Sand Lake Abstracted from article published in The Weekly Local, Ellis County News in Review Ennis, Texas, July 29, 1976   Sand Lake is located about twelve miles east of Ennis on the Texas Midland Railroad. Take Highway 34 out of Ennis to the last turn off before the Trinity River bridge, a gravel road going north. After crossing several cattle guards, Sand Lake finally came into view. Recorded history has stated that there was no semblance that a village ever existed. Actually, Sand Lake was an Ellis County "Landmark Bonaza." Many of the original buildings were still standing in what appeared to have been the central section of a village. A building which housed the general store and post office, one of the old school buildings, the blacksmith shop and many, many more landmarks would make this area the treasure trove of history buffs in this county. The old roadbed of the rail spur installed by the T. & N. P. Railroad was still visible. The first railroad for Ellis County in 1872 was the H. & T. C. Railroad. Later the name was changed to T. & N. O. There is reason to believe that the community of Sand Lake was established around the turn of the century but there are other clues which indicate the date might have been much earlier. It would appear that the community possibly was established in the year 1914/15, though some historians have figured otherwise. Reasoning for these dates - the disastrous floods which were recorded in 1844, 1866, 1871 and 1908, made it unlikely settlers were in the area. The first levee was built in 1914. Although it broke twice after construction, in 1942 and 1946, much of the rich Trinkty River bottom lands are in cultivation. On August 1, 1923, William R. Chapman was appointed postmaster and held the office until it was discontinued March 31, 1931. He owned and operated a general store and a gin which burned. The community had two schools, one for Negro children and one for white children, but in 1912, the schools were incorporated into the Ennis School District. 1938 was probably the banner year for Sand Lake Community. M. D. Glaspy bought Sand Lake and since then, the heirs have added several hundred acres to the original purchase. A general store was operated until 1940. The highlight of a visit to Sand Lake in 1976 was a conversation with young Jerry Glaspy, one of the owners, who pointed out various landmarks. According to Mr. Glaspy, his father and grandfather bought the Sand Lake properties around the mid-1930s. He also stated that a well-known Ennis businessman was raised in the community. Probably many county residents can enrich the sparse history of this area and hopefully they will. The namesake of the community was a small clear lake nestled in the valley formed by Trinity River which was a beautiful sight. (Note to sightseers and photographers: Sand Lake is on private property. Be sure to check with the owners if you wish to visit. As late as 1995, some original buildings were still standing.) Photo by Russell Ross - 14 Oct 2000   Copyright © 2002-2016, Ellis County TXGenWeb. All Rights Reserved. This page was last modified: Thursday, 01-Jul-2021 13:17:25 MDT