Texas Historical Marker #11398
Edom. According to available records the town of Edom has occupied three different locations and is the third oldest town in Van Zandt County. James Coltharp and A. C. Beall settled six miles east of here in 1849, built a sawmill, and named the town Hamburg. A stagecoach station and post office were established. The town shifted 6 miles west to a crossroads and was called Newburg. In the 1850s the town moved to its present location and became Edom. A church was organized in 1857, and a new post office opened in 1858. Edom was incorporated in 1966. (1997) #11398
?, Edom, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #11437
Roseland Plantation Home. Built 1854 by B. H. Hambrick, from Virginia. Headquarters for 3,000-acre property. Colonial architecture. Pegged mortise and tenon construction. Joists are 48-ft. timbers. Bricks were handmade on the plantation. Site, halfway between Dallas and Shreveport, at times served as overnight stagecoach stop and change station for horses. An early-day social center. Restored in 1954 by Mrs. W. C. Windsor. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1966 #11437
?, Edom, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12260
Ingram Cemetery. Stephen Ingram, who served in the U. S. Army in the second Seminole War (1835-1842), moved to Van Zandt County with his wife Elizabeth (McKleroy) and their family in 1850, building log homes on this site by the Tyler-Porter's Bluff Road. Stephen Ingram's burial in 1858 was the first in the Ingram Cemetery. He was soon joined by two granddaughters, infants of Mary (Ingram) and David Cade. The cemetery land was given to the descendants of Stephen Ingram by his son James in 1897. From a count of 56 graves in 1997, there are two Civil War veterans (sons of Stephen Ingram), four veterans of World Wars I and II, and two Korean War veterans. (1998) Incise on base: Polly L. Martin, Historian #12260
?, Edom, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12261
Site of C. W. Morris Cotton Gin. As was the case in so many small Texas towns in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the cotton gin in Edom was a major element in the economy. First opened at this site in 1918 by Ro Dike, who moved his ginning operation here from Davidson (3 mi. W), the gin was owned and operated by local merchant C. W. Morris beginning in 1924. For approximately 4 months in the late summer and early fall, most activities revolved around ginning. Some 700 to 800 farmers depended on the local cotton gin. In peak season the gin was known to operate 24 hours a day. The original Continental Gin Company machinery burned in 1929 and was replaced with modern diesel-powered equipment manufactured by the Murray Gin Company. During the 1930s the gin processed an average of 3 to 4 bales of cotton per hour. The gin shut down about 1946. (1999) Incise on base: Historian: John Bryant Beall #12261
?, Edom, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #11441
Tyler-Porter's Bluff Road. First mapped in 1846 and 1849 by state surveyors John Lawler and Samuel Huffer, this trail may pre-date Mexican rule. Used as a military road and a cattle trail, it extended from Tyler in Smith County to Porter's Bluff in northwestern Navarro County. By 1870, the Memphis and El Paso Stage Line made twelve mail stops along that route, nine of them in Van Zandt County. Much of the old trail near Edom was included when State Highways 64 and 279, as well as local farm roads, were created. In 1997, vestiges of the Tyler-Porter's Bluff Road were still visible in some locations. (1997) Incise on base: Historian: Neill S. Hays #11441
?, Edom, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #11391
County Line Missionary Baptist Church. Oral tradition links this church to the original County Line Baptist Church of 1851, the earliest recorded attempt of area African American families to create a community of worship. County Line Colored Missionary Baptist Church was founded in 1872 on this site, donated by Will Manley. The Rev. L. M. Rabb was the first pastor. An air conditioned brick building was erected in 1967, replacing two earlier wood structures. Providing such aid as food, medicine, educational scholarships, and spiritual counsel, the church remains a proud focal point for community affairs. (1997) #11391
?, Edom, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #11405
First Baptist Church of Edom. One of the first baptist churches in Van Zandt County, this congregation traces its origins to the 1850s when early settlers organized a baptist church in this vicinity. Elder J. J. Whitmore was the first pastor. Membership increased as new families settled nearby. In 1929 the congregation erected a larger frame church building to accommodate its growing numbers. When the Edom school structure burned in 1934, the church facilities were used as temporary classrooms while the school was rebuilt. A new wing was added to the church in 1949, and a parsonage was built in 1956. A larger brick sanctuary constructed in 1961, was destroyed by fire in 1979. Services were held in a large tent while a new structure was completed. Worship services were held on the second and fourth Sundays until the early 1950s, when First Baptist became a full time church. Active in outreach programs, church members serve the community with scholarship funds, and Vacation Bible School, and provide a registered American Red Cross disaster shelter. The congregation also supports missionary work in Minnesota and Poland. Since its founding, First Baptist Church has been a significant institution in this part of Van Zandt County. (1996) #11405
?, Edom, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #11414
Frontier Red Hill Cemetery. The first grave here was that of 19-year-old Elizabeth Carolina Piles, who died May 4, 1856. Buried nearby are her sister Melissa, who died two days later, and her father John Piles (1802-57), on whose land the cemetery was located. Included among the 188 graves here are those of six Confederate veterans-- Samuel W. Murphy, David Tumlinson, Robert S. Boykin, Thomas Piles, F. M. Shirey, and Robert Beam. Four acres of land were first set aside for the cemetery in 1886, and four more acres were donated in 1963. The Frontier Red Hill Cemetery Association now maintains the site. (1975) #11414
?, Edom, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12259
Asbury Cemetery. The first recorded burial on this site was that of Asbury Lowery (1836-1855). The new burial ground was named in his memory. In 1863, Prairie Flower (1858-1863), the young daughter of celebrated Comanche Indian captive Cynthia Ann Parker and Comanche Chief Peta Nocona, was interred here when she died while living with relatives of her mother. In 1965 her remains were removed to the post cemetery at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to be re-interred near the graves of her mother and brother, Chief Quanah Parker, during ceremonies attended by both Comanche and Anglo descendants. A Texas Ranger named Adren Anglin (1796-1865) also was buried here in the early years of the graveyard. H. W. and H. L. Walker donated two acres including the existing Asbury Chapel and Cemetery to trustees of the Methodist Episcopal church, South, in 1879. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, family members and descendants of the deceased observed a cemetery memorial day by coming together to clean the grounds and share food and fellowship. Eventually, Asbury Chapel merged with the Edom Methodist Church. The first cemetery board of directors was organized in 1945 while John W. Miller (1884-1975) was caretaker. Maintained by an association, the cemetery contains almost 400 recorded and marked burials and approximately 30 unmarked graves. Among the unmarked graves is believed to be that of pioneer Van Zandt County settler Esable Lindsey and six of her children. The Asbury Cemetery continues to be a chronicle of the pioneers of Van Zandt County. (1998) Incise on base: Researcher: Iona Pinckard Miller #12259
?, Edom, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #11374
Adren Anglin. (Feb. 14, 1796 - Jan. 10, 1865) Came to Texas from Kentucky in 1833. Helped build Fort Parker, Limestone County. He became a Texas Ranger, 1835. Furnished food and supplies to Texas Revolutionary army and received a headright in Henderson County. Married Phebe Parker. Recorded, 1968 #11374
?, Edom, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #11399
Edom Methodist Church. Officially organized in 1874 with the Rev. D. L. Lake as first pastor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South of Edom is believed to have been founded as early as 1859, relocating to this site in the 1920s. A singing school began in 1866 and a Women's Missionary Society was formed by 1914. Church members cultivated a history of worship and service. In 1952, a new brick building replaced earlier wood structures. A fellowship hall and library were added in 1984. Celebrating over 70 years at the same site in 1997, Edom United Methodist Church (renamed in 1968) continues a tradition of community involvement. (1997) Incise on base: Polly L. Martin, Historian #11399
?, Edom, TX, United States