Mantooth Farm
Lufkin, Angelina County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Members of the Mantooth family came to Angelina County in 1858. Albert Edwin (Eddie) Mantooth (1874-1969) was born in Homer, Angelina County, to Albert and Mary Richard Hall Mantooth. In 1897, Eddie married Sarah Annie Atkinson Mantooth (1879-1914). In 1909, they bought an 11-acre farm on the outskirts of the original Lufkin townsite. The farm produced crops, cows, chickens, mules, and horses that provided an income from trade in Lufkin. In addition to agricultural responsibilities, Eddie also served the community as the county tax assessor from 1908-1912 and tax collector from 1918-1924. Following the death of Eddie’s first wife, Sarah, he married Oleva Wisely (1895-1964) in 1920. Descendants of Eddie Mantooth and their families served the city of Lufkin for many years. Ernest Peyton Medford (1904-1976), the husband of Josie Ethel Mantooth (1907-1934), assisted the community with finances as the head of Lufkin’s only savings and loan. Willie Calvin Royle (1907-1972), the husband of Annie Jewel Mantooth (1908-1997), was a well-known educator and served as a teacher and principal at Lufkin High School. The Royles also operated the W.C. Royle Company, an office machine and supply sales company, at this site for over forty years. John Milton Hickman (1909-1978), husband of Rennie Mae Mantooth (1911-2000), assisted with the gulf pipeline through East Texas that supplied gas and oil during World War II. All three daughters lived in homes on this land and are remembered in the community for their charitable contributions. Mantooth farm and the families associated with it helped the town of Lufkin grow and prosper throughout the twentieth century. 175 years of Texas independence * 1836-2011
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Mantooth family put down roots in Angelina County in 1858, and in 1909 Eddie Mantooth bought an eleven-acre farm on the edge of Lufkin that fed both his household and the local market. Eddie also served as county tax assessor and collector, and the daughters and sons-in-law who followed became educators, bankers, and businessmen woven into Lufkin's growth. One son-in-law even helped lay the East Texas gas pipeline that fueled the nation during World War II.
Why it matters
The farm and its family trace how small East Texas landholders and their descendants helped a timber town mature into a modern community across the twentieth century.
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Related people
- · Albert Edwin Mantooth
- · Sarah Annie Atkinson Mantooth
Themes & tags
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