Athens Weekly Review
Feb. 6, 1913
Henderson County Fifty Six Years Ago
The following letter explains itself Editor Review:
Mr. J. D. Stokes, who has made extensive purchases of land in our
county, lent me his old Texas Almanac of 1857 and I copied the
report made of our county that\ year by Felix Parks. Thinking it
would be of interest to many of the readers of the Review, I
herewith hand you the copy and would be glad if you will publish
the same. There are many interesting matters in the Almanac which
I can copy from time to time if you think they would interest you
readers, which I will cheerfully do if Mr. Stokes will let me
keep the book for awhile.
Yours truly,
W. L. Faulk.
(We will be glad to have you do as you suggest. Judge, I'm sure
it will be interesting -- Ed.)
In this county are cultivated now (1857) about 10,000 acres in
cotton, the same in corn; 1000 acres in wheat. On an average, 20
acres are cultivated per hand. We have about 400 farms, about 600
slaves laborers, and 400 white laborers. The whole number of
white population is about 2500. There are in this county two deaf
and dumb persons, five lunatics and twenty orphans. We have about
20,000 acres of improved land, the average value being $5.00 per
acre; unimproved valued at $2.00 per acre. Some of our lands have
been cultivated ten years, without failing in productin. We have
a variety of soil some light sandy, some that is red and dark
sandy. The valley land is mulatto or chocolate color; depth of
soil from 18 inches to 2 feet. We have 5341 head of callte, 592
horses, 500 head of sheep; the average value of cattle $6.00; of
horses, $50.00; of sheep, $2.00 per head. Athens is the principal
town; it was commenced in the fall of 1850. Brownsboro is
situated in the northeast portion of the county and was commenced
in 1852. Athens is the county seat. Our only public building is a
jail. There are two good common schools in Athens; one male,
under the management of J. M. McDonald; the other a female
school, under the direction of Miss Mary Kerr. There are numerous
other common schools in the county. Trinity river bounds this
county on the west and the Neches on the east. This county is
benerally a high elavated country. It was organized about the
year 1847 and takes from Nacogdoches and was reorganized in 1850.
The first settlement was made about the the old town of Buffalo
on Trinity river. Among the first settlers was Hon. John H.
Reagan, Dr. Graham and C. R. Sanders Sr. Our markets are
Galveston, Houston and Shreveport . Transportation by wagons and
by navagatioin when Trinity river is boatable. We have springs
and wells, the water is mostly freestone, and is very wholesome
and palatable. Stock water is plenty.
Old Newspaper Articles of Henderson County
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