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RIVERSIDE,
TEXASWalker
County, East Texas
FM 405 (east of State Highway 19)
13 Miles NE of Huntsville
Population 425 (2000) |
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History in a Pecan
Shell
When Riverside was established in 1872 by the Houston and Great
Northern Railroad, the combination of river and railroad gave the town unlimited
potential. That same year a post office was moved from its former location at
Newport.
Cotton was the town’s first
economic engine, then lumber. As the trees thinned out, Riverside started raising
cattle. By 1880 the population was 200 and besides essential businesses, the town
also had two hotels and two general stores.
By 1990 Riverside added a
saloon and restaurant as well as three churches and two schools. But even with
a railroad and river, the town started losing population. By 1914 it had decreased
to a mere 50.
Fuller's earth* was discovered
in the area in 1920, and two plants were opened, giving the town a reprieve from
impending oblivion. The population increased in the early 1930s, to 300 and remained
at that number until the Riverside schools were merged into Huntsville’s
ISD in the 1960s. From a 1990 census figure of 451 residents, the 2000 population
had declined slightly to 425.
*a clay-like
material used to decolorize and purify oils. |
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Riverside
Bridge turned for the first time
1904 photo courtesy Trinity County Historical
Society |
Riverside
turning bridge damaged in 1925
Vintage photo courtesy Trinity County Historical
Society
See Texas Bridges
| More Vintage Photos |
Riverside
Cash Store with Mr. Homer and Mr. Jake
Photo courtesy Trinity County Historical
Society & SHSU Collection
See Texas
Stores | More Vintage Photos |
Town
of Riverside Historical Marker
TE photo | |
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