Harmony Hill is an

unincorporated area 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 ...

15 miles northeast of

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada * H ...

and 3 miles southwest of Tatum in northeastern

Rusk County, Texas Rusk County is a county located in Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 52,214. Its county seat is Henderson. The county is named for Thomas Jefferson Rusk, a secretary of war of the Republic of Texas. Rusk County is part of th ...

History

The land was donated by John W. Kuykendall a prosperous plantation owner in the 1840s. The nickname of the town was Nip 'n' Tuck until it was officially named Harmony Hill in 1856. A post office was established in 1854, William P. Johnston was the postmaster, the post office was closed in 1867. The post office was reopened 1868 and closed in 1905, when mail began being sent to Tatum. A

baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

church was the first church opened in the community. By 1860 the town had grown to 8-10 stores, a druggist, blacksmith, furniture factory, race track, Masonic lodge, doctor, and school. Due to bypass by the

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

the town began to decline in the 1870s and 1880s. In 1906 many of the structures were destroyed by a

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

. Only a few homes and a cemetery remained in 1950. A 1984 county highway map showed a church and business in Harmony Hill. A historical marker now sits in the Harmony Hill Cemetery. The Harmony Hill Cemetery Association annually honors 20-25 buried confederate soldiers.

References

{{Rusk County, Texas Ghost towns in East Texas