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FINCASTLE,
TEXAS
Henderson County,
East Texas
FM 315
6 miles N of Poyner
17 miles SE of Athens
Population: Unknown
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A closed
church in Fincastle
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, January 2006 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
The
town was settled in the late 1840s and a post office opened in 1855.
The postmaster (named McRae) submitted the application under the name
Fincastle - after the city in Scotland. The town was platted some
seven years later.
The first school was opened by the Tindels, a couple who had had the
town platted. This simple log structure was followed by a larger building
that served as a church and school. This building became a Union church
with different denominations using the building on alternate Sundays
and remained as a school until the Great Depression. It is still in
use as a community center and for annual events. |
The
damaged Fincastle Cemetery and Church Marker
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, January 2006 |
Fincastle
played a small role in the Civil War. It was home to the first Confederate
company raised in Henderson County and a quartermaster depot was built
there. Fincastle had been the most prosperous town in Henderson County
at that time.
Fincastle's population was right around 100 people in 1884. Two years
later it had increased to 150 and the town had a sawmill added to
its businesses. When Fincastle was bypassed by the Texas and New Orleans
Railroad around 1900-1901, and merchants and residents alike moved
to nearby Poyner or Athens. The post office closed in 1907.
At the time of the Great Depression, Fincastle had a school, church
and store. Toward the end of the Great Depression, the population
remained at 100 but declined to a mere 40 from 1949 through 1969.
After 1969, population figures were not available. Fincastle Lake
and Fincastle Nursery and Farms perpetuate the town's name. It remains
a community, although there are no current population statistics available. |
Fincastle
Texas Forum
Subject:
Fincastle and Tindels
Dear TE, The Tindels, my anscestors organized and platted Fincastle,
Texas. Their history is one of sadness as a result of the Civil
War. They were forced off their land at the end of the war and went
to Missouri. The Jayhawkers then ran them out of Missouri and they
returned to Henderson County. By then they were landless sharecroppers.
I understand the Tindels once owned the Otis home and some are now
buried in Pioneer Cemetary in Henderson County. My mother, Leasy
Jo, was a Tindel and the greatest mom in the world. My cousin has
done a fantastic amount of work on our ancestory and I am just getting
started. Any information concerning distant relatives or historical
facts would be sincerely appreciated. - Walt Chapman, May 31,
2007
Subject:
Fincastle
Last Fall, while touring Scotland, we drove through Fincastle. What
a beautiful area. My grandfather, John Robert Parmer was born in
Fincastle, Texas. His grandmother was a Tindel, who was very active
in the community and donated land for a church and cemetery, according
to legend. I hope to find and visit the Texas Fincastle when we
drive to Henderson County. Family records show that Mary Jane Tindell
died in Henderson County, Texas in 1880. Her husband was Zachariah
Wesley Parmer who died in 1870 and is also buried in Henderson County.
I can only assume near Fincastle. They both came to Texas from Alabama
in about 1851. My grandfather, John Robert Parmer was born in 1883.
At some point around 1900 the family moved to Desdemona, Texas.
My grandfather changed the spelling of our surname prior to 1920
(I think). - Robert Palmer, Houston,Texas, March 03, 2007
Anyone
wishing to share history or photos of Fincastle, Texas, please contact
us.
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