name was
changed to Moscow, probably
for Moscow, Tennessee.
Mount Rose--a settlement largely agricultural, was established
by 1870, but was not named until
a Baptist church was organized
by a Reverend Johnson, from Mississippi, where he had
known a church named Mt.
Rose. In 1965, there was a cemetery, but no church.
New Willard--Will Freeman built a sawmill near here in 1886 and
called it Freeman. In 1909,
a sawmill was moved in from
Willard (in Trinity County) and the settlement became
New Willard, which thrived
from 1909 until 1954. In 1965, a few residents remain.
New Hope--an all black community, has a Baptist Church, called
the New Hope Baptist Church,
established in 1885, which
probably antedates the settlement by many years. It is located
southwest of Goodrich,
Texas.
Old Palestine--a black community in Polk County.
Ollie--established in 1870's, first called the "Rice Community"
from the families named Rice.
David A. Rice obtained a
post office in 1901 and named it for one of his daughters.
Onalaska--founded when a large sawmill was moved there from Onalaska,
Arkansas, by
William Carlisle in 1905-1906.
The mill was "shut down" in 1925 and the community
changed to prosperous farming
and ranching use.
Oakdale--so named for the many large oak trees, was probably settled before 1860.
Patrick's Ferry--a river port and ferry on the Trinity River,
at the mouth of Kickapoo Creek,
established by Isham T.
Patrick in 1844, was operated until the 1870's.
Pinckney--the community was never called Pinckney, but when Pinckney
J.Waldrep, who lived
on the east edge of the
Midway community, applied for a post office, the U. S. Post Office
Dept. chose the name Pinckney.
Petersville--a sawmill town, built by Peter Josseran about 1902.
In 1907, a post office was
obtained and called Potomac.
Note: Easom, Wakefield and Potomac in the same location.
Providence--settled in the early 1850's by a number of families
from Henry County, Alabama,
was first called the Henry
County Settlement. When a Methodist church was built, it was
named Providence.
Patonia--a turpentine distillery camp, was built by B. M. Pate
in 1912, discontinued in 1919.
In 1921, Mrs. Gertie Hood
asked that the post office be re-established in her home.
She said that the settlement
was never called Patonia, that it was just a post office at Coleta.
Pine Grove--a farming community, established by 1860, named for the beautiful pine grove there.
Plum Creek--south of the Boldsprings community in 1870's and 1880's.
Pine Ridge--established in 1847 by a large family named Hickman.
Other families settled there
on the long ridge covered
with pines. Bering Lumber Company had a "front" there in the
early 1900's.
Rock Island--a small sawmill town in 1890's-1900-1910, changed
to farming when the sawmill
ceased operations.
Segno--an oil field and farming area, named by Henry Knight because the name was short.
Schwab City--first a farming community, was named for Dick Schwab,
who discovered oil there
in 1930. Had been called
Ten Mile Board, Crossroads, Munsonville, and Roosevelt.
Seven Oaks--site of a small sawmill, named for the seven middle-sized
oak trees that grew almost
in a line, where one of
the mill owners built his home. The post office was applied for in 1886.
The mill moved but the post
office was kept until 1925.
Skinnertown--settled by 1870's by some families of Skinners from Alabama.
Soda--settled by farmers before 1860. A sawmill was built there
about 1897. In 1898, an
application was made for
a post office and names were submitted. The Post Office Dept.
chose letters from those
submitted names and formed Soda.
Smithfield--established by 1834 on the Trinity River. Later,
it was moved a mile up the river,
became a port, and by 1841
had a post office named Smithfield. In 1848, the post office
was re-established as Smithfield.
The story is that Smith farmed for an influential citizen,
and the tract he cultivated
was called "Smith's field". The name was changed to Ace in 1915
when Asa Emanuel became
postmaster.
Stryker--a large sawmill town, established in 1884 by Henry Stryker
and his cousin, D.M. Angle,
natives of Pennsylvania.
Swarthwout (Swartout)--a Trinity River port and ferry, was laid
out for a town in 1838 by
James Morgan, Arthur Garner
and Thomas Bradley. It was named for Samuel Swarthwout,
New York financier, a friend
of James Morgan. A post office by 1843, re-established
May 1846, continued until
1872 when railroads took the trade from steamboats.
Tin Top--a small but populous community a mile and a half
from Onalaska grew from the
economic influence of Onalaska.
When a school and a church were erected with tin roofs,
it had the name Tin Top
by 1910. Farmers had settled on nearby Kickapoo creek in the
1850's and 1870's.
Union Springs--settled by several families by 1860 where two
springs were only a few feet apart:
Union of the springs.
A church and cemetery were established, and the cemetery is one of the
largest in Polk County.
This place is one mile north of Corrigan.
Valda--named for a member of the Hackney family who built a sawmill
there about 1885. Post
office 1890-1906.
Vreeland--a railroad flag station on railroad from Carlisle to
Livingston 1904-1907,
had very few families.
Wakefield--a small sawmill town in early 1900's. (See Easom).
Wheeler--a small community in early 1900's.
West Tempe--settled by farmers by 1875, named for West Tempe
Creek,
which was named for Indians.
Walnut Springs--laid out for a town in 1902, amid springs and
walnut trees,
but it was only a "bubble"
that soon burst.
Yellow Branch--boasted a few families and a school house in the
1890's. It was located on a
short creek called Yellow
Branch.