Texas Historical Marker #08768
Judson Baptist Church. This congregation was organized in 1854 when the Fosterville Baptist Church divided its membership to better serve the growing population of Anderson County. County pioneers R. R. Morrow and J. H. Rowland were chief organizers of the 21 charter members. Morrow served as their first pastor. Judson Baptist Church met for worship services in a brush arbor near Hall Branch Creek until its first sanctuary was constructed on land provided by Martin and Nancy Haywood. By 1891, membership had grown such that a larger church building was erected. Over the years, Judson Baptist Church facilities have been enlarged or relocated to adapt to population shifts in northwest Anderson County. After the congregation moved to this site in 1924, members farmed the surrounding land and used the proceeds to pay off the church debt. Throughout its history, Judson Baptist Church has provided significant service and leadership to the Cayuga community and to those in the surrounding rural area. Its members have continued to uphold the ideas and traditions of their pioneer founders. (1985) #8768
?, Cayuga, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #08769
Judson Cemetery. This graveyard traces its origin to the establishment of Judson Missionary Baptist Church of Christ on September 20, 1854. The church served the pioneer community of Wildcat Bluff (later called Cayuga). The congregation relocated here about 1856 from the nearby Gilmore's Chapel and Brush Arbor to a church building and acreage donated by Martin and Nancy Haywood on October 20, 1855. The first recorded burial here was that of 7-year-old Allen W. Barton on October 26, 1863. Pioneer burials were a community effort. Members prepared the body, made the shroud, built the caskets and dug the graves. Cedar trees and large stones were used as grave markers. According to local tradition cedar tree stumps continue to disclose the site of unmarked grave sites. In 1910 a small parcel of land was added to the graveyard by donors L. J. M. Sutton, L. B. Clay, Mrs. Ida Harton, and Joe A. and Sarah Johnson. Ellen and J. W. Seat donated 3-3/4 acres to the Judson Baptist Church in 1925 and sold additional acreage in 1954 for cemetery purposes. The Judson Cemetery Association helped establish a perpetual care fund in 1970 to maintain the grounds. The cemetery, deeded to the cemetery association by the Judson Baptist Church in 1986, continues to serve the church and community. (1993) #8769
?, Cayuga, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #08770
Site of the Kickapoo Battlefield. Here General Thomas J. Rusk with 200 Texans on October 16, 1838, attacked a band of hostile Indians and allied Mexicans, molestors of frontier settlements, and routed them. #8770
?, Frankston, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #08771
Captain William Kimbro. In Memory of Commanded a company at San Jacinto; came to Texas in 1831; born in Tennessee; died in Anderson County, September 14, 1856. #8771
?, Palestine, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #08772
Kolstad Jewelers. Soren Kolstad (1823 - 1918), a skilled artisan and clockmaker, migrated to Texas from his native Norway in 1852. He settled in Palestine, where he opened a jewelry store in 1853. The store has occupied four locations. Mahogany display cases, installed in the third shop in 1916, were transferred to the present site in 1933. Managed by five generations of the Kolstad family, this is believed to be the oldest retail store in continuous operation by its founding family in the state of Texas. Members of the Kolstad family have also been leaders in religious, civic, and educational activities. (1977) #8772
100 W. Oak, Palestine, TX, United States
Subjects
Texas Historical Marker #08773
Link Family Cemetery. This cemetery was established when John and Mary Otelia Link buried their young daughters Annie and Allean at this site within a week of each other in July of 1887. Both children died of diphtheria. At that time no Catholic cemetery existed nearby and local tradition suggests the children were buried near their home because transportation of unpreserved bodies over a long distance in the heat was impractical. John Link died in 1888 and was buried next to his daughters. The Links practiced burial procedures commonly used in rural Texas in the 19th century. The deceased was washed and laid out on a cooling board with bags of saltpeter or silver coins placed over the eyes in an undertaking shared by friends and neighbors. Pallbearers lowered the locally manufactured casket with the use of three traditional cotton straps. After the burial, participants gathered at the home of the deceased to eat and express sympathy. John and Mary's eldest son Andrew B. Link formally set aside the cemetery in a deed transferring family land to his youngest brother John F. Link in 1919. Of the 32 burials currently in the cemetery, 11 are of children under the age of 6. The Link Family Cemetery is maintained by an association of family members. (1993) #8773
?, Palestine, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #08774
Link House, The. Built and continuously occupied by family of early Palestine physician Henry Harnsbarger Link (1820 - 90) and wife, Hypatia McGee (1829 - 88). First rooms, built 1852, now form front hall. Dr. H. R. Link, one of builders' three sons, remodeled house in 1912. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1972 #8774
1003 Link St., Palestine, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #08775
Lone Pine Baptist Church. This congregation traces its history to a small group of worshipers who gathered together in the early 1890s to hold services in a small schoolhouse near this site known as Rocky Point. A plot of land was purchased by the church in 1903, and a one-room frame structure was built for school and church purposes. The one pine tree on the property gave the church its name: Lone Pine Baptist Church. Although the congregation met regularly before then, the church was formally organized on July 8, 1908, with 34 charter members. The Rev. A. M. Thompson was called as first pastor, a position he held until his death in 1911. In 1916 a larger building was erected for the combination church and school. About one year later the two institutions were divided, and a church structure was built in June 1920. Called the tabernacle, it had permanent walls and a roof, but the interior floor was of dirt. Continued growth over the years enabled the congregation to improve the tabernacle and build additional facilities. A new church auditorium was dedicated in 1957. The church continues to serve the community as it has for over eight decades. (1989) #8775
?, Palestine, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #08776
John Byler Mallard, Judge. Born 1820 in Alabama. An honor graduate, University of Tennessee Law School. Married in 1844 Miss Susan Scott, Tippah County, Mississippi. In 1845 settled in Republic of Texas. Built one of first homes in Palestine, 1848. First lawyer in Palestine, formed partnership with Judges Wm. Alexander and John H. Reagan, later state and national leader. Was a member of the Fifth Texas Legislature. Died in 1854. Recorded, 1965 Incise in base: Erected by Miss Ruth R. Eppner #8776
?, Palestine, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #08777
McClure-McReynolds-Fowler Home. Built in 1849 by Judge Alexander E. McClure (1815 - 1870), who came from Tennessee to Texas in 1840 and lived for a number of years at Old Fort Houston. Judge McClure was the first district clerk in Anderson County, co-owner of the "Trinity Advocate," and one of the most prominent lawyers in East Texas. The house was purchased from the McClures in 1884 by Zachariah Aycock McReynolds (1846 - 1928), who immigrated to Texas in 1875 from Adairsville, Georgia. He was a Confederate veteran who had fought in the sieges at Vicksburg and Atlanta in the Civil War, 1861-1865. About 1890 the house was remodeled using the old timber, including well preserved hand-hewn sills. From 1880 to 1908, Z. A. McReynolds held the offices of district clerk, county clerk, county judge, tax collector, and postmaster. In 1934 Colonel Godfrey Rees Fowler (1876 - 1958) and his wife Ella Sue (McReynolds) returned to Palestine to retire to her old family home. Colonel Fowler was a grandson of Judge John H. Reagan (first Texas Railroad Commission chairman). Fowler had fought in the Spanish-American War, the Philippine insurrection, the Nicaraguan uprising, and World War I. The McClures and McReynoldses have been the only property owners since 1848. (1970) #8777
921 N. Perry St., Palestine, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #08778
Site of the McClean Massacre. Daniel McLean and John Sheridan, expert Indian fighters employed by the settlers as guides and protectors, were killed here in 1837. By holding the savages in check until the settlers could escape, both sacrificed their lives. #8778
?, Palestine, TX, United States
Subjects
Texas Historical Marker #08779
Old Montalba. In area known as Beaver Valley, settled about 1853 -- the year that pioneer P. G. Oldham built his home a half-mile northwest of this marker. This was on the Palestine-Athens Road, the route taken by mail hacks in early days. To the east was a campground where travelers often spent the night, and where later inhabitants of the area used to gather for seasonal religious campmeetings. Near the Oldham home was the Beaver Valley Primitive Baptist Church. Mr. Oldham donated land for a cemetery adjoining the church. Nearby stood a noted early school, Beaver Academy. The church was later known by name "Holly Springs." The first local physician, Dr. T. J. Adams, built his homestead in the woods of Beaver Valley in 1859, and conducted a wide practice until he was past 80. During the Civil War, while the young men of the area were away in the army, an iron foundry in this valley made arms and bullets for the Confederacy. In 1880 a post office was granted under the name Montalba -- suggested by early settler to be Hamlett, inspired by snowclad mountain on the horizon. Mrs. Mollie Hamlett was the first postmaster. In later years Montalba settlement was moved southward, and now thrives as a market and supply point for valley. (1970) #8779
?, Montalba, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #08780
Murdoch McDonald. Murdoch McDonald was born in North Carolina on February 16, 1810, the son of Scottish immigrants. About 1832 he went to Georgia, where he met Dr. George Lester. In 1839, McDonald, along with Lester and his family, came to Texas. Settling in the Mound Prairie area of Anderson county, McDonald farmed and Lester opened his medical practice. In 1843, McDonald married George Lester's daughter, Sarah. They had nine children, six of whom lived to adulthood. In 1871, McDonald donated three hundred acres of land to the International Railroad Company, with the stipulation that a town and station be established, and that he would receive three lots in the town. By 1872 the railroad had reached the new town, and McDonald built a hotel at this site on one of his city lots. The hotel became a social center of the area. Murdoch McDonald, considered the founder of Neches, remained a leader in the community until his death on November 1, 1889. He and his wife are both buried in the Mound Prairie Cemetery. Most of their children remained in the county. One son, John, and a grandson, Walter H. McDonald, operated retail businesses in Neches for many years. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986 #8780
., Neches, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #08781
Mound Prairie Cemetery. The earliest marked graves in this cemetery date to the late 1850s, although settlement of the Mound Prairie community occurred much earlier. Mound Prairie, once the home of a Baptist college known as Mound Prairie Institute, declined during the latter part of the 19th century. This cemetery is one of the few physical reminders of the town. Many of the early settlers and their descendants are buried here, as are several Confederate veterans. Some of the graves are marked with rock cairns or hand-hewn stones. (1985) #8781
?, Palestine, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #08782
Mount Vernon A.M.E. Church. Freedmen organized this African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1873. The first sanctuary, a frame building at Mulberry and Birch streets, was shared with a group of Missionary Baptists. In the late 1870s, the Methodists built their own chapel at this site and adopted the congregational name Mount Vernon. The present brick sanctuary, with influences of the Gothic Revival style, was completed in the 1920s. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1986 #8782
913 E. Calhoun, Palestine, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #08783
Mount Vernon United Methodist Church. Early denominational records indicate that this congregation was in existence as a mission church as early as 1880. In 1896, A. L. and Susanna Herrington donated one acre to the county to be used for a free school. A one-room school building was erected on the site, on Walnut Creek twelve miles north of Palestine, and also served as a church meeting place. The community was known as Mount Vernon, and the Methodist church assumed that name, also. The one-room building was moved in 1907 two miles north of its original location, and two rooms were added to the structure for the growing school. The congregation continued to meet in the building until 1913, when this site, across the road from the school building, was deeded to the Mount Vernon Methodist Episcopal Church, South. A sanctuary was completed the same year. The church has maintained active programs over the years, and has served as a training ground for many young ministers and student pastors from nearby Lon Morris College. For over one hundred years, the Mount Vernon Methodist Church has served as a center for its rural community. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986 #8783
?, Palestine, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #08784
Muse Cemetery. The oldest marked grave in this cemetery is that of Mary E. Gilmore, who died February 6, 1859, at the age of six months. The oldest section of the burial ground is covered with sand, though grass grows on newer sections. A 1969 survey located some 261 unmarked graves, which were then designated with cement markers. The cemetery takes its name from the pioneer Thomas Fletcher Muse family, though records show it was in use prior to the family's settlement in the area following the Civil War. However, there are no indications that any of the Muse family members are buried here. The first section was not officially deeded for use as a cemetery until 1909. Two additional sections were added in 1958 and 1981. Several generations of some area families are represented here. Most of the grave markers are of stone, though there are also some above-ground vault burials. A cemetery association was formed in 1981. To the east of the oldest section is another small cemetery, containing the graves of black citizens of the community. The oldest marked grave in that plot is of Jackson Roach, who died September 1, 1882. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986 #8784
?, Slocum, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #08785
Northeast Texas Christian Theological and Industrial College. Led by the Rev. A. J. Hurdle, the Northeast Texas Christian Missionary Convention of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was formed in Daingerfield in 1900. Established to serve black members of the denomination, its primary purpose was the creation of a college. The Christian College Building Association was formed by a group of women within the organization, and by 1904 enough funds had been raised to purchase 49 acres of land near Palestine, Texas. Contractor J. L. Randolph was hired in 1910, and on May 26, 1911, the cornerstone was laid for the main college structure. Opening with seven students in January 1912, the Northeast Texas Christian Theological and Industrial College consisted of several large frame buildings and had a faculty of four. D. T. Cleaver served as the first president and was succeeded by I. Q. Hurdle. In addition to their classroom studies, the students farmed the college lands and raised livestock. After the main college building was destroyed by fire about 1920, the school closed. The remaining buildings were later razed, leaving no visible reminders of the institution that once provided an education to students from several states. (1989) #8785
?, Palestine, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #08786
Site of Old Magnolia. (one-half mi.S) Founded in 1840s as a ferrying point on the Caddo Trace; later became a major landing for flatboats and steamers on the Trinity River, where cotton and other products were shipped by a four-day trip to Galveston to be exchanged for flour, salt, and sugar. Magnolia -- named for a huge tree in center of town -- reached its zenith in 1863, when it had several hundred people and eight major stores. Focus of social life then was Haygood's Magnolia Tavern, where board and lodging for a man and two horses cost $2 a day. Haygood's was the scene of many gala parties feting riverboat passengers, for when a deep-throated steamer whistle blew a few miles from port, it signaled a rush of people from miles around eager to greet arrivals and collect long-awaited parcels. Growing river traffic spawned many towns like this, and from 1830 to 1880, Texas waterways were dotted with boats. From the first, though, the state's rivers were unsuited for extensive trade, because even the largest were shallow, winding, and often choked with debris. After 1880, trains replaced riverboats. An irony of the transition was that one of the last steamers to pass Magnolia, in 1872, carried rails for the tracks being lad through nearby Palestine. (1967) An irony of the transition was that one of the last steamers to pass Magnolia, in 1872, carried rails for the tracks being laid through nearby Palestine. #8786
?, Palestine, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #08787
Olive Branch Cemetery. This part of Anderson County was settled in the 1850s. Many of the early settlers were from the vicinity of Brushy Creek, South Carolina, and it is believed that is why the streams in this area and the community were named Brushy Creek. A smaller creek near this site became known as Olive Branch. In 1858, as the community began to grow, a small one-room building was erected to serve as a church and school. A cemetery was established on land adjacent to the building. Although the land was not officially deeded as a graveyard until 1858, there are marked burials from as early as 1856. The oldest documented grave is that of Joseph H. Waddell, who died in 1856 at age six. Also interred here are many early pioneers and a number of veterans, including James Eastland (1827 - 1911), who served in the Mexican War and the Civil War, and later represented Anderson County in the Texas Legislature. Daniel Henderson, who deeded the land for the church, school, and cemetery, is also buried here. This cemetery is a visible reminder of the early settlers of Brushy Creek. The Olive Branch Cemetery Association, organized in 1978, maintains the historic graveyard. (1988) #8787
?, Palestine, TX, United States