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TENNESSEE
COLONY, TEXASAnderson County,
East Texas
FM 321
14 miles NW of Palestine
Population:
583 (2000)
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A
church in Tennessee Colony
Photo courtesy Erik Whetstone, October 2005 |
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History in
a Pecan Shell
A large group of settlers from Tennessee and Alabama settled here
in the late 1840s and judging by the name, there were more Tennesseans
than Alabamans. The land was soon turned into cotton production and
the Jackson Plantation became one of the largest in all of East Texas.
In 1851 a log school opened, and the following year a post office
was granted. Tennessee Colony gained an infamous footnote in Texas
history when in 1860 two white instigators from Mississippi were accused
of plotting a slave uprising. The alleged plan was for slaves to poison
the town's drinking water. Both men were captured, tried and hanged.
When Palestine was connected by rail in 1872 Tennessee Colony was
self-sufficient with a population around 200. |
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Tennessee
Colony Community Center/School
Photo courtesy Erik Whetstone, October 2005 |
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Palestine,
with it's rail connection drew off Tennessee Colony's population
and by 1914 the population was reduced by half. By the late 1920s
the population rose to 300 - but declined with the onset of the
Great Depression. By the time WWII was underway, the town was again
reduced by half.
In 1965 the town experienced a growth spurt to 400 people when the
Texas Department of Corrections built a medium-security prison just
southwest of town. The Coffield Unit which was built to hold 2,000
prisoners was joined by a second facility (the Beto Unit) in 1984.
The town's population remained around 120 from the 1970s through
the early 1990s. Two historical markers are currently present in
Tennessee Colony - one for the town itself and one for the cemetery.
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The uneven merry-go-round at the school play ground
Photo courtesy Erik Whetstone, October 2005 |
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