San Augustine County History
Population 8,473 (2015)
San Augustine County is in extreme East Texas. It is bordered by the Attoyac River on the west, Sabine County on the east, Shelby County to the north, and Sam Rayburn Reservoir to the south. The county comprises 524 square miles of the East Texas Timberlands region. It is covered in pines interspersed with hardwoods, particularly oaks, and some native grasses. The soil varies from light-colored sandy loams over red clay in the north to darker loam-covered clay in the south. Elevation ranges from 164 to 550 feet above mean sea level. Mineral resources include oil, gas, lignite coal, industrial sand, and ceramic clay. Between 21 and 30 percent of the soil is prime farmland. The climate is warm and moist, with annual rainfall averaging forty-eight inches. Temperatures range from an average low of 36 degrees F in January to 94 degrees in July. The first freeze is usually in mid-November and the last in mid-March, providing a 238-day growing season. As both the population and economy developed, county residents realized the need for better more modern facilities. The old courthouse, constructed in 1890, was torn down and replaced in 1927 with a $100,000 stone structure, this would be the county’s third courthouse. San Augustine, remained the county’s largest town, followed by Broaddus. Unincorporated communities included Bland Lake, Denning, Fords Corner, Macune, Norwood, White Rock, and Goodwin.
The mission of the San Augustine County Cooperative Extension is the scientifically based education of local residents in the areas of agriculture, environmental stewardship, youth and adult skills, human capital and leadership, and community economic development. Local Extension agents offer the knowledge resources of the land-grant university system to educate county residents for self-improvement, individual action and community problem solving.
Through this educational process local agents will enhance the productivity and profitability of agricultural producers and improve the stewardship of the environment and our natural resources. Agents will promote, organize and educate citizen leadership and groups to resolve societal issues of concern to local residents. They will promote the intellectual and social growth, responsibility, productivity and self-motivation of youth. They will further assist the residents of this county in taking more responsibility for improving their health, safety, productivity and well-being.
