In 1854 W.W. Manning established a drugstore and sawmill in this area, and named the community after his former home in Homer Louisiana. There were several steam sawmills located in the Homer area. The Charles Lewis Kelty mill contained a sawmill, cotton gin and grist mill. One long-lived sawmill was the Manning and Rush Company. It was the first steam sawmill in Angelina County in 1855. It used an 18-horsepower steam engine and produced 275,000 bd. Ft. of lumber in 1880. Veterans from the Civil War to the Vietnam War are buried in the Homer Cemetery and it continues to serve the community. The site is located 4 mi. SE of Lufkin on SH 69, 7 mi. south on FM 326 to Homer Cemetery Rd., .25 mil. North to cemetery and marker.