Indigenous History
Atakapa People Lived Here for Centuries Before European Settlement
The Atakapa Indians lived in the Neches and Sabine river valleys for roughly 2,000 years before European contact. Archaeologists have found pottery and village sites from that time.
People lived in what is now Jefferson County long before Europeans arrived. Archaeologists have found Atakapa pottery going back about 2,000 years. That pottery ties to the Marksville Culture. It dates between 1 and 500 A.D.
By 1746, written records show two Atakapa villages. They sat on opposite banks of the Neches River near what is now Beaumont.
European settlement started in 1824 at Tevis Bluff. That spot later became Beaumont. Jefferson County was formed in 1836 as one of the first counties of the Republic of Texas.
For more on this history, the Texas State Historical Association's Handbook of Texas is the main source.
Source to confirm: TSHA — Jefferson County