Texas Historical Marker #00227
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, The Amarillo Story. Construction of a railroad across the Panhandle led to the founding of Amarillo as County Seat of Potter County, Aug. 30, 1887. For the ensuing ten years, Amarillo had a monopoly on trade from the South plains, and was the nation's largest rural cattle shipping point, 1892-97. But in 1898 its trade was threatened and the city's very existence jeopardized when it appeared that the (Santa Fe sponsored) Pecos Valley & North Eastern Railway, to be built to Roswell, N.M. (220 mi. SW), might make junction with the Santa Fe at Washburn (15 mi. SE), cutting off ready access to the South plains. The Santa Fe, however, responded to requests from the citizens to make Amarillo the terminus of the new line. The Santa Fe acquired the Pecos Valley & North Eastern in 1899 and moved headquarters from Panhandle (30 mi. NE) to Amarillo. In 1908 the Santa Fe extended its main line here from Panhandle and built a link from Texico, N.M., to Belen, N.M., making Amarillo a major point on the transcontinental line. These measures, together with construction of branch lines, contributed vitally to making Amarillo the commercial center of the High Plains. (1973) #227
900 Polk St., Amarillo, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00228
Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railroad Depot. The 1920s oil boom brought increased business to this railroad town,and a new depot was built here in 1928. The structure exhibits elements of the Prairie School, Mission, and Tudor styles of architecture. Prominent features include bracketed overhangs, stepped parapets, and cast stone window surrounds. One of the last brick depots built on the company's western lines, it was last used for passenger service in 1971. It became City Hall in 1985. #228
200 South Main Street, Panhandle, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00229
Atelier Building. Developer Thomas S. Weaver had this structure built about 1905. Named "Atelier", the French word for an artist's studio, it has housed the offices of architects and contractors, a restaurant, and financial institutions, including the banking firm of W.R. Edrington, a noted Fort Worth benefactor. In 1936 the building served as the temporary location of the Carnegie Library. Built of brick, it features two chimneys with terra cotta ornamentation. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark-1980. #229
209 W. 8th, Fort Worth, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00230
Atherton School. The first educational facility in this area, a boarding school for boys, opened in the 1880s. It was housed in a two-story structure built on land owned by F. M. Farley. A local schoolteacher, Abbie Atherton, applied to the U.S. Government for a post office for the community in 1892. The post office was named Atherton, and Abbie Atherton served as first postmistress. Eventually, the community and the school also became known as Atherton. In addition to educational facilities, the school provided a meeting place for local church congregations and community activities. W. T. Nelson donated an acre of land at this site for the school in 1904. The school building was enlarged over the years as student attendance increased, and another acre of land was deeded to the school in 1918 by W. T. Nelson. Atherton school served families in a large rural area, with some students traveling as many as five miles to school each day. Atherton School continued to serve residents of this area until 1942, when it was consolidated with the Lometa School System. The school building was later moved to Lometa in 1956. #230
?, Lometa, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00232
Atoka Cemetery. Settlement of this area began in the 1850s with the establishment of Camp Colorado, a United States cavalry outpost. At the outbreak of the Civil War the camp was occupied by Texas State Troops and Texas Ranger units. The existence of the camp spurred permanent settlement in the area, and many families moved here from the southern United States after the Civil War. The settlers established farms and ranches, and the Atoka community included a general store operated by D.A. Parker and S.N. Edenborough, a combination church/school building, and a cotton gin built by D.A. Parker. This cemetery was established in 1880 on land deeded by C.E. Bush. Among the early pioneers buried here are the Rev. Hugh Martin Childress, Sr., a former Texas Ranger and Republic of Texas soldier; his son, Elisha Childress, who served as the first Coleman County sheriff; veterans of the Civil War; and several workers killed in an explosion that occurred during the construction of a Santa Fe Railroad bridge across Jim Ned Creek in 1910. The cemetery, which is maintained by an association of descendants of those buried here, is one of the few physical reminders of the Atoka community and its pioneer settlers. (1996) #232
?, Novice, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00233
Audubon. A vanished town which was important in this area in the 19th century. It was settled by southerners and named for naturalist John J. Audubon (1785-1851). Earliest settler, D. D. Shirey, platted town out of his farm land in 1865. He and his wife, "Aunt Polly", expanded their log house into a stagecoach inn that grew famous for a lavish table. Their excellent food was set out on a lazy Susan, which was the wonder of the countryside. In the late 1860s and following decades, trail crews detoured from the cattle trail that ran to the east of here and bought supplies in the town. Audubon had a post office from June 25, 1874, to July 20, 1904. Local social and fraternal bodies included Woodmen of the World and a Masonic Lodge active from 1879 to 1886. There were three churches, a school, a telephone office, two cotton gins, several mercantile stores, several lawyers and physicians, and two blacksmiths. The noted Dr. W. B. Palmer, had a beautiful country home, "Gynndome". Bypassed by the Fort Worth & Denver Railroad in 1883, Audubon gradually declined. Post office closed in 1904; school consolidated with Alvord in 1930. Among outstanding native sons was the Reverend M. M. Barnett of the California Baptist Foundation. #233
N of intersection of CR 2585 and 2675, Alvord, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00234
August C. and Julia Richter Mansion. A native of San Antonio, August C. Richter (1863-1940) moved to Laredo in 1888. He acquired full ownership of an early fixed price department store, "El Precio Fijo." His wife, Julia, played a major role in the city's cultural and educational circles and introduced music to the Laredo public schools. This classical revival home, built for their family in 1906, features Ionic columns and first and second story wraparound porches. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1985 #234
1906 Houston St., Laredo, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00235
August Dietz Cottage. August Dietz came to Texas in 1849 as a German immigrant, and settled in New Braunfels. On Sept. 1, 1866, he bought this lot, soon built this cottage, and sold it on Dec. 2, 1867. At first a two room structure, the building was later enlarged. Its mortared rock walls are 20 inches thick. The beaded ceiling, the plain board ceiling, the window glass and casements, and front door are all original. House and additions were restored in 1973 by William J. Kolodize.** Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1974*** #235
197 E. Mill Street, New Braunfels, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00236
August Ebers House. In 1860 August Ebers, a German immigrant, built the east portion of this stone house. It included a kitchen, a "big room", and an upstairs loft bedroom. Before 1880 he added the west wing. Ebers was killed in a well accident in 1884, and his family continued operating the farm. The home became a social center where community dances were held, and served as a polling place during elections. The home remained in the family until 1962. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1983 #236
?, Fredericksburg, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00237
August Faltin Building. Prussian native Friedrich August Faltin (1830-1905) moved to Comfort in 1856 and purchased the general merchandise business of Theodor Goldbeck, located at this site. Trained in his father's store, which had been established about 1818 in Danzig, Prussia, now Gdansk, Poland, Faltin became a leading merchant of the Texas Hill Country. In addition, his 1869 partnership with Capt. Charles Schreiner of Kerrville became the nucleus of the vast Schreiner enterprises. By the late 1870s Faltin's business, which included banking and post office services, had outgrown the structure at this site and he had architect Alfred Giles of San Antonio design a new building. Constructed by the noted builder J. H. Kampmann, the Victorian Italian edifice was completed in 1879. Later run by Faltin's sons Richard and August S., the business was sold in 1907 to their brother-in-law Dan Holekamp and his sons Otto and Edgar. That same year an addition to the building was completed. Also designed by Giles, it included second floor space for meetings and fraternal and civic groups. In 1968 the property was sold back to the Faltin family. The August Faltin Building remains as a symbol of the area's early commercial growth. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1982 #237
?, Comfort, TX, United States
Subjects
Texas Historical Marker #00238
August Fransal. One of the many fearless stage drivers who traveled on the Ben Ficklin Overland Mail Line from San Antonio to El Paso. On this dangerous route, threatened by wild Apaches, Fransal regularly drove his mule-drawn stage. He served as a Texas Ranger 1881-1882 and in 1883 under Capt. George W. Baylor. He was also a teamster at Fort Davis. Later he was a hunter, selling fresh game (a welcome substitute for dried, cured meat) in El Paso. #238
?, Sierra Blanca, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00239
Augustine Celaya House. Built in 1904, this Late Victorian home exhibits features of the Italianate and Queen Anne styles of architecture. Owners Augustine and Laura Celaya designed the home, which became prominent in the social and civic life of the city. Features of the house, which remained in the Celaya Family for generations, include polygonal bays, a two-story inset curvilinear porch, a transom over the front door, and hood mouldings over the doors and windows. #239
500 E. St. Francis St., Brownsville, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00240
Aurora Cemetery. The oldest known graves here, dating from as early as the 1860's, are those of the Randall and Rowlett families. Finis Dudley Beauchamp (1825-1893), a Confederate veteran from Mississippi, donated the 3-acre site to the newly formed Aurora Lodge No. 479, A.F. & A.M., in 1877. For many years, this community burial ground was known as Masonic Cemetery. Beauchamp, his wife Caroline (1829-1915), and others in their family are buried here. An epidemic which struck the village in 1891 added hundreds of graves to the plot. Called "spotted fever" by the settlers, the disease is now though to have been a form of meningitis. Located in Aurora Cemetery is the gravestone of the infant Nellie Burris (1891-1893) with its often-quoted epitaph: "As I was so soon done, I don't know why I was begun." This site is also well known because of the legend that a spaceship crashed nearby in 1897 and the pilot, killed in the crash, was buried here. Struck by epidemic and crop failure and bypassed by the railroad, the original town of Aurora almost disappeared, but the cemetery remains in use with over 800 graves. Veterans of the Civil War, World Wars I and II, and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts are interred here. #240
FM 114, S. of Aurora, Aurora, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00241
Austin Avenue Methodist Church. Designed by R.H. Hunt, this edifice is substantial interpretation of Gothic architecture. It was built in 1925 during the ministry of the Rev. Cullom H. Booth. The two-story-equivalent brick structure, which rests on a raised basement, features a prominent bell tower. The original tracery detail in the tower was removed by the 1940s. The original art glass windows and tracery detail in the sanctuary were replaced after a 1954 fire caused extensive damage. #241
1300 Austin Ave., Waco, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00242
Austin Avenue United Methodist Church. At the close of the nineteenth century, when it was determined that Waco's Fifth Street Methodist Episcopal Church, south (now First United Methodist Church) had grown too large, its members petitioned the denominaiton conference of the organization of another congregation in Waco. As a result, the quarterly conference approved the establishment of Austin Avenue Methodist Church on December 31, 1900. The Rev. John R. Nelson was appointed to organize the new congregation. Three lots were purchased at the corner of Austin Avenue and 12th street for a church building. The congregation was offically chartered on December 29, 1901, with a membership of 81,and a sanctuary was completed in April 1902. The congregation experienced a steady growth that paralleled that of its neighborhood. When the first building became too small for the growing church, it was sold to Trinity Presbyterian Church, and a new Methodist structure was built at Austin Avenue and 13th street. Throughout its history, this church has served its community with a variety of outreach programs. It continues to be an important part of Waco's history. #242
1300 Austin Ave., Waco, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00243
Austin County. A part of the grant to Stephen F. Austin in 1821, created a municipality under the Mexican government in 1828, became a county of the Republic of Texas, March 17, 1836. Named in honor of Stephen Fuller Austin, 1793-1836, pioneer empresario, founder of Anglo-American Texas. San Felipe de Austin, capital of Austin's colony, 1824-1836, seat of provisional government of Texas, 1835-1836. County seat, 1837-1848, Bellville, since. #243
?, Bellville, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00244
Austin County Jail. Calling their old jail "unsafe, unfit, and inadequate," the Austin County Court contracted in 1896 with Pauly Jail Building Co. of St. Louis to erect this structure at cost of $19,970. Romanesque Revival style, with crenelated parapets, bartizans, and stone window arches harmonized with the 1886 courthouse, which later burned. The gallows, used only in 1901, have been removed; jailer's quarters have been enlarged; but original exterior is preserved. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1976 #244
36 S. Bell Street, Bellville, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00245
Camp of Stephen F. Austin. Site of the camp of Stephen F. Austin (October 20-226, 1835) while assembling troops preparatory to the attack on the Mexican garrison at San Antonio. After his appointment on November 12 as Commissioner to the United States, the Texans, under Colonels Ben Milam and Frank W. Johnson stormed and captured San Antonio, December 10, 1835. (1936) #245
?, San Antonio, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00246
Moses Austin. (Front) Born in Connecticut, October fourth 1761; moved to Philadephia in 1783. Thence to Virginia in 1785 and to Missouri in San Antonio on December 23, 1820. Died in Missouri June 10, 1821. (Right) Moses Austin here petitioned the Spanish authorties for the right to bring three-hundred families to Texas and returned to MIssouri to wait the answer. (Back) Exposure and exhaustion during his Texas journey caused his death a few days after receiving notification that his petition had been granted. His dying request was that his son Stephen should carry out his vision. (Left) A man of vision, enterprise, industry and indomitable energy...he most fittingly bequeathed the realization of his plans to his more deliberate, patient, tactful and diplomatic son. (1936) #246
1700 N. Congress, San Antonio, TX, United States
Subjects
Texas Historical Marker #00248
Stephen F. Austin. Stephen F. Austin, Father of Texas, November 3, 1793-December 27, 1836. He planted the first Anglo-American colony in Texas, "The Old Three Hundred". In his several colonies he settled more than a thousand families. He was from 1823 until 1828 the actual ruler of Texas and thereafter its most influential leader. His own words are a fitting epitaph: "The prosperity of Texas has been the object of my labors -- the idol of my existence -- it has assumed the character of a religion -- for the guidance of my thoughts and actions" -- and he died in its service. No other state in the union owes its existence more completely to one man than Texas does to Austin. Erected by the State of Texas 1936 with funds appropriated by the Federal government to commemorate one hundred years of Texas independence. #248
?, San Felipe, TX, United States