Grand Saline, Van Zandt County
The rural community of Creagleville traces its beginnings to the 1840s. It was named for German native Henry Creagle (1826-1872), who settled in Van Zandt County about 1847. The community was located on the Dallas-Shreveport Road, a major east-west thorough-fare across the north portion of the county. The road, which bisected Henry Creagle's land survey, was used by Creagleville farmers, immigrants, freight wagons, and stock drovers. A school was founded in Creagleville by 1854, and a schoolhouse was built near the Creagle home. As the agricultural community of farmers grew, homes were built, a church was established, a cotton gin and gristmill were erected, and a cemetery was established. Three acres were deeded for the original cemetery by B. F. Wheeler in 1879, although burials had taken place earlier. The community eventually declined as citizens moved away; the school was consolidated with Grand Saline in 1941, and the church closed in 1991. The cemetery remains active and contains burials of more than 50 Civil War veterans, early settlers to the area, and their descendants. (1997)