Texas Historical Marker #11140
Watson Chapel Methodist Church. On 5-acre site given by George Adams (1842-1906), this church has been in continuous use since its construction in 1883 by men of community. According to tradition, a man named Watson financed the project. Square nails were used. Heart pine lumber for structure was shipped by steamboat on the Sabine River from Orange to town of Salem, then hauled by ox-teams to this site. Belfry and Sunday School rooms were added later. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1972 #11140
?, Bleakwood, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #11099
Bleakwood Cemetery. Pioneers who settled the Bleakwood community after the Civil War established thriving mill and cotton gin businesses. Mill-owner Reuben Bennington donated an acre of land for this cemetery to serve area residents. The oldest marked grave, that of Doulie Lee, is dated Jan. 24, 1871. In 1940 J. K. Wilson gave an additional acre of land to the cemetery in memory of his wife Minnie Lee. Veterans of wars from the Civil War to the Korean War are buried here. The graves are given full care by the Bleakwood Cemetery Association, incorporated in 1975. (1981) #11099
SH 87, Bleakwood, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #11119
McFarland-Wilson Cemetery. According to McFarland family tradition, Colonel Thomas S. McFarland established this site as a family cemetery about 1840. Thomas and his father William McFarland held prominent military and political positions in the Republic of Texas. The earliest recorded burial here was that of Fabrina McFarland in 1890. Property containing this graveyard was conveyed by R. E. McFarland, Thomas' son, to Thomas S. Wilson in 1889. The first Wilson family member buried here was E. V. Wilson in 1891. The cemetery is maintained by descendants of persons buried here. #11119
?, Bleakwood, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #11125
Salem. Before Seth Swift (1789-1869) founded the settlement of Salem, he and his partner, Paul Gardner, operated a whaling business in Massachusetts. After Gardner's death in 1835, Swift, his wife Lydia, and five children immigrated to Texas. They brought household goods and material for a frame house up the Sabine River to this location on the Big Cow Creek. The road to Opelousas, Louisiana, over which cattle were driven to New Orleans, crossed here. Swift named the trading post for Salem, Massachusetts. Swift owned a ferry which was a point of entry into Texas and continued to operate for 100 years. Riverboats unloaded lumber, cotton, and other goods. Although there were no churches, circuit riders came here. There was no schoolhouse, but Swift brought Martha Percival to instruct the children. Swift ran the post office that started here during the Republic of Texas. He was buried near his home in the pink marble casket he brought from Massachusetts. In 1892 Cow Creek Tram Co. established a logging camp (2 mi. S) which became known as "Old Salem". Salem Post Office moved to the new location. Never incorporated, Salem disappeared after transportation improved and settlements moved inland. #11125
?, Bleakwood, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #11139
Watson Chapel Cemetery. Prominent early settler George Adams and his wife, Orinda Hester Scott, donated land for this cemetery in 1883. Although the gravestone of Tilman Scott Ingram, who was reinterred here from another cemetery, bears an earlier death dated (1880), the first recorded burials were those of John Edwards in 1883 and Orinda Adams' parents, Hester Ann Scott in 1885 and James M. Scott in 1887. Many people who worked in the area's lumber industry are interred here. Watson Chapel Cemetery is maintained by an association of descendants of persons buried here. #11139
?, Bleakwood, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #11098
Biloxi Community. Settlement of this area began in the early 19th Century, as people moved into Texas from the southern United States. A post office was established in 1849, and continued settlement resulted in the building of homes, businesses, schools, and churches. Many former slaves established homes here following the Civil War. Biloxi Colored Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E.) Church began meeting informally in 1870, and Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church began in 1921. Biloxi Evergreen Cemetery dates to the 1880s. Biloxi continues to be an important part of Newton County. #11098
?, Bleakwood, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #11136
Swift Cemetery. The trading village of Salem was founded in 1835 by Seth Swift. A Quaker and whaling merchant, Swift had moved to this area from Massachusetts with his wife, Lydia, and six children. When Lydia died about 1852, Swift set aside an acre of land for a cemetery. Upon his death in 1869, Swift was buried beside his wife in a pink marble casket he had brought from Massachusetts. Several other members of the community are believed to be interred in the cemetery, as well. Lost to forest overgrowth for many years, the graveyard has been restored. #11136
?, Bleakwood, TX, United States