Sacul, Texas

Last updated

Sacul is an unincorporated community in Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. [1] According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had an estimated population of 170 in both 1990 and 2000. [2]

Contents

Geography

Sacul is located at 31°49′30″N94°55′08″W / 31.82500°N 94.91889°W / 31.82500; -94.91889 in northwestern Nacogdoches County. It is situated at the junction of State Highway 204 and FM 1648, approximately 21 miles (34 km) northwest of Nacogdoches and 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Jacksonville. [3]

History

The area was initially part of a dispersed settlement called Tolivar. The community of Tolivar had a post office that was located midway between the present-day towns of Cushing and Sacul. It was located in the home of B.W. Pye, who served as postmaster. [4]

The Texas and New Orleans Railroad, which provided passenger services and freight hauling between Dallas and Beaumont, constructed a rail stop a few miles from Tolivar shortly after 1900. [5] It was at that location that a town site was laid out on land owned by the Lucas family and W.T. Williamson. The founders originally wanted to call the new community Lucas after one of the area's principal land owners, but postal officials denied the application because there was already another town in the state with that name – Lucas in Collin County. The application was resubmitted with the name Sacul, a backwards spelling of Lucas, and was approved. Similarly, the nearby town of Reklaw was also named with a spelling reversal.

Sacul's post office was established in 1903. [2] That same year, a Town Center – also called the "Blue Building" or "Boardwalk" by locals – was built. [5] It housed a bank, mercantile store, and a pharmacy. In 1904, a school opened in the community. Sacul experienced rapid growth in the coming years. By 1914, around 400 people lived in the community with a number of business establishments including six general stores, three grocers, two cotton gins, a blacksmith, hardware store, and a bank. There were also two churches in Sacul, one Baptist and the other Methodist. The community continued to prosper throughout the 1920s, but the Great Depression precipitated a decline and many businesses were closed. By the mid-1930s, the population had fallen to 250 and the number of businesses dwindled to ten. [2]

Increased mobility after World War II accelerated the community's steep decline. By the mid-1960s, Sacul had 170 residents and four businesses. During the remainder of the twentieth century, the population continued to hover around 170. [3]

Events

Sacul hosted the first of its annual Folk Festivals in June 1986. [5] On the fourth Saturday of each month, a Bluegrass music festival known as the "Sacul Opry" attracts hundreds of fans to the community. [6]

Education

Public education in the community of Sacul is provided by the Cushing Independent School District. All of the district's campuses are located in the city of Cushing.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rusk County, Texas</span> County in Texas, United States

Rusk County is a county located in Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 52,214. Its county seat is Henderson. The county is named for Thomas Jefferson Rusk, a secretary of war of the Republic of Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reagan County, Texas</span> County in Texas, United States

Reagan County is a county on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,385. The county seat is Big Lake. The county is named after John Henninger Reagan (1818–1905), who was the postmaster general of the Confederate States and also a U.S. senator, U.S. representative, and first chairman of the Railroad Commission of Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nacogdoches County, Texas</span> County in Texas, United States

Nacogdoches County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 64,653. Its county seat is Nacogdoches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hansford County, Texas</span> County in Texas, United States

Hansford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 5,285. Its county seat is Spearman. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1889. It is named for John M. Hansford, a Texas state congressman and judge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherokee County, Texas</span> County in Texas, United States

Cherokee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 50,412. The county seat is Rusk, which lies 130 miles southeast of Dallas and 160 miles north of Houston. The county was named for the Cherokee, who lived in the area before being expelled in 1839. Cherokee County comprises the Jacksonville micropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Tyler–Jacksonville combined statistical area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angelina County, Texas</span> County in Texas, United States

Angelina County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in East Texas and its county seat is Lufkin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak Hills, Pennsylvania</span> Census-designated place in Pennsylvania, United States

Oak Hills is a census-designated place (CDP) in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,333 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cove, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

Cove is a city in Chambers County, Texas, United States. The population was 525 at the 2020 census, up from 510 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuney, Texas</span> Town in Texas, United States

Cuney is a town located in northwest Cherokee County, Texas, United States. With a population of 116 at the 2020 U.S. census, Cuney was the only "wet" town in Cherokee County from the mid-1980s until 2009, when voters in Rusk came out in favor of beer/wine sales. After that result, voters in Jacksonville and Frankston have since voted in favor of beer/wine sales, and Rusk voters returned to the polls to vote in favor of liquor sales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cushing, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

Cushing is a city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The population was 612 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garrison, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

Garrison is a small town in Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The population was 789 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nacogdoches, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

Nacogdoches is a small city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Stephen F. Austin State University is located in Nacogdoches and specializes in forestry and agriculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overton, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

Overton is a city in Rusk and Smith counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Overton lies in two counties as well as two metropolitan areas. The Rusk County portion of the city is part of the Longview Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Smith County portion is part of the Tyler Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montague, Texas</span> Census-designated place & Unincorporated Community in Texas, United States

Montague is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Montague County, Texas, United States. It is the county seat of Montague County and had an estimated population of 400 in 2000, according to the Handbook of Texas. Its population was 304 as of the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moscow, Texas</span> Unincorporated area in Texas, United States

Moscow is an unincorporated community in Polk County, Texas, United States. As of the year 2000, the community had approximately 170 residents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neches, Texas</span> Unincorporated community in Texas, United States

Neches is an unincorporated community in east central Anderson County, in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 175 in 2000. It is located within the Palestine, Texas micropolitan area.

Woden is an unincorporated community in Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeBerry, Texas</span>

DeBerry is an unincorporated community in Panola County, Texas, United States. The community has an estimated population of 3,305.

Altair is an unincorporated community in Colorado County, Texas, United States. It is located at the four-way stop sign junction of U.S. Route 90 Alternate and State Highway 71. The community had an estimated population of 30 in 2000.

Verdi is an unincorporated community in Atascosa County, in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 110 in 2000. It is located within the San Antonio metropolitan area.

References

  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Sacul, Texas
  2. 1 2 3 "Sacul, Texas". The Handbook of Texas online. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
  3. 1 2 "Sacul, Texas". Texas Escapes Online Magazine. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
  4. "Community history tells of early days of Sacul" . Retrieved July 3, 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 "The Historic Town Center in Sacul, Texas". Pictures of Historic Nacogdoches. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
  6. "Pickin' at Sacul". Bob Bowman, Texas Escapes Online Magazine. Retrieved July 3, 2009.