Texas Historical Marker #05141
Strunk-Woolsey House. N/A - on Application Built about 1875. Early Texas open-hall or breezeway type of construction. Home of John Monroe Woolsey while a member of the 20th Legislature representing Colorado County. #5141
1055 CR 271, Oakland, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #03652
Oakland Normal School. Founded in 1882, the Oakland Normal School provided professional training for black schoolteachers for three decades. G. R. Townsend served as first principal, but for most of the school's existence it was directed by Robert L. Smith, a respected educator who also served in the Texas Legislature. Conducting classes during spring and summer vacation periods, Oakland Normal School provided educational opportunities to teachers from seven southeast Texas counties. It was considered one of the finest institutions of its kind in the state. #3652
?, Oakland, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #03651
Oakland. Originally known as Prairie Point, a town was platted at this site in 1856 by A. C. Hereford. A native of Virginia, Hereford was a veteran of the Mexican War who had arrived in this area in the early 1850s. Located on part of the original James Bowie Survey, the community is the second oldest in Colorado County. When Hereford applied for a post office for Prairie Point in 1861, his request was denied because of the settlement's close proximity to an existing post office on the plantation of Amasa Turner (1800-1877). Turner agreed to relocate his post office to Prairie Point upon the condition that its name, Oakland, be retained. The town was thereafter known as Oakland. Oakland was a stop on the Old Gonzales Road, an important early route form San Felipe to Gonzales. As settlement in the town increased, a school was established in 1859. Soon churches, stores, business, and fraternal organizations were also in operation. The town became a major trading and social center for the farm families of western Colorado County. The population of Oakland began to decline in the 1870s when the railroad bypassed the community in favor of Weimar. #3651
?, Oakland, TX, United States