Camp Sam Houston in Madisonville was a soil conservation camp in the national Civilian Conservation Corps program of the New Deal era. Begun in July 1935 and occupied by workers one month later, the camp provided jobs for 196 men. Its members worked with area farmers and ranchers, demonstrating techniques of soil erosion control and pasture management. Covering a radius of 21 miles, its improvement projects included all of Madison County as well as portions of Grimes, Leon, and Walker Counties. The camp closed in 1941.