Brookston

Brookston is at the intersection of Farm roads 38, 1506, 1509, and the Missouri Pacific Railroad, just south of U.S. Highway 82 and five miles west of Paris in west central Lamar County. The town, originally part of the Zachariah Westfall survey, was established in 1870; it became the temporary terminus of the Texas and Pacific Railway when completion of the road was delayed during the panic of 1873. The post office was established that year and named for A. D. Brooks, owner of the land. By 1884 the population had reached 100, and Brookston was an important cotton-shipping point. Contemporary businesses included two general stores, a steam-powered cotton gin, a corn mill, a saloon, and a Western Union telegraph office. Mail arrived daily. Citizens numbered 500 in 1890. A new cotton gin was soon opened, as well as two more general stores, four groceries, a blacksmith shop, a butcher shop, a drugstore, a candy emporium, and a wagonmaking establishment. Within two years three churches were established, and residents acquired access to a telephone exchange. The major new commercial enterprise was Mrs. M. Hemphill's hotel. Municipal officials included Constable A. R. Bryant and Justice of the Peace C. G. Hunt. The school had been organized by 1896, when ninety-nine students were enrolled. It had two teachers.