Village Mills, Texas facts for kids

Village Mills is an unincorporated community in north central Hardin County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The Warren Independent School District serves area students.

Historical development

This town was known on some maps as Village, and also Village Station, with the name coming from nearby Village Creek. In late 1881, the Sabine and East Texas Railroad reached the area for the lumber trade to ship its products. The Long Manufacturing Company out of Beaumont purchased 40,000 acres (160 km²) of timberland and built a sawmill at the site. A short while later, the Texas Tram and Lumber Company of Beaumont purchased this mill in 1883, the majority stockholder being William A. Fletcher. The mill closed in the early 1930s which caused Village Mills' population to drop from 300 down to 80 within the next decade. In 1945, the discovery of natural gas and oil deposits boosted the local economy. Over the next quarter-century, over 31 wells would be drilled, with 17 of these still operating into the 1980s.