Hooks, Texas, Bowie County. (original) (raw)
33�28'10"N 94�16'49"W (33.469439, -94.280385)
U.S. Hwy 82
13 Miles W of Texarkana
Part of the Texarkana metropolitan area
10 Miles E of Boston the county seat
ZIP code 75561
Area code 903
Population: 2,712 Est. (2019)
2,769 (2010) 2,973 (2000) 2,684 (1990)
Hooks, Texas Area Hotels › Texarkana Hotels
History in a Pecan Shell
The town dates from the 1830s when it slowly appeared around Warren Hooks's plantation. The railroad arrived in 1876 and in 1884 the community was granted a post office.
By 1890 the town had a population of 250 which grew to 400 by 1914. It suffered a decline in the early to mid 1920s when it dropped to a mere 100. It grew again to 350 by 1929, only to return to 100 by the mid 1930s.
The Red River Army Depot and the Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant caused an immediate growth spurt during WWII. The two facilities have now employed generations of Northeast Texans, including the residents of several nearby communities.
Historical Marker: US 82 west edge of Hooks
HOOKS
Established about 1848 as a supply center for 5,000-acre plantation of Warren Hooks; 1841-1860 post office for area was Myrtle Springs, home of Hooks' son, Col. Robert W. Hooks, 11th Texas Cavalry, Confederate Army.
Post office placed here 1884 was named for Warren Hooks.
Farming continued until 1942, when Hooks "boomed" suddenly. Population soared from 400 to 3,000 with opening of Lone Star and Red River Ordnance plants.
Economy is diversified, with cotton and soybean production.
A religious town, Hooks has sixteen churches.
(1969)
Red River Army Depot Main Entrance
Photo courtesy Gerald Massey, 2010
1920s Bowie County map showing Hooks
(Above "I" in "B-O-W-I-E")
From Texas state map #10749
Courtesy Texas General Land Office
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