This article is about the community in east Texas. For other uses (including Reese Center

Reese Center, Texas

Reese Center is a census-designated place in Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The population was 42 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lubbock Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Reese Center is located at ....

, the former Reese Air Force Base

Reese Air Force Base

Reese Air Force Base was a base of the United States Air Force located 6 mi west of Lubbock, Texas, about 225 mi WNW of Fort Worth...

, or Reese Village --the populated area just outside the base), see Reese (disambiguation).

Reese is an unincorporated rural community

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in Cherokee County

Cherokee County, Texas

As of the census of 2000, there were 46,659 people, 16,651 households, and 12,105 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile . There were 19,173 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, United States, situated in the East Texas

East Texas

East Texas is a distinct geographic and ecological area in the U.S. state of Texas.According to the Handbook of Texas, the East Texas area "may be separated from the rest of Texas roughly by a line extending from the Red River in north central Lamar County southwestward to east central Limestone...

 region. Its population was last estimated at 75 , but no current U.S. Census

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

 data is available.

Geography and topography

Reese is located at 32°1′24"N 95°23′32"W (32.0232193, -95.3921752). The elevation of the area is 397 ft (121 m) above sea level

Sea level

Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...

.

The surroundings of Reese are made up of rolling hills of alternating pastures and hardwood areas, those consisting mainly of pine

Pine

Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...

, oak

Oak

An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...

, and pecan

Pecan

The pecan , Carya illinoinensis, is a species of hickory, native to south-central North America, in Mexico from Coahuila south to Jalisco and Veracruz, in the United States from southern Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana east to western Kentucky, southwestern Ohio, North Carolina, South...

.

History, Economy and Infrastructure

At the present time, there are no direct economic factors contributing to life in Reese, although many influences have historically added to the business

Business

A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...

 climate of the community. Among these have been general store

General store

A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...

s, a cotton gin

Cotton gin

A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...

, a sawmill

Sawmill

A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....

, a candle

Candle

A candle is a solid block or cylinder of wax with an embedded wick, which is lit to provide light, and sometimes heat.Today, most candles are made from paraffin. Candles can also be made from beeswax, soy, other plant waxes, and tallow...

 factory, a fish farm, a Ford

Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

 dealership, a mechanic shop, as well as agriculture (farm

Farm

A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...

s, ranch

Ranch

A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...

es, and production of hay

Hay

Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...

, tomato

Tomato

The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...

es, and peach

Peach

The peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...

es, among other produce

Produce

Produce is a generalized term for a group of farm-produced goods and, not limited to fruits and vegetables . More specifically, the term "produce" often implies that the products are fresh and generally in the same state as where they were harvested. In supermarkets the term is also used to refer...

 items).

Reese had its own post office

United States Postal Service

The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...

 starting in 1895; Miss Angie Lane was the first postmistress there, and had the name "Andy" established (for a Jacksonville postmaster, A.J. "Andy" Chessher) initially at the settlement. The area had a post office until the mid-1900s, but since then residents have received rural route service

Rural delivery service

Rural delivery service refers to the delivery of mail in what are traditionally considered rural areas. In the United States, rural letter carriers began service with the experiments with Rural Free Delivery in 1891...

 from nearby Jacksonville; otherwise, letter drop service and stamps can be found much closer, at the post office in Cuney

Cuney, Texas

Cuney is a town in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. The population was 145 at the 2000 census. A July 1, 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 147....

.

In 1902, a rail line with a switch

Railroad switch

A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....

 came through, originally operated by the Texas & New Orleans Railroad

Texas and New Orleans Railroad

The Texas and New Orleans Railroad is a former railroad in Texas and Louisiana. At one point the company was the largest railroad in Texas, with of trackage in 1934, but by 1961 there were only remaining when it was merged with parent company Southern Pacific....

, which later became part of the Southern Pacific Railroad

Southern Pacific Railroad

The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....

. This rail line connected Dallas to Nacogdoches

Nacogdoches, Texas

Nacogdoches is a city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the city's population to be 32,996. It is the county seat of Nacogdoches County and is situated in East Texas. Nacogdoches is a sister city of Natchitoches, Louisiana.Nacogdoches is the home of...

 and was mostly treated as a freight railroad. The site of the switch was named for Reese Lloyd, a T&NO conductor

Conductor (transportation)

A conductor is a member of a railway train's crew that is responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve the actual operation of the train. The title of conductor is most associated with railway operations in North America, but the role of conductor is common to railways...

. When it was made known about the naming of the switch, the next local postmaster had the name of the settlement changed to "Reese" from "Andy". For the first few years, passenger service was offered through the Reese station but eventually that was discontinued while freight runs would still pass through the area. As railroad companies were streamlining and restructuring in later years, some rail corridors proved to be too costly or were found obsolete, including the rail line through Reese. Southern Pacific abandoned the line in 1985, closing a chapter to the community's early economic prominence.

Even though Reese lost one connection, it still has another. The community is bisected west to east by U.S. Highway 175, providing residents with direct access to the nearby cities of Jacksonville

Jacksonville, Texas

Jacksonville is located in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,868 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Jacksonville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Cherokee County and part of the larger Tyler-Jacksonville Combined Statistical...

, Cuney, and Frankston

Frankston, Texas

Frankston is a town in Anderson County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,209 at the 2000 census. Frankston was named for Frankie Miller, a young woman who donated land for the downtown city park.-Geography:...

, as well as distant cities like Athens

Athens, Texas

Athens is a city in Henderson County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,710. It is the county seat of Henderson County. According to the Texas Legislature, Athens is the "Original Home of the Hamburger"...

 and Dallas

Dallas, Texas

Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

, farther west. This access provides the current economic lifeline outside the community.

All utility services available to community residents come from outside of Reese.

Type	Provider(s)	Information, contacts
Electric	Cherokee County Electric Cooperative Cherokee County Electric Cooperative Cherokee County Electric Cooperative Association is a non-profit rural electric utility cooperative headquartered in Rusk, Texas.The Cooperative was organized in 1939....	website
Gas	Atmos Energy Atmos Energy Atmos Energy Corporation , headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is the largest distributor of natural gas in the United States, serving 3.2 million customers nationwide. Atmos acquired TXU's natural gas and pipeline holdings in 2004. The company began as Energas in 1983, a spinoff of the natural gas...	website
Internet	CenturyLink CenturyLink CenturyLink, Inc. is a United States telecommunications firm, headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana. The company, founded as Central Telephone & Electronics Corporation in 1968, later changed its name to Century Telephone Enterprises, Inc. in 1971, and then was called CenturyTel, Inc. from 1999 to 2010...  (dial-up, through local phone service), HughesNet (by satellite), WildBlue From MyBlueDish (by satellite) Slipstream Broadband (wireless)	CenturyLink website, HughesNet website, MyBlueDish website Slipstream website
Satellite TV (cable TV not available in Reese area)	DirecTV DirecTV DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ... , Dish Network Dish Network Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish... (both have availability of local channels in the Tyler Tyler, Texas Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau... /Longview Longview, Texas Longview is a city in Gregg and Harrison Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 80,455. Most of the city is located in Gregg County, of which it is the county seat; only a small part extends into the western part of neighboring Harrison County. It is...  TV market)	DirecTV website, Dish Network website
Telephone (cellular)	AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Verizon Wireless Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America....  (includes Alltel Alltel Alltel Corporation is a wireless service provider, primarily based in the United States. Before an acquisition by Verizon Wireless, it served 34 states. After the merger, Alltel continues to serve six states, mostly in rural areas... ) (all have signals in the area)	Alltel website, AT&T website, Sprint website, Verizon website
Telephone (wireline)	CenturyLink CenturyLink CenturyLink, Inc. is a United States telecommunications firm, headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana. The company, founded as Central Telephone & Electronics Corporation in 1968, later changed its name to Century Telephone Enterprises, Inc. in 1971, and then was called CenturyTel, Inc. from 1999 to 2010...  (previously provided by Embarq Embarq Embarq Corporation was the largest independent local exchange carrier in the United States , serving customers in 18 states and providing local, long distance, high-speed data and wireless services to residential and business customers...  prior to merger with CenturyTel)	website
Water	West Jacksonville Water Supply Corporation	No website found; the firm can be contacted at POB 1245, Jacksonville, TX 75766 903/586-7063

Social life

Various forms of social activities and get-togethers have taken place in Reese over the years: ice cream socials with hand-cranked ice cream, trick-or-treating at Halloween, and Christmas caroling, to name a few. Occasionally, "dinner on the ground", a primarily outdoor event held usually in the afternoon, would take place outside the community church. Meals were similar to potluck dinners or covered-dish suppers and were a way for those of the church's congregation to be together outside of church services.

The church, historically a Church of Christ

Church of Christ

Churches of Christ are autonomous Christian congregations associated with one another through common beliefs and practices. They seek to base doctrine and practice on the Bible alone, and seek to be New Testament congregations as originally established by the authority of Christ. Historically,...

 for the most part, was a focal point in Reese over many decades. Baptisms would take place in nearby creeks or would be hosted by other area Churches of Christ until a building renovation in the 1970s would bring a baptistry, as well as indoor plumbing, central air conditioning, and much-needed extra space. By the 1990s, though, a majority of the church's congregation had either died or moved away from the community. Sadly, the decision was made to disband the congregation, most of whom found their way to churches in larger nearby towns. The building, alongside what had been the railroad through Reese, was sold and moved to another church group elsewhere in Cherokee County.

In the mid-1970s, it was decided to have a community center for the residents of Reese, and by July 1976, one was completed on the grounds of a former school. The Reese Community Center has played host to several parties, dinners, and receptions since. Several times a year, a hamburger supper takes place at the center; this acts as a fund-raiser for upkeep of both the community's cemetery and of the Community Center. Once a year, the Reese Reunion is held there and is a draw for many who have called Reese home at one time or another.

Education

For many years, a school was located in Reese, but by the 1950s, after a long transition, classes were no longer held in the community. Now the area is a part of the Jacksonville Independent School District

Jacksonville Independent School District

Jacksonville Independent School District is a public school district based in Jacksonville, Texas .In addition to Jacksonville, the district serves the town of Cuney and rural areas in northwestern Cherokee County....

. The building that once housed the school was razed in the mid-1970s to make way for the construction of the Community Center.