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History
in a Pinecone
The town was named for Dennis Call, but the naming
was made by Dennis' former business partner, George Adams. The two
men, along with M.T. Jones founded a sawmill here in 1895. A post
office opened in 1896. Adams became sole owner of the mill in 1897
and leased the business to a Beaumont Company.
In 1901, Timber magnate John Henry Kirby became the owner of the mill
- just before the railroad arrived, (1906) which connected the community
to Newton and Orange.
1906 was also the year the post office burned. It was immediately
replaced, but at a new location. Another fire in 1924 destroyed the
facility cutting pine timber and when it was rebuilt, it was equipped
to cut hardwood.
The Great Depression reduced the community's population by a third
when the mill closed. It briefly reopened, but closed for good in
the early 1950s.
A discovery of oil was made in 1937 but it never reached boom stage.
It stopped production in 1942.
From a population of 250 in 1936, Call fell to 170 residents in the
early 1970s. The same count has been used through 2010. |
Call, Texas
Chronicles
Chautauqua
by Bob Bowman
"...By 1880, the Chautauqua platform had established itself as
a national forum for the open discussion of public issues, international
relations, literature and science...
Similar tent Chautauquas appeared throughout East Texas, most notably
at Nacogdoches, Texarkana and Huntsville, as a part of the Redpath-Homer
circuit which started traveling around the country in 1912. Even Call,
a small sawmill town on the Jasper-Newton County line, hosted a Chautauqua..."
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Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
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