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History of Deweyville
Deweyville was known by several names early in its history. According to an early 1839 map, this area was known as Princeton. It kept this name until the early 1880s, when it was called Drake’s Landing after a man that ran a ferry. Then in the 1890s it became known as Possum Bluff. Apparently, the early settlers found an abundance of possums when they moved into the area.
In 1898, the town was named Deweyville after the Spanish American war hero Admiral Dewey. The population of Deweyville in 1900 was 500 and a post office was established at that time.
Deweyville became a sawmill town with the first mill owned by the Newton County Lumber Company, who later sold their holdings to the Smythe Brothers. The Sabine Tram Company then bought out the Smythe Brothers, and they became the main industry until 1919. On September 1, 1919, they sold their company to the Peavy-Moore Lumber Company.
The mills were said to be some of the largest in the South and the majority of the people living in the town worked for the sawmill and its holdings. Deweyville was a “company” town at that time because the Peavy-Moore Lumber Company owned and ruled the town. They owned the buildings in the town, the railroad, the stores, the hotels, and the homes of the workers.
In 1942 one of the main sections of the mill burned, and then in 1944, the remainder of the mill and several of its businesses burned. The Saltz Liquidating Sales Company disposed of the sawmill’s property, and the people of the town had the opportunity to buy their homes at this time. A few of the “sawmill” homes still exist today. Deweyville’s population decreased dramatically at this time, as people began moving out because of the lack of jobs. Deweyville almost became a “ghost town” as it had only a few inhabitants that stayed in the area.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the building of refineries and shipyards and the population growth of Orange and Beaumont led to an increase in the population of Deweyville. People began moving back to Deweyville because of its close proximity to the surrounding towns. Today, the population is increasing again, as new businesses are coming in and new homes are being built.
History of Deweyville ISD
The first school in Deweyville was opened in the fall of 1898. The school was erected on property owned by the Sabine-Tram Lumber Company. It was a small one-room structure located about 200 yards from the site of the present-day Deweyville Elementary School. It operated for 1 year, and then a larger school building was built on the present-day elementary school grounds. It served grades 1 through high school. In 1906, the school was part of the Newton County School District and was called School District No. 25. In 1916, there were 207 students in school. Additional buildings were added to the campus as attendance grew.
Deweyville school students come not only from the town of Deweyville, but also from the surrounding communities of Hartburg and Devil’s Pocket. In 1905 the first school in Hartburg was constructed on the land where the present-day Oak Grove Church is located. In 1907 they had 47 students. Then in 1914, a new school was built across the tracks from the old school. Hartburg’s school consolidated with Deweyville on April 6, 1929. The school at Devil’s Pocket was located behind the present-day Baptist Missionary Church. On April 19, 1930, the Devil’s Pocket school also consolidated with Deweyville. In 1930 there were 467 students in the district.
Today, the school system is known as the Deweyville Independent School District and consists of 3 campuses. The construction of the present day elementary school building began in the spring of 1949. The middle school was built in the late 1970s by the high school building trades department. Construction of the present day high school began in 1960 and was completed in 1961. As the school enrollment has increased, additional buildings have been added to each campus. Extensive renovation of all the buildings has been implemented to meet the needs of the students.
In 2002, the citizens of Deweyville passed a bond election to build a new high school. The school will be located at 171 Hwy. 12 West. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 26, 2003, and construction for the new school has already begun. Built to meet the needs of the students now and those in the future, the school is unique in that all its departments, offices, the gyms, and the classrooms will be under one roof.