Emergency Biohazard Cleanup Services in Athens, TX

Athens is the county seat of Henderson County in East Texas, founded in 1850 on 160 acres donated by Matthew Cartwright, where the first district court met under an oak tree in the town square.

Athens was named for Athens, Greece, at the suggestion of Dulcina A. Holland, who hoped the town would become the cultural center of Henderson County, and it was first incorporated in 1856.

Athens had 12,857 residents at the 2020 census, making it the largest city in Henderson County, which itself is named for J. Pinckney Henderson, the first governor of Texas.

Athens calls itself the "Black-Eyed Pea Capital of the World," a title dating to about 1909 when local businessman J. B. Henry built a trade in the once-scorned legume, and the city celebrates with the Black-Eyed Pea Jamboree every July.

Athens claims to be the birthplace of the hamburger: local café owner Fletcher Davis was serving ground-beef sandwiches on the courthouse square in the 1880s, and Athens businessmen raised money to send him to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, where his sandwich won national fame.

Athens celebrates its hamburger claim with the Uncle Fletch Hamburger Festival, named for Fletcher "Uncle Fletch" Davis.

Athens is home to Trinity Valley Community College, founded in Athens in 1946 as Henderson County Junior College, which enrolls more than 4,000 students.

Athens hosts one of Texas's classic folk gatherings, the Old Fiddlers Reunion (Old Fiddlers' Contest), held each May since the early 20th century era of fiddle competitions.

Athens was selected as one of the first "Certified Retirement Communities" in Texas, and its motto is "Hamburgers – Heritage – Texas."

Athens grew from just 177 people in 1859 to 1,500 by 1890 after the Cotton Belt railroad arrived in 1880, and Lake Athens, just outside town, remains a center for local fishing and recreation.