Formed by 15 young single women in 1902 with fewer than 50 books, this library club would later donate to the City of Rusk a volume of books that greatly contributed to an inventory in excess of 23,000 books. The Book Club, originally housed-in . . . — — Map (db m41138) HM
Cherokee County has a rich and varied history. Spanish and French explorers of the seventeenth century found Tejas and Hasinai Indians living in this area, and Spanish missions were established in the region.
Driven out of the United States, . . . — — Map (db m40634) HM
(front)
Civil War manufacturing, supply and military center. Field Transportation Bureau shop made and repaired wagons, saddles, harnesses. Gun factory produced "Mississippi rifles" and pistols. Two iron works cast plows, skillets, pots, . . . — — Map (db m95136) HM WM
This courthouse, the fourth to serve the citizens of Cherokee County, was built in 1940-41 with the assistance of the Federal Works Progress Administration. Designed by the architectural firm of Gill & Bennett, the modern structure is built of . . . — — Map (db m40618) HM
In the winter of 1819-1820 Chief John Bowles led about sixty Cherokee families from Arkansas to East Texas. Near this site a small settlement of about six families was established by a Cherokee leader named Little Bean. They remained until 1839, . . . — — Map (db m128988) HM
Birthplace of James Stephen Hogg, son of Lucanda McMath Hogg and Joseph Lewis Hogg. Born March 24, 1851. Died March 3, 1906. First native Texan to serve as governor. Inspirer of the passage of the Railroad Commission Law, Stock and Bond Law, Alien . . . — — Map (db m40474) HM
Wyatt Thomas Norman and William Harrison Shook, both Cherokee County natives, opened a law office on the Courthouse Square in 1898. George Gibson became a partner in 1918. He later moved to Jacksonville and opened a branch there. Wyatt T. Norman's . . . — — Map (db m41085) HM
Founded 1846. Named for Republic of Texas Statesman Thomas J. Rusk.
Industrial site and supply depot in the Civil War. Notable for iron manufacturing.
Birthplace of Texas Governors James S. Hogg, Thomas M. Campbell. City and county rich in . . . — — Map (db m40443) HM
First built 1861 as the means for residents east of valley to get to town during rainy seasons.
Rebuilt in 1889 by T.H. Barnes, engineer building New Birmingham (now ghost town, to the east).
Maintained by city of Rusk until 1950. Restored . . . — — Map (db m40464) HM
Two speeches were delivered by Sam Houston in Rusk. The first, in 1855, was a debate with politician Frank Bowden. Houston, a U.S. Senator, was on a tour through central and east Texas trying to regain public favor after voting against the . . . — — Map (db m128992) HM
New Birmingham was a boom town nearby in the late 1880s built around local iron ore operations. The furnaces, capable of producing 50 tons of iron daily, were named "Tassie Belle," after the wife of the town founder A. B. Bevins, and the "Star and . . . — — Map (db m30033) HM
The first hotel to occupy this site was the Union Hotel, a wood frame building erected in 1849. Renamed Bracken House for a subsequent owner, it continued to serve the city until 1889. Civil War General Joseph L. Hogg, father of future Governor . . . — — Map (db m128991) HM
In the late 1880s the Texas Prison System built a short rail line from the state penitentiary facility in north Rusk, southwestward to hardwood timber stands, where charcoal was made for use in firing the prison's iron ore smelting furnaces. The . . . — — Map (db m128990) HM
Attorney James N. Thomas (b. 1816) erected the one-story portion of this residence before 1851. James I. Perkins (1847-1923) built the two-story wing and added Victorian detailing after he purchased the property in 1883. Head of a leading Rusk . . . — — Map (db m41034) HM