Athens Review Centennial Edition
September, 1950
Eustace Founded In 1899; Was Named In Honor Of Capt. Eustace Of Athens

     The town site of Eustace was surveyed in the fall of 1898 by a surveyor named Meredith on the 
Lee Moseley farm.  At that time a railroad was being built between Eustace and Mabank.
     That same fall Eustace had its first business house.  It was Moore and Russell; a small 
grocery store.  Mr. Russell withdrew from the business after a short time and returned to his 
home in Denton County.  Moore remained and was instrumental in promoting the growth and
progress of the little community.
     In January of 1900, J. W. Moore built his residence and moved his family from Prairieville, 
Texas.  At the same time, J. Z. Isler built his first cotton gin and J. L. Pickle and A. J. Cook went
into the blacksmith business.
     J. W. Moore got a post office established in the spring of 1900 and became the first postmaster,
a position which he held for eight years.  The post office and town was first called Lena, then Jolo,
and later changed to Eustace in honor of Capt. W. T. Eustace of Athens.
     The first mail was brought from Mabank by star route, J. H. Moseley being the carrier.  Eventually
the Eustace post office became the distributing point to Payne Springs, Goshen, and Big Rock.
     When the rails were laid as far as Athens and the trains began to run through, people came from
miles around to see the awesome sight.  A huge crowd--huge for that day--came to witness the
appearance of the first train.  Mothers held frantically to their children; men and boys secured 
their faithful dogs on leashes made of wire and rope, taking no chances, mindful of averting
possible disasters; teams and saddle horses were hitched securely to trees a respectable 
distance from the railroad.
     Mrs. Mina Moore Abbott was the first woman to ride the passenger train out of Eustace.  As a
consequence of this enviable experience, her name was on every tongue for many weeks
thereafter.
     J. W. Moore and others met with considerable difficulty in getting a school district located in 
Eustace; however, they succeeded by the fall of 1900 and school was held that winter.  The 
school house was a small wooden building.  It was destroyed by a storm a few years later.
     Today Eustace has one of the most modern school plants in Henderson County.
     The town's first church services were conducted in the school house.  Now there are several
separate denominations, each having its own church building.
     At the beginning of Eustace, dense woods extended several miles out of town in every
direction; but gradually this land was cleared by enterprising citizens and put into farms.
     The town now has several good business houses, one of these being a modern and fully 
stocked drug store.  In addition, they have a well equipped water works and modern electric
light system.  Natural gas is also available.
     Eustace lost her only doctor a few years ago when Dr. L. L. Cockerell moved to Athens.  
Residents of the town will tell you that Cockerell was compelled to make this move in order to 
find somebody who was sick.
Transcribed by  Nov. 2002

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