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| "Melons
grown by Hulen Wilcox" c. 1950. Mr. Wilcox (who appears somewhat reluctant
to add one last melon) and two unidentified helpers. Photo courtesy Arcadia Publ.
& Cherokee Co Hist Commission |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Named
for Thomas Jefferson Rusk who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, Rusk
also was the birthplace for James
Stephen Hogg and Thomas
Campbell who were the first two Governors of Texas to be born in the state.
A timeline of significant
events in Rusk:
1846: Rusk becomes county seat
1847: Post office granted, courthouse and
jail built
1850: Population 355 residents
1851: Stephens and Carter Academy
was opened - to later become the Rusk Male and Female Academy
1870s: When
bypassed by the International-Great Northern Railroad, Rusk built its own railroad
to Jacksonville - a railroad with wooden
rails.
1880s: Population more than triples to nearly 2,000
1877: Work
begins on State Penitentiary which later becomes the Rusk State Hospital
1893:
Rail line constructed linking prison with (what is now) Maydelle
1903: Gov. Thomas M. Campbell helps pass a bill extending the Texas
State Railroad from Rusk to Palestine.
1927: Courthouse square paved
1929: Population reaches 2,750
1936: Population
reaches 3,859
1952: Population reaches its zenith at 6,617
Cherokee County Courthouse >
Rusk
Postcard Images > |
 |
Workmen
at the state prison foundry at Rusk
Courtesy Arcadia Publishing & Cherokee
Co Hist Commission |
Rusk,
Texas Landmarks/Attractions
Cherokee
County CourthouseThe
Heritage Center of Cherokee County
- a block off Rusk’s courthouse squareThe
Bonner Bank Building c. 1865 - first bank in Cherokee County
The
Cherokee Theater - Restored movie house now house local theater - downtown
Old Rusk Penitentiary
Building: c. 1878 - U.S. 69 and Avenue "A"
Natural / Outdoors:
Fairchild State
Forest - 13 miles west of Rusk on Highway 84
Jim
Hogg Historic Site - 2 miles NE of Rusk on Highway 84
Footbridge
Garden Park: the
546 foot bridge is two blocks east of the square |
Rusk
Tourist Information
Rusk
Chamber of Commerce: 1-800-933-2381
Website:www.rusktx.com |
People
(From "All Things Historical"
Column)
Governor
James Stephen Hogg by Archie P. McDonald Governor
Thomas Mitchell Campbell by Archie P. McDonald Legacy
of an Oldtimer by Bob Bowman
"Alvin Burchfield of Rusk is
the kind of oldtimer every historian dreams of interviewing. At 92, he remembers
more facts and dates than you'll find in most county history books."Jim
Swink Comes Home by Bob Bowman
Jim Swink, the lanky halfback who
thrilled high school and Texas Christian University football fans in the 1950s,
has returned home to his roots...
Rusk
Chronicles
The
wooden-tracked railroad
by Bob Bowman
The Rusk Tramway
It wasn’t the longest railroad in
East Texas. And it certainly wasn’t the most profitable. But it taught its builders,
the good people of Rusk, how not to run a railroad...Prison
House
"In the late 1800's and 1900's my house served as a prison house..." |
Confederate
Veterans on the lawn of the Third
County Courthouse.
Courtesy Arcadia Publishing & Cherokee
Co Hist Commission |
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Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, and vintage/historic
photos of their town, please contact
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