Bleakwood, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bleakwood, Texas
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 Bleakwood, Texas
Location in Texas
Bleakwood, Texas
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Newton |
| Elevation | 118 ft (36 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 409 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1352412 |
Bleakwood is a small place in Newton County, Texas, United States. It's called an "unincorporated community," which means it's not officially a city or town with its own local government. You can find Bleakwood where two roads meet: Texas State Highway 87 and Farm to Market Road 363. It's about 45 miles (72 km) north of a bigger city called Beaumont.
The Story of Bleakwood
Early Days and Naming
Even though people lived in the area that is now Bleakwood since the early 1800s, the name "Bleakwood" wasn't used until 1867. That's when a new post office opened there. A person named T. L. McDonald, who lived in the area, chose the name. He named it after his home in Scotland.
Lumber and Railroads
In the late 1800s, Bleakwood became important for its lumber industry. This means many people worked with wood, cutting down trees and processing them. To help move all this wood, two different railroad companies built train lines through Bleakwood in the early 1900s. This made it easier to send the lumber to other places.
Changes Over Time
The biggest lumber factory in Bleakwood closed down in 1942. The post office also closed the next year. However, people in Bleakwood still continued to work with lumber and send wood products out. In the year 2000, about 300 people were estimated to live in Bleakwood.
