The History of Tatum, Texas
Tatum sits on the Rusk-Panola county line in the East Texas Piney Woods, about twenty-one miles northeast of Henderson. Its history runs from a sprawling frontier plantation to a railroad boomtown that survived disaster and rebuilt — a classic story of East Texas grit, farming, and the railroad.
Here's how Tatum came to be.
The Tatum Plantation
Tatum was settled in the 1840s by Albert and Mary C. Tatum, for whom the town is named. In 1848 the Tatums established a plantation in the area — and it was vast. The boundaries of their land were said to be 'out of gunshot sound of the mansion,' a colorful measure of just how large the holding was in the frontier days of the Republic and early statehood.
The Tatum family's presence anchored the early community, and their name endured as the area grew. For its first decades, the settlement was a rural farming locale in the rich, wooded country of the Rusk-Panola line, awaiting the railroad that would transform it.
Railroad Boomtown
The railroad made Tatum a town. When the Santa Fe line built through the region in the 1880s — connecting Longview to Beaumont — Tatum became a boomtown. A townsite was platted, with Paul 'Uncle Fox' Tatum laying out the streets, and when a post office was established in 1886, he became the first postmaster.
The railroad brought prosperity: hotels were built, mercantile businesses thrived, and the farmers and sawmills of the surrounding country could finally ship their goods to higher-priced markets. Tatum became a busy shipping and trade center, its fortunes tied to the rails and the rich farm-and-timber country around it.
Disaster and Recovery
The young town faced hard tests in the early 1900s. In 1904, when about 154 people lived there, a tornado destroyed part of the town, and the following year, in 1905, a fire razed nearly the entire north side. Two such disasters in two years might have ended a lesser community.
But Tatum rebuilt and kept growing. By 1925 the population had risen to 428, and by 1929 the eleven-grade Tatum school was the most modern in the area, consolidating that year with the school of nearby Stewart. Through the decades Tatum remained a farming, dairying, and lumbering center, and the region's lignite deposits later fed a major power plant nearby. Today Tatum is a resilient small town near Martin Creek Lake, anchored by its A-rated 'Eagle' schools and its long history of bouncing back.
Timeline
1840s
Albert and Mary C. Tatum settle the area, which takes their name.
1848
The Tatums build a vast plantation, its bounds said to be 'out of gunshot sound of the mansion.'
1880s
The Santa Fe railroad builds through, and Tatum becomes a boomtown; Paul 'Uncle Fox' Tatum lays out the streets.
1886
A post office is established, with Paul Tatum as first postmaster.
1904–1905
A tornado destroys part of town in 1904; a fire razes the north side in 1905.
1925
Tatum recovers, with the population rising to 428.
Notable People
Albert & Mary C. Tatum
The 1840s settlers for whom Tatum is named; in 1848 they built a plantation so large its boundaries were said to be 'out of gunshot sound of the mansion.'
Paul 'Uncle Fox' Tatum
Laid out the streets of the Tatum townsite when the railroad came through and became the town's first postmaster in 1886.
FAQ: History of Tatum
Tatum is named for Albert and Mary C. Tatum, who settled the area in the 1840s and built a vast plantation there in 1848. The family name endured as the community grew, and Paul 'Uncle Fox' Tatum later laid out the town's streets.
Tatum became a boomtown in the 1880s when the Santa Fe railroad built through the region, connecting Longview to Beaumont. The townsite was platted, hotels and businesses sprang up, and a post office was established in 1886.
Tatum faced two disasters in two years: a tornado destroyed part of the town in 1904, and a fire razed nearly its entire north side in 1905. Despite these setbacks, the town rebuilt and its population continued to grow.
Tatum has been a farming, dairying, and lumbering center for most of its history. The railroad let area farmers and sawmills ship goods to market, and the region's lignite deposits later fueled a major power plant near the town.
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