Edgewood, Texas

Settlers from the eastern states arrived around 1840, and the community was called Barren Ridge from the 1840s into the 1870s. It was renamed when the Texas and Pacific Railroad came through. A depot stood by 1874, and the town plat was filed on November 30, 1875, according to the Handbook of Texas. A third wave of settlers from Mississippi and Alabama arrived around 1890, the year the population reached 650. Edgewood incorporated in 1913.

Early Edgewood had gristmills, cotton gins, hotels and general stores. By the 1920s it had added canning, broom and basket factories. The Handbook of Texas says the town became known as "the Tomato Capital of East Texas" and held annual tomato festivals. The 1960 discovery of the Northeast Gas Field gave the local economy a new lift.

Heritage Park Museum of East Texas was founded in 1976. The museum says it has more than 20 authentically restored and furnished structures representing rural East Texas life from the 1800s to the 1920s. The Texas Historical Commission's atlas lists its address as 103 East Elm Street. The museum's site lists hours as Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon, so check before you go.

The Edgewood Heritage Festival is held on the second Saturday of November. The museum lists the 2026 festival for Saturday, November 14, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It features classic cars, antique tractors, mini bike races, blacksmithing, model trains, arts and crafts, food vendors, a pinto bean cook-off, children's activities and live music.

Edgewood ISD has about 1,000 students on four campuses: Edgewood Elementary, Edgewood Intermediate, Edgewood Middle and Edgewood High School. Those figures come from the Texas Tribune's schools explorer, which draws on state data.