As you drive out to Lufkin through the Davy Crockett National Forest, you know you’re headed somewhere special. If the horizon hidden by trees is not a convincing clue, then getting behind the inevitable logging truck provides confirmation that you are experiencing East Texas. Lufkin’s beautiful and historic downtown offers the opportunity to explore its natural resources and local industry, from museums to lumbering short line railroads.
The forest business developed into a booming industry by the 1880s, when dozens of sawmills made Lufkin and Angelina County the lumber capital of Texas. Between 1890 and 1900, the timber business brought the Lone Star State more money than any other industry. Visitors can get a full picture of the people, places and products of the Piney Woods with a tour of the Texas Forestry Museum. Pick up a driving tour brochure for a 45-minute exploration of logging, sawmilling and rural life in East Texas.
Left A sawmill steam engine is on display at the Texas Forestry Museum. Right The Museum of East Texas includes the historic St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church, Lufkin’s oldest church building.
Another local highlight is the Museum of East Texas, which contains an impressive collection of sculptures and paintings produced by East Texas artists and American, Latin American and European masters. The modern facility encompasses an adaptive reuse of the former St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church, dating back to 1906. The museum offers an active schedule of changing exhibits and cultural enrichment programming. Last, the Naranjo Museum of Natural History digs up the fascinating history of dinosaurs, geology and ancient civilizations, with a collection of artifacts and fossils that rivals those of many more urban museums.
LEFT A McGiffert Log Loader c.1907 (bottom) at work in Jefferson Country. RIGHT If you’re behind a logging truck, there’s a good chance you’re in East Texas.
