Established about 1848 as a supply center for Warren Hooks' 5,000-acre plantation, Hooks was preceded from 1841 to 1860 by the area's post office at Myrtle Springs, home of Hooks' son, Col. Robert W. Hooks of the 11th Texas Cavalry, Confederate Army. The post office placed here in 1884 was named for Warren Hooks. Farming continued until 1942, when Hooks suddenly boomed as the opening of the Lone Star and Red River Ordnance plants drove the population from 400 to 3,000. Its economy is diversified, with cotton and soybean production, and it is a religious town with sixteen churches.