The History of Hawkins, Texas
Hawkins sits in the southeastern corner of Wood County, about twenty miles north of Tyler in the East Texas Piney Woods. Its story runs from a frontier settlement near the Sabine River, to a railroad shipping town, to an oil boomtown of the 1940s — and finally to its modern claim to fame as the 'Pancake Capital of Texas.'
Here's how Hawkins came to be.
Settlement and the Railroad
The Hawkins area was settled in the 1850s, near a river crossing to old Belzora, an early port and stagecoach stop on the Smith County side of the Sabine River. The community took the Hawkins name from its early settlers, and by the time the Texas and Pacific Railway built through in 1873 on its way to Dallas, the area was already fairly well established. A post office opened that same year.
The railroad gave Hawkins a reason to grow. By 1884 the town had a population of around 400 and was shipping lumber, shingles, livestock, and cotton, with gins, churches, hotels, and a school serving the surrounding farm-and-timber country. The population rose and fell over the following decades, settling into the quiet rhythm of a small East Texas railroad town.
The Oil Boom
Everything changed in October 1940, when former lightweight boxer Bobby Manziel brought in the first major oil discovery in Wood County — a wildcat well a few miles north of town. Independent operators soon struck oil within the Hawkins city limits, and the sleepy railroad town became a boomtown almost overnight. Town lots that had sold cheaply suddenly commanded steep prices, and the population leapt to about 1,200 by 1941.
The Humble Oil and Refining Company (later Exxon) became a principal operator in the booming Hawkins oil field, building the densely populated Hawkins Camp nearby to house workers. The oil economy reshaped the town and has been celebrated ever since at the annual Hawkins Oil Festival each October, with its parade, car show, food booths, and — fittingly — a pancake breakfast.
The Pancake Capital
Hawkins's most distinctive honor came in 1995, when the Texas Senate passed a resolution designating it the 'Pancake Capital of Texas.' The title pays tribute to Lillian Richard, a Hawkins native hired by the Quaker Oats Company to portray the 'Aunt Jemima' figure for decades, traveling the country flipping pancakes as the brand's living face.
The community has embraced the designation as a point of local pride and a tie to its own history. Today Hawkins is a small Wood County town anchored by its Hawkins ISD 'Hawks,' the nearby historically Black Jarvis Christian University east of town, the recreation of Lake Hawkins, and a layered past that blends railroad, oil, and the unlikely story of a hometown woman who became one of America's most recognized faces.
Timeline
1850s
Settlers establish the Hawkins community near the Sabine River crossing to old Belzora.
1873
The Texas and Pacific Railway builds through on its way to Dallas, and a post office opens.
1884
Hawkins has about 400 residents and ships lumber, shingles, livestock, and cotton.
1912
Jarvis Christian College, a historically Black school, is founded just east of town.
1940
Bobby Manziel brings in the first major Wood County oil well north of town, triggering a boom.
1995
The Texas Senate designates Hawkins the 'Pancake Capital of Texas,' honoring native Lillian Richard.
Notable People
Lillian Richard
A Hawkins native hired by the Quaker Oats Company to portray the 'Aunt Jemima' figure for decades; her fame led to Hawkins being named the 'Pancake Capital of Texas' in 1995.
Bobby Manziel
A former lightweight boxer turned oilman who brought in the first major oil discovery in Wood County, north of Hawkins, in October 1940, launching the town's oil boom.
FAQ: History of Hawkins
The Texas Senate designated Hawkins the 'Pancake Capital of Texas' in 1995 to honor Lillian Richard, a Hawkins native who portrayed the 'Aunt Jemima' figure for the Quaker Oats Company for decades, traveling the country as the pancake brand's living face.
Hawkins began as a settlement in the 1850s near a Sabine River crossing. It grew into a town after the Texas and Pacific Railway built through in 1873, the same year its post office opened, shipping lumber, cotton, and livestock from the surrounding country.
Hawkins boomed beginning in October 1940, when Bobby Manziel brought in the first major Wood County oil well north of town. Strikes within the city limits soon followed, the population jumped to about 1,200 by 1941, and Humble (later Exxon) became a major operator.
Jarvis Christian University, just east of Hawkins, is a historically Black institution founded in 1912 by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) on land donated by James J. and Ida Van Zandt Jarvis. It became a four-year college in 1939 and a university in recent years.
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