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Mount Vernon, Texas is a senior vacation and retirement community located in the Piney Woods.

Mount Vernon TX History

Before Europeans arrived, Native American Indians created two important trade routes that crossed through the Mount Vernon area, the Choctaw Trail and the Cherokee Trace. Bankhead Highway, the first transcontinental highway to run across America, follows the route of the Choctaw Trail and is Mount Vernon's Main Street.

Joshua Foster Johnson was the first Anglo settler to come to the area in 1845. The town eventually evolved around a post office established in 1848 by postmaster William Stephen Keith. Stephen and Rebecca Keith gave 24 acres of land to establish the town that was first called “Keith” and later renamed “Lone Star” in 1850. The town’s name officially changed to Mount Vernon in 1875.

In 1875, Mount Vernon was elected county seat of Franklin County in a contested election in which Mt. Vernon supporters ferried voters across the flooded White Oak Creek to get them to the polls. By 1890, Mount Vernon was the major supply and shipping center for the county's farmers. Mount Vernon incorporated in 1910.

Mount Vernon Texas – Small Town Charm In the Piney Woods

Today, Mount Vernon has the distinction of being the smallest populated city in the state of Texas approved as an official Texas Main Street City. The town’s visitor center is in the 1868 home of Henry Clay Thruston, famous as the tallest soldier in the Confederate army at 7 feet 7 inches tall. Many seniors visit Mount Vernon, Texas each year to experience the town’s charm and beauty.