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HOPEWELL,
TEXASTexas
Ghost Town
The largest Magnolia tree in Texas - "you can't miss it."
Smith
County, East Texas
Highway 69
4 miles N of Tyler
and just N of Swan, Texas
Population: Unknown Book
Your Hotel Here & Save
Tyler
Hotels |
| | The
Hopewell Magnolia
on the southwest corner of the Hopewell Baptist Church cemetery.
(Scale
provided by Roland)
Photo Courtesy Collin Colston, 2004 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Hopewell began with the granting of its post office
in 1887 and it may have thrived if the International-Great Northern Railroad hadn't
bypassed it. The town lost both the railroad and the post office when nearby Swan
got both.
To add insult to injury, most of the congregation of Hopewell's
Baptist Church also moved to Swan to form the Swan Baptist Church.
In
1903 Hopewell's 132 students were taught by 3 teachers in two schools. In the
1920s the school had two-stories and a severely depleted enrollment.
In the mid 1930s Hopewell had a church, school, and two cemeteries. Nearby schools
were merged into a single ISD and that in turn was merged with the Lindale ISD
in the 60s.
Only the church, and cemeteries remain but the town is not
shown on TxDoT maps of Smith County. But Swan is. |
| | Rebecca
tests the strength of a limb.
Photo Courtesy Collin Colston, 2004 |
Hopewell
has managed to hold onto one thing that Swan didn't get - a huge Magnolia Tree
that is said to be the largest in Texas.
See also County
Line Magnolia
© John Troesser |
Hopewell Texas
ForumSubject:
Large Magnolia tree
I just found your site and am thoroughly enjoying
reading about everything Texas. I saw your story on the "County
Line Magnolia" in Liberty County that was vandalized years ago.
We have a Magnolia here just outside of Tyler that is supposedly the biggest in
Texas. It is in the Hopewell community behind Tyler Pipe Industries. Don't know
if you have heard about it or not. I'm attaching a photograph. Don't mind the
strange looking fruit growing off the tree. - Sincerely, Collin Colston, March
05, 2004
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Historic Trees | |
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