Texas Historical Marker #15321
Audie Murphy's Homecoming, June 15, 1945. Audie Murphy's Homecoming June 15, 1945 With Allied victory in World War II Europe secured, Farmersville celebrated the return of the area's most famous citizen soldier. On his 18th birthday, Audie Murphy enlisted in the U.S. Army at the Greenville Post Office. In more than two years of combat, he fought in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and France and earned every Army citation for valor, including the Congressional Medal of Honor. His homecoming drew an audience of several thousand to the town square. Life Magazine's July 16, 1945 issue made the Farmersville ceremony and Murphy's family reunion its cover story, commemorating the efforts of a grateful nation and hometown. (2008) #15321
?, Farmersville, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #01574
Farmersville. Originated 1849 as a settlement on the Jefferson-McKinney Road, and near Republic of Texas National Road. Named by pioneers for their chief occupation. After 1854, the years and their neighbors of Sugar Hill (2 mi. NE) began relocating here. Dr. H.M. Markham, practicing here by 1855, is said to have been Collin County's earliest physician. The First Methodist Church was organized in 1856. William Gotcher on March 4, 1859, donated land for the public square. A school was operating as early as the 1860s. The First Baptist Church was organized on May 14, 1865. Town was incorporated on June 2, 1873. First Major: John S. Rike. Aldermen: James Church, Ben King, John Murchison, Tom Tatum, John P. Utt. Marshall: Jeff Hines. Institutions of 1880s still in operation include Farmersville "Times" and the First National Bank. As town became a trade center, agriculture kept pace. Farmersville in 1930s was known as the "Onion Capital of North Texas", annually shipping over 1,000 carloads of onions. Along with some small industry, cattle, cotton, and maize crops remain important. Audie Murphy, the most decorated American hero of World War II, had been a resident of Farmersville before he entered the United States Army. (1973) #1574
?, Farmersville, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12926
Bethlehem Baptist Church. Bethlehem Baptist Church Bethlehem Baptist Church was established in 1854. Gifts provided land for a church and cemetery: in 1859, from Hugh and Edea Woody; in 1886, from Peyton D. and Sallie E. Huff; and, in 1904, from J.B. and Martha Watson. At that time, the Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church, as it was known then, built a wooden chapel. The church has been part of Sister Grove, East Fork and Collin Baptist associations. Early pastors included B. Watson, W.D. Chapman, W.H. Dunn and A.J. Standifer. No services were held from 1958 to 1984, but a cemetery association maintained the chapel and the grounds, holding annual reunions. In 1984, members reactivated the church, and the growing congregation constructed additional buildings. (2002) #12926
16167 CR 665, Farmersville, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #13435
Honaker-Holsonbake House. Prominent businessman John Milburn Honaker and his wife Malinda (Bickley) built a Queen-Anne home at this site in 1893. They extensively remodeled the house in 1910 in a Neoclassical style, adding a full second floor and two-story porch with Doric columns and oblong balcony. After Malinda's death in 1913, John wed her sister Carrie in 1917; he died just months after the wedding, leaving his three daughters with his widow. She sold the house to niece Willie (Honaker) and Bob Holsonbake. Known for generously housing area teachers and for hosting special events, the Holsonbake family owned the home until 1977. Today, the landmark is a link to early Farmersville society. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2005 #13435
211 College St, Farmersville, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #13510
Prairie Grove Cemetery. The Prairie Grove Cemetery served residents of the Aleo community from the late 1800s until the middle of the 20th century. The burial ground has ties to the Prairie Grove Baptist Church, which set aside land to be used for burials. The oldest known grave in the cemetery dates to 1895. World War II hero Audie Murphy lived in the area for a time, and his mother and grandparents are buried here. Victims of the 1927 tornado that came through nearby Nevada are also interred here. A vestige of rural settlement of the 19th century, the cemetery serves as a reminder of the pioneer community of Aleo. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2005 #13510
?, Farmersville, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #15562
Bain-Honaker House Anna Melissa Hicks Bain (1834-1906), widow of John Alexander Bain, built this house in 1865 on 6.75 acres of land east of the town square of Farmersville. She reared five daughters here: Mary Clorinda, Martha, Catherine, Christina and Margaret. An astute businesswoman, Anna Bain divided her property into lots, built commercial buildings and sold some property to the Red River Railroad Company. She also provided room and board for teachers and students from nearby private schools. The Farmersville Culture Club was founded here. In 1902, three peaked gables and a narrow porch were replaced by an asymmetrical facade and new porch, and the northeast bedrooms were extended. Anna Bain's daughters Mary and Catherine (Cassie) married brothers, Henry Honaker and Andrew Honaker. Martha married William S. Aston. Cassie Bain Honaker lived here while her husband was in medical school, where he died. She later married James E. Jones and lived here until her death in 1928. Five generations of the Bain-Honaker family lived in this house. Honaker family descendants donated the house to the Farmersville Historical Society in 1989. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark-1996 #15562
108 College Street, Farmersville, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #06169
Huson Cemetery. Allen Daniel and his family came to Texas from Tennessee in 1847. He and his wife Elizabeth were the parents of eight children. They settled in this area in 1850 and Daniel purchased 480 acres of land in May 1851. Less than one year later, on February 25, 1852, he died and was buried on his land. Allen and Elizabeth Daniel's daughter, Tennessee P. Daniel, was married to D.E. Huson. Tennessee Huson bought the family land from her mother in 1875, and it was during her ownership that the property surrounding her father's grave was given to the community as a public cemetery. It gradually became known as Huson Cemetery. Those interred in this historic graveyard include many pioneers of the area, including the Daniel, Huson, Wilcoxson, and Redwine families. John Hendrex and William Piunckney Chapman, who are credited with naming the town of Farmersville, and William Gotcher, who donated land for the town square, are buried here along with members of their families. Also interred here are many former slaves and their descendants, including the Nelson, Sneed, Glass, and Bryson families. The cemetery contains hundreds of marked and unmarked graves. (1989) #6169
?, Farmersville, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #06133
First Baptist Church of Farmersville. Fifteeen charter members, meeting under a brush arbor at this site on May 14, 1865, organized the First Baptist Church and chose the Rev. John C. Averitt (1818-1895) as the first pastor. Worship services were held in private homes and later in the Masonic Hall on the east side of the town square. After a successful interdenominational revival, the Baptists decided to erect a permanent church building. The congregation bought the site of the old brush arbor and in 1877 built a simple frame church. A bell installed in the steeple heralded special events to the community. Another successful revival in 1898 emphasized the need for a larger structure. More land was acquired and the present church building constructed in 1900. A combination of several architectural styles, the brick edifice is topped by a roof of pressed metal. The exterior walls of the sanctuary form a multisided projection flanked by matching towers with steeply pitched roofs. The bell from the 1877 church was transferred to the north belfry. Educational buildings were added in 1938 and 1955-56. This congregation provides many community-oriented services, including a church-sponsored library. Several well-known Baptist leaders served as pastor here.**Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1977*** #6133
104 S. Washington St., Farmersville, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #06154
First National Bank of Farmersville. Named for the occupation of many of its citizens, the town of Farmersville was founded in the mid 1850s. A private bank, the Exchange Bank was established in 1885, and housed in the rear of the Aston Brothers store. A national bank charter was obtained on January 17, 1887, and the Exchange Bank merged with the First National Bank of Farmersville. Pioneer Doctor A.H. Neathery served as the first president. The bank building, then located at 119 South Main Street, was destroyed by fire in 1905 but it was rebuilt. The First National Bank absorbed the Farmersville National Bank in 1929. In 1933 the First National Bank of Nevada, from the small town of Nevada south of here, was also absorbed. Despite experiencing heavy losses and undergoing two reorganizations during the Depression of the 1930s, the bank never failed and its customers suffered no interruption of services. The bank moved to its present location in 1970, and expanded the building in 1979. The bank converted to a state bank charter in 1986, and changed the name to the First Bank at Farmersville. The bank, one of the 20 oldest independent banks in Texas, has served Farmersville and the surrounding communities continuously for more than 110 years. (1996) #6154
223 McKinney St (SH 78), Farmersville, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #13927
Farmersville I.O.O.F. Cemetery. Farmersville is one of the oldest towns in Collin County. It has historic ties to the antebellum (pre-Civil War) era of Texas and the pioneer settlement of Sugar Hill (1.5 mi. NE), founded by John Yeary. The center of settlement soon shifted to this area in the 1850s with the beginning of Farmersville, a community named for the agricultural background of its pioneer residents. In 1875, Pride Lodge No. 208 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) formed with 15 charter members. In 1899, the organization established a cemetery here on a high hill at the north edge of the town. The Odd Fellows Order, known as the "Three Link Fraternity" for the symbolic use of three chain links representing friendship, love and truth, had its origins in 18th-century England. The earliest marked grave in this cemetery is that of Mattie Robinson Hicks, who died in 1898, the year before the Odd Fellows formally set aside the land as a burial ground. The second oldest marked grave was for a child of G.C. Burkett. Other early graves include those of individuals reinterred here from nearby family cemeteries and rural burial grounds. Enlarged over the years, the Farmersville I.O.O.F. Cemetery today encompasses 25 acres of landscaped grounds. Notable features include a 1902 mausoleum, carved statuary, including one of a sailor, and a wide variety of memorial stones that reflect popular architectural design influences through the years. Still in use, the site now also serves to chronicle the history of Farmerville through the lives of those who made their home here, from the pioneer era to modern times. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2006 #13927
?, Farmersville, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #06151
First Methodist Church of Farmersville. This congregation traces its beginning to organized Methodist classes conducted in 1856 by the Rev. J.W. Chalk in a local schoolhouse west of the pioneer town of Farmersville. A community-wide all-night revival held in Farmersville's lone church structure in 1870 aroused many in attendance to join the Methodist congregation. Arbor meetings were held for 15 years on property near Brushy Creek owned by Sam R. and Mary Hamilton beginning in 1873. The congregation built its first church structure at this location in 1875. The one-room building was razed and replaced in 1902 with a grand ornate church building designed by James Edward Flanders. The magnificent structure was destroyed by fire at great cost to the congregation in 1924. Church services were held in the Cornes Theater before a new Greek revival style church structure was completed in 1926. The congregation has a history of service to the local community. Space in the church building was used for a community blood drive and as an air raid shelter during World War II. Renamed the First United Methodist Church in 1968, the congregation has sponsored youth programs in New Mexico and participated in missionary work in South America. (1992) #6151
300 N Main St, Farmersville, TX, United States