Diana

Old Diana, near the junction of Farm Road 726 and U.S. Highway 259, twelve miles east of Gilmer in eastern Upshur County, was first settled in the early 1850s. A Diana post office began operating in 1882, and by 1885 the community had two stream gristmills and cotton gins, two churches, a school, a general store, and an estimated population of fifty. During the 1890s Diana, with a population of nearly 150, was one of the largest towns in eastern Upshur County. After 1900, however, the town began to decline, and in 1909 the post office was closed. When oil was discovered in the 1930s three miles south, most of the residents moved to a site just west of the oilfield and established the town of New Diana. In the mid-1930s Old Diana still had a sawmill, a church, a store, two cemeteries, and a number of houses; but by the mid-1960s only a few houses remained. In 1990 Old Diana was a dispersed rural community with a few scattered residences; Jones Cemetery and Walnut Creek Church were nearby.

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Christopher Long | © TSHA

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

Belongs to

Diana is part of or belongs to the following places:

Currently Exists

No

Place type

Diana is classified as a Town

Associated Names

  • [1]
  • [Old-]
  • (Grange Hill)
  • (Walnut Hill)

Location

Latitude: 32.74069330
Longitude: -94.74326480

Has Post Office

No

Is Incorporated

No