Rattan

Rattan is at the intersection of Farm roads 1530 and 3388, between Doctors and Giles creeks three miles southeast of Pecan Gap in western Delta County. The area was inhabited as early as the 1820s, when a man named Blue built a pole hut, probably as a base from which to trade with the Indians. No community developed, however, until much later in the century. The Rattan post office opened in 1893 just south of the present community site and was named for Cooper postal officer Clarence V. Rattan, who had helped to establish it. McLee Parrish served as first postmaster, and the community at that time had a mill, a gin, and 350 residents. Two years later the Texas Midland Railroad completed a line through nearby Cooper, and many Rattan residents left for the new trade center. The Rattan post office was moved to its present site in 1896, but few additional settlers came to the small community. The Rattan School was established in 1900; by 1905 ninety-nine students were enrolled under two teachers. The post office was discontinued in 1906. In 1931 Rattan had one store, and in 1933 the community reported fifty residents. The 1936 county highway map showed a business, a cemetery, the school, and three churches at the site. Rattan had twenty inhabitants by 1950, and a 1964 map showed a church, a cemetery, and a few dwellings there. By 1970 local children attended classes within the Cooper Independent School District or in the Fannindel system in Fannin County. The community reported ten residents in 1990. The population remained the same in 2000.

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Vista K. McCroskey | © 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

Rattan is part of or belongs to the following places:

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Rattan is classified as a Town

Location

Latitude: 33.41538600
Longitude: -95.78190670

Has Post Office

No

Is Incorporated

No

Population Count, 2009

10