Texas Historical Marker #09813
Chalybeate Springs. (Pronounced "KA LIB E ATE) Discovered in 1839 by brothers Reece and Robert Hughes (from Alabama) while looking for pirate gold. springs derive name from iron salts in water. In 1847 Reece Hughes (1811-1893), wealthy planter who later built iron foundry, started the first town of Hughes Springs here. #9813
?, Hughes Springs, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #09814
Cornett Cemetery. The first burials here were in the 1850s, but the oldest legible stone marks the grave of Mary Frances Hampton, who died Oct. 4, 1880. Robert Dunlap donated nine acres of land to the cemetery and to adjacent Hamell's Chapel Methodist Church. Other donors of land included G. T. Cornett and S. E. McCord, Fred and Sallie Hall, and Mr. and Mrs. Jonas Trumble. Known by several names during its history, the community burial ground was renamed "Cornett" after Cornett Post Office was established in 1901. The cemetery contains about 295 marked and 110 unmarked graves. #9814
?, Hughes Springs, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #09834
Trammel's Trace. Entered Cass County at Epperson's Ferry. Continued south and west in an arc, passing through Chalybeate Springs (Hughes Springs). This 1813 pioneer trail originated in St. Louis and linked the "Southwest Trail" with the King's Highway to Mexico. It was laid out by Nicholas Trammel (1780-1852). #9834
?, Hughes Springs, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #09823
Town of Hughes Springs. Founded by Reece Hughes (1811-1893), who settled in Texas, 1839. In 1841 he married Elizabeth Rose, daughter of patriot Wm. Pinckney Rose. Her dowry enabled him to start a great plantation. After her death in 1853, he wed her sister, Mrs. J. w. Scott. In 1847 Reece Hughes founded the town of Hughes Springs at a famous chalybeate (iron salt-bearing) spring. It prospered for some years, becoming the site of a large boarding school and a favored place for church camp meetings, but later it declined. In 1878, Hughes' descendants founded present Hughes Springs. #9823
?, Hughes Springs, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #09815
Dennis Cemetery. Allen and Eliza Ann Dennis and their family were among the earliest settlers of this part of Cass County. In 1856 they purchased the land surrounding this site. Eliza Ann Dennis died on January 27, 1873, and was buried on the family farm. Allen Dennis died in 1880 and was interred next to his wife. The land surrounding their graves became a family cemetery, which was later enlarged by a contribution of land from the E. G. Smith family. Among the over three hundred burials in the Dennis Cemetery are those of many Cass County pioneers, including members of the Smith, Baughmon, Mason, Bufford, Stiles, and Nelson families. The graveyard also contains a number of unmarked burials. The Dennis Cemetery first appeared in county deed records in 1878, when the Dennis family sold the property to d. W. Webb. The two-acre plot was reserved for burial purposes, and in a later deed in 1890 it was referred to as the Dennis Graveyard. The Dennis Cemetery serves as a physical reminder of early settlement in Cass County. Still a community burial place, it is maintained by a cemetery association formed in 1976. #9815
?, Hughes Springs, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #09819
Harris Chapel Cemetery. This area of Cass County was settled in the 1850s. The rural community became known as Harris Chapel after John T. Harris and his family came to the area in 1853 and purchased land on which a Methodist log church and cemetery were located. The church building was also used as a schoolhouse for area children. The first log church was replaced by a larger wooden structure near the cemetery in 1859. The Rev. Solomon O'Dell preached the first sermon in the new church. Although there are many unmarked graves in the Harris Chapel Cemetery, some of which may date from an earlier period, the oldest legible tombstone marks the grave of Zelpha E. conley (1839-1859). In 1868 M. g. Harris, son of John T. Harris, deeded the church and cemetery property to the community. Harris family graves are enclosed by a wrought iron fence. The second church was destroyed by a tornado in 1949 and was replaced by a brick structure in 1953. In addition to the graves of many early pioneers, those interred here include veterans of the Mexican War, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and Korea. The historic Harris Chapel Cemetery serves as a reminder of early rural life in Cass County. #9819
?, Hughes Springs, TX, United States