Red River County
Postoffices, Postmasters, and Communities

This information was taken from a publication done by Congressman Wright Patman. The material was taken from records in the National Archives. Permission was given to reprint, as long as credit is given to the original author.

RED RIVER COUNTY
(Pop.16,339)

In northeast Texas bordering Oklahoma; named for the Red River, which is its northern boundary; an original county, established in 1837; County Seat-Clarksville.

ACWORTH
(Pop. 32)

In northern Red River County seven miles northeast of Negley. Named by J. H. Cox, early settler, for his former home of Acworth, Georgia

ADDIELOU
(Pop. 50)

In northwestern Red River County four miles southwest of Manchester. A village about 1910, its post office was located in Sam N. Patterson's general store.

AIKEN GROVE
(Pop. 40)

ALBION

ALBSON

ANNONA
(Pop 378)

In southeast Red River County eight miles east of Clarksville. Named by George W. Walker, postmaster, for a beautiful Indian girl. Settled in early 1840s.

Office established under the name of Savannah

ANNONA-

AVERY
(Pop. 366)-

In east central Red River County ten miles east of Annona. Named for Ed Avery, railway agent in 1902, with the survey of the Texas and Pacific Railroad through the William Collum grant, it became a village in the early 1870s.

BAGWELL
Pop. 195-

In west central Red River County seven miles northwest of Clarksville.  Names for Miles Bagwell, early settler.  Established in early 1870s with the survey of the Texas and Pacific Railroad.  Daniel Sweeney, railway agent and postmaster in 1875, moved the post office two and a half miles south and gave it the new name of Bagwell.

BATESVILLE-

On a mail route from Clarksville
Note from Cynthia: Actually located 5 miles west of Clarksville at what is now the intersection of Hwy 82 and FM Rd 2573. Named for Tim Bates, who ran a store.

BENNETT-

Name Changed. See Detroit for details

BIRMINGHAM-

Five miles south of Bagwell

BLAKENEY
(Pop. 35)-

In Northern Red River County seven miles northeast of Manchester and about a mile south of Red River. Settled in early 1850's, it developed as a village around a store operated by M. C. Albudy in 1890.

BOGATA
Pop. 35-

In southwestern Red River County eight miles southeast of Deport, Lamar County. An older community, once known as Maple Springs and then Rosalie is located nearby. It is believed to be the earliest anglo-american settlement in north Texas. Increased settlement in the area caused the establishment of a new post office by James E. Horner a short distance north of present Bogata. With the building of the Paris and Mount Pleasant Railroad between 1909 and 1913, the Bogata settlement was shifted to the area adjacent to the railroad.

BOWDEN-

Five miles northeast of Detroit

BOXELDER
(Pop 75)-

In southeastern Red River County eight and one-half miles south of Annona.  Named for the large quantity of trees found along the bottoms of Shawnee and Crooked Branch Creeks.  A scattered community of planters settled here between 1840 and 1850

BRYARLY
(Pop 32)-

In northeastern Red River County, seventeen miles northeast of Clarksville. Named for R. T. Bryarly, settler in area prior to 1840. As early as 1854 it was a landing point for steamboats on the Red River and the settlement was called Mound City. Renamed Bryarly when a post office was obtained in 1892.

CALVIN

On a mail route from Clarksville

CATON

Five miles southwest of Bagwell

CATONVILLE

Five miles southwest of Bagwell

CERIES

Three miles east of Albion

CHERRY

Five Miles Northwest of Clarksville

CHOCTAW

Five Miles southwest of Kiomatia

CLAIR

Five Miles northwest of Acworth
Office established under name of Hokah

CLARKSVILLE
(Pop 3,550)

Five Miles west of Annona. Named for James Clark, settler in 1833, who laid out the townsite. County seat in 1835. It was chartered by the Republic of Texas in 1837.

CUTHAND
(Pop 32)-

In southern Red River County eleven miles southwest of Clarksville. The Creek's name originated when a Kickapoo Indian cut his hand severely while working in the creek bottom. Settled by planters about 1850, it was then known as Enterprize.

DAVENPORT-

Seven miles east of Kiomatia in a bend of the Red River. The community developed around James E. Johnston's general store established in 1885.

DETROIT
(Pop 425)

In western Red River County seven miles west of Bagwell. Named by James M. Stephens (railroad agent) for his former home in Detroit, Michigan. Settled about 1850 when it was known as Starksville. It was later known as Bennett.
Office established uinder name of Starkesville, Lamar County.

DIMPLE
Pop 25

In north central Red River County six miles north of Clarksville.
Office established under the name of CRAVENS.

ELKHORN-

Nine miles east of Clarksville.

ENGLISH
Pop 92

In northeastern Red River County, four and one-half miles northeast of Annona. Named for Oliver English, settler in 1840, and his uncle Simeon English, who brought three families and thirty slaves to area in 1852 to establish plantations in the area

ENTERPRIZE

FLINTHAM'S TAN YARD

Name changed. See Kiomatia for details

FOUR-

Five miles north of Bogata.

FULBRIGHT
(Pop. 250)

GERTIE-

HALESBORO-

In southwestern Red River County, six miles west of Bogata. Settled shortly before the civil war by planters.
Office established under the name of Halesborough.

HARRIS FERRY-

Name changed. See "RIVER VIEW" for details.

HARTSBLUFF-

In southern Red River County seven miles southeast of Cuthand Creek on the Sulphur River. Named for the Hart family, formerly of Kentucky, who came to the area prior to 1850.

HORTONVILLE-

Fifteen miles west of Cuthand

HUDSON-

IMA-

Five Miles east of Boxelder

IRA-

Ten miles northwest of Clarksville

ISAAC-

Named for first postmaster, Isaac Bradford. Name changed.
See "AVERY" for details

JOHNTOWN
(Pop. 175)

JONESBOROUGH-

Named for Henry Jones, hunter in the area as early as 1815. Adam Lawrence and William Hensley settled here in winter of 1815. One of the first anglo-american settlements in Texas. Later the site of Davenport. The two towns are not historically linked.

KANAWHA
(Pop 149)
In northwestern Red River County five miles southwest of Kiomitia in a bend of the Red River. Named for the Kanawha River in West Virginia by Dr. Charles P. Brown, first postmaster. Settled in 1850s.

KIOMATIA
(Pop 61)
In northwestern Red River County five miles northeast of Kiomitia in a bend of the Red River. Named for the Kiomatia River, an Indian word for clear water.

LA GRANGE-

Settled in early 1830's by James L. Latimer, Albert Latimer and Robert Hamilton. Unsuccessful in its bid for county seat in 1835, it died as a town. Name changed. See "MADRAS" for details.

LEILA-

LELIA-

LYDIA
(Pop 58)
In southeast Red River County eight miles southeast of Boxelder, named for Lydia Pritchett, daughter of David B. Pritchett, owner of general store in 1855 and postmaster. Settled about 1870.

McCOY-

Named for the Jasper McCoy family, plantation settlers prior to the Civil War.

McCULLOUGH

Ten miles northwest of Watson

MADRAS

In central Red River County five miles east of Clarksville. Once known as LaGrange, in the early 1870's the site was renamed MADRAS by Thomas J. Dozier who established a general store and secured a post office in 1887.

MANCHESTER
(Pop 125)
Eight miles east-northeast of Woodland. In an area settled in 1844 it was first named Taylor.In 1880 it was renamed Manchester for Manchester, Illinois (former home of many settlers)by Joseph E. Syrgley, postmaster
Office established under the name of Taylor.

MAPLE SPRINGS-

Thought to be the oldest Anglo-American settlement in north Texas. It was believed settled first by William Humphries, who settled near some springs on Mustang Creek and called the place Maple Springs. Name changed. See Rosalie and Bogata for details.

MENA-

Five miles northwest of Boxelder

MILL CREEK-

Sixteen miles east of Clarksville
Office established in Bowie County

MILTON-

Name changed; see Kiomatia for details

MOLLIE-

Five Miles Southwest of Lydia

MONTEREY-

MOSELY-

Four miles northwest of Fulbright

MULBERRY-

Five miles east of Negley; developed as a village about 1890

NEGLEY-

In central northern Red River County eleven miles north of Clarksville

OPAH

Ten miles southwest of McCullouch

OTIS-

Ten miles northeast of Clarksville

PECAN POINT-

In northeastern Red River County. Began as a Caddoan Indian settlement called Natchitoch. A well known landmark, it was a trading post and camp site on the route to the upper river in the early days.

First American residents in the summer of 1811 were fugitives from justice. In 1815, George and Alex Wetmore, U.S. Army sutlers during War of 1812, established a trading house near the ancient buffalo river crossing. A rival trading house was established a few months later by William Mabbit. In 1816 permanent Anglo-American settlement began. The term Pecan Point was used in early settlement days to indicate either bank of the river; however, when Miller County, Arkansas broke up in 1828, the term became applicable only to the Texas settlement

Pecan Point plantation established in 1835 by Robert Hamilton, was on land originally acquired by Jacob Black in 1825. The plantation has been destroyed by the shifting river course. Slight ground undulations now mark the site of ancient Caddoan mounds in the area.

PETERS PRAIRIE
(Pop 40)
In central Red River County north of Clarksville. It is believed named for Stephen Peters who sent his plantation negroes intomthe area for timber and game.

PETERSBURG-

Named for Stephen Peters, plantation owner prior to 1860.

PINE BLUFFS-

PINE CREEK-

REAR-

RIVER VIEW-

In northeast corner of the county nine miles southeast of Byarly on Red River. An early boat stop and crossing, it was called Harris Ferry for the man who operated the ferry in the late 1870's. Renamed River View in 1912.
Office established under name of Harris Ferry.

ROBBINSVILLE-

In west central Red River county two and one-half south of present Bagwell. A ghost community.

Once again I will put in my two cents worth. The post office at Robbinsville was moved north when the railroad came through and name changed to Bagwell. There was once at least one store here and about 1910 there was a school. In this location now is a roadside park on Hwy 82.

ROSALIE-

In southwestern Red River County two miles east of Bogata. Originally known as Maple Springs, it was renamed when settlement moved to new location in 1880.
Office established under name of Maple Springs

RUGBY
(Pop 24)
In western Red River County five miles northeast of Bogata. Settled prior to the Civil War, by 1870 it had a general store and cotton gin.

SAVANNAH-

Named for Savannah, Georgia by early settlers.

SCHRAEDER-

In northeastern Red River County seven miles southeast of Bryarly. Named for Albert B. Schraeder, general store owner and first postmaster.

SHAWNEE-

Six miles east of Boxelder.

SHERRY-

In central Red River County six miles southwest of Clarksville. Developed around a cotton gin established in the late 1890s.

SILVER CITY-

Located between Pine Creek and Red River on a mail route from Negley.

SPENCER-

STANLEY-

In south central Red River County five miles south of Clarksville. Named for Fernifore Stanley of Tennessee, who came to Texas in March, 1842 and established a Plantation called Stanley's Prairie

STARKSVILLE-

Probably named for George A. N. Starkes, settler about 1860. Name changed.
See Detroit for Details

STEPHENSBOROUGH-

Nine miles north of Bagwell.

SWANSTOWN-

Four miles north of Annona

TAYLOR-

Name changed; see Manchester for details

TOMAHA-

Eight miles south of Kiomatia.

TOWSEN -

Four Miles east of Kiomatia.

VANDALIA
(Pop 25)
In central Red River County six miles east-northeast of Clarksville. Named by Sam H. Reed, first postmaster.

VANDALIA-

In northern Red River County eleven miles northeast of Clarksville. Settled about 1850 by members of the Garrett Igo family of Kentucky.

WALKER'S STATION-

Named for postmaster, George W. Walker. Name changed. See Annona for details.

WALNUT GROVE-

Eight miles east of Stephensborough.

WATSON

Twenty one miles northeast of Clarksville.

WHITE ROCK
(Pop 40)

Settled by John Stiles as early as 1823 at a spot marked by a White Rock

WOODLAND
(Pop 60)

Ten miles north of Detroit. Named for location in a wooded area after 1857 around a store established by Edward Stuart.