Tyler Texas Online City of Tatum in East Texas, location, map, wildflower festival, population, local resources and photos



Tatum Texas

Welcome to Tatum, Texas, established in 1882

The City of Tatum is located in Panola and Rusk counties, and near Gregg and Harrison counties. It was established in 1882, and lies along Trammel's Trace, an old trade route.

Highways in Tatum include Texas State Highway 43, State Highway 149, and FM 782 (see map below on this page). It is centrally located about 18 miles from Henderson, Kilgore, Longview and Marshall.

The Tatum City Hall is located at 680 Crystal Farms Road. Phone 903.947.2260. The Tatum Economic Development Corporation call be reached at phone 903.947.6403

 Tatum Website Resources

City of Tatum Texas - Website

Rusk County Texas

Panola County Texas

Tatum Pecan Pie Festival

Tatum Independent School District

Population
Tatum had a population of 1,342 residents in the 2020 census.
Area Code
903
Zip Code
75691


Interactive Map of Tatum (courtesy of Google)

 


Things to Do in and Around Tatum

Tatum Pecan Pie Festival

Tatum Pecan Pie Festival in East Texas

The Tatum Pecan Pie Festival is held annually, and it is not your everyday street fair. Behind every corndog, funnel cake, handmade bow, cool antique car show and bounce house there is a bigger reason to come check out the Tatum Pecan Pie Festival.

Founded in 2012 to bring free or low cost mammograms to women that might not otherwise afford this life saving screening tool. So, come enjoy the fun, the last Saturday of April.

Tatum Pecan Pie Festival on Facebook

Tatum Jingle Bell Bop & Shop

Tatum Jingle Bell Bop & Shop in East Texas


Tatum Jingle Bell Bop & Shop was founded 2015. We invite you to come the 2nd Saturday of December to experience some Christmas family fun.

You can shop the vendors for unique gifts, have a taste of the Tatum Nutrition Center, indulge in food vendors from East Texas, enjoy live entertainment, and have your picture made with Santa.

Tatum Wild Flower Festival

Tatum Wild Flower Festival in East Texas

Enjoy three great drives through the countrysides and forests around Tatum, in April and May.

Martin Creek Lake

Martin Creek Lake is located in Rusk County, on Martin Creek 3 miles southwest of Tatum on Texas Highway 43. It covers a surface area of 4,981 acres, with a maximum depth of 35 feet. The lake was impounded in 1974 to provide cooling water for a power plant.

Since Martin Creek is a power plant lake, water temperatures are elevated, especially during the winter months. Anglers are most successful at catching largemouth bass during the winter and early spring. Martin Creek Lake State Park, which consists of 286.9 acres, is located in the area.

Martin Creek Lake State Park in East Texas

Scene on Lake Murvaul near Carthage in East Texas
Scene on Lake Murvaul near Carthage in East Texas

Lake Murvaul

Lake Murvaul is located near Tatum, and 15 miles west of Carthage, on Murvaul Bayou in Panola County. It features a surface area of 3,397 acres and a maximum depth of 36 feet.

The controlling authority is the Panola County Fresh Water District, which completed the lake in 1958.

Predominant fish species caught in Lake Murvaul include largemouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, crappie, bluegill and sunfish.

Visit the website of the Murvaul Marina for more information on camp sites, RV park, cabins, the pavilion, attractions and events at the lake.

 

Toledo Bend Reservoir

Camping area at Toledo Bend Reservoir... summer of 2021
Camping area at Toledo Bend Reservoir ... summer of 2021 (Staff photo)

Toledo Bend Reservoir lies along the Texas-Louisiana border southeast of Tyler, and directly west of Many, Louisiana. This massive 185,000 acre lake is a project of the States of Texas and Louisiana, and has both recreational and power generation benefits.

As the largest man-made lake in the south, Toledo Bend forms a portion of the boundary between the states of Texas and Louisiana. The lake extends 65 miles to the north to near Logansport, LA.

Boating, fishing, skiing, camping, hiking, golfing and other recreational activities are popular around this lake. RV resorts, campgrounds, resorts, restaurants, marinas, and motels are all available along the 1,200 miles of shoreline of the reservoir.

In 2015, Bassmaster Magazine selected Toledo Bend Reservoir as the top fishery in the United States. Toledo Bend ranked above 230 potential lakes after the magazine conducted research and personal interviews with anglers from around the U.S.

Read more at  Toledo Bend Reservoir

 

Other East Texas Attractions

Historic Marker: The Town of Tatum in East Texas
Historic Marker: The Town of Tatum

While visiting the Tatum area, you may want to take other interesting day trips in several directions:

    • Jefferson - antiques, Jay Gould's railroad car, Jefferson Carnegie Library, steam train rides, steamboats on Caddo Lake, B&Bs
    • Gladewater - antique capitol of East Texas, Gusher Days, Roundup Rodeo, Helen Lee Daffodil Gardens
    • Gilmer - East Texas Yamboree, Historic Upshur Museum, Lake Gilmer
    • Kilgore - home of the East Texas Oil Museum and Kilgore College
    • Joinerville Texas - Daisy Bradford oil discovery monuments and Great East Texas Oilfield markers, Gaston Museum
    • Longview - Gregg County Fair & Exposition, Longview Museum of Fine Arts, R.G. LeTourneau Museum, Great Texas Balloon Race, historic buildings, shopping, restaurants
    • Marshall - Michelson Museum of Art, Starr Family home State Historic Park, Harrison County Historical Museum, Ginocchio Hotel, T&P Railroad Museum, Christmas Wonderland of Lights
    • Carthage - Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, East Texas Oil & Gas Blast, Piney Woods Quilt Festival Rode Jamboree
    • Tyler - Municipal Rose Garden, TJC Planetarium, Caldwell Zoo, Tyler Museum of Art, Lake Tyler, Rose Rudman Recreational Trail, Cotton Belt Depot, Goodman-LeGrand House
    • Lake Tyler - swimming, boating, fishing, skiing close-in to Tyler
    • Lake Palestine - Boating, fishing, skiing and camping, just south of Tyler
    • Lindale - Old Mill Pond Museum, Hideaway Lake, Miranda Lambert Store & Red 55 Winery
    • Mineola - Mineola Nature Preserve, Bigfoot Paddling Trail
    • Lake Fork - At 27,264 acres and 315 miles of shoreline, Lake Fork was designed to be a premier bass fishing lake and currently holds records for 34 out of the Top 50 largemouth bass caught in Texas.