Forest Trail Region
Alto
For centuries, travelers followed El Camino Real de los Tejas, or the Royal Highway, which roughly follows Texas State Highway 21 through Alto. It was blazed by Spaniards in the 1690s with…
Forest Trail Region Cities and Towns
Explore Texas Cities and Towns in the Forest Trail Region
Browse Cities
Forest Trail Region
Athens
HISTORY AND HAMBURGERS Athens’ first courthouse, a small log structure built in 1850, may have been a relatively simple affair for conducting important county business which may be why trials were often…
Forest Trail Region
Atlanta
HOMETOWN HEROINE Founded in 1872, Atlanta was named for the city in Georgia, the former home of many settlers of this area. The community retains a Southern character with tree-lined streets and…
Forest Trail Region
Avinger
AVINGER, TEXAS. Avinger is on the Louisiana and Arkansas railway at the junction of State highways 49 and 155, eight miles southeast of Hughes Springs in southwestern Cass County. Hickory Hill, a…
Forest Trail Region
Beaumont
A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA The Cajuns have a word that locals think suits Beaumont well — “lagniappe,” meaning “a little something extra.” It seems the city, however, offers a whole lot more…
Forest Trail Region
Broaddus
Broaddus is a town in San Augustine County. Broaddus is at the intersection of Farm roads 1277 and 83 and State Highway 147, seventeen miles southwest of the city of San Augustine…
Forest Trail Region
Bullard
JUST ADD WATER Bullard, located in southern Smith County, distinguishes its origins with a historical marker commemorating the town well, source of reliable waters and instrumental in the community’s success throughout the…
Forest Trail Region
Carthage
TEA AND TEX Carthage, a Texas Main Street City, began life as Panola County seat with a simple, peeled pine log courthouse financed by the sale of town lots. The late 1840’s…
Forest Trail Region
Center
A COURTHOUSE FIT FOR A KING Named for its location near the center of Shelby County, Center serves as the county seat. In 1885, one of the more idiosyncratic courthouses in Texas…
Forest Trail Region
Clarksville
PORTAL TO THE PAST Clarksville was the first stop for many pioneers crossing the Red River into Texas, including the larger-than-life figures Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie and Stephen F. Austin…
Forest Trail Region
Coldspring
FROM THE ASHES Annual events like Christmas on the Square and the Wolf Creek Car, Truck & Bike Show where vintage and contemporary vehicles compete for prizes are popular with residents and…
Forest Trail Region
Colmesneil
The town’s name came from one of the first conductors, W. T. Colmesnil, on the Texas and New Orleans Railroad which ran through Tyler County. The Trinity and Sabine Railroad would extend…
Forest Trail Region
Conroe
A COMEBACK COMMUNITY It’s said that oil and water don’t mix, but that’s not the case in Conroe, the seat of Montgomery County in the Piney Woods of East Texas. Established in…
Forest Trail Region
Crockett
THE SOUND OF MUSIC Legends run deep in the Piney Woods, and Crockett, the seat of Houston County, has its share. First, there’s the name of the town, which honors the Tennessee…
Forest Trail Region
Cushing
Cushing is a city in northern Nacogdoches County. Cushing was started as a railroad town in 1902 and was named for Edward Benjamin Cushing, an official wioth the railroad. was founded in…
Forest Trail Region
Daingerfield
STEEL AND AEROPHYSICS The community of Daingerfield, seat of Morris County, experienced a number of troubling starts before setting down permanent roots. Historically, humans had gathered around a spring located near today’s…
Forest Trail Region
Diboll
Diboll is a lumber-based community 12 miles south of Lufkin. It has existed for 109 years, unlike most corporate communities that endured only until the area’s resources were depleted. The lumber company…
Forest Trail Region
Gilmer
Red-brick streets and old-fashioned shops invite a leisurely stroll around the courthouse square of Gilmer, located on the site of a former Cherokee Indian village. Enjoy a wide-ranging collection of county memorabilia…
Forest Trail Region
Gladewater
OLD SNAVELY No. 1 If you’re wondering whether the oil derrick sitting in the middle of downtown Gladewater is getting ready to blow, don’t worry. The Old Snavely No. 1 you see…
Forest Trail Region
Grapeland
Grapeland is at the intersection of U.S. Highway 287 and Farm Road 227, twelve miles north of Crockett in northern Houston County. In the early decades of Houston County the Grapeland area…
Forest Trail Region
Hawkins
Fifteen miles west of Gladewater, Hawkins boasts Jarvis Christian College, a historically black institution initiated through the efforts of Mary Alphin, the African American leader of the Negro Disciples of Christ in…
Forest Trail Region
Hemphill
BASS FISHING AND DOMINOES IN THE SHADE The lively community of Hemphill, located on the Toledo Bend Reservoir in the Sabine National Forest, knows just what to do under all that forest…
Forest Trail Region
Henderson
HOMETOWN HENDERSON Henderson, a Main Street Program participant since 1988, has revitalized its historic downtown to the tune of over eight million dollars to date. Projects in the Henderson historic district have…
Forest Trail Region
Hughes Springs
Nestled in the Piney Woods of Northeast Texas in Cass County, Hughes Springs is blessed with the beauty of nature from lakes, springs, and forests, being just minutes away from them. The…
Forest Trail Region
Huntsville
A FACE FOR THE NATION The Texas Forest Trail city of Huntsville has a lot to offer the heritage traveler. Home to the Sam Houston Memorial Museum, H.E.A.R.T.S. Veterans Museum, and the…
Forest Trail Region
Jacksonville
TOMATOES AND A LONG VIEW The area around Jacksonville in Cherokee County became a major producer of tomatoes during the first half of the 20th Century, and earned the epithet “Tomato Capital…
Forest Trail Region
Jasper
DEEP IN THE PINEY WOODS The Jasper Newsboy, the weekly newspaper of the Texas Forest Trail community of Jasper, has been published continuously for over one hundred and fifty years, making it…
Forest Trail Region
Jefferson
THE POWER OF PRESERVATION Few towns possess the architectural heritage of Jefferson, which boasts more than 100 state and nationally recognized historical structures. In the mid-20th Century, the local Jessie Allen Wise…
Forest Trail Region
Joinerville
SMALL COMMUNITY, BIG HISTORY The east Texas town of Joinerville may be particularly small in comparison to, say, nearby Henderson but what it lacks in size it makes up in history. Joinerville…
Forest Trail Region
Karnack
Named after an ancient city in Egypt, Karnack was the childhood home of Claudia Taylor (Lady Bird) Johnson, former first lady of the United States. Today, it serves as a gateway to…
Forest Trail Region
Kilgore
SHOOTING STARS By 1885, Kilgore, a stop along the International-Great Northern Railroad, had a post office, two steam gristmill-cotton gins, a church, a school, and an estimated population of 250. Cotton drove…
Forest Trail Region
Kirbyville
The town of Kirbyville was first established in 1895 when the Gulf, Beaumont and Kansas City Railroad reached the site. It was first named Kirby for John Henry Kirby, a lumber businessman…
Forest Trail Region
Kountze
“The Big Light in the Big Thicket” is an entry to the vast, dense woods that were once hideouts for murderers, thieves, and Civil War draft dodgers. Today, the Big Thicket is…
Forest Trail Region
Lindale
HOMEGROWN BLACKBERRIES AND MUSIC Lindale is a vibrant community in East Texas with a rich cultural heritage. Known in the past as the Blackberry Capital of the world, its present success lies…
Forest Trail Region
Linden
Lumber, farming and oil drive this Piney Woods community’s economy, but music is Linden’s soul. Ragtime legend Scott Joplin, blues phenomenon Aaron “T-Bone” Walker, and Rock and Pop star Don Henley all…
Forest Trail Region
Livingston
LAKES AND FORESTS Livingston is the county seat of Polk County and is at the junction of U.S. highways 190 and 59, State Highway 146, and Farm Road 1316, seventy-five miles north…
Forest Trail Region
Longview
THE LONG VIEW Longview, a Texas Main Street city, is named for the expansive sightlines from nearby Rock Hill that is the highest point in the area. With the establishment of its…
Forest Trail Region
Lufkin
TIMBER AND TRAINS The timber industry and the railway system forged the city of Lufkin, an 1882 stop along the Houston, East and West Texas Railway, transforming it into a major hub…
Forest Trail Region
Lumberton
Lumberton is the home of Village Creek State Park, which attracts tourists from all over. Canoeing, hiking, and bird watching are among the most popular activities in the park. Every April for…
Forest Trail Region
Magnolia
DEPOT AND THE OUTDOORS Throughout the years, Magnolia has transformed from a railroad town and agriculture community to a community with small-town Texas living bonused with easy access to big city entertainment…
Forest Trail Region
Marshall
BEAUX-ARTS BEDAZZLER The Texas Main Street City of Marshall was the first town in Texas to acquire telegraph service. In 1854, the local newspaper established a telegraph link to New Orleans, providing…
Forest Trail Region
Milam
TRADING POST Milam is in Sabine County and located at the junction of Highway 87 and Highway 21. Milam is the home to the Causey House and the Gaines-Oliphint Houses, both log…
Forest Trail Region
Mineola
HISTORY IN PROGRESS Once home to the Hogg family (Ima Hogg, daughter to James Stephen Hogg who became Governor of Texas, was born here), Mineola offers today’s visitors plenty of history to…
Forest Trail Region
Montgomery
WOODEN SURVIVORS You’ll find some of last remaining examples of the earliest architecture in Texas in Montgomery, a Forest Trail Region community with an eye on the state’s heritage. Fernland Historical Park…
Forest Trail Region
Mount Pleasant
THE COURTHOUSE HAD THREE FACES Centuries before Mount Pleasant was established in 1848, Caddo Indians called the rolling hills of Northeast Texas home, attracted by the red mineral springs that later brought…
Forest Trail Region
Mount Vernon
A NORTHEAST TEXAS TREASURE There’s a mantra in this Northeast Texas town that goes like this: “Don’t destroy it, restore it.” Established in 1849, Mount Vernon grew as an agricultural town. During…
Forest Trail Region
Nacogdoches
PRESERVING THE PAST WITH AN EYE ON THE FUTURE Walk the brick-paved streets of Nacogdoches and you’ll find yourself on the path to early Texas history. The entire downtown is listed on…
Forest Trail Region
Nederland
Promoters gave the town its Dutch name in 1897 to attract settlers from Holland to the area’s railroad jobs and rich farmland. The opportunities also lured Acadians from South Louisiana. Known for…