Gent Village
Maydelle, Cherokee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Located on top of Gent Mountain between two creeks, the village of Gent was settled in the 1850s primarily by families from Alabama and Tennessee in search of good farmland. The early settlers quickly established religious and educational institutions, and by 1900 the village boasted several stores, mills and cotton gins as well. Construction of the Texas State Railroad from Rusk to Palestine and the founding of the town of Maydelle (1.5 mi. s.) in 1910 pulled business away from Gent. Gradually the village was abandoned, and today not a single structure remains.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Perched atop Gent Mountain between two creeks, the village of Gent was settled in the 1850s by families from Alabama and Tennessee seeking good farmland. They quickly raised churches and schools, and by 1900 the village supported stores, mills, and cotton gins. But when the Texas State Railroad bypassed it and the town of Maydelle was founded nearby in 1910, business drained away, and today not a single structure of Gent remains.
Why it matters
Gent's disappearance is a textbook case of how the coming of the railroad reshaped the rural map, breathing life into some towns while erasing others entirely.
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Themes & tags
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