Hankamer

Product photo
Promotion: Nearby Map of Chambers County

Hankamer is at the junction of State Highway 61 and Farm Road 1663, forty miles southwest of Beaumont in northern Chambers County. It was named for pioneer settler I. A. Hankamer. In 1900 the Hankamer-Stowell Canal Company (see FARMERS CANAL COMPANY) began irrigating large quantities of rice in Chambers County, thus bringing about fundamental change for area residents. The Hankamer post office was established four years later. The population remained small, however, until the discovery of the Hankamer oilfield in adjacent Liberty County in 1929. By the mid-1930s Hankamer had 200 residents and four businesses. The R. H. Harlow sawmill provided additional employment. Subsequent exploration opened new oil and gas fields in the Hankamer vicinity, although the widely scattered community's population was estimated at less than 200 in 1970. Six businesses served Hankamer residents in 1983. In 1990 the population was 189, and in 2000 it was 525.

Continue Reading

Robert Wooster | © TSHA

Handbook of Texas Logo

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

Hankamer is part of or belongs to the following places:

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Hankamer is classified as a Town

Location

Latitude: 29.85827550
Longitude: -94.62686180

Has Post Office

Yes

Is Incorporated

No

Population Count, 2014

226