CROCKETT, TEXAS

Houston County Seat, East Texas

31°19'1"N 95°27'30"W (31.317010, -95.458397)
Highways 287, 7, 19, and 21
54 miles SW of Nacogdoches
35 miles S of Palestine
35 miles E of Centerville
48 miles N of Huntsville
43 miles W of Lufkin
Population: 6,544 Est. (2016)
6,950 (2010) 7,141(2000) 7,024 (1990)

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Post Office building in Crockette
TE Photo, 2002
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History in a Pecan Shell

The town was named after Davy Crockett who reportedly had camped nearby on his way to the Alamo. The site was very near the Old San Antonio Road. A family of Tennesseans donated the land for the town and named it after Crockett, who they had known back in Tennessee.

The town was incorporated in 1837, and a post office was granted the following year. Crockett was connected to Nacogdoches by stage service.

In 1839 raids by the Alabama-Coushatta and Cherokee Indians forced the town's residents to take shelter in the fortified log courthouse.

Crockett was a training center for Confederate conscripts during the Civil War.

The railroad came through in 1872 enabling Crockett to exploit the county's timber resources.

By 1885 the town was thriving with a population of 1,200 and the following year a school was opened for black girls. It evolved into Mary Allen Junior College, which operated into the 1970s.

In 1904 lignite mining started and it peaked about 1910. The stands of timber were seriously depleted by the 1920s.

The population was over 3,000 in the mid 20's and by 1936 it was nearly 4,500.

Crockett population increased while most of East Texas declined after WWII. It reached 5,000 by the 1960 census.

Crockett Landmarks / Chronicles

Photo courtesy TXDoT

Houston County Courthouse

Photo courtesy George Lester, October, 2005

Mary Allen College

Photo courtesy Clayton Starr, 2008

David Crockett Memorial Park

Crockett, Houston County, Texas - Glenwood Cemetery

Glenwood Cemetery
Houston County's oldest cemetery
Photo by Dana Goolsby, October 2010

Ghost Indians and
Spirits of Confederate Soldiers
Wandering Houston County

Photo courtesy Dana Goolsby, October 2010

Mission Tejas State Park by Dana Goolsby
21 miles NE of Crockett
Mission Tejas State Park fully encompasses both the rich history of East Texas and the natural wonder and beauty of the Pineywoods.

Restoring Davy’s Spring by Bob Bowman ("All Things Historical" Column)
An East Texas landmark remembered by motorists from the last century has been given a long-deserved facelift at Crockett...

Bringing back cowboy music by Bob Bowman ("Bob Bowman's east Texas")
Musicians today seldom play the music older folks remember best. But, thankfully, ... at the Camp Street Cafe and Store in Crockett, brothers Guy and Pipp Gillette perform traditional cowboy songs in a downtown building once owned by their grandfather...

Crockett's Cafe and Music Hall by Bob Bowman ("All Things Historical" Column)

A Statue for Lightnin' (Lightnin' Hopkins) by Bob Bowman ("All Things Historical" Column)

Statue of Myrtis Dightman by Bob Bowman
Myrtis Dightman has finally received the attention he should have had decades ago. Born in Crockett in 1935, Dightman was a legendary bull rider who set all types of records for riding raging bulls in rodeo arenas across the United States.

Crockett News by Mike Cox ("Texas Tales" Column)

Ghost Indians and Spirits of Confederate Soldiers Wandering Houston County by Dana Goolsby

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Crockett Hotels

Crockett's Ritz Theatre.
TE Photo, 2002
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Arnold Cotton Co. neon sign, Crockett Texas

An old neon sign in Crockett.
TE Photo, 2002
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Coca Cola Billboard in Crockett
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, April 2006

Take a road trip

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