Texas Historical Marker #9978
The Rt. Rev. Monsignor Marius Etienne Chataignon. (September 17, 1886 - November 18, 1957) A native of France, Marius Etienne Chataignon served in the French army before coming to the United States in 1907. He came to Texas in 1910 to attend St. Mary's Seminary in La Porte. After his ordination, he was appointed assistant pastor at St. Mary's Cathedral in Galveston in 1911. Chataignon served as a chaplain in the U. S. Army in France during World War I. Appointed chaplain in the U. S. Army Officers Reserve Corps in 1923, he also served with the Texas National Guard, 36th Division. In 1924 he became pastor of Galveston's Sacred Heart Church. In 1942 "Father Chat, Galveston's soldier priest," as he was fondly known, was promoted to the rank of colonel and served as chief chaplain of the II Corps, 5th Army in North Africa and Italy during World War II. Pope Pius XII appointed Father Chataignon to the rank of domestic Prelate in 1943. Monsignor Chataignon returned to Sacred Heart Church in 1945 a highly decorated veteran and retired from the army in 1953. During his years as pastor at Sacred Heart, "Father Chat" was instrumental in the establishment of the Odin High School for Boys which became Kirwin High School, and he organized Boy Scout troops. He is buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Dickinson. (1991) Incise on base: Msgr. Chataignon Knights of Columbus #9978 #268
1302 Broadway, Galveston, TX, United States
White Chapel Cemetery. Coleman County was organized in 1867. The landscape in this area included high grasses, pecan and live oak trees. Deer, turkey, bear and antelope roamed freely. Into this wilderness came such pioneers as John Thomas and Julia Gowens Hamilton, Julia's parents G. A. and Rachel Ann Berryman Gowens, and Rachel's father Benjamin Berryman and his family. The group passed Coleman, choosing instead to settle in this locality. The village of White Chapel grew from the efforts of these settlers and their neighbors. The earliest interment on this burial ground was that of Joseph Shipman, who died in 1884. When land was deeded for a school that year, the cemetery was established on the same site. The school, cemetery and community were known as White Chapel. The Rock Crusher School District was created in 1916 and included White Chapel District #44, but White Chapel voters rejected consolidation in 1917. The White Chapel Baptist Church was moved to the school grounds in 1930. In 1936 the Centennial High School District was formed and older grade levels were consolidated into the new organization. In 1951 all White Chapel students were consolidated into the Centennial District. In 1952 the cemetery was granted a separate deed from the school. Pioneer family names represented in the cemetery are Berryman, Brooks, Collier, Fenton, Gowens, Jameson, Kelley, Hamilton, Nelson, Saunders and Stacy. Three Civil War veterans and several members of the U. S. Armed Forces are interred here. The White Chapel Cemetery remains a chronicle of the early settlers of this wilderness. (1999) #11814
?, Coleman, TX, United States
Post Oak Island Lodge #181, A.F. & A.M.. Settled as early as the 1840s, Post Oak Island was one of this area's earliest communities. There, on September 15, 1855, I.J. Kidd, T. Gatlin, P.A. Middleton, M. Gardner and A.S. Harper established a Masonic lodge. On February 2, 1856, the lodge was officially constituted as Post Oak Island Lodge #181, and by October 1860, lodge members had paid the mortgage on their lodge hall. They moved the hall in 1878 to Sam Smith Springs (Lawhon Springs), and in 1901, they moved it again, to Beaukiss. Despite the relatively small population of Beaukiss, the long-standing institution has maintained a high membership, pulled from the area's dispersed rural communities. (2006) #13604
CR 480, Spur 619, Elgin, TX, United States
Louisiana-Rio Grande Canal Company. Wisconsin native John Closner established the first steam-powered irrigation system in the lower Rio Grande Valley in 1895. Closner successfully grew sugar cane and entered a sample for judging at the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904. The award-winning sugar cane and Closner's promotion of the lower Rio Grande convinced a number of financiers and agriculturists to invest in the region's irrigation and development possibilities. In 1909 H. N. Pharr, J. C. Kelly, John C. Conway, and A. W. Roth formed the Louisiana-Rio Grande (LRG) Canal Company to transform about 40,000 acres of arid land in Hidalgo County into productive farmland. To do this the company built two pumping stations to divert water from the Rio Grande through an elaborate irrigation system to a planned community of small farmsteads. The agricultural success of the LRG Canal Company, its successor the Hidalgo County Water Improvement District #2, and other similar operations in the region resulted in an influx of Anglo farmers and settlers from the midwestern U.S. into this mainly Hispanic region of Texas. The bountiful harvests propelled the Rio Grande Valley to the forefront of Texas agriculture by the mid-20th century and earned the region a reputation as the "winter garden" of Texas. (1995) Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845 - 1995 Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845-1995. #3140
?, Pharr, TX, United States
Milam Lodge #2, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Texas. The Masonic Lodge in Nacogdoches is the oldest in the state still operating in its original location. Before the organization of a Grand Lodge in Texas, Louisiana Masons granted dispensation for individual lodges here. Three lodges, Holland (No. 36) of Brazoria, Milam (No. 40) of Nacogdoches, and McFarland (No. 41) of San Augustine, were organized in this way from 1835-37. Nacogdoches' lodge organized on August 16, 1837, honoring with its name Texas revolutionary hero Ben Milam, who was killed during the siege of Bexar. Original members included Isaac W. Burton, Kelsey Douglass, Haden Edwards, John H. Hyde, John W. Lowe, Goerge A. Nixon, John S. Roberts, Adolphus Sterne and Frost Thorne. The newly constituted lodge first met in the Old Stone Fort for three consecutive nights following the chartering ceremony. Charles S. Taylor, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, and Thomas J. Rusk, soldier and statesman, were initiated into the lodge that week. Many other significant men in the Republic of Texas were members of Milam Lodge. The Holland, Milam and McFarland Lodges (renumbered No. 1, 2 and 3) organized the Grand Lodge of Texas in December 1837. Promoting education was one of the chief community activities of Freemasons in Texas; the Milam Lodge helped establish and operate Nacogdoches University in 1845. The lodge also supported several local churches and new lodges in cities across Texas. Milam Lodge met in a number of facilities over the years, using its entire building fund to buy war bonds during World War I before finally building its own home in 1931. The Milam Lodge's tradition of community service and charity continues to this day. (2008) Marker is Property of the State of Texas #14133
129 N. Fredonia, Nacogdoches, TX, United States
P. P. Ackley and the Texas Chisholm Trail. Illinois native Peter Preston Ackley (1858-1940) moved to Texas as a boy. He went on several trail drives in the 1870s and 1880s, bringing cattle from Texas, Nebraska and Canada to Kansas railheads. Starting in the 1920s, Ackley worked to have the Chisholm Trail recognised as a National Highway. In the 1930s he formed the Texas Longhorn Chisholm Trail Association and placed dozens of metal and granite markers along historic cattle trails in several states, Canada and Mexico. Ackley wintered in Donna and placed a trail marker here; a sign outside his house read "End of the Chisholm Trail". His efforts helped to document the era of the cattle drives in the American West.
?, Donna, TX, United States
Subjects
The Seven Courthouses of Hunt County In 1846, when Hunt County was created, Greenville was chosen as the county seat. Court sessions were held under oak trees at the corner of St. John and Bourland Streets until the first courthouse was built here in 1847. A log cabin, it was located on the west side of the square. It was replaced in 1853 by a 2-story frame courthouse on the northwest corner. The center of the square, which had been reserved for a more substantial building, was used in 1858 for the third courthouse. The first brick structure in the county, it was condemned in 1874. County offices were moved to a building at 2610 Lee Street, purchased from the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The fifth courthouse, an ornate red brick building with white stone trim, was constructed here in 1883, thirteen months later it was destroyed by a fire which heavily damaged the town’s commercial district. A new courthouse, which closely resembled the 1883 structure, was built in 1885. In 1928 it was torn down to make room for construction of the present courthouse. The seventh for Hunt County, a formal dedication was held on April 11, 1929, the 83rd anniversary of the county’s founding.
2500 Lee Street, Greenville, TX, United States
Adjutant's Quarters (Quarters # 20). Erected during the 1873-1875 expansion of Fort Clark to accommodate and support an entire regiment, this structure differs from other quarters on the line in that it is a single dwelling rather than a duplex. The Fifth Regiment of the U. S. Cavalry was garrisoned here from 1921 to 1941 and during that time the regimental adjutant, who performed essential clerical duties for the regimental commander, lived within these walls. The core of this building is a three-room hall and parlor plan composed of adobe, featuring a symmetrical front and stone chimney at each end. Additions were made in 1904 and 1944. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1999 #12001
20 Colony Row, Fort Clark Springs, Brackettville, TX, United States
Spring Creek School. Established in 1900, a year before Hutchinson County was formally organized, the Spring Creek School is an early and significant part of the county's educational heritage. In that year, W. B. Haile and other area ranchers collected funds to buy materials to build the first schoolhouse. Located on the Harvey Ranch near Spring Creek, the schoolhouse served 13 students, taught by Mrs. L. S. Ford that first, 60-day school year. In 1901, the Hutchinson County commissioners court divided the county into four school districts, Spring Creek being named district #4. At that time, schools were under the supervision of a superintendent of county education, who by 1903 was W. B. Haile. When the area's population shifted, the first schoolhouse was moved to Haile Ranch and later to the Terry Ranch before becoming too small for the number of students enrolled. It was replaced sometime before 1930; this second building burned in 1932 but was rebuilt. The next building, a red brick structure, was completed in 1938 and offered the students and teachers six classrooms, a gymnasium-auditorium and a library. In 1949, the White Deer Creek School District consolidated with Spring Creek. At the turn of the 21st century, the Spring Creek School retained its status as an independent school district, serving this rural part of Hutchinson County. Administrators have directed strong educational and extra-curricular programs throughout the school's history. (2001) #12442
?, Borger vicinity, TX, United States
George Washington Carver High School. In 1915, Harris County Common School District #26 established White Oak (Colored) School to serve the Acres Homes Community. The Wright Land Company, which developed this historically African-American community earlier in the decade, deeded land at West Montgomery and Willow Streets for a new one-room school. By the 1930s, as attendance grew, the school taught seven grades, with grades one through three meeting for a time at Greater Zion Baptist Church. In 1937, the school became part of the Aldine School District and house seven teachers and more than 300 pupils. The school moved to Wheatley Road in 1941 and continued to grow under Archie Baldwin Anderson, who served as principal from 1941 to 1957. Under his direction, the school changed its name to George Washington Carver School, received accreditation, and separated into an elementary and high school. In the 1950s, a large number of African Americans migrated into Acres Homes, leading to construction of a new high school building at this location in 1954. The former campus was renamed Carver Elementary and later dedicated as A.B. Anderson Elementary. In 1978, Carver H.S. became Aldine Contemporary Education Center, implementing an innovative program to attract students who were not African American to the campus. The curriculum consisted of flexible hours and voluntary enrollment for students who worked or had special interests. In 1994, the school changed names again before becoming a magnet school. Many graduates have achieved personal and professional success, and today, George Washington Carver High School for Applied Technology, Engineering and the Arts continues to be a notable institution of learning in the community. (2007) Marker is property of the state of Texas #14035
2500 South Victory, Houston, TX, United States
Renfro Cemetery #1. John Folkner Renfro, Sr. (1797-1859) and wife, Rebecca Harrison Hicks (1808-1869), moved to Texas in 1839 by wagon from Missouri. In 1840, they settled in this area, known as Renfro Prairie, where they raised ten children and were leaders in the local Methodist church. The family prospered and were helpful to new settlers adjusting to the East Texas life. At least seven members of the family of Moses Warren Spivey (1829-1904), who lived nearby on Bear Creek, share this Renfro burial ground with Berry, Davis, Kirby, Payne and Renfro families. This pioneer cemetery is honored and cared for by the Spivey-Renfro Cemetery Association. #17441
?, , TX, United States
Subjects
George Francis Home Dublin Plantation Built by George Francis, who was in 1st Regiment, Volunteers, and in Co. A, 2nd Regiment, Texas Cavalry, during the 1836 Texas War for Independence. In 1848 he brought his wife, Margaret Ann Rector Francis, and their family to Texas, and in 1849 erected this house on York's Creek. At this point is crossing used by San Antonio-to-Bastrop mail Route of 1870. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1968 [plaque #1] The six Confederate sons of George Francis, going from this house to the Civil War, were: Edward, Color Sergeant, 4th Texas Infantry, killed at Chickamauga; George, a surgeon, who died in service at Galveston; John, in the Charles DeMorse Regiment, Texas Cavalry; Joseph, with Sibley's Brigade, which fought 1862 in New Mexico; Pendleton, in Co. A, 4th Regiment, Texas Cavalry, who died in 1864 Battle of Mansfield; Wesley, in Hood's Texas Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia. (1968) [plaque #2] #2152
?, Prairie Lea, TX, United States
Parramore Post #57, American Legion. Founded in March 1919, the American Legion was established as a World War I veterans' organization. Abilene Post No. 57 was organized on July fourth and chartered in September of that year, one of one hundred such chapters formed in the legion's first six months. Soon after its inception the post was renamed for James Harrison Parramore (1840-1917), one of Abilene's founders and a Civil War veteran who had been a supporter of the local National Guard. The post's first structure was built of natural stone in 1920. The Ladies' Auxiliary was formed in 1922 and chartered in 1925. Legion facilities, expanded in 1937, housed the Ladies' Auxiliary and included what was for many years the only public swimming pool in Abilene. In 1942, World War II veterans were admitted; veterans of the wars in Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf later became members, as did veterans of other major military conflicts. The legion building was virtually destroyed by fire in 1980, eliminating the post's records. The purpose of the American Legion is "to protect the interests of United States war veterans and their families." The legion has assisted veterans with employment, financial aid, medical care, and government benefits. The members celebrate Memorial Day and Veterans Day with parades and programs. The Parramore post also takes an active role in civic service, working with Abilene's youth and underprivileged citizens. Parramore Post No. 57 continues to uphold the traditions of its founders and remains an integral part of the Abilene community. (1998) #12224
302 East South 11th St., Abilene, TX, United States
Dalworthington Gardens The city of Dalworthington Gardens began as a result of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Depression-era policies. Roosevelt supported the "back-to-the-land" movement, encouraging urban workers to live on and cultivate rural property. Roosevelt signed the National Industrial Recovery Act into law in 1933; it authorized the establishment of a subsistence homestead program. While visiting the Arlington area, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt saw this area as a possible site for the Homestead Project. In December 1933, a corporation was formed for a state charter and titled Dalworthington Gardens, Inc. (Combining the names of nearby Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington). Early the next year, the Federal Government bought property south of Arkansas Lane near Arlington. By June, Civil Works Administration workers arrived to clear the area for 80 development sites. Only people from the Dallas or Fort Worth areas would qualify to live in Dalworthington Gardens. By May 1935, most of the construction was complete. However, applicants that moved into the homes had to deal with many issues, including lack of gas, faulty water and sewage piping, and unfenced property. Residents, however, worked together to build a tight-knit community. They soon established a community house that became a center of activity. In 1949, residents petitioned to have the colony incorporated into a town. Today, though surrounded by Arlington and Pantego in the thriving Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Dalworthington Gardens remains the only subsistence homestead project existing as an autonomous community in Texas. 2010 Marker is property of the State of Texas
2600 Roosevelt Dr., Dalworthington Gardens, TX, United States
Pine Lodge # 642, A. F. & A. M.. Organized in September 1886, and chartered in December of that year, the Pine Lodge drew its original thirteen members from all over Hardin County. William B. Pedigo served as the first master of the lodge and would continue his association with it for many years. The Washburn Building on Main Street was the first home of the lodge, which responded to appeals for assistance in the county and helped start new lodges in other area towns. The lodge began renting this building in 1923 and bought the property in 1945. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986 #11164
?, Kountze, TX, United States
Dr. Jack Shackelford (March 20, 1790 - January 22, 1857) Physician and military commander, Jack Shackelford, was born in Richmond, Virginia. He earned an M.D. degree and in 1811, moved to Winnsboro, South Carolina, where he opened his first practice and met Maria Youngue, whom he married. Shackelford enlisted in the Army during the War of 1812, where he served on Andrew Jackson's staff and was wounded at Charleston. After the war, he moved his family to Alabama, where he continued to practice medicine, owned a cotton plantation and served in the State Senate. In 1835, Shackelford raised a company of nearly 70 volunteers (approximately half of the male population of Courtland, AL), his eldest son, Fortunatus, and two nephews, to join in the Texas War for Independence. The group, which became known as the Red Rovers, came under command of Col. James Fannin. During the battle of Coleto, Dr. Shackelford's orders saved numerous lives. Unfortunately, most of the survivors were executed on March 27, 1836; Dr. Shackelford was spared because of his medical training. He cared for Mexican soldiers in Goliad and then in San Antonio. After the battle of San Jacinto, he and Dr. Joseph Barnard escaped; they returned to Goliad to secure burial for the massacre victims, and then to Velasco, where Shackelford obtained an honorable discharge. Dr. Shackelford returned to Alabama after the war. Following Maria's death in 1842, he married Martha Chardevoyne. Although he never became a resident, Dr. Shackelford maintained close ties to friends and former military comrades living in Texas. His notes about Col. Fannin and the events of Coleto and Goliad remain important accounts. In 1858, Shackelford County was established and named in honor of the contributions and sacrifices he made for the Texas cause. (2010) Marker is the property of the State of Texas
389 S 2nd St, Albany, TX, United States
Cresson School Approximately ten years after settlers began moving to this area, Hood County was formed from part of Johnson County in 1866. Cresson was platted in the late 1880s, and surveyor Madison Jones later deeded land at this site for school purposes. Cresson, like many of the rural communities surrounding it, started its school programs in one-room schoolhouses. Cresson's was located just west of this site and was torn down in 1890 when a two-story frame structure was erected here. This schoolhouse was used until 1918, when it was replaced by a larger, red brick building that burned years later in October 1930. Students attended classes at local churches while the school district worked to build a new schoolhouse. The M.l. Wallace & Co. architectural firm from Dallas served as designer, and county school superintendent Victor B. Penuel chose the appearance for the new school building. The yellow-brick, mission revival schoolhouse was completed in 1931, with an auditorium and four large classrooms. Design elements include cartouches and decorative elements in window surrounds. Fund-raisers held during subsequent years added a kitchen and indoor restroom facilities. In July 1965, a severe storm damaged several buildings in Cresson, and lightning struck the school. The central parapet on the main façade, designed to resemble the curved parapet of the Alamo in San Antonio, was damaged and later replaced. After Cresson consolidated with Granbury schools in 1967, the school building sat abandoned; a community group organized in the late 1970s to work for its restoration. Today, the school serves as a community center and as a link to Cresson's early educational programs. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2003
116 North Crook Street, Cresson, TX, United States
Turnersville Cemetery This burial ground served residents of the rural community of Turnersville (originally Buchanan Springs). Settled before the Civil War, Turnersville boasted a cotton gin, stores, a school, and three churches by the 1880s. The interred here include many of these past residents, with ranchers, farmers, merchants, physicians, teachers, ministers, and military veterans among them. Cemetery features include interior fencing, curbing, and grave slabs. A cemetery association formed by 1900, but disbanded in the 1930s. The Turnersville Cemetery Association reorganized in 1953, and still continues to care for the burial ground. Today, the cemetery is one of the few remaining vestiges of the Turnersville community. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2010 Marker is Property of the State of Texas
8060 FM 182, Turnersville, TX, United States
Dr. William Renshaw Born in Illinois, William Renshaw studied medicine and set up practice in Sparta, Tennessee. His wife Sarah received from the Mexican government a grant of land in Texas, where her father Samuel Worthington lost his life in a colonization attempt in 1828. Dr. Renshaw traveled to Texas in 1853 to locate this headright, which encompassed many acres of Wise County north of this marker site. Dr. Renshaw returned to Sparta and served two terms in the Tennessee legislature before moving his family to Texas in 1859. The first doctor to settle permanently in Wise County, Dr. Renshaw was often away from home for long periods, with a practice extending from Denton to Jacksboro. The Renshaws organized one of the county’s earliest schools, taught by J. D. White, for their own and neighbor children. After the Civil War, the family moved to Decatur, where Dr. Renshaw and his son Lute opened a drugstore. They were devout Baptists and supported Decatur Baptist College. Dr. Renshaw died in 1887 and was buried at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Decatur. As his 10 children married, each received a portion of the Worthington survey. Two family members still own part of the property. A number of descendants became doctors.
U.S. Route 380 & Decatur County Road 2311, Decatur, TX, United States
Subjects
Bob's Oil Well Greenville, Texas native Luther Bedford "Bob" Robertson (1894-1947), a veteran of World War I, came to Matador in the 1920s. He was a gas station attendant in 1932 when he decided to open a service station here. To promote his new business, he built a wooden oil derrick over the station. He patented his design, and in 1939 replaced the wooden derrick with one of steel that reached 84 feet in height and included lights. Robertson was a gifted businessman and promoter, and he used any opportunity to advertise his operation and attract customers. He kept a cage of live rattlesnakes for the amusement of tourists, and from that initial attraction grew a zoo that included lions, monkeys, coyotes, a white buffalo and other animals. He paid long distance truckers to place advertising signs at strategic points across the nation noting the mileage to Bob's Oil Well in Matador, and they became well known to the motoring public. As a result of his success, Robertson enlarged his operation to include a grocery, cafe and garage. In addition to his business skills, Robertson was an active civic leader in Matador. He was particularly interested in recognizing the efforts of those who served in the military during World War II. Bob Robertson died in 1947, and two weeks later a high wind toppled the steel derrick that had been the trademark of his business. His widow, Olga (Cunningham) (d. 1993), restored it two years later with even larger lights. The business did not continue long after, however, and closed in the 1950s. Later efforts to repoen it were short-lived. Today, the site serves as a reminder of a time when such bold roadside architecture was in its infancy and of a man who, through his business, widely promoted his adopted hometown.
Bob's Oil Well, Matador, TX, United States