Rusk

The Texas Legislature established the town by an act of April 11, 1846, naming it for General Thomas Jefferson Rusk. Commissioners had first wanted Cook's Fort, but its owner would not sell, so they bought a 100-acre tract from James F. Timmons for $600, deeded on April 13, 1847. The courthouse began as a log dogtrot cabin, and the town was laid out on a grid around a central square. A post office was authorized on March 8, 1847, and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was organized that May.

What the plaque says

Rusk Founded 1846. Named for Republic of Texas Statesman Thomas J. Rusk. Industrial site and supply depot in the Civil War. Birthplace of Texas governors James S. Hogg, Thomas M. Campbell. City and county rich in historical sites marked for visitors. (1963)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Caddo Mounds State Historic Site — 15 mi
  Three earthen mounds of an ancestral Caddo village and ceremonial center on the old El Camino Real, settled about A.D. 800 and still sacred to Caddo people, with a grass house and visitor center.
• Texas State Railroad Excursion Train — 25 mi
  A round trip of about 25 miles of track between the Palestine and Rusk depots through the Piney Woods, on a line built by prison labor and reopened as a tourist railroad in 1976.

More markers nearby

• The Rusk Cherokeean — 0.8 mi
• Site of Rusk Public School No. 2 for African Americans — 0.9 mi
• Cherokee County C.S.A. — 0.9 mi
• Bachelor Girl's Library Club — 0.9 mi