Tuscaloosa (Osceola, Wyser's Bluff)

(Note:  The statement that the town was "briefly known as Osceola, named after John C. Calhoun's plantation in South Carolina." No corroborating evidence was found in historical sources for this specific naming association with Tuscaloosa, Texas. Other sites named Osceola in Texas (e.g., in Hill County) are unrelated and typically reference the Seminole leader.)

Tuscaloosa was located on the Trinity River about 2 miles up the river from Cincinnati;.  It was in the Jonathan Collard Survey of 369 acres.  Gustavas A Wyser acquired one half this property in 1853.  After the title to the land had been passed through several hands.  Wyser's acreage was located on a big bend in the Trinity, and made a good location for a townsite.  When Cincinnati was practically abandoned in 1853 because of the yellow fever epidemic many of the people moved up to Wyser's Bluff, as Tuscaloosa was called at that time.  The town was probably named for Tuscaloosa, Alabama, as settlers from that city were known to have come to Walker County.

When the town was first settled, and then known as Osceola it was thought that there were great possibilities for mining lignite.  The Trinity Mining and Development Company had visions of acquiring riches from this source.  Sam Houston, Henderson Yoakum, thinking well of such possibilities, each bought one-half acre of land in the area.  Nothing ever came of the project, since, for some reason the mining company gave up the project.  After the coming of the railroad the town gradually dwindled away.

Tuscaloosa (also historically known as Wyser's Bluff and Osceola) is a ghost town in northern Walker County, Texas, located approximately 12 miles north of Huntsville, the county seat, on the Trinity River near the home of Samuel Calhoun. It was situated in the Jonathan S. Collard Survey of 369 acres, about 2 miles upriver from the former town of Cincinnati, in a rural area characterized by river bends, wooded terrain, sandy-loam soils, and proximity to the Sam Houston National Forest to the east. The region has a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and mild winters. No remnants of the town exist today, and the site remains unincorporated without formal boundaries, infrastructure, or a post office (which operated briefly from 1858 to 1869). Utilities like electricity are available along nearby roads such as State Highway 19, and any modern residents in the vicinity would attend schools in Huntsville ISD.

Historically, the site was acquired by Gustavas A. Wyser in 1853, initially called Wyser's Bluff due to its position on a big bend in the Trinity River, which provided a natural landing for steamboats. It was briefly known as Osceola, named after John C. Calhoun's plantation in South Carolina. The community was renamed Tuscaloosa in honor of the Alabama city from which many settlers originated. Settlement grew in 1853 when residents fled the yellow fever epidemic in nearby Cincinnati. The town became Walker County's principal port and a busy commercial center until the railroad's arrival in the 1870s diverted trade. A post office operated from 1858 to 1869. Notable figures like Sam Houston and Henderson Yoakum purchased land there, anticipating success from the Trinity Mining and Development Company's lignite mining operations, but the project was abandoned due to poor-quality lignite. As the railroad bypassed the site, residents relocated to nearby Riverside (founded at the railroad-river junction), leading to Tuscaloosa's decline into a ghost town by the late 19th century. No population data or specific businesses are recorded beyond its role in river trade and mining attempts.

No dedicated Tuscaloosa Cemetery is listed in Walker County records. An old, unnamed cemetery exists off to one side of the former town site, with only a few tombstones remaining, likely containing graves of early settlers from the 19th century. Comprehensive Walker County cemetery inventories do not specify this site by name, but nearby burial grounds in the northern area include Billingsley Cemetery, Mount Zion Cemetery (in Galilee, with over 1,000 interments from the 19th century, including Civil War veterans), or Harmony Cemetery (dating to the 1860s with graves of early settlers). These may include interments related to Tuscaloosa families, though no direct ties are documented.

Tuscaloosa in Walker County should not be confused with Tuscaloosa, Alabama (a major city and county seat), or other unrelated sites. No recent social media discussions or news events specific to Tuscaloosa, TX, were identified, beyond occasional regional weather alerts for northern Walker County, such as severe thunderstorms or flooding along the Trinity River.