Historical Commission reviews last 50 years
Henderson County honors those keeping its history
By Pearl Cantrell
Monitor Staff Writer
ATHENS–Henderson County marked the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Henderson County Historical Commission Nov. 4 with proclamations and appreciation to those volunteers who have served over the years.
The first commission chairman told how he first got involved in 1959.
“Fifty years ago, I was the busiest person in the county,” Theo Daniel said. “Someone came to town making a lot of ruckus. So, I sent Nell to go see what it was all about. She came back and said ‘they’ve just formed up a historical commission and made you chairman.’”
Daniel served as chairman for 35 years, current chairwoman Sarah Jane Brown said.
“He worked with my mother and grandmother and published our first books on the county,” Brown said. “That makes me a third-generation historical commission member.”
Monitor Photo/Pearl Cantrell
Past Henderson County Historical Commission chairs Maryann Perryman (left, front), Estelle Corder, Theo Daniels (the first chair, who served for 35 years), Jane Shumate (standing left), TVCC history professor Thomas R. Selman, who hit the highlights of county history, and past HCHC chair Nelda Reynolds were among those receiving special acknowledgment during a Nov. 4 luncheon marking the commission's 50th anniversary.

The two-hour luncheon was well attended by county officials, who like Daniel and Brown are doing their part to help shape the future of Henderson County.
“Let us all carry away from this moment in time and from this gathering, a renewed spirit of making Henderson County a better place to live, not only for our families and our loved ones, but also for those future generations, because right now, we are creating the history of the future,” County Judge David Holstein said.
Holstein presented a proclamation, signed by all the commissioners, declaring Nov. 4 as “History Appreciation Day” in the county.
Holstein set the tone for the event by summing up what history is all about with a quote from World War I-era English philosopher R. G. Collingwood.
“’History is for human self-knowledge. Knowing yourself means knowing what you can do; and since nobody knows what they can do until they try, the only clue to what man can do is seen in what man has already done,’” Holstein quoted. “‘Therefore, the value of history is in what it teaches us about what man has done, and thus what man is and what, in the future, man can do.’”
Henderson County native and history professor Thomas R. Selman presented an overview of the county’s history, from its formation and governmental organization in 1846, a year after Texas was annexed into the United States, to the formation of the state historical commission.

Monitor Photo/Pearl Cantrell
County Judge David Holstein presents a resolution signed by members of the Henderson County Commissioners' Court proclaiming Nov. 4 as “History Appreciation Day” to historical commission chairwoman Sarah Jane Brown. The resolution urges citizens to become more aware of the unique heritage of Henderson County and the State of Texas.

Not only is Henderson County one of the oldest counties in Texas (named after the state’s first governor, James Pinckney Henderson), it started out as one of the largest, encompassing some 3,600 square miles, including current-day Van Zandt, Kaufman, Rains, Wood and Rockwall counties.
In 1850, that vast territory was populated by just 1,156 souls, Selman said, but the county grew a little more each year.
The first county seat was located in a new riverside community called Buffalo, located 15 miles west of Trinidad, he said.
“Through the political influence of landholders – we never see that happening today – a newly planned community was established along the Trinity River,” Selman said.
The new community was foreseen as becoming a thriving river port, once improvements were made to make the Trinity navigable. Some are still waiting for that to happen, Selman noted.
Buffalo became the county seat, he said.
However, when the river improvements didn’t happen, population decreased, and a committee was formed to choose a new county seat.
In the 1848 election, Centerville, located 12 miles north of Buffalo and 20 miles west of Brownsboro, was chosen as the county seat.
Those in the oldest county settlements of Fincastle and Brownsboro campaigned for the county seat to be located near them, especially since the county seat had the potential of bringing prosperity to the area.
The county paid $50 to build a log cabin in Centerville as a depository for the county court and records, but its designation didn’t last long.
In 1850, the Texas State Legislature redrew many of the largest counties and mandated that each county seat be centrally located, so it could be reached within a day’s ride on horseback.
Once the new boundaries were made and six more counties were carved out of Henderson County, the centrally located and new community of Athens was designated the county seat.
However, the long-looked-for prosperity didn’t really start until 1900 with the coming of the Texas and New Orleans railroad.
Its coming greatly enhanced the delivery of locally manufactured goods, including pottery, bricks, cotton and cottonseed oil, corn, black-eyed peas and tomatoes.
In 1928, oil and gas exploration began, with production following in the ’40s. Agricultural products had shifted to chiefly livestock, hay and plant nursery material by 1980.
By the 1950s, Athens had a furniture plant, an electronics manufacturer, an apparel manufacturer and a cannery, but during this decade, population declined, as a major drought ravaged agriculture, and workers migrated to larger metropolitan areas.
However, that trend reversed in the ’60s with the construction of three lakes – Lake Athens, Lake Palestine and Cedar Creek Lake.
“This transformation of Henderson County brought thousands of people back to the county,” Selman said.
Real estate, home construction and retail have been the major economic drivers until the nation witnessed the financial meltdown of the financial markets, auto manufacturers and others a little more than a year ago.
The 2010 U.S. Census is expected to count more than 80,000 people residing in Henderson County, Selman said.
The work of the Henderson County Historical Commission and its 11 chairmen over the last 50 years is seen in the more than a dozen books on its history, and the numerous historical markers throughout the county.
To date, the county has 73 historical markers, with three more awaiting enactment and five others pending approval, Selman said.
The commission also is beginning an oral history program.
“There are no shortage of ideas, when it comes to goals for the historical commission, just a shortage of people to carry them out,” he said.
Selman invited those whose interest and ability might suit them well for carrying on the work into the next 50 years to join the historical commission.