Located near site of 17th-century Spanish missionary activity, this farming community had its beginnings with the settlement of the McLeans, Conners, Patton, and Gregg families, who had all arrived in the area by 1840. Originally known as Neches for the nearby river, the similar name Weches was adopted when Post Office officials informed residents that "Neches" had been assigned to another community. The following year Alfred Monroe Gregg set aside land for a church, school and cemetery. The Weches post office closed in 1939.