Texas Historical Marker #12582
Henry and Amelia Griffith. The son of Joshua and Jemimah (Hazelton) Griffith, Pennsylvania native Henry Griffith (c. 1797-1869) moved to Johnson's Bayou near Opelousas, Louisiana, about 1819-20. There he met and married Amelia "Milly" Barrow (c. 1802 -?), daughter of Reuben and Mary Jane (Johnson) Barrow, in 1824. Two years later they moved to this area, which was still under Mexican rule at that time. In 1830, the Griffiths received a land grant in the Atascosito District, where they reared their family, farmed the land, and raised cattle and horses. In 1835, Henry Griffith sold 1,047 acres of his land to William Duncan, including the big hill on the property, also known as Barber's Hill, which the deed stated would hence be called "Mont Bellview." More than 50 years later, the area was settled enough to warrant a post office, which was named Mont Belvieu. In 1865, Reconstruction-era governor A. J. Hamilton appointed Henry Griffith as sheriff, and he served until 1868, one year prior to his death. Amelia's death date is not known, and neither of their gravestones survives. Oral histories indicate that their burials are near this site, where the original Griffith house once stood. At least two other members of the family are known to be buried there. As citizens of Texas under the flags of Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States and the United States, Henry and Amelia Griffith bore witness to important events and activities in Texas history. Their significance also lies in their early landholding of the property that became the community of Mont Belvieu. (2001) #12582
?, Mont Belvieu, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #09137
Wallis Hill Cemetery. Elisha H. R. and Sarah (Barrow) Wallis brought their family to this part of Texas from Nachitoches Parish, Louisiana, in 1824. They settled on Wallis Hill in early 1825; their home became a familiar stop for travelers. When their son Elijah died in 1830, he was buried near the house. His was probably the first interment in what became known as the Wallis Hill Cemetery, although his grave is unmarked. When Sarah died in 1841, E. H. R. Wallis marked off land for the family cemetery. Wallis was buried here upon his death in 1846. Over the years, the cemetery was used for extended family members and other early residents, including at least one veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto. There are approximately 25 known graves in the Wallis Hill Cemetery, many of them unmarked. Most date from the 19th century, since by the 1870s, large colonies of ants rendered the land nearly useless for further burials. Abandonment of this graveyard by area residents led to the establishment of the Wallisville Cemetery in 1879. Only a few burials appear to have occurred here after that time. One of the oldest Anglo cemeteries in what is now Chambers County, Wallis Hill Cemetery serves as a reflection of the heritage of the area. #9137
?, Mont Belvieu, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #09125
Hartman Cemetery. Robert Wiseman immigrated to Texas in 1825 and received a land grant in 1831 on the banks of Old River in what is now Chambers County. Wiseman sold his land in 1853 to Dr. Edward G. Hartman. Dr. Hartman's wife, Mary Francis Hartman, died about 1853 after giving birth and was probably the first person buried in the family cemetery. Dr. Hartman later remarried and moved to Galveston, where he lived until his death in 1867, but the Hartman children remained at their home on Old River. The small, largely unmarked graveyard was used by the families who owned the land and is an example of rural Texas burial customs. Shallow depressions, along with two brick-covered crypts and two small modern tombstones, are the only physical evidence of the graveyard. Soft handmade bricks over the graves probably were manufactured at the 1870s Pierre Almeras Brickyard about three-fourths of a mile downstream on Old River. There are ten known burials in the Hartman Cemetery. Although there is no visible evidence, a separate slave cemetery is thought to exist on land adjacent to the family graveyard. (1991) #9125
?, Mont Belvieu, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #09122
First United Methodist Church and Cemetery of Mont Belvieu. After Amos and Ann Barber settled in the vicinity in 1849, the village became known as Barbers Hill. Early preaching services were held in the Barbers' home. Captain Robert S. Dingham, a seaman, began a Sunday School and preached in the area. In 1877"Barbers Chapel" was officially organized as a Methodist Episcopal Church, south. The Barbers gave four acres for a church house and school building. In 1878 the 17 charter members erected the schoolhouse which also served for worship and as a community center. The Rev. P. E. Nicholson was the first pastor and Captain Dingham was officially licensed to preach. The original church site was traded for this location n 1895. A 30' x 40' church house was completed in 1897. Because the Fisher family made the largest contribution toward the new structure, the church was known for a time as "Fisher's Chapel." While the church house was being built, a family needed a burial site for a child and the cemetery was opened. There are 495 gravesites with 245 interments. This sanctuary was erected in 1932 by adding onto the existing structure. The fellowship hall was built in 1945 and the education wing in 1957. #9122
?, Mont Belvieu, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #09082
Solomon Barrow. Area pioneer Solomon Barrow (c. 1801-1858) was the eldest of three sons of Reuben and Mary Jane (Johnson) Barrow. About 1824, Solomon, his two brothers, and five sisters migrated from Louisiana to Texas, which was at that time under the control of the Mexican government. He was given permission to settle on the lands between the Trinity River and San Jacinto Creek and later received a lang grant in what was known as the Atascosito District. The 1850 census listed Barrow as 49 years of age, living near this site with his wife, Elizabeth, and ten children. By that time, he had become a wealthy farmer, with many head of horses, sheep, cattle, hogs and oxen. He possessed much farming equipment and set up one of the first land drainage systems in the area. He and his family often hosted such noted Texans as Dr. Ashbel Smith and General Sam Houston. Solomon Barrow died of poisoning in 1858, the year Chambers County was created from Liberty County. Representative of the hardy pioneers who first settled this section of the state, Solomon Barrow lived during some of the most eventful years in Texas history. Many of his descendants and those of his siblings have been active leaders in the county. #9082
?, Mont Belvieu, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #09081
Barbers Hill Oil Field. While digging a 65-ft. water well near his home in 1889, Elmer W. Barber (1854-1935), whose father Amos Barber first settled this area, encountered inflammable gas near the top of the salt dome known as Barbers Hill. After the Spindletop discovery in 1901, prospectors sought leases here. In 1902 Pattillo Higgins (1863-1955), an early Spindletop promoter, drilled on the northwest slope of the hill. His shallow well, like those of other early operations, yielded little, and the low price of crude oil discouraged large investment. The United Petroleum Co. No. 1 Fisher, drilled in 1918, produced 70 barrels a day, the field's first oil in commercial quantities. Drilling resumed in 1926, when the Mills Bennett Production co. and the Humphreys Corp. brought in the A. E. Barber No. 1, yielding 500 barrels a day. The success later that year of their B-2 Kirby, reaching a depth of 4,174 ft., triggered a leasing campaign and launched a period of rapid expansion which lasted until the late 1930s. Rows of oil derricks and tent dwellings were a common sight during the boom. As the population of the community grew, oil money helped upgrade and enlarge school facilities. By 1977, the local economy had shifted from production to storage of petroleum.. #9081
?, Mont Belvieu, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #09080
Amos Barber Homesite and Cemetery. Originally known as "Big Hill" and Later "Barbers Hill," Mont Belvieu was first settled by Amos Barber (1814-1885). Born in Louisiana, he came to Texas as a youth and in 1848 married Susan Ann Hodges Fitzgerald (1827-1910). In 1849 he hauled logs on a sled drawn by oxen to this site, where he erected a two-story dog trot cabin. Nearby stood an orchard of peach and fig trees, and surrounding plantation land was stocked with horses, cattle, sheep, hogs, and an assortment of poultry. On the main road from Huntsville to Lynchburg, the Barber cabin was frequented by travelers and friends, including Sam Houston and Ashbel Smith. Barber, a real estate broker and cattleman, enlarged the dwelling over the years to accommodate his family of ten children. He and his wife are buried south of their original homestead in the family cemetery, which is still used and maintained by their descendants. About 1923 the home was dismantled, leaving only a well as evidence of its existence. A rooming house built on the site was later bought by the Woodmen of the World for a lodge hall. Mont Belvieu Church of Christ, given adjacent land by Barber's eldest daughter Amanda Melissa (1850-1933) and her husband Marion Williams (1851-1934), acquired this property in 1974. #9080
?, Mont Belvieu, TX, United States