In Search of Concord
  • Introduction
  • The Top 5
  • The Northeast
    • Concord, Vermont >
      • East Concord, VT
      • North Concord, VT
    • Concord, Maine
    • Concord, Staten Island, NY
    • East Concord, NY
    • New Concord, NY
    • Concord, Erie Co. NY
    • Concord, New Hampshire
    • Concord MA
  • The Mid-Atlantic
    • Concord, North Carolina >
      • Concord, Iredell Co., North Carolina
      • Concord, Person Co., North Carolina
      • Concord, Randolph Co., North Carolina
      • Concord, Rutherford Co., North Carolina
      • Concord, Samson Co., North Carolina
    • The Four Concords of Pennsylvania >
      • Concord Township, PA
      • Old Concord, PA
      • Concord, Butler Co. PA
      • Concord, Erie CO. PA
    • The Four Concords of Virginia >
      • Concord, Virginia, Stafford Co.
      • Concord, Brunswick Co. Virginia
      • Concord, Gloucester Co., Virginia
      • Concord, Virginia, Appomattox and Campbell Co.
    • Concord, Wilmington Co, Delaware
    • Concord, Seaford Co.Delaware
    • The Three Concords of West Virginia >
      • Concord, Hampshire County, West Virginia
      • Concord University, West Virginia
      • Concord, Preston Co. West Virginia
    • The last trip -Concords of VA, NC, WV and PA
    • Hurricane Hellene
  • The Upper Midwest
    • Concord, Michigan
    • The Three Concords of Minnesota >
      • West Concord, Minnesota
      • Concord, Minnesota
      • Concord Neighborhood, Minnesota
    • The Eight Concords of Ohio >
      • Concord TWP Lake Co, Ohio
      • Concord Highland Co., Ohio
      • Concord, Miami Co., Ohio
      • Concord Campaign Co., Ohio
      • New Concord, Ohio
      • Concord Fayette Co., Ohio
      • Concord, Delaware Co, Ohio
      • Concord, Ross Co., Ohio
    • Concords of Indiana >
      • Concord, Indiana Dekalb Co.
      • Concord, Indiana (Elkhart Co.)
      • Concord, Indiana, Tippicanoe Co.
    • The four Concords of Illinois >
      • Concord, Illinois, Adams Co.
      • Concord, Illinois, Morgan Co.
      • Concord, Iroquois Co., Illinois
      • Concord, Bureau Co., Illinois
    • Concord, Wisconsin
    • Concord, South Dakota
    • Trip wrap Upper Midwest sweep
  • The South
    • #4 Concord, Tennessee >
      • Concord TN (Second trip)
    • #5 Concord, Alabama
    • #6 Concord, Louisiana
    • Concord, South Carolina
    • Concord, Florida
    • The Six Concord of Georgia >
      • Concord, Pike Co., Georgia
      • Concord Sumner Co., Georgia
      • Concord Covered Bridge, Cobb Co., Georgia
      • Concord, Walker Co., Georgia
      • Concord, Forsyth Co., Georgia
      • Concord, Cummings, Georgia
    • The Three Concords of Kentucky >
      • Concord, Paducah, Kentucky
      • New Concord, Kentucky
      • Concord, Kentucky
  • The Heartland
    • The Concords of Iowa (/17/20-1/21/20 >
      • Concord, Dubuque Co., Iowa
    • Concord, Arkansas
    • Concord, Nebraska
    • The Four Concords of Missouri >
      • Concord, Liberty Township., Callaway Co., Missouri
      • The Concord Neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri
      • Concord, Penobscot Co., Missouri
      • Concord, Washington Co. Missouri
    • Two Concords of Kansas >
      • Concord, Ford Co. Kansas
      • Concord, Ottawa Co., Kansas
  • Texas
  • The West
    • Concord, California
    • Concord, Idaho >
      • Concord Idaho story
      • Ways to die in Concord, Idaho
  • SEARCH BAR
  • Concord, Massachusetts

The 13 Concords of Texas

Sprinkled generously throughout East Texas, there are 13 separate communities that are, or were once, called "Concord."  How is this possible? Well, each of these Concords is in a different county.  Often when I told a Texan Concordian about my project, they would smile and say, "I think there is another town named Concord," and I would rather smugly reply, "No....  There are 12 others!" 

Why so many Concords in this area?  It is hard to say except that back in the 1820's - 1860's when most of these towns were established, there was poor communication and transportation in the area, so it didn't really matter that there was another Concord 50 miles away. While some settlers had direct links to Concords in other states,  the popularity of the name may also have been due to the general sense of optimism of the original settlers.   Finally, I think it is also safe to say that Concord, Massachusetts was the most famous town in America at the time.  I have a theory that there was a direct link to Massachusetts by way of a roving rogue minister, but I need to nail down a few more of the details.

While each of these 13 communities has seen better days, the current inhabitants all seem to love their town of Concord.  I hope the following pictures and stories will give you a flavor for each.  You can click on the below links or on the map of East Texas to bring you to a short description of the town and my adventures there.

​1. Concord, Anderson County  (The Miracle of Concord)
2. Concord, AngeLina County, (Under the Sam Rayburn Reservoir)
3. Concord, Cherokee County - (the cemetery Homecoming)
4. Concord, Houston County, ( the lost town)
5. Concord, Hunt County, (One House and a Sea of Concrete)
6. Concord, Leon County (The Post Office)
- Concord, Leon County, (Buster's Bargain Barn)
- Concord, Leon County, (Mr. Billy Pipes).
7. Concord, Liberty County (Sam Houston and the First Concord Baptist Church)
8. Concord, Madison County (The Old Concord Lane)
9. Concord, McLennan County ("Good Evening" "Might Be. Depends who's asking.")
- Concord, McLennan County       (The Sudbury Twins)
10. Concord, Rusk County, (Scary Riding)
- Concord, Rusk County, (The Concord Massacre)
-Concord, Rusk County (100 years Old on a motorcycle)
Images from Concord, Rusk County Texas
- Concord, Rusk County, (The RosenWald Schools)
11. Concord, Henderson County (MS Marjie Reynolds)
12. Concord, Upshur County (The Fire)
13. Concord, Wood County (Revival?)

The hunt for the lost Concord - Hunt County

7/13/2017

4 Comments

 
Picture
Excuse the pun, but the the hunt was on.
I had driven about 400 miles and had stopped in Concords in Upshur and Wood counties, but the Concord in Hunt County was the last of the 13.  Someone had introduced me by saying that my "bucket list was to visit all the places named Concord in East Texas." I guess that was true and yes, I have to admit that's a pretty strange bucket list.
I wasn't optimistic about what I was going to find in Hunt County.  The only reference to this Concord was a small entry in the Handbook of Texas On-line:

"CONCORD, TEXAS (Hunt County). Concord is at the intersection of State Highway 66 and Farm Road 3211, just southwest of Greenville in central Hunt County. The first available population statistics indicate that ten persons lived there in 1936, when two local businesses were in operation. Concord's population was reported as 100 from the 1940s through the mid-1960s, and three businesses operated at the community for the first part of this period. From the 1970s to 2000 Concord reported a population of thirty."
​

That wasn't much to go on.  A prolonged search on Google maps showed me nothing.  There were no listed businesses, no old articles, no sign of a church or a school in the area.  By this time, I was used to making meaning out of not much information.  None of the 13 Concords of Texas had more than 200 residents.  Some were just a church and a cemetery at a crossroads (see Wood, Upshur, Henderson and Liberty counties).  One Concord were just a graveyard (Houston County).  One was underwater (Angelina County).  One was just a old street sign (Madison County) However in Hunt County I had nothing to go on.
Concord in Hunt County came as advertised.



PictureA whole bunch of flat nothing, where Concord should have stood.
​

Picture
360 degrees of nothing.....
I drove around.  
I walked down a driveway and found an old swimming hole and an abandoned garage or store.
​There was only one older house with a pickup truck.  I wandered outside it for a while, but I probably had a shotgun trained on me the whole time.
It was getting dark, starting to rain, so I headed home.

Picture
​There was only one motivation to go to Hunt County.  
This was the last one - the final Concord in Texas - #13.
I am great one for completing seemingly senseless tasks. You should see me weed the grass. It would have driven me nuts if I'd skipped this Concord in Texas.   It was a three hour drive back to my bed and breakfast.  Today, I had gained no great insights, had met no interesting people and had gathered no amusing tales, but after nearly 3000 miles I had completed my challenge.  




A post script to this visit to the lost Concord.  

​When I went to type up this tale, I googled "Concord, Hunt County" and on page two of the results came up  "Old Concord Baptist Church" northeast of Greenville.  As far as I can tell, this was the oldest church in Hunt County, founded in 1844.  By 1885, the church had moved many times and it found its current home about 5 miles from where I think Concord used to be. 
Picture
A roadside marker outside the church hints at Concord's former importance:
CONCORD BAPTIST CHURCH
OLDEST INSTITUTION IN
HUNT COUNTY. ORGANIZED 1844
BY REV. BEN WATSON UNDER
A TREE NEAR SHADY GROVE.
FIRST BUILDING ERECTED
NEAR THAT SPOT. SEVERAL
MOVES LATER, CONGREGATION
SETTLED ON THIS SITE, 1885.
CONCORD HELPED ORGANIZE
TEXAS BAPTIST CONVENTION
IN 1848.
Oh heck... does this mean I have to go back?
4 Comments
Elijah Ramos link
8/7/2024 11:22:52 am

Great idea man thanks keep it up all the time. am very happy to see your standard.

Reply
John Meadows link
8/7/2024 11:23:44 am

We absolutely love your blog and find almost all of your post’s to
be just what I’m looking for. Does one offer guest
writers to write content available for you?

Reply
Alvin Owens link
8/7/2024 03:10:37 pm

While certain pilgrims had direct connections to Harmonies in different states, the prevalence of the name may likewise have been because of the general feeling of idealism the first pioneers had.

Reply
Kathy DiGiacomo link
8/31/2024 10:29:03 pm

Hi,
Regarding the Concord Baptist Church in Hunt County, that was Est. in 1844, we actually just purchased a home that was this church, that was moved to a new location. I was looking up info on it and found your blog. Once we close on the home, if you would like to chat about the home please contact me!

Reply



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  • Introduction
  • The Top 5
  • The Northeast
    • Concord, Vermont >
      • East Concord, VT
      • North Concord, VT
    • Concord, Maine
    • Concord, Staten Island, NY
    • East Concord, NY
    • New Concord, NY
    • Concord, Erie Co. NY
    • Concord, New Hampshire
    • Concord MA
  • The Mid-Atlantic
    • Concord, North Carolina >
      • Concord, Iredell Co., North Carolina
      • Concord, Person Co., North Carolina
      • Concord, Randolph Co., North Carolina
      • Concord, Rutherford Co., North Carolina
      • Concord, Samson Co., North Carolina
    • The Four Concords of Pennsylvania >
      • Concord Township, PA
      • Old Concord, PA
      • Concord, Butler Co. PA
      • Concord, Erie CO. PA
    • The Four Concords of Virginia >
      • Concord, Virginia, Stafford Co.
      • Concord, Brunswick Co. Virginia
      • Concord, Gloucester Co., Virginia
      • Concord, Virginia, Appomattox and Campbell Co.
    • Concord, Wilmington Co, Delaware
    • Concord, Seaford Co.Delaware
    • The Three Concords of West Virginia >
      • Concord, Hampshire County, West Virginia
      • Concord University, West Virginia
      • Concord, Preston Co. West Virginia
    • The last trip -Concords of VA, NC, WV and PA
    • Hurricane Hellene
  • The Upper Midwest
    • Concord, Michigan
    • The Three Concords of Minnesota >
      • West Concord, Minnesota
      • Concord, Minnesota
      • Concord Neighborhood, Minnesota
    • The Eight Concords of Ohio >
      • Concord TWP Lake Co, Ohio
      • Concord Highland Co., Ohio
      • Concord, Miami Co., Ohio
      • Concord Campaign Co., Ohio
      • New Concord, Ohio
      • Concord Fayette Co., Ohio
      • Concord, Delaware Co, Ohio
      • Concord, Ross Co., Ohio
    • Concords of Indiana >
      • Concord, Indiana Dekalb Co.
      • Concord, Indiana (Elkhart Co.)
      • Concord, Indiana, Tippicanoe Co.
    • The four Concords of Illinois >
      • Concord, Illinois, Adams Co.
      • Concord, Illinois, Morgan Co.
      • Concord, Iroquois Co., Illinois
      • Concord, Bureau Co., Illinois
    • Concord, Wisconsin
    • Concord, South Dakota
    • Trip wrap Upper Midwest sweep
  • The South
    • #4 Concord, Tennessee >
      • Concord TN (Second trip)
    • #5 Concord, Alabama
    • #6 Concord, Louisiana
    • Concord, South Carolina
    • Concord, Florida
    • The Six Concord of Georgia >
      • Concord, Pike Co., Georgia
      • Concord Sumner Co., Georgia
      • Concord Covered Bridge, Cobb Co., Georgia
      • Concord, Walker Co., Georgia
      • Concord, Forsyth Co., Georgia
      • Concord, Cummings, Georgia
    • The Three Concords of Kentucky >
      • Concord, Paducah, Kentucky
      • New Concord, Kentucky
      • Concord, Kentucky
  • The Heartland
    • The Concords of Iowa (/17/20-1/21/20 >
      • Concord, Dubuque Co., Iowa
    • Concord, Arkansas
    • Concord, Nebraska
    • The Four Concords of Missouri >
      • Concord, Liberty Township., Callaway Co., Missouri
      • The Concord Neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri
      • Concord, Penobscot Co., Missouri
      • Concord, Washington Co. Missouri
    • Two Concords of Kansas >
      • Concord, Ford Co. Kansas
      • Concord, Ottawa Co., Kansas
  • Texas
  • The West
    • Concord, California
    • Concord, Idaho >
      • Concord Idaho story
      • Ways to die in Concord, Idaho
  • SEARCH BAR
  • Concord, Massachusetts