Hagerville, Texas

The area in what is known as Hagerville today was founded sometime after 1890. It was named for James M. Hager, one of the first settlers there. A post office was established in 1891 and remained in operation until 1906. In 1892, the community had a Baptist church, a blacksmith, a shoemaker, and a general store. Hagerville had 30 residents in 1896. A church and several scattered houses were in the community in the mid-1930s. The population went up to 70 in 2000.[2]

In the 1840s, James Henry Hager (1822–1879) of Kentucky and his wife Naoma (Clark) immigrated to Texas. In Houston County, Hager, a farmer and cabinet manufacturer, established a blacksmith shop and mill. His log cabin was next to the Nacogdoches to Navasota stage and mail route. James Polk, Hager's son, gave the community the name "Hagerville". Following the closure of the post office in 1906, many inhabitants migrated closer to the sawmills. Business is down, but the community is still what it is.[3]

Hagerville is located on Hager Creek near Farm to Market Road 357 where FM 4740 and 4700 meet, 6 mi (9.7 km) southeast of Kennard and 16 mi (26 km) southeast of Crockett in southeastern Houston County.[3]

Hagerville had its own school in 1892.[2] Hager's son, Bill, donated land so that a schoolhouse could be used for worship.[3] Today, the community is served by the Kennard Independent School District.