Chester, Texas, Tyler County. (original) (raw)

Pine Grove Church Of Christ east of Chester
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, September 2004

History in a Pecan Shell

In 1883 when the Trinity and Sabine Railway bypassed the community of Peach Tree Village, it accomplished two things. It created Chester and it made Peach Tree Village a ghost town.

Both the post office and Masonic lodge moved to the new town that was named after future President Chester A. Arthur (who was then a senator from New York). By 1890 Chester had all the essential businesses for success plus two gins, two churches and a school.

In 1904 there were 176 people calling Chester home which increased to 300 by 1914. It reached 350 in the early1960s and then dropped to a low of 260 by the end of that decade. The peak population was reached in 1988 when just over 400 people lived in and around Chester.

Mt. Hope United Methodist Church NE of Chester
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, April 2005

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