Big Sandy, Texas

The Handbook of Texas says the Texas and Pacific Railway arrived in 1873. The narrow-gauge Tyler Tap railroad followed around 1880. A switch was built where the two lines met near Big Sandy Creek, and it became known as Big Sandy Switch, after the creek. A post office opened in 1875.

By 1885 the town, by then called Big Sandy, had about 500 residents, several stores and saloons, Baptist and Methodist churches, and a school. By 1900 it had two banks, a cotton market and a weekly newspaper, the Times. Big Sandy incorporated on June 21, 1926.

City Hall is at 119 E. Gilmer St.

Big Sandy ISD serves the town, and its teams are the Wildcats. In 1973, 1974 and 1975, the Wildcats won three straight Class B state football championships (the 1974 title was shared with Celina).

KLTV marked the 50th anniversary of the 1975 team in October 2025. That team gave up only 15 points in 14 games. Two players went on to the NFL:

• Lovie Smith. He later became head coach of the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans.
• David Overstreet. He was a first-round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins.

The Big Sandy Chamber of Commerce lists these annual events:

• Community Easter Egg Hunt
• 4th of July Parade
• Fall Heritage Festival
• Christmas Parade
• Chamber Awards Banquet. The 40th was held February 26, 2026.

The Chamber also sponsors a Miss Big Sandy each year. It usually meets the second Monday of each month at noon, together with the Big Sandy Rotary.

Approximate drive distances and times:

• Hawkins: about 6 miles west, roughly 10 minutes.
• Gladewater: about 10 miles east.
• Gilmer: about 15 miles northeast, roughly 20 minutes.
• Tyler: about 22 miles, roughly 30 minutes.
• Longview: about 22 miles, roughly 30–35 minutes.

Lake Hawkins is the closest public lake. Texas Parks and Wildlife places it 4 miles northwest of Hawkins in Wood County. The 633-acre lake on Little Sandy Creek was impounded in 1962 and is managed by Wood County. TPWD rates its largemouth bass, chain pickerel and sunfish fishing as good, and says the best bass come from the upper end of the lake.