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JACKSONVILLE,
TEXAS
Cherokee
County, East Texas
31° 57' 49" N, 95° 16' 7" W (31.963611, -95.268611)
Junction of U.S. Hwy 69 and U.S. Hwy 79
14 miles NW of Rusk the county seat
27 miles S of Tyler
25 miles NE of Palestine
42 miles SE of Athens
ZIP code 75766
Area codes 430, 903
Population: 13,997 (2020)
14,544 (2010) 13,868 (2000) 12,765 (1990)
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"The
Tomato Bowl"
"Home of the Jacksonville Fight'n Indians"
Photo by John Troesser, 2002 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
Jacksonville began
as Gum Creek - the watercourse it overlooked. The first school
opened in 1846 and post office was granted under the name Gum Creek
in 1848.
With an early settler (blacksmith and postmaster) named Jackson Smith
and Dr. William Jackson opening his practice nearby shortly thereafter
- it was written that the town would be called Jacksonville. Smith
had a townsite and square platted by 1850 and Dr. Jackson was one
of the first to build inside the "city limits."
The post office name changed it's name that same year and two years
later the International-Great Northern Railroad built through Cherokee
County. They bypassed the town - but it was close enough to compromise.
In late 1872 most of town was relocated two miles east to be alongside
the tracks. |
The Baptists
and the Methodists built their churches around 1849 and the Masons
opened a lodge in the early 1850s. The first newspaper published in
Jacksonville was the Texan Intelligencer. Other papers that
followed included the Cherokee Argonaut and Daily Progress.
In 1881 a public school took over the existing private "Collegiate
Institute" and Jacksonville had a full public school system by 1892.
Jacksonville College opened in 1899. Much later (1957) a Baptist theological
seminary opened its doors. [See Colleges
in Jacksonville]
Agriculture has always figured in Jacksonville's history. From the
1880s until 1914 it was a center for peach production and after that
tomatoes were the major crop Jacksonville became known as the "tomato
capital of the world" and home of "The Tomato Bowl" - the local
stadium.
In 1904 Jacksonville's population was reported as 1,568. By the 1930s
the figure had reached 6,000, and by the late 1950s, some 10,000.
During the 1980s it reached 12,000, and in the early 1990s the town
reported 13,020 residents and 551 businesses. |
Jacksonville,
Texas
Landmarks & Attractions
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Love's
Look Out
"Perched atop a scenic forested ridge beside U.S. Highway 69
north of Jacksonville, Love's Lookout offers perhaps the grandest
view in East Texas. Visitors
can scan a horizon that stretches into several counties. Some are
convinced that, on a clear day, they can see Louisiana... more
"- (Bob Bowman's "All Things Historical" column.)
Not exactly a traditional "lover's leap" - nevertheless,
the altitude and visual depth of this rest area surprises most people
motoring through this part of East
Texas. |
The view from
Love's Look
Out
Photo courtesy C. DeWaun Simmons, October 2006 |
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Lover's Leap Lookout
Tower in Jacksonville
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson |
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"Love's Look Out" on Highway 69
Postcard courtesy rootsweb.com/
%7Etxpstcrd/ |
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Post
Office in Jacksonville
Photo courtesy Lori Martin |
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1930s
postcard of the Municipal Building in Jacksonville
Postcard courtesy rootsweb.com/
%7Etxpstcrd/ |
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Simple
but elegant brickwork downtown.
Photo by John Troesser, 2002 |
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A
former hotel in Jacksonville
Photo by John Troesser, 2002 |
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Neon Masonic
Signs Downtown
Photo by John Troesser, 2002 |
Jacksonville,
Texas Chronicles
The
Circus Fight by Bob Bowman
"What one historian has called "the most famous circus fight
in history" unfolded in 1873 as Robinson's Circus was preparing to
leave Jacksonville in East Texas..."
Pistol Packing Mamma
by Bob Bowman
One of the most popular songs in the U.S. during the mid-1940s was
“Pistol Packing Mama.” But few know that the song came from East Texas
and was written and performed by an Cherokee County musician Al Dexter,
who was born at Jacksonville in 1902...
Haunted Jacksonville
by Dana Goolsby
Jacksonville City Cemetery, Mother Templeton Statue, Killough Monument,
and Lon Morris College
Crown
Cafe- Old photos |
Killough
Massacre marker
Photo courtesy Janet Gregg, 2005 |
Jacksonville,
Texas Images
Vintage & Contemporary |
Southern
Pacific Railroad Singers. This Jacksonville-based female choir performed
in Texas towns all along the SP route in the late 1920s
Photo
courtesy Arcadia Publishing and The Cherokee County Historical Commission
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Jacksonville,
Texas Forum
I found your site
while planning a short motorcycle ride in [East Texas] for me and
my wife. Eastern Oklahoma has more mountains but ... otherwise the
bike riding roads are about the same. Thanks to your site, we have
made some nice trip plans for the area. - Mark A. Guthrie, Jacksonville,
Texas, November 24, 2006 |
| Texas
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
us. |
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