Groveton in Trinity County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Site of the Town of Sumpter

Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, October 19, 2025

1. Site of the Town of Sumpter Marker

Inscription. The legislature of the State of Texas created Trinity County out of Houston County in 1850. A group of seven commissioners was appointed to locate and survey a site for the seat of government. The town of Sumpter was founded in this area, near the geographic center of the county.

Trinity County's first seat of justice grew slowly. Early settler Solomon Adams operated a small general store, and his log home also served as a hotel. The courthouse was a small frame building located on the plaza, near which a log schoolhouse was erected.

When Goodwin Woodson and R.D. Crow opened a saw and grist mill four miles south of Sumpter in 1857, the town began to develop rapidly and was incorporated five years later. As the population increased, a larger courthouse was built. An influx of businesses, such as drugstores and saloons, appeared on around the courthouse square. A number of plantations flourished in the area until the coming of the Civil War.

In 1872, the courthouse at Sumpter burned, and a rail line was built through the town of Trinity. Sumpter was gradually abandoned, and the nearby cemetery is all that remains of the once-thriving community.

Erected 1985 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 15426.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in

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this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1850.

Location. 31° 1.801′ N, 95° 3.299′ W. Marker is in Groveton, Texas, in Trinity County. It is on U.S. 287 east of Sumpter Cemetery Road, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Groveton TX 75845, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South

and in the Piney Woods.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: First Methodist Church of Groveton (approx. 4½ miles away); Trinity County Courthouse (approx. 4.6 miles away); Groveton (approx. 4.6 miles away); Trinity County Seats (approx. 4.6 miles away); Glenwood Cemetery (approx. 4.9 miles away); George Washington Carver School (approx. 5 miles away); John Wesley Hardin (1853-1895) (approx. 12.6 miles away); Bethel Baptist Church (approx. 13.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Groveton.

More about this marker. Sign across highway shows 7970. However, the Texas Historical Commission website shows that marker is a 1936 marker. A search for this marker shows the marker number 15426 has the same text as the current marker at the location.

Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, October 19, 2025

2. Site of the Town of Sumpter Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on October 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 23, 2025, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. This page has been viewed 153 times since then and 76 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 23, 2025, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.