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ALTO,
TEXASAKA
Branchtown
Cherokee
County, East Texas
Hwys 69, 21 and 294, and FMs 752 and 1911
12 miles S of Rusk
31 miles N of Lufkin
25 miles
W of Nacogdoches
34 miles NE of Crockett
Population 1,190 (2000)
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| | John
H. Singletary cruising timber for the
Blount-Decker Lumber Company of Alto
c. 1908 | Photo
Courtesy Arcadia Publishing and
The Cherokee County Historical Commission
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History
in a Pecan Shell
Robert
F. Mitchell is credited with being Alto's founder sometime around 1849. The following
year a post office was granted under the name of Branchtown and in 1851
Mitchell opened a store. The land was reportedly the highest point between the
Angelina and Neches
rivers, and so the name was changed to Alto - the Spanish word for "high" in 1852.
Alto benefitted greatly from its position on the Old
San Antonio Road, and grew accordingly, with all the essential businesses
needed for a town to prosper.
The Kansas and Gulf Short Line Railroad arrived
in the mid 1880s and towns within the Alto trading area had their populations
move into town. In 1893 the town got its own newspaper (the News) and two years
later the population was up to 600 Altoans. Alto incorporated in 1909. |
| Alto recorded
its peak population just prior to the Great Depression with 1,600 people but as
things worsened the population dropped to just over 1,000 by 1936. In the mid-1960s
the population was almost back to the 1929 level, but it declined to 1,252 in
1990 and is presently (2004) at 1,190. |
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| Williams
Chapel AME in Alto
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson August 2004 |
| "M.E.
Church" in Alto
Postcard courtesy rootsweb.com/
%7Etxpstcrd/
|
| "Residence
of F.B. Guinn"
Postcard courtesy rootsweb.com/
%7Etxpstcrd/
|
by Archie P. McDonald
Alto, Texas, in Cherokee County, is the retirement home of legendary
coach Steve McCarty... But we digress. This story is about Alto, a town originally
known as Branchtown located on El Camino Real, or the Old San Antonio Road, where
US Highway 69 and State Highway 21 intersect south of Rusk, north of Lufkin, west
of Nacogdoches, and east of Crockett. Once upon a time, those places might have
been described as near Alto, for it was nearly as large as any of them... more |
| Mission
Tejas State Park by Dana Goolsby
12 miles southwest of Alto on State
Highway 21
Mission Tejas State Park fully encompasses both the rich history
of East Texas and the natural wonder and beauty of the Pineywoods. |
Alto PeopleIt
was a time we must never forget by Britt Towery
Too
soon we forget the terrorism of the 1950s and 1960s. The cross-burnings, obscene
telephone calls, character assassination and political intrigue on those who believed
in and fought for human rights and dignity, and against bigotry, hate and indifference.I
was reminded of those years when I read of the passing of a man who stood for
equality for all races. Charles Wellborn...
The
Gift of Hannah by Bob Bowman
"Hannah was Hannah Collie of Alto,
a brave little girl who touched the hearts of thousands of people while her own
heart struggled to keep her alive." |
Alto
Texas ForumSubject:
M.E. Church
Hi My name is Sandy Owen and I live in Ontario Canada. My
mother's late Uncle Charles Mallory (her father's half brother) and his wife Cecelia
lived in Alto for a number of years. She died in the late 1930s and and Uncle
Charles died in 1943 and they are buried in Alto City Cemetery. They were members
of the First Methodist Episcopal Church in the town of Alto. Upon the death of
his beloved wife, he stated in his will that the Church would receive money annually
for the upkeep and care of her grave. He also had built a memorial gate at the
cemetery in her memory. I am wondering if this might be the same church and if
the church still survives. My mother is almost 87 years old and is trying to find
as much info as she can regarding her favourite uncle. Any information you could
provide would be very much appreciated so that I could pass it on to my mom. Thank
you for any information you might have. Sincerely Mrs. Sandy Owen, December
29, 2005
Alto,
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