Quitman is home to a quality of life envied by many. The gentle hills of Northeast Texas, nestled among pine and hardwoods shade the more delicate dogwoods that show their white and pink blossoms each spring. As county seat, Quitman is home to the Wood County Courthouse, one of the most photographed landmarks in Wood County.
Ours is a simpler way of life in a more complex time. The hometown feeling of Quitman is just down the road apiece from beautiful lakes for outdoor recreation, as well as the best shopping, medical care and entertainment. Quitman is home to the Dogwood Fiesta & Old Settlers Reunion, annual events that bring thousands of visitors to our community each spring and summer.
We have a prime location in beautiful Northeast Texas for industrial and business development because of our access to major routes in all directions. Quitman is home to Wood County Electric Cooperative and Peoples Telephone Cooperative, two of the areas largest employers. The many recreational activities, excellent, friendly churches, combined with a labor force that offers the best of "East Texas" work ethic are resources not often found.
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Quitman, the site selected for the county seat of Wood County, was founded in 1850 and named for John Anthony Quitman. John A. Quitman was governor of Mississippi in 1850 and one of the most prominent citizens in the United States. During its first year as county seat, Quitman attracted an influx of immigrants from the Southern States and became the trading center for the county. For a time it was the only post office. The post office was established October 1851 with Howard Keys as the first postmaster. Keys was one of the first merchants in town. |
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Quitman is the proud home of actress, Sissy Spacek. Born Mary Elizabeth Spacek on December 25th, either in 1949 or 1950, in Quitman, Texas, she became a very popular actress during the 1970's and 1980's. She began with hopes to become a singer, and did sing at coffee houses around New York. Acting won out though and she finally enrolled at the Lee Strasberg Theatrical Institute. Spacek is married to director Jack Fisk and has two children, Schuyler (who appeared in The Babysitters Club movie) and Madison. In addition to her Oscar nominations and award, she has also won awards, or been nominated for awards, for the following movies: Carrie, 3 Women, Coal Miner's Daughter, Missing, The River, and Crimes of the Heart. |
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James Stephen Hogg or Jim Hogg (March 24, 1851 - March 3, 1906), Texas lawyer and statesman. He was the attorney-general from 1886 to 1891 and the first native Governor of Texas from 1891 to 1895. Hogg was a follower of the conservative New South Creed which became popular following the U.S. Civil War, however he was also associated with populism. Hogg is often remembered for naming his daughter Ima Hogg, an odd name which derived from a poem written by James' brother. After his governorship ended, he retired from public office but not from political life. He continued to work against the government corruption he believed was at the center of public woes. He spoke on behalf of William Jennings Bryan in Tammany Hall in 1900 and honored President Theodore Roosevelt in Dallas in 1905. He moved to Houston, Texas and started a new practice there that he continued at until the end of his life. |
