Anderson County

Hamilton addition is approx. 12 miles North of Palestine

go NE out of Palestine on hiway 79 for about 12 miles until you come to county road 350. Hamilton Subdivision starts at the County Rd 350 and Hiway 79 intersection.

Located in East Texas, Anderson County is the 52nd largest of the 254 counties in Texas; with a 2000 census population of 55,109. Significant cities in Anderson County include Palestine, the county seat, Elkhart, and Frankston. Anderson County falls within the 11th Texas congressional districts and the 3rd Texas senatorial district. The county consists of 1,077 square miles with a 2000 population density 51.2 residents per square mile. The average density in Texas is 65.6 persons per square mile. Rainfall in the county averages 41.70 inches per year compared to the Texas average of 21.0 inches per year. Anderson County is located in East Texas between the Trinity and the Neches rivers. Palestine, the county's largest town and its county seat, is 108 miles southeast of Dallas and 153 miles north of Houston. U.S. highways 287, 79, and 84 provide the major transportation routes through the county. The county's center lies at 95°36' west longitude and 31°47' north latitude. Anderson County has a total area of 1,077 square miles or 689,280 acres. The county is partly in the Texas Claypan area and partly in the East Texas Timberlands of the Southern Coastal Plains. Almost half of the soil is Fuquay-Kirvin-Darco, deep, sandy, and loamy. The terrain is nearly level to moderately steep in the uplands. The 66,000 acres in the western Claypan area are used mainly for pasture. The Timberlands are used mostly for pasture and woodland. Many varieties of timber grow abundantly, including red oak, post oak, white oak, pecan, walnut, hickory, elm, ash, and pine (see LUMBER INDUSTRY). The soil also supports a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

The terrain is hilly and slopes to the Trinity and Neches rivers, with an elevation of between 198 and 624 feet above sea level. The entire eastern area of the county is bordered by the Neches and is drained by Hurricane Creek, Lone Creek, and Brushy Creek. The western area is bordered by the Trinity River and is drained by Massey Lake, Mansion Creek, and Keechie Creek. Mineral resources include oil and gas and iron ore. Temperatures range from an average minimum of 37° F in January to an average maximum of 94° in July. Rainfall averages about 40.5 inches annually, and the growing season averages 264 days.

Between 1880 and 1940 Anderson County was predominantly agricultural. Corn, cotton, sweet potatoes, hay, and, by the 1920s, peanuts were the most important crops. The timber industry gained importance in the 1930s. Between 1940 and 1982 the number of farms dropped by 70 percent, from 4,422 to 1,356. Crops that remained important in the 1980s included peanuts, sweet potatoes, hay, and fruits and nuts.

In 1881 traces of oil were found. The first rotary rig was shipped to the county in 1902. Good showings of oil caused more local citizens to drill, but no commercial wells were made at that time. In 1916 the Texas Company proved the existence of the Keechi Salt Dome, and in 1926 the Boggy Creek Dome was discovered. In January 1928 the first successful oil producer in Anderson County, known as the Humble-Lizzie Smith No. 1, was brought in. The discovery brought prosperity, and this may account for the county's voting Republican in the 1924 and 1928 elections. The oil discoveries also meant that the Great Depressionqv had a less severe impact than elsewhere.