Phelps
Phelps is on Farm Road 2296 just south of U.S. Highway 190 and six miles
east of Huntsville in eastern Walker County. The community developed
around a depot and telegraph station established by the Houston and
Great Northern Railroad in the early 1870s and was probably named for
the Phelps-Dodge Construction Company, which built the railroad. A post
office was established at the site in 1874, and around that time the
community had a hotel, a general store, a church, and a school. Soon a
spur, connecting at Phelps, joined the larger community of Huntsville to
the rail line. Sawmills began operation nearby. More than 100 families
worked in the mills, and most of them lived in Phelps. The community
grew from a reported population of twenty-five in 1890 to more than 300
by 1914. By the late 1930s the sawmills had ceased operation, and the
community comprised only one business and scattered dwellings and
churches. In 1950 Phelps had two local businesses and 100 citizens. Its
post office closed in March 1964. In 1990 Phelps had ninety-eight
residents and two churches. The population remained the same in 2000. TSHA
Texas State Historical Association
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/phelps-tx
Texas Escapes
http://texasescapes.com/EastTexasTowns/Phelps-Texas.htm
TX Almanac
https://www.texasalmanac.com/places/phelps-0