London

London is at the junction of State highways 42 and 323, ten miles northwest of Henderson in northwestern Rusk County. Supposedly named by English settlers, the original London townsite, later called Old London, was settled around 1850. The first postmaster, Edward Vinzent, was appointed in 1852, and he began work in what was then known as Bunker Hill. In 1855 the name of the post office was changed to London. The International and Great Northern Railroad was built through Rusk County in 1874, missing London by less than three miles and causing some of the London population to move to Overton on the railroad. Nonetheless, a school district was established in the London area in 1877. With the discovery of the East Texas oilfield around 1930, a new community, called New London, sprang up two miles from the old London site. This community gradually outstripped the older town. A new school was built at the Humble Oil camp just north of New London. When both this school and the old school at London had been outgrown by the sudden rise in population, they were replaced in 1933 by a larger school about halfway between the Humble camp and London; the school district continued to be called London. The school property produced twenty oil wells. The population of London dropped from 1,000 in 1940 to 400 by 1945; during that time the number of rated businesses decreased from fifteen to two. The population was reported at 400 until the mid-1960s, after which population statistics were no longer available for the town.

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Megan Biesele | © 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

London is part of or belongs to the following places:

Currently Exists

No

Place type

London is classified as a Town

Associated Names

  • [Old-]
  • (Bunker Hill)
  • (Norfolk)

Location

Latitude: 32.23098920
Longitude: -94.94438390

Has Post Office

No

Is Incorporated

No