Gladewater is a city in Gregg and Upshur counties in the U.S. state of Texas with a 2020 census population of 6,134.

"[6] Gladewater was founded by the Texas and Pacific Railway Company in 1873 on land bought from Jarrett Dean and Anderson White.

A community called St. Clair, 2 miles (3 km) to the east, moved to Gladewater when the railroad announced that the only mail stop in the area would be there; residents from Point Pleasant, also bypassed by the railroad, moved to Gladewater.

The incorporation lapsed, and a new charter was not obtained until 1931, when an influx of population necessitated organized city government.

In 1908 the town had ten stores, one bank, two blacksmith shops, two hotels, a gin, a sawmill, and a planing mill.

Lake Gladewater, constructed on Glade Creek in 1954, provides recreation for city residents.

During the 1970s Gladewater moved from an oil-oriented to a more diversified economy, primarily because of depletion of oil resources in the area.

The movement of salt water into the western edge of the large East Texas Oil Field affected Gladewater first.

[citation needed] The minor league stadium has since been turned into a city park.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,134 people, 2,122 households, and 1,283 families residing in the city.