Alsa is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Van Zandt County Van Zandt County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas, in the northeastern part of the state. As of the 2020 census, its population was 59,541. Its county seat is Canton. The county is named for Isaac Van Zandt (1813–1847), a mem ...

, Texas, United States. According to the

Handbook of Texas The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). History The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President Wal ...

, the community had a population of 30 in 2000. It is located within the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

History

A post office was established at Alsa in 1894 and remained in operation until 1907. One source says that the community was named by

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

veteran Bill Starnes, who opened a store shortly after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and named it for a girl he fell in love with. Its population zenith was 50 in 1896; at that time, the community had a combination

cotton gin A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); a ...

and

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

, a general store, and Baptist and Methodist churches. It had two businesses, a church, and Howell Cemetery in 1936. Both businesses closed by 1964, causing the population to drop to 15. Farming and livestock were the most common commodities in the community. Locals grew fruits, vegetables, and cotton as the main crops, while dairy and beef cattle, hogs, and poultry were raised. Only scattered houses remained in Alsa in 1979, but its population was recorded as 30 in 2000.

Geography

Alsa is located north of

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...

in northwestern Van Zandt County.

Education

Alsa had a school called Center School that was established sometime after 1890. It had 75 students in 1904 and continued to operate in 1936. It joined the

Wills Point Independent School District Wills Point Independent School District is a school district based in Wills Point, Texas (USA) and covering all of the city of Wills Point as well as the communities of Hiram, Myrtle Springs, Scott, Elwood, Cobb, Frog, Elmo, and the surroundin ...

in the early 1950s.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Van Zandt County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Texas