Texas Historical Marker #07439
First Baptist Church of Alta Loma. Original site of oldest church in Alta Loma; second oldest Baptist church on Galveston mainland. Organized on Nov. 10, 1895, in a local hotel; 26 charter members. Established Arcadia Baptist Church, 1945. Purchased "U. S. S. Houston" Memorial Chapel, 1946. Helped organize Galveston Baptist Association in 1949. #7439
12017 S. 23rd St., Santa Fe, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #15345
Miller-Brautigam Home. #15345
5518 Hwy 646 South, Santa Fe, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07169
Runge Park. Galveston businessman Henry J. Runge (1859-1922), European-educated son of a German immigrant, bought the land and laid out the town of Arcadia in 1890. At that time he donated this site for use as a park. Later the Galveston County Commissioners Court named the park in his honor. First community-wide use of Runge Park was in 1938 for a dairy show that is still held yearly. Enlarged by the purchase of 10 acres in 1957, the grounds provide facilities for many recreational activities as well as the annual Galveston County Fair and Rodeo. #7169
?, Santa Fe, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07424
Dairy Industry in the Santa Fe Area. The railroad communities of Arcadia, Alta Loma, and Algoa, established in the 1890s, formed the nucleus of the Santa Fe area at the turn of the 20th century. Citrus and fig production, truck farming, and a burgeoning daily industry dominated the local economy at that time. Creameries operating at Alta Loma and Arcadia produced and shipped large amounts of butter and milk to markets in Galveston and Houston by 1912. Dairy farming, unlike the citrus and fig industry, emerged as a major economic base in the area during the 1920s. According to local tradition they became so prevalent during this time that most everyone had one. Trucks had supplanted trains for transporting dairy products to markets in Galveston and Houston by this time. Local citizens recalled catching rides on milk trucks before community bus service was available. Although able to recover from a crushing hoof and mouth epidemic in the mid-1920s, many small dairies were bought out by larger operations able to afford land leases for grazing purposes made necessary by stock laws of the 1930s restricting grazing on public lands. Though many dairies prospered with the introduction of automation in the 1950s the gradual loss of workers to higher paying urban jobs resulted in the closing of all Santa Fe area dairies in the 1970s. #7424
?, Santa Fe, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #09923
Arcadia Christian Church. The town of Arcadia was established on the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad in 1890. This church was organized in 1894 and represents the oldest surviving church in the community. Initial services were held by the Rev. T. Patterson in a building shared with the local Methodist church. The building was destroyed by a tornado about 1909, prompting Arcadia Christian to build its first sanctuary on a town lot in 1910. Except for a brief period during World War II, the church experienced steady growth, and in 1955 the congregation built a new brick church building. A steam locomotive bell donated by the Santa Fe Railway Company in 1961 was placed in the sanctuary belfry. The congregation continued to grow and in 1983 a new sanctuary was erected at this site. Included in the new facility was an office complex and a library. the former brick sanctuary was later converted for use as classrooms and a small chapel. The church is notable for the number of its young members that have entered fields of Christian service. the congregation supports several ministries and bible colleges and is active in local and foreign outreach programs. Arcadia Christian Church continues to provide spiritual guidance for the community. #9923
14201 Beriton, Santa Fe, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #09919
Alta Loma. Traveling west from the Gulf of Mexico the land rises gradually and becomes Alta Loma (Spanish for high land) in this area of Galveston County. In 1893 the Alta Loma Investment and Improvement Company platted a townsite here along a Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad line built in the late 1870s. The company developed water, electric, and telephone utility systems and helped establish churches, a depot, hotel, lumber company, general store, school, and a post office. Many of Alta Loma's new residents engaged in the farm production of pears, plums, figs, strawberries, grapes, and other fruits and vegetables. The school, depot, and businesses throughout Alta Loma were damaged in the 1900 storm. The town rebuilt and witnessed a period of rapid growth fueled by truck farming and a burgeoning dairy industry. Alta Loma and the nearby towns of Algoa and Arcadia formed the Santa Fe Consolidated School District in 1928. In the 1930s many Alta Lomans left farming for jobs in Texas City's burgeoning petroleum industry. the town continued to grow and in 1966 the Alta Loma Business Association was formed. Alta Loma and its neighboring community, Arcadia, officially merged in 1978 to form the incorporated city of Santa Fe. #9919
4925 Main St., Santa Fe, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07436
Evergreen Cemetery. In 1890 Henry J. Runge laid out the town of Arcadia at the site of a railroad depot on the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad near here known as Hall's Station. Sometime between 1890 and 1897, Evergreen Cemetery was established to serve the growing community of Arcadia. The first person known to be buried here was Susan Carswell Sims (d. 1897). The Evergreen Cemetery Association was formed in 1906; J. L. Polinard, R. H. Romine, and S. A. Franks were the original trustees. That same year the cemetery was granted a state charter and in 1907 Henry Runge deeded the 2-acre Evergreen Cemetery plot to the association. At that time the cemetery contained 13 known gravesites. Between 1906 and 1949 at least 47 people are known to have been buried here. When the charter was not renewed in 1956 the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce stepped in and led a successful effort for its renewal in 1958. The purpose of the cemetery under the new charter was to provide a burial place for indigent residents of Arcadia. The last person buried in Evergreen Cemetery was Josephine Short in 1958. Grounds restoration by Arcadia volunteers and construction of a road to the cemetery by Galveston County were completed in 1972. #7436
?, Santa Fe, TX, United States