Series 'Texas Historical Marker'

Leesville Baptist Church. The first meeting place of this congregation, organized in 1875, was destroyed by a storm in 1886. The membership then moved across O'Neal Creek to this site, purchased from pioneer settler N. H. Guinn, and erected this simple frame church in 1887-88. The steeple which once topped the building was removed in 1924. After a disastrous flood in 193, Leesville was relocated along the state highway (3/4 mile west). This church is one of the structures that mark the old townsite. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1976. #3066

?, Leesville, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03067

Leesville School. Settled prior to the Civil War, the community of Leesburg, later known as Leesville, was a thriving trade and supply center for the region when this one-room brick schoolhouse was constructed in 1868. The building site was conveyed to stockholders of the Leesburg Male and Female Institute in 1873 by Mrs. M. C. Hubbard. The original materials used in the construction of the schoolhouse were provided locally. Red clay bricks for the exterior were manufactured in a kiln east of the site, the lumber came from the Daniel Brown Sawmill located on nearby O'Neill Creek, and local residents provided the labor. As the community grew, wooden additions to the building, since removed, were constructed. Classes were held here until 1918, when a new schoolhouse was built. In the 1920s the building was adapted for uses as a community center and was the site of various civic functions, including oyster fries, barbecues, and religious meetings. Later it was used as a school lunchroom and a private residence. Rebuilt as a community center, the Leesville School serves as a reminder of the proud heritage of the area's early residents. #3067

?, Leesville, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03068

Leinweber Building. Built in 1907 for Ernest Roland Leinweber (1869-1922), a prominent Hondo businessman, this three-story commercial building was constructed by prolific South Texas contractor Gus Birkner, who also participated in the construction of the Texas State Capitol. Built with locally produced brick, the structure features some influences of. Classical and Romanesque styles of architecture. The Hondo landmark has housed a variety of professional and commercial offices. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1986 #3068

?, Hondo, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03069

Lemley Cemetery. The earliest marked grave in this cemetery, that of Elizabeth Moore, dates to 1857. She was buried on part of a 160-acre tract of land settled by the Thomas B. Martin family in 1853 and patented to Martin by the state of Texas six years later. The existence of the cemetery is reflected in the Parker County deed records as early as 1869, when Martin sold his property to John H. and Thomas J. Lemley. The Lemleys came to Texas from Illinois in the mid-1850s and eventually settled in Parker County. The cemetery on their property, which came to be named for them, was used over the years for members of the family, as well as for friends and nearby settlers. Tombstones mark the graves of landowners Thomas Martin and George Lemley, as well as others who lived and died in the area, many of whom were victims of the hardships of pioneer life on the Texas frontier. At least five veterans of the Civil War also are buried here. Many graves are marked only with native rocks. The historic Lemley Cemetery is thus an important reflection of the heritage of this part of Parker County. (1992) #3069

Cold Springs Rd. off Old Authon Rd. via FM 920, Lemley, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03070

Lenert House. Albert Charles Lenert (1841-1902) and his wife Amelia (1853-1952), both of whom immigrated to Fayette County from Germany as children, moved to La Grange in 1894 and built this home for their family. A fine example of high Victorian Italianate style, the frame structure features symmetrical front massing, an inset central porch, a side porch with Moorish arcade, and fine milled detail.. The home remained in the Lenert family until 1979. RTHL - 1987 #3070

350 N. Madison, La Grange, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03071

Leo Roark. Star and Wreath Born January 9, 1813 Came to Texas in 1824 Served in the Texas War for Independence Participated in the action at Anahuac Died October 31, 1892 Erected by the State of Texas 1962 #3071

?, Guthrie, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03072

Leonard Roy Harmon. Born in Cuero, Leonard Roy Harmon enlisted in the U.S. Navy in Houston in June 1939. After training in Norfolk, Virginia, he reported for duty on the cruiser "U.S.S. San Francisco" and advanced to mess attendant first class. During the World War II Battle of Guadalcanal, on November 12, 1942, a Japanese plane crashed into the radar and fire control station of the "San Francisco," causing 50 casualties. The following day, November 13, as the naval battle continued, several officers on the bridge were struck by enemy gunfire. Harmon rushed to help evacuate the wounded to a dressing station. He was killed as he shielded an injured shipmate from gunfire. For this act of extraordinary heroism, he was awarded the Navy Cross. On May 21, 1943, Frank Knox, secretary of the Navy, announced the naming of a Navy vessel in Harmon's honor. The first U.S. warship named for a black man, the destroyer escort "U.S.S. Harmon" was christened by Mrs. Naunita Harmon Carroll, Harmon's mother, and launched on July 25, 1943. The vessel received three battle stars for service in the Pacific during World War II. In 1975, as a further memorial, the bachelor enlisted quarters at the U.S. Naval Air Station, North Island, California, was named Harmon Hall. #3072

?, Cuero, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03073

Leonard Williams. Served in the Army of Texas; participated in the storming of Bexar; a trader and interpreter among Indian tribes. Erected by the State of Texas 1956 #3073

?, Prairie Hill, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03076

James Seaton Lester. Star and Wreath Delegate to the 1835 Consultation, San Jacinto Veteran, member of four Republic of Texas Congresses. Erected by the State of Texas 1962 #3076

?, La Grange, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03077

Lowell Smith Home. Of pine and poplar lumber and other materials from an 1850 house acquired by John Wesley Smith, Civil War veteran and banker who came to Johnson County in 1868. Built this home 1887. Used square iron nails. #3077

?, Rio Vista, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03078

Lewis Pinkney Brooks Home. Home of Lewis Pinkney Brooks, Civil War veteran. He rode mule, Georgia, to Texas, 1866. Stone for 1875 home quarried on place. (Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1965.) #3078

Pinkney Brooks Road, Graham, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03079

John Bell Lewis Home. Influential Austin county resident John Bell Lewis (1845-1920) was born on a plantation near Coffeeville, Alabama. His grandmother Betty Washington Lewis was George Washington's sister. Lewis grew up near present Winedale, Texas, and served the Confederate army in several major Civil War battles. During Reconstruction Lewis served as sheriff of Austin County and helped restore law and order to the area. While performing the sheriff's duties as county tax collector, he saw the need for a local bank. He helped found Bellville First National Bank and Austin County State Bank. When Lewis heard that Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad planned to bypass Bellville, he persuaded landowners to donate right-of-way for the line and was instrumental in getting the railroad through Bellville. Lewis acquired this property about 1874. The next year, architect J. J. Stopple built this home which displays a transitional style between the Greek Revival and the more ornate Victorian. Lewis shared the residence with his widowed sister and her son. In 1879 Lewis married Mollie Bell Ervin and their children grew up here. Lewis is buried in Oak Knoll Cemetery, Bellville. (1979) Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1979 #3079

232 Masonic St., Bellville, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03080

Lewisville Prehistoric Site. During the construction of Lewisville Dam in 1950, a number of aboriginal artifacts were unearthed; archeologists conducted several excavations (1952-57) before the waters of Garza-Little Elm Reservoir covered the site. The excavations revealed 21 hearths, vegetable matter, animal bone fragments and lignite (coal) which was used for fuel. Scientific radiocarbon dating techniques indicate the organic material is approximately 12,000 years old. The Lewisville discoveries are similar in age and content to findings at the Clovis site in New Mexico. (1980) #3080

?, Lewisville, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03081

Liberty Community and Finney Switch. In 1887 Joseph B. Leach and his brothers, John and Dee, immigrated to this area from Liberty, Kentucky. Joseph filed on a 160-acre homestead and built a half-dugout and sod house and a windmill. The Leach brothers often hauled freight for Plainview merchants. More families arrived in this five-mile square area. By 1892 there were enough children for a schoolhouse to be erected. Methodist and Baptist services and community activities were held in the building. The settlement was called "Liberty" for Joseph Leach's Kentucky home. William R. Finney and his family settled nearby in the early 1900s. When the Santa Fe Railroad from Amarillo to Plainview located a switch in 1906 on Finney's land, the site became "Finney Switch". Soon irrigation wells improved agriculture and dairy farming began. Liberty Schoolhouse was moved in 1912 and in 1920 a four-room brick building was erected south of Finney. About 1925 the first business, a store, opened. The Baptist and Methodist congregations built sanctuaries by 1940. With the consolidation of the Liberty and Plainview Schools in 1948 and changes in farming, the population decreased. 1979 #3081

?, Plainview, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03082

Lipscomb County. Formed from Young and Bexar territories: Created, August 21, 1876 Organized June 6, 1887 Named in honor of Abner S. Lipscomb, 1789-1856. Secretary of State in President Lamar's cabinet member of the Constitutional Convention, 1845; associate justice of the First Supreme Court of Texas. Lipscomb, the county seat #3082

US 60, east side of Higgins, Higgins, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03085

Lindbergh in West Texas. Four months after his record-setting trans-Atlantic solo flight, Charles Augustus Lindbergh (1902-1974) landed here for one hour and thirty-six minutes during a nationwide publicity tour. Touching down at Kingsolving Field (now the site of Abilene Zoo) after an almost nine-hour flight from Santa Fe, "Lucky Lindy" was given a hero's welcome by thousands of West Texans. His famous Ryan Monoplane, "Spirit of St. Louis," was taxied into a fenced area and surrounded by National Guard Troops for protection. An escort plane landed later. Heading a parade into Abilene were seventy-one mayors and countless officials. Lindbergh was escorted by Mrs. Mildred Moody (1897-1983), wife of Governor Dan Moody and an Abilene native; Mayor Thomas Edward Hayden (1891-1949); and Chamber of Commerce president Charles William Bacon (1871-1947). The young pilot reportedly balked at a "throne" rigged for him in an open Nash automobile, and rode with Mrs. Moody through the town to Federal lawn. Lindbergh delivered a brief speech over loud speakers praising the ideal terrain and weather in Texas for developing civil and military aviation. He was escorted back to this plane and flew two hours and forty-two minutes to his next stop in Fort Worth. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986. #3085

SH 36 & US 83, Abilene, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03086

Lindberghs Land at Spearman. At ten minutes before 11:00 a.m. on Monday, September 24, 1934, a small monocoupe airplane landed in a pasture about 1/4 mile west of this site. The pilot taxied his craft to a stop near a windmill, deplaned, and asked the curious resident, "Lady, can I park my plane in your back yard?" The day proved a momentous one for Spearman residents. The pilot was Charles Augustus Lindbergh (1902-1974), traveling from California to New York with his wife, Anne. With about one hundred miles worth of fuel left in his plane, Lindbergh chose to stop in this small community to refuel in oder to avoid the inevitable crowds his arrival would cause in a larger town. A passing motorist was sent into town to purchase fuel for the airplane while the Lindberghs rested, enjoyed refreshments, and gave their hostess a tour of the airplane. As news of the Lindberghs' landing spread, school children were excused from classes to see the famous aviator and watch the plane depart two hours later. Although brief in duration, the visit by Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh to this small rural community was a significant local event. (1989) #3086

?, Spearman, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03087

Lindemann Store. The history of the Lindemann Store dates to 1884, when Edward Lindemann (1859-1931) and Franz Getschmann opened a general store in the German community of Industry. By 1889, the business had prospered so well that Lindemann bought his partner's share of the store. In the early days, the Lindemann Store served as a community gathering place as well as a center where items such as groceries, medicines, dry goods, fabrics, notions, and housewares could be purchased. Farmers from the surrounding regions came to the store to exchange produce for manufactured goods. After 1889 the store offered a "peddle wagon" service, whereby goods were brought directly to the farms and produce was taken to town by wagon. When the railroad came through the area in 1892, the Lindemann Store expanded its freighting operation. By the early 1940s, agricultural products were in great demand, and the store's emphasis changed from general merchandise to agri-business. The Lindemann Store, which has remained a family business throughout its history, continues to provide needed services to Industry and the surrounding area. (1984) #3087

?, Industry, TX, United States