Oakland, Texas, Houston county ghost town. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

The site was originally settled in the 1830s but it was decades before a school or church were built (allegedly sheltered by large oaks from which the community was named.)

The community seems to have peaked around 1900 and although it had several stores and other businesses, it was perhaps too close to the county seat to develop on its own. The community was dropped from maps and was all but gone before the arrival of the Great Depression.

Photographer's Note:
This Oakland marker is located on SH 7 seven miles west of Crockett, just west of the Dickson Hopewell Road turnoff.

Historical Marker:

OAKLAND

Named for the oak trees in the vicinity, Oakland was a rural settlement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A townsite was never platted, and the community was composed of scattered homes between the Trinity River and Crockett. A church, cotton gin, and school were in operation for a brief time. Among the early settlers of the area were Wilson E. Hail, who later served as Houston County Sheriff, and Z.S. Thompson. The settlement began to decline by the 1930s. Some descendants of early settlers remain in the area.
(1988)

Oakland Historical Marker
(Sponsor: Florence Shroyer 1906-1985)
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, July 2011

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