Texas Historical Marker #07117
James McDaniel. Served in the army of Texas in 1836, born in Alabama, September 10, 1810, died January 11, 1885. His wife Idabella Weir McDaniel, born in Alabama, March 8, 1818, died May 4, 1897. #7117
?, Milford, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07100
First Baptist Church of Milford. Chartered in 1855 with eleven members, this congregation was organized at the home of Dr. J. M. Higgins. The first pastor was the Rev. J.M. Perry (1817-1905), a native of Alabama. A chapel on College Street, built in 1856, served the fellowship until 1871, when the church was moved to this site. The property was deeded to the First Baptist and Cumberland Presbyterian congregations, who financed the construction of a sanctuary here. Separate Baptist church structures were built here in 1890 and 1917. Former pastors include prominent state and national Baptist leaders. #7100
200 E. Crossmain Ave., Milford, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07115
Thomas J. Jordan. Soldier in Theas Army in 1836, born in Tennessee June 17, 1808, died November 24, 1880. His wife Stacy Choate Jordan, born in Tennessee October 15, 1816, died January 27, 1884. #7115
?, Milford, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07129
Milford Presbyterian Church. Organized in June 1855 with 16 members, as one of 4 Presbyterian churches within a radius of 500 miles. Early, horseback-traveling pastors organized and served 3 churches in outlying areas. Congregation built houses of worship in 1860, 1896, 1921. This church was 4 times host to the Presbytery, 1861-71; to Synod, 1920. Records show Milford has been self-sustaining, faithful to support Presbyterian colleges of Texas, and high in benevolences. Church bell, cast in New York, and brought here by ship, rail and ox-wagon, has called area to worship since 1871. #7129
?, Milford, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07130
Mount Zion Cemetery. An Indian who often rested on this hill was killed by his wild prairie hose in 1850s and buried here. Sarah Witherspoon (1832-1857), an early Anglo-American settler, was interred nearby in the first marked grave. Soon after Coleman Jenkins died in 1861, his brother Alexander (1829-1895) deeded this public burial ground. In 1873, Jenkins helped found the Mount Zion Presbyterian Church here. A church house was erected and used for school. In the early 1900s, as the population shifted, the church and school closed. The cemetery is all that remains of this pioneer community. #7130
?, Milford, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07145
Saint James A.M.E. Church. This church was organized by the Rev. Joshua Goins, Sr., in 1883. Services began in the home of Pleasant Zollicoffer and moved to the Odd Fellows' Hall before this church structure was erected in 1907. This building exhibits exceptional craftsmanship and incorporates Gothic Revival style details such as twin towers and gabled facade and Romanesque style rounded windows. Saint James is Milford's oldest African - American church and building. #7145
?, Milford, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07122
Milford Cemetery. W.R. Hudson and J.M. Higgins, early pioneers in this area, came from Cherokee County in East Texas to settle here in 1853. They laid off a townsite in 1854 and named it MIlford. The town developed steadily, and soon boasted homes, a school, post office, churches, and other community institutions. Although there are no specific records to document the establishment of the Milford cemetery, the oldest grave is that of E.F. Kimbrough Smith, wife of W.P. Smith, who died at age 23 in 1855. The size of the cemetery has increased over the years, and it is the final resting place of generations of some early Milford families. Ellis County pioneers buried in this historic graveyard include Texas Revolutionary soldiers Thomas Jefferson Jordan and James McDaniel. Nearly two hundred small graves of infants and young children from the 19th century attest to the often harsh living conditions of the frontier. Also interred here, in addition to the Texas Revolutionary soldiers, are veterans of the Mexican War, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and Vietnam. An important element of Milford's history, the cemetery stands as a reminder of the area's frontier heritage. #7122
?, Milford, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #02351
Hammel's Branch. In 1876 a family of German descent, the John Henry Himmels, settled in this area of Hill County. Seven years later, Miss Emma B. Himmel became the first teacher of the Himmel Branch School. The school was the beginning of a town that, through a misspelling, came to be called Hammel's Branch. Other prominent names of early settlers were the Clinkscales, Elkins, Giles, Hall, Haskins, Jennings, Kuykendall, Lynch, McClure, Snow, Thompson, Watson, Wells, White, and Williams families. The Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad laid a line through the settlement in 1893-94, and the community began to flourish. Eight business establishments, including a general store, gin, and blacksmith shop, opened along the rail line. In 1903 a post office was established in the depot, and the town legally became known as Hammel's Branch. After World War I, the town began to decline. In 1920, the last store closed. The school held its last classes in 1925. Evidence of the community can still be found upon close examination. #2351
?, Milford, TX, United States