Texas Historical Marker #12700
Site of Gano Community. Settlement in this area began in the 1870s. The Wilder family operated a cotton gin, grist mill, blacksmith shop and general store. Other pioneer residents included the Allcorn, Watson, Casey, Gambrell, Gregory, and Howe families. By the 1890s the community was named Gano in honor of Confederate general R.M. Gano and included a post office, school and church. The town began to decline after the general store closed. The church building was not rebuilt after a storm, and the school was consolidated with Milam County schools in 1919. Few vestiges of the town remain. #12700
FM 486 at Williamson CR 441, 6 mi. S. Thorndale, Thorndale, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12156
St. Paul Luthern Church, School and Cemetery. August Polnick and his family moved from Lee County to Thorndale in 1881. The family were the first recorded Germans and also the first Lutherans in this area. Their former pastor, G. Birkmann, made ministerial visits to Thorndale over the next five years. A congregation gradually formed with Thorndale residents and Lutherans in the nearby Hochkirche (Noack) community. By 1890 the combined parish recorded 69 communicants, with services held exclusively in German. Later in 1890, Karl Michalk donated ten acres of land for a church, school, and cemetery. The church building was dedicated in 1891. The first burial in the cemetery was that of the infant son of Ida Schultz in 1891. A. W. Kramer was called as St. Paul's first full-time pastor in November 1893. He arrived in March 1894 and also assumed the role of teacher for the school. As the economy rose in Thorndale, Lutherans continued to arrive. By 1899 St. Paul's had 208 members and in 1900 the church congregation moved into a new building. The first full-time schoolteacher, J. Jaeckel, was called in 1900 to improve the school and the facilities. Church membership reached 654 by 1911; the parish boasted 830 members by 1939. A tornado damaged the church building beyond repair in July 1940, and a new one was erected later that year. Sunday School began in 1948. Services were held in both English and German beginning by World War l. By 1952, there was one German service each year. Women became voting members of the congregation in the 1950s. Always involved in community development, both church and school remained active at the close of the 20th century. (1999) #12156
101 N. 3rd St., Thorndale, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #08000
Salty Community. Settled in 1860s; named for Salty Creek, cattle licks. Joseph and Sarah Frasure gave site for Methodist Church, 1871. Earliest burial in cemetery was in 1875. Community had school by 1878. Violence erupted in area in 1880s over barbed wire fencing. Salty was designated a voting precinct in 1886. Mail service was initiated 1897. Settlement had telephones, stores, a barber shop, at least three doctors. About 1900 the Annual Salty Singing Convention was founded by A. J. Jackson. This institution remains, although stores and the school were closed in the 1940s. #8000
?, Thorndale, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07996
St. John Lutheran Church Cemetery. The small agricultural community of Detmold was settled near the turn of the century by German immigrants. In 1900, local residents Carl Fick, August Boening, and Ernst Richter deeded land at this site for the establishment of a Lutheran church and cemetery. The oldest recorded grave, that of Gottfried Eschberger, dates to 1903. Over 175 graves are located here, many with tombstones bearing German surnames and inscriptions. In 1963, the church congregation relocated to Thorndale, but the cemetery remains as a tangible reminder of the small community. #7996
?, Thorndale, TX, United States