Lillard

Lillard is on State Highway Spur 498 three miles east of Silsbee and twenty-three miles north of Beaumont in eastern Hardin County. The Yellow Pine Tie and Lumber Company established a sawmill at Lillard in 1898, three years after the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway had opened the densely forested area to lumbermen. The Lillard mill, which had a daily cutting capacity of 40,000 board feet, was acquired by John Henry Kirby as part of his massive takeover of East Texas mills in 1902. However, the Lillard operations were soon discontinued as nearby Silsbee took on new importance in the lumber trade. The Lillard post office was established in 1899 and discontinued in 1904. Lillard voters were to cast their ballots at Silsbee in the future. Only a few scattered dwellings remain.