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Photographer's
Note:
"There is just the church here. It is at the intersection of
FMs 593 & 2796." - Barclay
Gibson, February 06, 2015
History in
a Pecan Shell
LaFayette dates
from the late 1850s. Unlike numerous towns and cities named after
the Marquis de La Fayette, this community was named to honor LaFayette
Locke, the son of an early settler (M.F. Locke).
The community was granted a post office as early as 1858. In the mid
1880s, LaFayette had a school, three churches and multiple cotton
gins and gristmills although there were only 30 residents.
The community enjoyed a (brief) mining boom (iron ore) in the early
1890s. By the middle of that decade, the population swelled to 400
residents.
Amenities acquired during the boom included a newspaper, Masonic lodge
and several saloons.
After 1900 LaFayette experienced a sharp population decline. By 1914,
the population had fallen to 250 and the community was hard-hit by
the Great Depression. The 1940 Census counted just eighty residents.
It hit bottom in 1958 with a population of 60. Although the population
has increased back to 80; the town has been officially been designated
a " dispersed rural community." |
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Upshur
County 1882 map showing La Fayette near Camp
County line
From Texas state map #2134
Courtesy Texas General Land Office |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. |
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