Editing Whitehouse, Texas (section)

==History==
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2024}}

===Early history===  
[[Image:WCP i 9 12 wiki.jpg|thumb|The Welcome to Whitehouse sign is built from rock used in the old "rock school house." The school house and other public works were built during the [[Great Depression]] by the [[Works Progress Administration]] (WPA). The sign itself was made and donated by local resident Lynn Canfield.]]

The community was founded long before the city was officially incorporated by [[James Calhoun Hill]] (auctioneer in 1846 for Tyler land grants). The community was named in 1845, but was not incorporated until 1953. The school district ([[Whitehouse Independent School District|WISD]]) preceded incorporated municipal government and was largely responsible for the eventual formation of the city.<ref name="Whitehouse, TX">{{cite web |title=Whitehouse, TX |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/whitehouse-tx |website=Texas State Historical Association |access-date=February 14, 2025}}</ref>

Residents of Whitehouse were predominantly farmers or worked in support of agriculture until transportation innovations following [[World War II]] led to other employment options. Many streets and subdivisions in the community are named for these early agricultural and commercial leaders.<ref name="Whitehouse, TX"/>

According to oral tradition, the community was named "Whitehouse" by the railroad engineers who stopped near a white-washed community building during early settlement times. Several cherished historic resources include the various [[Works Progress Administration]] (WPA) projects located within the city. These projects, typically built with sandstone rockwork, are found throughout the city's historic Town Center.<ref name="Whitehouse, TX"/>

===YesterYear Celebration===

Civic leaders established the YesterYear Celebration to educate residents about the community's history and heritage. The festival is held on the fourth weekend each June and includes activities such as [[parade]]s, [[carnivals]], [[Historical reenactment|historic battle reenactments]], [[Beauty pageant|pageants]], and trade days.

===Historic Reading===
Several works documenting the community's history have been published in the recent past. Shirley Smith wrote and/or edited several books including ''Homefolks'', a collection of letters from important figures who lived in the community throughout the early 20th century.<ref>{{cite book |title=Homefolks |author=Shirley Smith |publisher=Open Library |url=https://openlibrary.org/books/OL1942271M/Whitehouse_Texas_1840-1960}}</ref> The Tri-County Leader published a series of articles by Acker Hanks called "Growing up in Whitehouse." The articles recounted Mr. Hanks' experience in the community starting in the early 1920s. The Whitehouse Vision 2020 Comprehensive Plan (see Planning and Development) also included a history section. This section was based on oral history interviews from prominent Whitehouse residents such as Nancy Shahan Coats, Joe Pat Hagan, Acker Hanks, Gaylon Shackelford, and Richard Waller.