POSSUM TROT, TEXAS. Possum Trot is located in southeastern Shelby County near Huxley. This small, rural, predominantly black community probably originated in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Important early community centers were the Bennett Chapel Baptist Church and the community water well, which provided water for those who did not live near the springs. A number of small businesses provided both merchandise and a gathering place for local residents. In 1976 the Triumph First Independent Church was established. Although most of the original settlers were farmers, in 1984 a number of the residents worked in the mills and broiler factories of Center. No population estimates were available.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Charles E. Tatum, Shelby County: In the East Texas Hills (Austin: Eakin, 1984).

Cecil Harper, Jr.