By Gracie Vallejos
Workers laying railroad track outside of Troup
Troup stepped onto the Texas map on November 9, 1872, though it carried a few names before settling on the one we know today. Early settlers called it Troupe and sometimes Zavalla, but the spelling “Troupe” came from Troup County, Georgia, the former home of many families who moved west. Others arrived from Kentucky and Tennessee, bringing their customs and hopes to the piney woods of East Texas.
Everything changed when the International & Great Northern Railroad extended its line into the area in the early 1870s. The new station adopted the spelling “Troupe,” while the post office, established in 1873, used “Troup.” Citizens eventually followed the post office’s version, and the issue was settled when Texas passed a law requiring railroad stations to use the same spelling as post offices.
With the railroad came life. Troup quickly grew into a busy trading point between Smith and Cherokee counties, known for its timber, fertile land, and constant flow of travelers stepping on and off the trains. By the late 1870s, the once-quiet settlement had become a spirited East Texas community built by hardworking families who shaped it from the ground up.
