Emporia was established in 1893 when Emporia Lumber Company co-owner S.F. Carter and M.T. Jones purchased over 5,000 acres of land in south Angelina County and created a company town there. The town included sawmill facilities, a railroad spur to ship lumber, logging camps, company houses, schools, churches, stores, and a cemetery. In 1906 the sawmill burned and was not rebuilt. Although the company ceased operations, people continued to live in Emporia, and the town was eventually absorbed within the city of Diboll.