Texas Historical Marker #15138
Ham (Pauline) By 1900, a community had developed here on property owned by the Texas and New Orleans Railroad, which laid tracks through the area to create a more direct path to Dallas. The company purchased land in 1898 from attorney Marshal Hamlet "Ham" Gossett. The new town was named Ham in his honor. The settlement grew as many residents moved here to take advantage of the area's land, which was well suited for ranching and farming. By the early years of the 20th century, Ham had three general merchandise stores, a cotton gin, a school and a church building which was used for worship services, town meetings and social events. The local school was housed in a one-room structure before residents added a second room to accommodate a growing population. In the 1930s, the school consolidated with Eustace School District. Also during that decade, a cannery opened in the community. From its early years, Ham also had a post office; one of the earliest postmasters in the settlement was Henry M. Faulk. Town lore indicates that Faulk made a request to rename the town to Pauline in an attempt to win the admiration of Pauline Riddle, a schoolteacher. The community officially changed its name to Pauline in 1912. By the 1930s, a number of factors, including poor economic conditions and several typhoid fever outbreaks, led to the slow decline of the Pauline community. In 1976, the railroad removed its area tracks and rerouted. Today, few vestiges remain of Pauline, which is remembered as a once-thriving community whose pioneering residents endured trying circumstances. (2008) #15138
162 Pecan Rd., Eustace, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #14970
Moorehead-Melton Cemetery. #14970 [full inscription unknown]
?, Eustace, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #14299
Cockerell Hospital. In 1929, Dr. Lonnie Lee Cockerell (1879-1969) bought second-story building space on the northeast corner of the Eustace city square. The next year, he opened the first hospital in Henderson County. Dr. Cockerell offered a wide variety of services, ranging from vaccinations to dental work to surgery. Eustace residents came to the hospital for both acute and chronic health issues, and Dr. Cockerell accepted all patients, regardless of their ability to pay for services. In 1937, Dr. Cockerell began construction on a new hospital in Athens. He maintained the Eustace location until completion of the new structure. Although Cockerell Hospital closed in 1937, the physician continued to care for his Eustace patients. (2008) #14299
217 E. Front Street, Eustace, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #10370
Payne Springs Methodist Church and Cemetery. For over a century, this church and cemetery have served the community of Payne Springs, originally known as Mallard Prairie. By 1880 the church already had a large membership and met in a log structure. The church building served as a gathering place for elections and political rallies. Summer revivals were held under a brush arbor on the church grounds. The revivals often lasted two weeks and were social as well as religious events. Local tradition indicates the cemetery was started when a child from a family traveling west was buried by a small cedar tree in the churchyard. The first marked grave was that of a mother and daughter who were buried on the other side of the cedar. Elenor Reynolds (1812-1880) and her daughter, Mary Ann Davis (1829-1880), died within a day of each other. The Mallard Prairie School once stood near the church and cemetery. It later moved across the road, and the growth of the cemetery took in land where the school and early church buildings stood. The burial ground now contains over 1,000 graves. An annual July 4th workday evolved into a fund raising event for the cemetery's upkeep. #10370
?, Eustace, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #10360
Goshen Cemetery. The community of Goshen was established after the Civil War. Named for the biblical "Land of Milk and Honey," the town of Goshen served the rural farms and communities as a marketing center. It was also a rest stop for trail drivers herding cattle on the Chisholm Trail from East Texas. Goshen existed through the latter part of the 19th century when the railroad was built through this area. Merchants moved their businesses to nearby Eustace, a settlement on the new rail line. Goshen Cemetery remains as the last physical reminder of the once-thriving trading center. According to local legend, the cemetery was founded when a nomadic cowboy became sick and died while working on a nearby ranch. A large grave and stone fence mark the burial place of the cowboy. Although many graves are unmarked, the first documented burial is that of Benjamin G. Hooker in 1869. Among the more than 450 marked graves are burials for several infants and children, pioneer settlers and their descendants, and veterans of America's various wars. The cemetery is managed by the Goshen Cemetery Association and continues to serve the area. #10360
?, Eustace, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #10348
Site of Centerville. Replaced Buffalo as county seat, 1848. Due to central location in county; on land donated by James Harper Starr (1809-90), Texas statesman. Clerk's records were kept in a log cabin courthouse. When county was reduced in area, 1850, county seat was moved to Athens, and Centerville died. #10348
?, Eustace, TX, United States