Ben Wheeler, Van Zandt County
Mars Community A settlement known as Mars flourished at this crossroads from the 1880s until about 1930. The intersection of the Tyler-Porter's Bluff Road (now FM 2339) and the Canton-Athens Road (now FM 773) provided a likely site for a community to develop. Early settlers in the area included John Ammons and his son-in-law, Henry Washington Brown, who arrived in 1869 and purchased 320 acres of land. By 1871, Ammons had deeded two of his acres to the Pleasant Ridge Church and school for constructing a church building and schoolhouse. Wheat was the original crop that area farmers grew, but cotton soon replaced it as the primary crop. H. W. Brown built a cotton gin and grist mill for the community, and a blacksmith shop and two mercantile stores soon followed. Subsequent cotton gin operators included T. J. Bristow, E. P. Miller, W. R. Dyer and W. W. McWilliams. According to local tradition, the mercantile operations were run by H. W. Brown, Thomas Hobbs, T. O Wells, W. A. "Algie" Harville, Sr., and J. W. Barefoot. In 1891, a post office was established to serve the settlement. Originally called Acme, the station's name was changed seven years later to mars to reflect the name of the community. A declining population caused the post office to close in 1907 and the school to consolidate with the Bois D'Arc School in 1916. Although little physical evidence remains of the Mars Community, its history helps illustrate the story of cotton gin settlements in Texas. (2001)