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AUGUSTA, TEXAS

Texas Ghost Town
Houston County, East Texas

31° 31' 54" N, 95° 19' 51" W 31.531667, -95.330833
FM 227
About 16 Miles NE of Crockett the county seat
Population: 20 (2000)

Augusta Area Hotels › Crockett Hotels
Augusta Texas Road Sign
Augusta City Limit
Photo by Dana Goolsby, February 2011

History in a Pecan Shell

Augusta Smith, daughter of an early settler is the supposed namesake. The site dates from 1821 when Daniel McLean built his home here.

Prior to the Civil War, Augusta was a center of trade for Houston County plantations. A Male and Female Academy was established just prior to the Civil War and the community was granted a post office in 1882.

By the mid 1880s, Augusta had a population of 200 residents as well as three stores, cotton gins, and a school and (Union) church. Although its post office was closed, and businesses shrank to only three, the town’s population peaked at 250 Augustans in 1936.

The population dropped to 120 in the 1940s and the postwar years were very rough on Augusta. By 1952 there were only 20 residents left – a figure that remained in place for decades. The 2000 census showed that same estimate and the 2010 census figures are not available as of this writing.
San Pedro Creek in  Houston County Texas
San Pedro Creek
Photo by Dana Goolsby, February 2011
The Edens-Madden Massacre of Houston County
by Dana Goolsby

Almost two centuries ago, a gruesome massacre occurred in the northeastern portion of the county, near San Pedro Creek and the Augusta community, which was established in 1821. The massacre has lived on as local legend of a tragedy that claimed the lives of many helpless people. The blood curdling screams of women and children echoed through the piney woods on that night, October 18, 1838, accompanied by the war whoops of Indians, in what is known as the Edens-Madden Massacre... more
Augusta Cemetery, Houston county, Texas
Photo courtesy Dana Goolsby, February 2011
Augusta Cemetery
The cemetery is located down a red dirt road, CR 1680, just 3/10 of a mile from FM 227 where four historical markers stand.
Augusta Texas historical markers
Historical markers on FM 227 in Augusta
Photo by Dana Goolsby, February 2011
Today four historical markers stand in the bend of the curb in the Augusta Community, at the site of the massacre. The bodies that were recovered from the vicious attack are buried in the Augusta Cemetery, among many other pioneers of Houston County.
Houston County TX - Augusta historical marker
"Site of Old Town of Augusta" Historical Marker
Photo courtesy Dustin Martin, April 2018
Houston County TX - The Edens - Madden Massacre Historical Marker
The Edens - Madden Massacre Historical Marker
Photo courtesy Dustin Martin, April 2018
Houston County TX -  Hayes Park
Hayes Park Historical Marker
Photo courtesy Dustin Martin, April 2018
Houston County TX - Daniel McLean & John Sheridan
Daniel McLean & John Sheridan Historical Marker
Photo courtesy Dustin Martin, April 2018
Redbuds on FM227, Houston County, Texas
Redbuds on FM 227
Photo by Dana Goolsby, February 2011

Augusta TX Houston Co 1876 Postmark
Augusta TX Houston Co post office & town info
Post card cancelled with Augusta, Texas 1876 postmark
"The postal info in your history is not accurate. Augusta had a post office for over a century - all the way from 1857 to 1963."
Courtesy The John J. Germann Collection
Texas - Houston County 1907 postal map
Houston County 1907 postal map showing Augusta
near Anderson County and Cherokee County line

Courtesy Texas General Land Office

Take a road trip

Augusta, Texas Nearby Towns:
Crockett the county seat
Grapeland

See Houston County
Anderson County
Cherokee County
East Texas

Book Hotel Here:
Crockett Hotels | More Hotels
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