Historical Marker
Hagerville Community
Marker installed: 1979
Kentuckian James Henry Hager (1822-1879) and his wife Naoma (Clark) came to Texas in the 1840s. Hager, a farmer and cabinet maker, opened a blacksmith shop and mill in Houston County. The Nacogdoches-to-Navasota stage and mail road ran beside his log home. Hager's son, James Polk, began a post office in 1891 and named the area "Hagersville". Another son, W.J.(Bill) donated land for a schoolhouse that was used for worship. Many residents moved closer to the sawmills and the post office closed in 1905. Business declined but the Community retains its identity.
The first oil well in the United States was drilled in Texas in 1859. The discovery of oil transformed the economy of the state and helped to make Texas one of the wealthiest states in the nation.