Clayton is an unincorporated community in Panola County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had an estimated population of 79 in 2000.[1]
Enochs is located at 32.0983°N -94.475°W (32.0982190, −94.4749246). It is situated at the junction of State Highway 315 and FM 1970 in southwestern Panola County, approximately 16 miles southwest of Carthage.[2]
The area was first settled around 1845 by Georgia native Jacob Cariker. He constructed a house two miles southwest of Reed's Settlement, one of the earliest communities in Panola County. During the 1870s, most residents from Reed's Settlement had relocated to the Cariker site.[1] A post office was established in 1874 under the name Clayton, after Clayton, Alabama, said to have been the origin of several early settlers. Clayton had a population of 130 in 1885. That number had risen to 200 by 1914. During the Great Depression, the population declined to 175 and steadily decreased thereafter.[2] By the late 1960s, the number of inhabitants stood at 125. By 2000, Clayton had 79 residents and two businesses.[1]
Clayton has a post office with the ZIP code 75637.[3]
Margie Neal, first woman elected to the Texas State Senate, was born near Clayton in 1875.[4]
Public education in the community of Clayton is provided by the Carthage Independent School District.
Clayton once operated its own public school district. In May 1905, Clayton School District #11 was created. It was defined and organized in February 1907. The district consolidated with Carthage in 1965.[5]