Our History

 Pittsburg is a small town located in northeast Texas, ten miles south of Interstate 30 and about 60 miles southwest of Texarkana and 90 miles northeast of Dallas. The town of Pittsburg has a population of about 4,500 residents and it serves as the county seat for Camp County. It is the largest and oldest town in the county. U.S. Highway 271 and State Highway 11 intersect within the Pittsburg city limits. 

The Caddo and Cherokee Indians once occupied the land on which the town now stands, however, the Indians had abandoned the area by the time settlers arrived during the 1830s. Slowly, a community began to emerge and the post office was established in 1855 and the town was given the name Pittsburg, in honor of William Harrison Pitts, one of the early settlers. 

Two railroad lines were constructed through the town in the 1870s and Pittsburg became an important trade center and shipping point for local farmers. In 1902, Pittsburg became known as the site of the reported flight of a “flying machine” that predates the Wright Brothers plane. From 1890 through 1980, each census recorded a larger population for the town of Pittsburg than the previous census. Until the 1930s, the town remained primarily a trade center for area farmers, but by the early 1940s, it became more dependent on industry, retail goods and services. Even when the overall population of Camp County declined between 1940 and 1960, the population of Pittsburg continued to increase.