06/04/2026
When people see a fire truck in northeast Upshur County, a lot of folks assume it belongs to Gilmer or Ore City.
But New Mountain VFD has served this part of Upshur County since 1992.
Our response area includes communities and old community names that go back long before most of us were here. Upshur County once had many more named rural communities than it does today, and several of those names are still part of who we are and where we serve.
New Mountain, near current day SH 155 and Periwinkle Rd, was a farming community about ten miles northeast of Gilmer. It was likely established after 1900, and by the mid-1930s it had a school, a church, and several homes. After World War II, the school was consolidated, but the New Mountain name remained tied to this part of Upshur County.
Coffeeville is one of the older names in our area, located near Highway 155 and Verbena Rd . During the Civil War, C.S.A. Camp Talley was established near old Coffeeville as a camp of instruction after Governor Edward Clark’s June 8, 1861 proclamation requesting public support for troop training. According to the historical marker, local merchants were asked to provide goods, food, and labor. Trainees received no pay until they were mustered into the Confederate army.
Cedar Springs is located in extreme northeastern Upshur County, currently in the area of 259 and Flag Rd. It was settled before the Civil War near a spring surrounded by large cedar trees. Over time it had a school and scattered homes, and later became tied into the Coffeeville and Ore City school areas.
Sand Hill was a farming community northeast of Gilmer on Farm Road 555, near current-day Goldenrod Rd. It was established around 1898 and named for the deep sand beds in the area. By the mid-1930s, Sand Hill had a school, a church, a cemetery, and a number of homes.
Cox was a farming community on Farm Road 2796 near current-day Begonia Rd., northeast of Gilmer. It was established around 1890 and named for a local settler family. At different times it had a school, sawmill, church, cemetery, store, and scattered homes.
Boxwood was a small community on Farm Road 1649, near modern-day Snapdragon Rd., about twelve miles northeast of Gilmer. It was likely founded in the 1880s or early 1890s, had a post office from 1895 to 1906, and later had a school, store, and scattered homes before the school was consolidated with Ore City after World War II.
These names may not all show up like they used to, but they still represent real places, real families, and real history in our part of the county.
New Mountain VFD is proud to serve this area — not just as a fire department, but as part of the community.
In addition to the old community names, our area also includes familiar local landmarks and ridges like Barnwell Mountain, Camp Mountain, Brown Mountain, Adams Mountain, and Holiday Hill.
Historical community information pulled from the Handbook of Texas Online, published by the Texas State Historical Association. Camp Talley information pulled from the C.S.A. Camp Talley historical marker at Coffeeville.
