Named for a grove of black jack oak trees, Groveton grew from the establishment of the Trinity County Lumber Company sawmill in 1882. After the Trinity and Sabine Railroad Company built a sixty-five mile branch line through the area forests, the Trinity County Lumber Company bought about 29,000 acres from the Trinity and Sabine Timber Company, leaving land on either side of the tracks for a town. The county seat moved from Pennington to Groveton in 1882, and by 1884 the first permanent courthouse was completed as the town included a barber shop, grocery store, drug store, hotel, boarding house, several saloons, homes, and a school. The city was incorporated on September 29, 1919, and officials were elected. By 1930 all the timber for miles had been cut, and the sawmill closed on December 31, 1930, sending the once prosperous town into decline. In the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps built roads and carried out a reforestation program, and through booms and hard times Groveton survived as the county seat and left a rich heritage.