Henderson County was formed in 1846 from the division of Houston and Nacogdoches counties. The county was named for J. Pinckey Henderson, first Governor of Texas, who was in office when the county was created.
Rolling hills mark the terrain of the county and 32% is forested. There is drainage to the Neches and the Trinity Rivers. Clay, loam and sandy soils make up the county. Oil, gas, sand, gravel and clays are produced here as well.
The county seat of Henderson County, Athens was established by an act of the Texas Legislature in 1850 on a one square mile site of land donated by Matthew Cartwright. The city was incorporated in 1856. However, through a mischievous prank by several citizens, the incorporation was abolished.
E. J. Thompson, County Clerk of Henderson County is credited with being the first citizen of Athens. Mrs. Dull Averiette named Athens in honor of Athens Greece. Mrs. Averiette felt the town would become the cultural center of the county. An interesting sequence of Mrs. Averiette's prophecy is that the new high school is now located in the exact spot on the tree shaded hill where the original Averiette home was built before the War between the states. This large rustic home burned many years ago and the Athens Public School System purchased the site, which included some 30 acres. Today, there are several new school buildings and sports fields located where the original homestead once stood. The Averiette family lived there until the late twenties when the grandsons of Mrs. Averiette moved to California.
Beef, cattle, poultry, and dairying are chief farm enterprises. Athens is known as the “Black-Eyed Pea Capital.” Nursery stock, timber, fruits, and vegetables are sources of income with some commercial fish farming.
Athens is fast becoming a center of industry as well, with new plants of varied manufacture and process moving to our area annually and providing a profitable means of income for many families who formerly had to depend on more rural enterprises for their livelihoods.
The climate of Athens would be called temperate. Altitude ranges from 300 to 600 feet; annual rainfall averages 40.4 inches; January temperature averages 37 degrees and July temperature averages 97 degrees. We have many large lakes in our county, some are very near the city, and we are noted for our recreational advantages provided by these many lakes. Because of the temperate climate, location and natural beauty, Athens has become a prime location for retirement and is noted as such in a major nationwide publication.
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