Woodlake, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Woodlake
|
|
|---|---|
 Woodlake
Location in Texas
Woodlake
Location in the United States
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Trinity |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Zip codes |
75865
|
Woodlake is a small, unincorporated community in Trinity County, Texas, USA. An unincorporated community means it's a place where people live, but it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town. In 2000, about 98 people lived there. Woodlake is also part of the larger Huntsville, Texas area.
Contents
A Look at Woodlake's Past
The area where Woodlake is located started to have people living there around the time of the American Civil War. But it really began to grow into a community in the early 1880s. This happened when two men, John Martin Thompson and Henry Tucker, started a business called the Thompson and Tucker Lumber Company.
Early Growth and Name Changes
In 1889, a post office called Willard opened in the area. Over the next 20 years, the community had a few different names, like Old Willard and Jason. By 1896, about 250 people lived there. The town had churches, a lumberyard, a mill for processing wood, and a general store where people could buy things.
Challenges and Changes
However, by the time of World War I, most of the trees in the area had been cut down. The lumber mill closed, and the plant was destroyed. Many people who lived there moved to other towns that still had sawmills.
The post office closed in 1910, but it reopened in 1920 with the name Jason. This name honored Jason Hawthorne, an important Black resident. In 1925, the name was changed again to Woodlake. This new name came from a small reservoir (a man-made lake) that used to supply water to the old mill.
A New Plan and Its Struggles
In the 1920s, a descendant of the original mill owner, Helen Kerr Thompson, tried to start a special farm project. They built a trading station, a community center, and some homes. But this project didn't last. The Waco, Beaumont, Trinity and Sabine Railway failed, and the tough times of the Great Depression also hurt the project in the late 1920s.
In 1934, the American government took over the project to help farmers who were struggling. Many new homes were built, but the project failed again. By the late 1930s, many people had left Woodlake. The Baptist Church of East Texas bought most of the community's buildings and equipment to create a youth camp.
In 1990, Woodlake was a small, spread-out town with 301 residents. By 2000, the population had dropped to 98 people. Even though Woodlake is unincorporated, it still has its own post office with the ZIP Code 75865.
Where is Woodlake?
Woodlake is located on U.S. Route 287. It is about four miles southeast of Groveton in the southeastern part of Trinity County.
Learning in Woodlake
In 1934, Woodlake had a school that taught students up to the 11th grade. Today, students in the Woodlake community attend schools in the Groveton Independent School District.
