Providence Community, located in the far northeast section of Van Zandt County straddling the Smith County line, was comprised mostly of small family farms. Since 1845, settlement of the area was encouraged with land grants, and many immigrants from Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee came to own their own land. The area was well suited for farming with water from the Neches and Sabine rivers, and it also had the Dallas-Shreveport Road and the Texas and Pacific Railroad. A depot named Grand Saline was later built and used for travelers and freight. In May 1854, county commissioners formed a school district for Providence, and the school was first named Chrestman School and later Providence School. On Mar. 29, 1873, a Baptist church was established. In June 1888, someone set fire to the school, Baptist church, and Grange Hall, and new buildings were eventually built. A post office was established in 1888 but was later discontinued in 1908. By 1952, the school was consolidated into the Van School District because enrollment continued to decline. As the cotton industry moved from East Texas to West Texas, soil was depleted, and college education became more affordable, younger residents left for other opportunities, including the oil industry. By 1940, the settlement had disappeared from state highway maps. Today, it is moderately populated by descendants of the early settlers as well as newcomers engaged in the plant and tree nursery business, hay farming, and stock raising.