Series 'Texas Historical Marker'

New York Hill. This area of Thurber developed after 1917, when the Texas and Pacific Coal Company expanded into the burgeoning oil industry following W. K. Gordon's discovery of the Ranger oil field. Renamed in 1918, the Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Company brought staff for its new oil division to Thurber from New York. Thirty-one houses were built here on New York Hill. Church Street climbed the hill from town, as did sidewalks and brick steps, some of which were still visible decades later. The buildings on the hill were removed in the 1930s when the company town was dismantled. (1995) #3587

?, Thurber, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03588

New York, Texas & Mexican Railroad and The Community of Hungerford. Attracted by the State of Texas' offer of free land to railroad developers, a charter for the New York, Texas & Mexican Railroad was secured in 1880. Its major investor, John W. Mackay, made his fortune in the Nevada silver mines. His brother-in-law, count Joseph Telfener of Lombardy, Italy, arranged for the construction. Work began in 1880 on the 91-mile stretch of railroad track between Rosenberg and Victoria. The pasta diet of many of the Italian laborers lent itself to the railroad's nickname, the "Macaroni Line." Telfener and Mackay established six stations along the line--Inez, Louise, Edna, Hungerford, Telfener, and Mackay and named them for themselves and family members. The community of Hungerford was named for their father-in-law Daniel E. Hungerford, who served as vice-president of the New York, Texas & Mexican Railroad. Not the successful business venture they had envisioned, the company was sold to Southern Pacific Railway in 1885. With an economy based on farming and ranching, the community of Hungerford has continued to flourish over the years. Its origin is a reflection of the varied history of the railroad in Texas. (Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986.) #3588

SH 60, Hungerford, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03590

Newburg Cemetery. Pioneer settlers of this area of Comanche County arrived in the mid-1850s and established a town named for the nearby South Leon River. P.W. Brewer set aside land for a cemetery and church in 1872. Although earlier unmarked burials exist here, the oldest documented grave is that of Rosie E. McCurdy, who died in 1875. After the town name was changed to Newburg in the 1880s, the cemetery also was renamed. Local pioneers and veterans of conflicts dating back to the Mexican War are buried here. A cemetery association maintains the historic graveyard. (1994) #3590

?, Comanche vicinity, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03591

Newman Community and Cemetery. Jim Newman, one of Fisher County's earliest settlers, established a ranch in this area about 1879. The community that developed near his ranch was named Newman when the county's first post office opened here in 1881. The town consisted of the Old Newman and Union Hall Schools, a post office/grocery store, and the Newman Baptist Church by 1901. The Newman Cemetery was legally set aside in a deed conveying property at this site for cemetery purposes in 1906. The first persons buried here were Miller Phigpen and J. E. W. Scott in 1906. Among the sixteen veterans of various wars buried here is American Civil War veteran R. L. Creswell. The Methodist Episcopal Church built a sanctuary here about 1908. Union Hall and Old Newman schools consolidated in 1913, and in 1924 a new brick schoolhouse was constructed. In 1929 the Methodist Episcopal and Baptist churches erected new sanctuaries. A steady decline in the area's population resulted in the dissolution of the Methodist Church in 1940, the school in the early 1940s and the Baptist Church about 1950. Vestiges of the town's church and school structures and the still active Newman Cemetery are all that remain of the former town of Newman. (1993) #3591

?, Sylvester vicinity, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03592

Nicholas Fagan. Came to Texas and settled in Powers Colony in 1829; A private in Fraser's Refugio Company at the Battle of Coleto; He was saved from the massacre through the intervention of Mexican colonial friends. #3592

Off SH 239, to Old Fagan Cemetery Rd., 7 mi W of Tivoli, Tivoli, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03593

Nichols Cemetery. Born about 1805, Rowland Nichols settled in Kerr County where he served as county commissioner. Upon his death at the hands of Indians, Nichols was buried, as he wished, under a live oak tree on his farm on April 11, 1859. This site became a community burial ground and the burial place of many area pioneers, including J. C. W. Ingram (1829-1902), for whom the town of Ingram was named. Additional property was later purchased from Lafayette Nichols to enlarge the cemetery. For over a century Nichols Cemetery has served the residents of this part of Kerr County. (1982) #3593

?, Ingram, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03594

Nicholson School. Once the center of a thriving agricultural community, Nicholson School was named for county judge Arthur Clyde Nicholson, during whose term the school was opened in 1915. As Nicholson School increased in enrollment, reaching a peak of 150 students in 1929, additional teachers and classrooms were added. Consolidation with other rural schools began in 1934 and was completed in 1937, when the last classes at Nicholson School were held. A concrete cellar near this site is all that remains of the original school property. (1984) #3594

?, Memphis, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03595

Nicolaus Zink. In 1844, Bavarian-born civil engineer Nicolaus Zink (1812-1887) was selected to lead a group of German immigrants overseas to establish settlements on a Texas land grant. This colonization effort was headed by Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels and financed by a German corporation known as the Mainzer Adelsverein. Upon arrival in Texas in late 1844, Zink realized that the grant to be settled by the colonists was in the heart of Comanche Indian territory. He persuaded Prince Solms to settle at an alternate site, which became the town of New Braunfels. Zink's leadership in the face of unrest, disease, starvation, and monetary problems was vital to the survival of the colony. He eventually was responsible for the supervision of about one-half of the German immigrants bound for New Braunfels. After 1847, Zink built homes in a variety of places, including Sisterdale, Comfort, and an area south of Fredericksburg. In 1868, he acquired this property and built the central portion of the limestone house southeast of this site. He later gave land for and helped engineer the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad bed to Kerrville. Zink lived here until his death and is buried in an unmarked grave near this site. (1984) #3595

?, Boerne, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03596

Niles City. Incorporated in 1911, the City of Niles was called the "Richest Little Town in the World" because of its size and the number of large businesses located here. Included in the townsite, which eventually covered 1.5 square miles, were major meat packing firms, the Fort Worth Stockyards, two grain elevators, a cotton seed oil company, and a petroleum refinery and pipeline plant. By the early 1920s the town's taxable property was valued at $30,000,000. Niles was named for Louville Veranus Niles (1839-1928), a successful Boston businessman who first visited Fort Worth in 1893. His reorganization of the Fort Worth Packing Company in 1899 led the firms of Swift and Armour to locate their plants in this area in 1902, rapidly increasing nearby business development. Substantial muncipal tax revenues helped make the city of Niles a progressive community. Under the supervision of a Mayor and five Aldermen, funds were used for improvements in roads, utilities,and city services. The two school districts which served the town also benefited from the large tax base. Despite legal efforts beginning in 1921 to remain incorporated and avoid annexation, the City of Niles became part of Fort Worth in 1923. (1981) #3596

500 block of E. Exchange St., Fort Worth, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03597

Nils Akeson. In the late 1880s Swedish born Nils Akeson moved from Iowa to this sparsely populated area of north Texas. As an officer of the Hale County Townsite Company Nils helped establish the town of Hale Center. He worked for the famous XIT Ranch from 1893 to 1899 and served as Hale Center's postmaster from 1900 to 1907. He helped bring the Santa Fe Railroad through Hale Center in 1909 and established the town's first mercantile business. As mayor, land developer, church administrator and school trustee Akeson played a prominent role in Hale Center's early development. 1993 #3597

206 W. 6th, Hale Center, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03598

Noah C. Batis. A native of Illinois, Noah C. Batis (1860-1950) came to Texas at an early age. In 1881 and 1882, he worked as a cowboy driving cattle up the Chisholm Trail to Kansas. He came to Sanger in 1889 and ten years later, at this site, established the Sanger Stock Farm, which became known for its fine horses, mules, and other livestock. Although he lacked the formal training, Batis provided veterinary care for his animals and for those of nearby farms. A county commissioner from 1919 to 1923, he lived here with his wife Laura (b. 1864). They died in 1950. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986 #3598

?, Sanger, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03600

Nolan County. Nomadic Indians crossed this region before Anglo-American pioneers arrived here in the 1870's. The first settlers were buffalo hunters such as I.S. (Tuck) Focht, who later became a rancher and businessman, and cattlemen such as confederate veteran John R. Lewis. Created in 1876, Nolan County was one of 54 countries carved from Bexar Territory. It was named for Philip Nolan (1771-1801), an Irish-born adventurer who came to Texas to capture wild horses and was killed in a skirmish with Spanish soldiers. Sweetwater, a small settlement that had grown up around a general store, was awarded the county's first post office in March 1879. It was also named the county seat when Nolan County was organized in January 1881. Sweetwater moved 2 miles northwest to its present location on the Texas & Pacific Rail Line in April 1881. It became an important rail center when the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient and later the Santa Fe Railroad also routed their track through the town. The economy of Nolan County is based on cattle and sheep ranching; cotton and feed grain crops; and gypsum, line, and petroleum production. The population of the county increased from 640 in 1880 to 16,220 in the 1970 census. (1975) #3600

Broadway St., Sweetwater, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03601

Nolanville School. Pioneers who settled this area in the early 1850s built a 1-room log schoolhouse about 1854. That year Bell County was divided into 15 school districts. Nolanville School moved to several different sites in the area. In 1928-29 the last high school class graduated from a 2-story brick schoolhouse in Nolanville. At various times after 1929 the school offered classes in nine or eight grades. At the time of its merger with Killeen's Independent School District in 1972 Nolanville was a six-grade elementary school. A new Nolanville school was built at this site in 1986. (1994) #3601

901 Nolanville Rd., Nolanville, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03602

Noll School and Cemetery. Valentin Noll (1816-1882), a German immigrant, purchased land in the C.W. Vickery survey before 1860. In 1893 his eldest son Joseph (1848-1938) deeded two acres for a free community school, built with the help of Ben Arnold, Joseph Dentler, Otto Dentler, Fred Diebel and Joe Preiss. One acre became a cemetery, opened with the burial of Jacob Dentler (1825-1894), a German settler in the Mission Valley area. The plot contains 17 graves, including those of Dentler, Noll and Preiss family members. The one-room school building was removed from this site in 1919. (1977) #3602

?, Mission Valley vicinity, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03603

Nolte-Rooney House. Built 1890 by F.H. Nolte, early settler, on land in Murphyville (NW Alpine). The 20 inch walls are made of adobe bricks molded at the building site. Home was sold 1893 to John Rooney, second county Sheriff. The exterior looks as it did in 1890. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark --1968 #3603

307 Ave. D, Alpine, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03604

Nordheim Shooting Club. A product of the area's predominantly German heritage and community Mayfest celebrations of the nineteenth century, the Nordheim Fortschritt Verein (Progress Club) was organized in 1897. Another organization, the Nordheim Scheutzen Verein (Shooting Club), was formed in 1902. The two organizations were merged in 1927 under the name Nordheim Shooting Club. The organization provided entertainment and community activities for a large rural area. The present club facility replaced earlier structures on the same site. #3604

?, Nordheim, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03606

North Brown Cemetery. Named for creek followed by homeseekers, this burial ground originated about 1857 when death struck at a nearby campsite. In the 1870s North Brown farming community surrounded this site. It had a school and held church services in the schoolhouse. In 1895 local leaders A. A. Boulter, G. M. O'Quin, and J. S. Weatherby secured a deed to the acreage in which graves had so long existed, and the North Brown Cemetery Association was formed. After school had closed, proceeds from sale of its site were pledged in 1967 for cemetery care. Pioneer families continue burials here. #3606

Off SH 16 on private road, 5 mi. N of Goldthwaite, Goldthwaite, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03607

North Cowden. Site of Ector County's second big oil strike. Named for ranching family of John M. Cowden, an 1885 permian basin settler; one of 4 brothers, ranching community leaders on Texas frontiers. Oil and gas development began here with the 1930 discovery. Post Office granted 1947. Town continues as a permian basin petroleum source. #3607

?, North Cowden, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03608

North Nocona Oil Field - Montague County Oil Discovery, 1922. Pennsylvania oil man George Williams, backed by Cad McCall, drilled for oil intermittently, 1918-22, beginning at Eagle Point (4.5 mi. SE). Leasing by individuals and major companies--including Phil Lesh, A.E. Humphrey, and the Texas Co.--kept rigs working. Gas blew in at 800-foot depth on J.W. Maddox-J.E. Lemons land, one well yielding over 100,000,000 cubic feet daily. The gas was piped to Nocona and rural homes. Oil was discovered in 1922 on Maddox site, at about 1,000 feet. Production continued at 1,000-2,000 feet, there and elsewhere. The gas caused trouble: a capped well blew mud from prairie dog holes and gas from water well a quarter-mile away. In 1925, a gas well on W.W. Jones land (2 mi. W) blew out a gigantic crater. Another well (.75 mi. W) caught fire, burned its rig, and was finally doused by nationally-famed oil well fire fighter Tex Thornton. With an estimated 100,000,000-barrel total on record, this 12,295-acre field still produces. (1972) #3608

FM 103, 10 mi. W of Nocona, Nocona, TX, United States

Texas Historical Marker #03609

North Side School. After Arlington's North Side School at 433 North Center burned in 1909, this board and batten structure was built on the school grounds. Two grades met here for one term until a new brick building was erected. Contractor Joseph Crawley, who built this structure bought it and moved it to 304 South Pecan. It served as his office until 1924 when it became a storage shed. In 1977 Arlington's oldest existing schoolhouse was relocated here. #3609

621 W. Arkansas Ln., Arlington, TX, United States