The History of New Boston, Texas
New Boston sits near the center of Bowie County in far northeast Texas, on U.S. Highway 82 about twenty-two miles west of Texarkana. Its story is a classic case of a railroad reshaping the map: when the rails passed four miles north of the old town of Boston, the people of Boston simply built a new town along the tracks and brought their name with them.
Here's how New Boston came to be.
When the Railroad Bypassed Boston
In the summer of 1876, the railroad was being constructed about four miles north of Boston, the established community that had grown up around the Bowie County courthouse. Boston's businessmen saw the danger plainly: a town too far from the tracks would wither. At a mass meeting they chose J. H. Smelser to negotiate with railroad officials and secure a depot.
The effort succeeded. In September 1876, lots were laid out and offered for sale on a hundred acres the railroad had purchased. Because most of the people behind the project came from Boston, they named the new town New Boston. A post office followed in 1877, with L. C. DeMorse as the first postmaster.
A Growing Trade Town
New Boston grew steadily as a farm-trade and shipping center along the rail line. By 1884 it had about 400 residents, two churches, a school, several mills and gins, and its own newspaper, the New Boston Herald, edited by W. W. West. By 1900 the population had reached 762.
Growth was slow but real through the early decades. A short-lived boom in the late 1920s pushed the population from 869 in 1925 to about 1,300 by 1929 before settling back. Through these years New Boston remained a cotton-and-cattle country town, its fortunes tied to the surrounding Bowie County farms and the railroad that gave it life.
The War Years and Modern New Boston
World War II changed everything. Two large military installations were built southeast of New Boston — the Red River Army Depot and the Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant — bringing jobs, workers, and families to the area. The population leapt from about 1,111 in 1940 to 2,688 by 1950, and the town's modern era as a depot community began.
New Boston kept growing in the postwar decades, topping 5,000 residents by 1990. Though the official Bowie County seat remained at Boston (now often called Old Boston), a county courthouse was dedicated in New Boston on March 4, 1986. Today New Boston is a friendly town anchored by the Red River Army Depot, Interstate 30, the New Boston Lions, and its long-running Pioneer Days Festival and Rodeo.
Timeline
1876
With the railroad building four miles north of Boston, town businessmen secure a depot and lay out lots for a new town named New Boston.
1877
A post office is established, with L. C. DeMorse as the first postmaster.
1884
New Boston has about 400 residents, two churches, a school, mills and gins, and the New Boston Herald newspaper.
1929
A short-lived boom raises the population to roughly 1,300.
1940s
The Red River Army Depot and Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant are built southeast of town, sparking rapid growth.
1986
A Bowie County courthouse is dedicated in New Boston, though Boston remains the official county seat.
Notable People
J. H. Smelser
Chosen by Boston's businessmen in 1876 to negotiate with the railroad; his successful effort to secure a depot led directly to the founding of New Boston.
L. C. DeMorse
The first postmaster of New Boston when the post office was established in 1877.
FAQ: History of New Boston
New Boston was founded in 1876 by businessmen from the older town of Boston, who built a new town along the railroad four miles north when the tracks bypassed their community. Because most of those behind the project came from Boston, they named the new town New Boston.
No. The official Bowie County seat remained at Boston, now often called Old Boston, even as New Boston grew larger. A county courthouse was dedicated in New Boston in 1986, but the seat itself stayed at Boston.
During World War II, the Red River Army Depot and Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant were built southeast of New Boston. The jobs they brought drove rapid growth, more than doubling the town's population in the 1940s and reshaping it into a depot community.
New Boston began as a farm-trade and railroad shipping town in cotton-and-cattle country, with mills, gins, churches, a school, and its own newspaper by the 1880s. Its economy was later transformed by the WWII-era Red River Army Depot.
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