Reese is located on U.S. Highway 175, 20 mi (32 km) northwest of Rusk in northwestern Cherokee County.

Reese had its own post office starting in 1895; Miss Angie Lane was the first postmistress there and had the name "Andy" established (for a Jacksonville postmaster, A.J.

[3] For the first few years, passenger service was offered through the Reese station but eventually that was discontinued while freight runs would still pass through the area.

Southern Pacific abandoned the line in 1985, closing a chapter on the community's early economic prominence.

Occasionally, "dinner on the ground", a primarily outdoor event held usually in the afternoon, would take place outside the community church.

Baptisms would take place in nearby creeks or would be hosted by other area Churches of Christ until a building renovation in the 1970s would bring a baptistry, as well as indoor plumbing, central air conditioning, and much-needed extra space.

The building, alongside what had been the railroad through Reese, was sold and moved to another church group elsewhere in Cherokee County.

In the mid-1970s, it was decided to have a community center for the residents of Reese, and by July 1976, one was completed on the grounds of a former school.

For many years, a school was located in Reese, but by the 1950s, after a long transition, classes were no longer held in the community.