Harleton
Harleton, Harrison County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Although settlement in this area between the forks of Big and Little Cypress creeks began in the 1830s, notable growth did not occur until the arrival of a railroad here in 1891. The railroad was a vital part of a venture financed by John H. Inman, organized by Edwin J. Fry, and executed by brothers Robert H. and James W. Harle, to exploit the area's virgin forests. Organized as the Hope Lumber Company, they constructed a depot and large commissary, installed a band sawmill, and extended a tram road into the Eagle Creek area. The nearby village of Grady was unable to compete against the Harles' well-stocked store and dance hall and soon faded. Its post office, renamed Harleton after the Harle brothers, was relocated to the Harle store. Harleton's economy boomed as timber production led to increased farm activity, and local merchants such as D. C. Webb and Son, Dreyfus-Little Mercantile Co., J. P. Craver and Son, and R. W. Taylor General Merchandise increased stocks to meet a growing demand for wares. By the late 1890s, however, Hope Lumber Company had processed the area's available timber and closed its mill. The railroad later joined with the Marshall & East Texas Railroad. Harleton continued, supported by agriculture and other timber operations in the area.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Settlers trickled into the country between Big and Little Cypress creeks in the 1830s, but Harleton truly took off when a railroad arrived in 1891 as part of a scheme by the Harle brothers and their backers to harvest the area's virgin forests. Their Hope Lumber Company built a depot, commissary, and band sawmill, and their well-stocked store so outclassed the nearby village of Grady that its post office moved over and took the Harle name. Timber wealth spurred farming and a cluster of thriving merchants, though the company closed its mill by the late 1890s once the nearby forests were cut over.
Why it matters
Harleton is a classic East Texas boomtown born of the railroad-and-lumber economy that stripped and reshaped the piney woods in a single generation.
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Related people
- · Robert H. Harle
- · James W. Harle
- · Edwin J. Fry
- · John H. Inman
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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