Texas Historical Marker #07429
T. J. and Mary Lelia Dick House. Thomas Jefferson and Mary Lelia (Sherman) Dick lived on their north Galveston County "Buckhorn Ranch" for many years before hiring J. R. Beerwort and O. V. King to build this house in 1904. It is a good example of a 2-story center passage plan with a double gallery accented by turned columns, latticework and balustrade. T. J., acclaimed for his role in building the Galveston seawall, was divorced from Mary Lelia in 1920. The house remained in her family until 1989. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1993 #7429
720 Second St., League City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #13672
Mainland Mission Churches. In 1869, the Diocese of Galveston perceived the need for a church on the mainland to serve Roman Catholics. The following year St. Mary began in Hitchcock, and a mission church also established in 1870, named St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, began serving Alta Loma. These two churches were later renamed, respectively, Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Elizabeth's. In 1948, the two churches were moved together to one location that served both towns. As the area population grew, the Diocese continued to construct mission churches. Father Jerome A. Rapp, the first priest assigned to Hitchcock and Alta Loma, was also instrumental in building mission churches in Dickinson (St. Joseph) and League City (St. Mary). The Diocese also built a mission church (St. Mary) in Texas City. The churches became vital institutions within their communities. Many events that began as fundraising endeavors became community traditions, including bazaars, pageants and picnics. The churches also provided education to the area, opening parochial schools in 1946 and 1963. Additionally, a variety of clubs and groups organized within these churches. As population in the coastal area grew throughout the 20th century, the churches built new larger buildings and moved out of the original mission churches. Today, St. Mary of League City is the only mission church building left standing. It remains a testimony to the impact the mainland mission churches had on the lives of Catholic residents in Galveston County. (2006) #13672
620 E. Main St, League City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07440
First Baptist Church of League City. First Baptist church on Galveston County mainland; organized in Clear Creek Schoolhouse, Dec. 4, 1887. B. A. Smalley served as clerk. First permanent pastor was the Rev. D. T. McLeod, Oct. 1895. First building erected on this site was dedicated June 14, 1896. #7440
?, League City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07523
Magnolia Creek Cemetery. Named after the watercourse that forms one of its boundaries, this cemetery traces its establishment to the settlement of Willis and Hepsibah Perkins Butler and her mother, Martha Morgan Perkins; Samuel J. and Rebecca and Coward Perkins; Allen and Margaret Perkins Coward; and Needham and Elizabeth Perkins Coward in this area in 1855. The descendants of these four families account for most of the people buried here and include four veterans of the Civil War. The first recorded burial was that of Samuel J. Perkins in 1859. The first legal record of the cemetery appears in a deed executed in 1884 by Rebecca Ann Coward Perkins to M. R. Hays. Provisions within this deed reserved 4 acres here for graveyard purposes. During the 1870s and 1880s George Washington Butler arranged to have several family members interred in the cemetery grounds. Butler's prominence in the community and burial here in 1921 is believed to have eld many local citizens to refer to this graveyard as the Butler Cemetery. An agreement was reached by the Magnolia Creek Cemetery Association and developers of the land adjacent to this graveyard site in 1982 guaranteeing its preservation for future generations. #7523
701 Apple Ln., League City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #13671
St. Mary Mission Church. Beginning in the late 19th century, League City's Catholic residents gathered in homes for Mass and other services. As the population grew, so did the need for a church. J.C. League deeded land to the Diocese of Galveston, and parishioners of St. Mary Mission Church built a frame sanctuary that served them for many years after its dedication in December 1910. The Diocese appointed the Rev. Jerome A. Rapp (1881-1952), who conducted Mass for the Catholic residents before 1910, as the mission church's first pastor. He served both this church and other mainland missions. St. Mary Mission Church served as a social center of the community from early in its history. During the Great Depression, the church began the Mainland Catholic Picnic as a means of reducing debt. It quickly became a popular community-wide activity, lasting for many years. As the decades passed, the League City congregation continued to grow, especially as the nearby Johnson Space Center rapidly expanded during the latter twentieth century. The church moved into a new and larger building, dedicating it in 1966. Meanwhile, the old mission was used only occasionally for church functions, although several organizations, including the Knights of Columbus, often met there. In the late twentieth century, parishioners organized to relocate and restore the former mission church building. Today, the Gothic Revival structure is the only extant example of the original mainland missions. (2006) #13671
620 E. Main St, League City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07514
League Park. Galveston land developer John Charles League (1849-1916) platted the townsite of League City soon after he purchased property here in 1890. Faced with the competition of an adjacent development known as the city of Clear Creek, League personally directed the planning of his town. Through his efforts, land was set aside for a school, a church, and this park. Provided for in a land sale to the Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railroad, League Park was established in 1895. League's improvements to the site included oak trees for the landscaping and construction of a two-story bandstand, which was later rebuilt after a destructive 1900 hurricane. For many years League Park served as the center of the community's political, cultural, and recreational interests. Activities here included campaign speeches, medicine shows, revivals, and traveling shows. In the summers the League City Band held concerts while local ladies sold ice cream from the lower floor of the bandstand. During World War I League Park was the scene of Red Cross rallies and activities. During the American Bicentennial Celebration, local residents funded a new bandstand. Other improvements included landscaping by the League City Garden Club. #7514
?, League City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07467
Site of Galveston County Poor Farm. The Galveston County Commissioners Court began planning in 1886 to purchase a farm to house and care for the county's indigent citizens. A site was chosen, and by June 1887 the county purchased 213 acres of land on the banks of Clear Creek. The first building constructed was designed by local architect Nicholas J. Clayton and contained a dining hall. Joe Meyers was hired as the first superintendent. Poor farms were the accepted manner in which local governments cared for the less fortunate during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Those housed at the Galveston Poor Farm included county citizens who were poor, elderly, mentally ill, or convicted of crimes. All physically able residents were requrired to help with farming chores, including cultivating and harvesting crops and caring for farm animals. When residents' services were not needed at the farm, they were hired out to work for the County Road and Bridge Commission, or by local residents to help on their family farms. Funding for maintaining the farm was inadequate, and complaints about living conditions were investigated by the county. Portions of the Poor Farm land were sold to help finance operation of the facility. By 1913, the Commissioners Court closed the site. The land lay dormant until 1928, when the Galveston County Park was established at the urging of local citizens. A pavillion was constructed in 1929, and the park became the site for recreational activities and social gatherings. The pavilion was refurbished in 1975 and reconstructed in 1994 after a fire. In 1985 the site was named the Walter G. Hall Park. (1997) #7467
807 SH 3 N, League City, TX, United States