Groveton, Texas, Trinity County Seat. (original) (raw)

Trintity County motorists lined up in the square
In the background is the now demolished 1884 Courthouse
Vintage photo courtesy THC

History in a Pecan Shell

The Trinity County and Sabine Pass Land and Railway Company is credited with Groveton�s birth in 1881. The company built a mill and platted a townsite named Grovetown after a stand of trees. Residents preferred the name without the w and the current spelling came into being.

The first building in town was reportedly a saloon. In 1882 Groveton became the county seat after the courthouse at Pennington burned.

A new brick courthouse was built in Groveton in 1884. The town and mill grew � but existed as two separate towns � each with their own mayor.

Around 1900 when lumber mills were closing � Groveton inherited displaced workers and the elements of sawmill society that weren�t so law-abiding. Saloons were ordered closed by law. By the late 20s, Groveton was still open at full throttle, but at midnight December 31, 1930 the mill was dismantled, and rail lines abandoned. Population dropped by 75%.

The Great Depression hit Groveton hard. With the closing of the mill and the abandonment of the railroad, the future looked bleak. CCC and WPA projects included the construction of needed buildings as well as reforestation projects � the fruit of which is still evident today.

The population hit bottom in 1952 with less than 800 people.

"The W.P.A. Trinity County jail was built on the courthouse square in Groveton in 1938 and is still in use today."
- Terry Jeanson, February 2006 photo.
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