Easton, city in Gregg County (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

Easton, Texas is connected to the ghost town of Camden (AKA Walling�s Ferry), which sits just below the bluffs of the Sabine River. Camden had already been abandoned by the time the railroad (The Texas, Sabine Valley and Northwestern) built through in the mid 1880s.

A large sawmill was said to have been in operation at the end of that decade. By 1890, with a population estimated to be around 75, Easton had several businesses, including a general store and a plant that made roofing shingles.

A decline set in and while the White residents of Easton sought work in nearby Longview or Kilgore, the Black population remained, forming a core population of around 50.

An oil boom revived the town in the 1940s, and the post office reopened in 1949. The new, improved and incorporated town has �spilled over� into neighboring Rusk County.

Photo courtesy Maryanne Gobble, December 2010

Photographer's Note:

Subject: Camden Cemetery near Easton
"About 10 miles South of Longview, take FM 2906 to Easton. Near Easton lies what remains of Camden, formerly known as Walling's Ferry. The directions I found to the cemetery are "1/4 mile south of the bluff" I had no idea what that meant and randomly stumbled upon it while looking for a field to take Christmas photos in!

On the river side of the train tracks in Easton, I took an unmarked road towards the river that lead to an empty field with the cemetery to the right on a small hill near the treeline. There is a small gated section of the cemetery, then a few grave sites nearby that are falling apart." - Maryanne Gobble, December 2010

Rusk County 1940s map showing Easton near Gregg County line
From Texas state map #4335
Courtesy Texas General Land Office

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