Browndell

Browndell is at the junction of Farm Road 1007 and U.S. Highway 96, in extreme northeastern Jasper County eighty-five miles north of Beaumont. The area, in the vast East Texas piney woodlands, became accessible to large-scale lumbering operations with the construction of the Gulf, Beaumont and Great Northern Railway north of Roganville in the early 1900s. The Kirby Lumber Corporation built a sawmill in northeastern Jasper County shortly thereafter, and the mill site was called Browndell in honor of Dell Brown, the wife of one of John Henry Kirby's financial backers. The Browndell post office opened in 1903 and was discontinued in 1928. By 1904 an enthusiastic Kirby Corporation official dubbed the Browndell plant, with kilns, planer, and sawmill, "one of the company's most successful and economic mills." Ten years later the facility, known as Mill S, could reportedly cut 75,000 to 80,000 board feet of lumber every ten hours. The 1925 fire that destroyed the mill threatened the continued existence of the Browndell community. Its population, once estimated to be about 900, fell to below 200 by the mid-1940s. The community's economy was revitalized, however, after the completion of the Sam Rayburn Reservoir opened up new recreational opportunities in the area. Browndell residents voted to incorporate in 1968. By the mid-1980s the community's population had increased to more than 225; in 1990 it was reported as 192. In 2000 the population was 219.

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Belongs to

Browndell is part of or belongs to the following places.

Adopt a Town

The Texas Almanac's Land Rush program lets you adopt the town, county, or lake of your choice and share your message with the world. 100% of the proceeds benefit education in Texas.

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Browndell is classified as a Town

Locations

  • Latitude
    31.12510750
    Longitude
    -93.98013700

Has Post Office

No

Is Incorporated

Yes

Proud to call Texas home?

Put your name on the town, county, or lake of your choice.


Search Places »

Browndell by the Numbers

This is some placeholder text that we should either remove or replace with a brief summary about this particular metric. For example, "We update population counts once per year..."

Population Counts

Browndell
Pop. Year Source
160 2020 United States Census Bureau
204 2019 Texas Demographic Center
197 2010 United States Census Bureau
219 2000 United States Census Bureau
192 1990 United States Census Bureau