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| "The
W.P.A. Trinity County jail was built on the courthouse square in Groveton
in 1938 and is still in use today." - Terry
Jeanson, February 2006 photo |
History in a Pecan Shell
The Trinity County and Sabine Pass Land and Railway Company is credited
with Groveton’s birth in 1881. The company built a mill and platted
a townsite named Grovetown after a stand of trees. Residents
preferred the name without the w and the current spelling came into
being.
The first building in town was reportedly a saloon. In 1882 Groveton
became the county seat after the courthouse at Pennington burned.
A new brick courthouse
was built in Groveton in 1884. The town and mill grew – but existed
as two separate towns – each with their own mayor.
Around 1900 when lumber mills were closing – Groveton inherited displaced
workers and the elements of sawmill society that weren’t so law-abiding.
Saloons were ordered closed by law. By the late 20s, Groveton was
still open at full throttle, but at midnight December 31, 1930 the
mill was dismantled, and rail lines abandoned. Population dropped
by 75%.
The Great Depression hit Groveton hard. With the closing of the mill
and the abandonment of the railroad, the future looked bleak. CCC
and WPA projects included the construction of needed buildings as
well as reforestation projects – the fruit of which is still evident
today.
The population hit bottom in 1952 with less than 800 people.
Trinity
County Courthouse |
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Early
Trintity County motorists lined up for a photo. 1884 Courthouse in
background.
Photo courtesy THC |
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Groveton Chronicles
Pistol-packing
Preacher by Bob Bowman ("All Things Historical")
On his first morning in Groveton Lee presided at the funeral of a
young church member who had been murdered. He soon named criminals
from his pulpit and where they gathered... |
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