Texas Historical Marker #10240
Buda. Originally known as Du Pre, Buda was founded along a line of the International and Great Northern Railroad. Cornelia A. Trimble gave land for the townsite in 1881. The name "Buda" was adopted in the late 1880s, although its origin is unclear. According to popular legends, it was either related to Budapest, Hungary, or evolved from the Spanish word for widow, "viuda," and honored the women who cooked in one of the local hotels. Buda was once the site of a variety of businesses, including a theater, skating rink, newspaper, and two banks. The town was incorporated in 1948. #10240
Ash and Main St., Buda, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #10241
Buda Christian Church. Organized in 1893, the Buda Christian Church met in the Methodist church building until a church was built on this site in 1903. After it was destroyed in a 1909 storm, this structure was built in 1912. Membership began to decline in the 1940s, and the congregation eventually disbanded. the building was used by various civic groups, and in 1981 housed a non-denominational church. The one-story frame structure features elements of the Italianate and classical revival styles, with a central, inset, pedimented entry; an offset tower; and pyramidal roof. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1986 #10241
corner of San Marcos and Live Oak St., Buda, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #10242
Buda United Methodist Church. This church was established in 1880 under the leadership of the rev. Thomas Garrett, one of the pioneer Methodist circuit riders who conducted early services and camp meetings in the area around Mountain City (2 mi. W). It was the first church in the new railroad town of DuPre, later known as Buda, which began here soon after rail lines were completed the same year. The first sanctuary was built at this site in 1882. Members of the congregation have included many pioneer area settlers and prominent leaders of Buda. #10242
corner of San Marcos and Elm St., Buda, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #10250
Carpenter Log Home. Cyrus Milton Carpenter (1841-1922) migrated to Hays County in 1854. He became a Methodist minister at age 20 and traveled the state as a circuit rider. In 1865 he built a one-and-a-half story house of hewn cedar logs. Here he brought his bride Charlotte Clayton (1850-1939) after their marriage in 1866, and here they raised their 9 children. A board and batten addition was erected in 1898. The Rev. Carpenter operated a newspaper, the "Buda Star," from 1909 to 1917. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1977 #10250
?, Buda, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #10234
Barton Cemetery. This property was part of a Mexican land grant awarded to Ben Milam in 1826. James U. Barton (1814-1893) brought his family to Texas from alabama in the 1850s and established a farm at this site. The first burial in this cemetery is believed to be that of Barton's infant granddaughter, ella May Ligon, who died in 1873. Other relatives and neighbors in the Mountain City community also were buried here, and James barton officially deeded 3.25 acres of land for the graveyard in 1881. The Barton Cemetery continues to serve residents of this area. #10234
?, Buda, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #10265
First Baptist Church of Buda. In July 1882, the year after the founding of Du Pre, now Buda, M. Lawson, A. Teague and W. A. Hancock petitioned the San Marcos Baptist Association for the formation of this church. The first pastor was the Rev. D. A. Porter, ordained in the nearby Pioneer Baptist Church at Mountain City. Services were conducted in a schoolhouse and a Methodist chapel until the 1890s, when the first sanctuary was built. The church moved here in 1949, when the new stone building was completed. Known as the Buda Baptist Church from 1889, the congregation adopted the present name in 1967. #10265
104 San Marcos, Buda, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #10301
Martin Church of Goforth. This church was started in 1874 to serve the pioneer settlers of the cotton-producing area around the Goforth community. Worship services were conducted for members representing various denominations. Land at this site was deeded to the church in 1901 by Joseph Martin (1828-1905), his wife Susan (1842-1907), and T. J. (1839-1905) and Matilda Warwick (1837-1904). For years the facility was used for a community Christmas Eve celebration. Weekly services were discontinued in 1945 after the population of Goforth declined, but an annual homecoming is held here each June. #10301
?, Buda, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #10277
Goforth. Once the center of cotton-producing activity in Hays County. Goforth became a ghost town during the 1920s. The community was established in the 1870s by James Taylor Goforth (1849-1915), who operated a general store at this site. Goforth's store served as a social center and as a banking facility for many of the farm families in the area. Business activity in Goforth was at its height between 1880 and 1906. The town boasted a drugstore, doctor's office, meat market, stable, and blacksmith shop. A U. S. Post Office opened in 1890, with J. T. Goforth as postmaster. In 1894, J. M. Butterworth purchased Goforth's store, but closed it three years later when the Goforth Supply Company was organized. The town's founder later formed a gin and milling company that operated one of the largest cotton gins in the area. Despite the fact that rail lines had bypassed Goforth, the community flourished until soil erosion and worn out farmland combined to bring extensive crop failure in 1925. A worm infestation in 1926 caused total abandonment of area farms. The supply company closed that year with stock still on the shelves. Although little evidence remains of the townsite, Goforth is an important part of Hays County history. #10277
?, Buda, TX, United States