Coke, Texas

The area in what is known as Coke today was first settled as early as the 1850s, but the community itself was not founded until miners discovered coal southwest of the location. A post office was established at Coke in 1885 and remained in operation until 1906. It was most likely named for the coal production. 200 people lived in Coke by 1892 and had twelve businesses, a lawyer, a constable, and a justice of the peace. The population plummeted to 25 in 1896 and remained at that level until the mid-1960s. In the 1930s, the settlement had several scattered houses, a church, and one business. The community's oilfield was found by Amerada Petroleum Company in 1942, but it had no lasting effects on the community. It continued to operate through 1960 and the settlement only had scattered homes. The population grew to 51 in 1968, then to 130 in 1970. The population dropped to 105 from 1972 through 2000, in which it had no businesses in operation. In 1988, the community had one business and two churches.[2] The population dropped to 40 in 2010.[3]

Coke is located at the intersection of Farm to Market Roads 515 and 69, 10 mi (16 km) north of Quitman and 9 mi (14 km) west of Winnsboro in northern Wood County.[3]

The first teacher came to Coke in 1892. It then had a school in the 1930s, which was still in operation in 1960 and 1988.[2] Today, the community is served by the Quitman Independent School District.