Panola County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 22,491, with its county seat in Carthage. Located in East Texas and originally developed for cotton plantations, the county's name is derived from a Choctaw word for cotton.

Until 2013, Panola County was one of about 30 entirely dry counties in Texas: the sale of alcohol was restricted or prohibited.

History

upright|thumb|The Panola County Heritage Museum in downtown Carthage

thumb|The Panola Watchman newspaper was first published in 1873 in Carthage by Tom M. Bowers (1837-1916), a [[Confederate States of America|Confederate veteran who earlier printed the Carthage Banner.]]

Jonathon Anderson, a migrant from the United States and founder of Panola County, donated nearly 100 acres of land in the 1800s to get the county started. Panola County was formed in 1846 from sections of Harrison and Shelby counties. Developed for cotton plantations, it was named after a Choctaw/Chickasaw word for cotton. In the antebellum years, planters used enslaved African Americans as workers on their large plantations. After the Civil War, freedmen worked largely as tenant farmers and sharecroppers in this area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (2.4%) are covered by water.

Major highways

  • 20px U.S. Highway 59
  • 25px Interstate 369 is currently under construction and will follow the current route of U.S. 59 in most places.
  • 20px U.S. Highway 79
  • 20px State Highway 43
  • 20px State Highway 149
  • 20px State Highway 315
  • 20px Farm to Market Road 10
  • 20px Farm to Market Road 31
  • 20px Farm to Market Road 124
  • 20px Farm to Market Road 1970

The TTC-69 component (recommended preferred) of the once-planned Trans-Texas Corridor went through Panola County.

Adjacent counties and parishes

  • Harrison County (north)
  • Caddo Parish, Louisiana (northeast)
  • De Soto Parish, Louisiana (east)
  • Shelby County (south)
  • Rusk County (west)

Communities

Cities

  • Beckville
  • Carthage (county seat)
  • Tatum (mostly in Rusk County)

Town

  • Gary City

Unincorporated communities

  • Grand Bluff
  • Bethany (partly in Caddo Parish, LA)
  • Clayton
  • Corinth
  • Daniels
  • Deadwood
  • DeBerry
  • Galloway
  • Long Branch
  • Midyett
  • Murvaul
  • Panola
  • Riderville
  • Old Center

Ghost towns

  • Center Point
  • Freeman, Texas
  • Grand Bluff
  • Mineral Springs
  • Pulaski

Demographics