Some highlights of the early days of Quitman  4-28-07

Quitman is the oldest town in Wood County, having been organized in 1850. It was named in honor of John Anthony Quitman. He was a lawyer, soldier and politician who was born in Reinbeck, New York in 1799. He was admitted to the bar at the age of 22 and moved to Natchez, Mississippi. In 1827 he became a member of the state legislature and helped draft legislation for a new state militia system.

Quitman moved to Texas in 1836 along with 25 other men to assist Texans in their struggle for independence. He arrived at San Jacinto the day after the battle having marched all the way on foot. He returned to Mississippi where he served the state as brigadier general of volunteers during the Mexican War, helping to capture Mexico with 500 men in an assault on Monterey. Subsequently, he was made governor general by Gen. Winfield Scoot. Quitman later became governor of Mississippi and later was elected to the United States Congress. He died in 1858, before the Civil War.

The first term of the district court in Quitman was presided over by the Hon. Lemeul Dale Evans under the shade of a massive oak tree that at one time stood like a giant on the court house square. Participants sat on rough log benches and it was rumored that it was difficult to get the court to leave off playing cards long enough to attend to business.

Before the court’s next term, citizens had erected a log house on the south side of the square. This log house served for several years until the county was able to build a better one. The exact date is not known as the court house burned in November 1878 and all the records burned with it.

During the administration of Judge Horace Cates a brick structure was built. That building was destroyed in December 1924 and the present court house was subsequently built.

The first school in Quitman was a private school operated by a local preacher. He held classes for three months of the year teaching reading and spelling to the first and second grades. The first school building that was built to serve solely as a school was erected in 1860. It was 20 feet square and heated by a fireplace. Benches were made of rough timber.

Prior to the arrival of the railroads to Mineola, Quitman was the only town in the county. Goods were transported on wagons drawn by teams of oxen. Trade was good until the trains started coming to Mineola. Merchants, doctors, lawyers and hotel keepers from Quitman pulled up stakes and moved their enterprises to Mineola. Quitman, however, remained the county seat, as it is to this day.