Post Offices and Communities

Compiled by Wright Patman

Wright Patman was U.S. Congressman for our Congressional District for many years and in 1968 he published a compilation of information regarding post offices and communities for all of the counties in his district.

Information for Franklin County includes dates of establishment of the Post Offices;  names of the postmasters and their appointment dates.  The origin of the name of the town is included for each post office.  Some communities which had no post office are also included.

Certain abbreviations were used and are defined as follows:

  • (A)  Acting Postmaster.
  • (*)  Denotes a postmaster appointed under authority of Confederate States of America.

Postmasters and their appointment dates were obtained from the postal records of the United States Archives and the Department of the Post Office, Washington, D.C.

Yale (Hopewell Community)

Five miles southeast of Mount Vernon. Postmaster Appointed William A. Lottman December 24, 1897 Styles M. Taylor June 18, 1898 Office discontinued November 30, 1906; mail ordered sent to Mount Vernon.

Wren

Six miles south of Majors. Postmaster Appointed Benjamin F. White January 9, 1902 Office discontinued July 15, 1905; mail ordered sent to Winnsboro.

Sulphur

A Paris and Mount Pleasant Railroad station at the crossing of the Sulphur River.

Scroggins

In southern Franklin County sixteen miles south of Mt. Vernon. Named for Milt Scroggins, early sawmill operator. Settled in the early 1850’s. Postmaster Appointed Samuel H. Thomas October 30, 1891 Crayton Bradley June 23, 1894 Anley C. Thomas August 1, 1896 William H. James October 3, 1896 Lizzie Tarpley November 2, 1900 James W. Wreay January 29, 1903 Joseph E. Eastridge July 14, 1906 Belle L. Estridge December 13, 1913 Belle L. Attaway September 22, 1914 Henry H. Hill May 3, 1915 William E. Hill March 31, 1926 Ida Winkle (A) November 22, 1927 Ida Winkle December 21, 1927 Mrs. Maud Swanner (A) November 1, 1936 Mrs. Maud Swanner December 21, 1936 Richard D. Swanner (A) November 18, 1966

Purley

In central Franklin County seven and one-half miles southwest of Mount Vernon. Settled by planters in the early 1850’s. Postmaster Appointed William H. Canaday May 21, 1879 Caleb Jordan September 19, 1883 William W. Long October 5, 1891 Office discontinued November 30, 1906; mail ordered sent to Mount Vernon.

New Hope

Eleven miles south-southeast of Mount Vernon.

New Hagansport

In northern Franklin County two miles south of Sulphur River. Named for older community of Hagan’s Port on the river, it was established in the early 1930’s.

Musgrove

In southern Franklin County three miles west of Scroggins. Settled about 1890. Postmaster Appointed Joseph N. Andrews April 11, 1895 Berry O. Alexander December 15, 1897 Richard P. Hood May 24, 1898 Lemuel L. Willard November 16, 1899 Leola Hood December 22, 1905 Office discontinued September 30, 1907; mail ordered sent to Scroggins.

Mount Vernon

Seventeen miles west of Mount Pleasant, Titus County. Settled by Joshua T. Johnson in 1839. Stephen Keith donated twenty-four acres for a town site in 1849 which was called Lone Star. Lone Star became county seat in 1875 when Franklin County was created from Red River County. The name of the county seat was changed to honor George Washington’s home by the first commissioners’ court held in the barn of J.E. Brooks.Office established under the name of Keiths, Titus County. Postmaster Appointed William S. Keith July 20, 1848 Name of office changed to Lone Star, November 19, 1850. Postmaster Appointed William C. Wright November 19, 1850 Samuel A. Cook December 7, 1858 Leonidas Collins April 2, 1860 Rufus Ruth February 2, 1861 John E. Brook July 12, 1861* Augustus O. Hurlbert May 14, 1866 Thomas E. Stirman April 4, 1867 Robert W. Holbrook March 17, 1870 John L. Rutherford June 26, 1874 Name of office changed to Mount Vernon, Franklin County, September 21, 1875. Postmaster Appointed John L. Rutherford September 21, 1875 H.S. Johnson August 21, 1882 J.D. Roach March 12, 1883 Cynthia G. Parker August 14, 1883 Joseph H. Russell October 28, 1889 Thomas J. McDonough June 29, 1892 Mary E. Hill August 11, 1893 William J. Kyle September 11, 1897 Wesley C. Parchman April 11, 1902 James W. Bradford March 31, 1908 W.J. Moore August 25, 1916 Edgar R. Stripling June 4, 1920 Marion Zecker (A) October 1, 1924 Marion Zecker December 10, 1924 Arthur C. Moffett (A) June 30, 1933 Willie L. Nelson February 10, 1934 Maurice P. Long (A) June 8, 1962 Maurice P. Long May 10, 1963

Majors

Six and one-half miles south of Mount Vernon in north central Franklin County. Named for J.H. Majors, Mount Vernon banker. Postmaster Appointed Benjamin Majors July 11, 1890 Office discontinued November 30, 1906; mail ordered sent to Mount Vernon.

Macon

In northeastern Franklin County five miles west of Monticello, Titus County. Postmaster Appointed Richard W. Hurdle March 26, 1891 John S. Ramsey October 22, 1891 William O. Satterwhite June 23, 1892 Catherine S. Henderson June 30, 1893 John W. Davenport February 19, 1895 Ninnian C. Trantham January 27, 1897 James M. Honeycutt July 31, 1897 George H. Tittle March 16, 1898 John A. Lokey May 12, 1899 Charles E. Lokey December 10, 1902 Dossie E. Thomas August 17, 1905 Office discontinued March 31, 1906; mail ordered sent to Winfield.

Laws

Six miles southwest of Hagansport. Postmaster Appointed John A. Laws October 17, 1883 Allen J. Laws October 31, 1894 Gus D. Miller December 16, 1904 Office discontinued March 31, 1906; mail ordered sent to Sulphur Bluff.

Lavada

Twenty miles northwest of Mount Pleasant, Titus County. Postmaster Appointed David Warner March 15, 1901 Office discontinued June 15, 1907; mail ordered sent to Hagansport.

Hopewell

Langston name of post office.Five miles southeast of Mount Vernon. Postmaster Appointed Samuel W. Langston December 11, 1885 Office discontinued January 13, 1887; mail ordered sent to Mount Vernon.

Hagansport

In northern Franklin County twelve miles north of Mount Vernon at a Sulphur River crossing. A trading post in 1878, it was first called Hagan’s Port for an early area settler. Postmaster Appointed James L. Clampitt November 10, 1857 Name of office changed to Palmers Bridge, October 8, 1866. Postmaster Appointed Melvina A. Love October 8, 1866 Office discontinued July 29, 1868.Office reestablished under name of Hagansport, July 10, 1876. Postmaster Appointed F.M. Sims July 10, 1876 Moses H. Leake April 27, 1877 William M. Strebeck July 15, 1878 D.M.F. Benham October 7, 1878 William M. Strebeck January 8, 1879 John A. Pike September 24, 1879 Thad W. Pool October 2, 1885 Sarah I. Evans August 14, 1889 Andrew B. Henry June 9, 1892 Gideon F. Musick May 9, 1900 William E. Tower April 27, 1911 Jewell Williams (A) December 19, 1926 Dewey F. Tillery (A) February 9, 1927 Dewey F. Tillery June 2, 1927 Mary I. Nichols (A) December 12, 1927 Mary I. Nichols March 12, 1928 Office discontinued July 15, 1929; mail ordered sent to Talco.

Grayrock

Six miles east of Mount Vernon.Office established in Titus County, under name of Gray Rock. Postmaster Appointed Robert Jones November 10, 1848 John C. Stewart November 13, 1849 George B. Clifton December 12, 1850 John P. Ofiel December 9, 1852 Benjamin L. Blake October 3, 1854 B.L. Blake July 12, 1861* Frances Casey April 17, 1866 Nancy J. Mayfield August 13, 1866 Charlotte Warnock June 21, 1867 Joel D. Claunch March 31, 1869 John E. Carr December 20, 1870 Dr. Franklin McLemore March 26, 1874 J.W. Teague September 26, 1882 Office changed into Franklin County, date not shown. Postmaster Appointed Samuel M. Speer December 2, 1885 Cornelius Orrill November 18, 1891 Name of office changed to Grayrock, March 26, 1895. Postmaster Appointed John T. Garner March 26, 1895 Office discontinued January 1, 1906; mail ordered sent to Winfield, Titus County, Texas.

Francis

Five miles north of Scroggins. Postmaster Appointed William J. Francis June 19, 1901 Joseph E. Eastridge October 22, 1902 Office discontinued June 15, 1906; mail ordered sent to Leesburg.

Etna

Three and one-half miles south of Mount Vernon. Postmaster Appointed Jesey F. Bedgood November 4, 1901 Office discontinued July 15, 1905; mail ordered sent to Mount Vernon.

Daphne

In eastern Franklin County eight miles northeast of Mount Vernon on the Titus County line. Settled about 1850, it is now a ghost community. PostmasterAppointed Joseph E. Gibson March 16, 1895 James A. Milstead September 11, 1895 Bryant J. Taylor February 21, 1901 John T. Edwards March 5, 1902 John R. Fleming September 18, 1902 Office discontinued February 14, 1906; mail ordered sent to Winfield, Titus County.

Cypress

Named for Cypress Creek. An agricultural community on a mail route from Winnsboro.