Colmesneil, TX

Colmesneil is a town in north-central Tyler County, Texas, at U.S. 69 and Farm Road 256, nine miles north of Woodville. It began as a railroad place: the Texas and New Orleans line crossed the area, and in 1881 the Trinity and Sabine Railroad built sixty-six miles of track to Colmesneil. The two lines made the town a county rail center, complete with the only turntable in Tyler County. The neighboring town of Ogden grew around the terminal, and Colmesneil and Ogden consolidated under the Colmesneil name in 1888.

Timber, cattle, and freight followed the tracks. The Yellow Pine Lumber Company ran a sawmill in the 1880s, and Colmesneil shipped cotton and other products from across East Texas. The S. H. Meadows general store was operated by the same family from 1892, making it one of the oldest business landmarks in Tyler County. The tracks began coming out in 1992, yet the depot story is still part of town life: the Colmesneil Train Depot was moved to FM 3065 in 1999, near the W. T. Colmesneil House library and museum. The depot and museum keep the place's rail-and-timber history close to the highway that now carries people through town.