Texas Historical Marker #13085
Everheart-Canaan Cemetery. Emanuel and Rachel Montgomery Everheart arrived here in 1848 with their son, William, and members of her family. By 1850, the Everhearts owned 3,346 acres, including this land. Family history holds that the oldest burials here (in the northwest corner) date prior to 1853 and are those of the Everhearts' slaves. Pilot Grove Cumberland Presbyterian Church, organized at Kentuckytown, moved to Everheart land a mile east of this site and became known as the Canaan Church. Members utilized this cemetery and shared their sanctuary with a Methodist Episcopal congregation that moved from Pitman's Chapel. The oldest marked grave, from June 24, 1875, is that of W.H. Rumsower, one of several Confederate soldiers buried here. Other burials include William C. Everheart, the Grayson County Sheriff from 1876 to 1880 and later a Deputy United States Marshal. Many of the pioneers of the Canaan community are buried in family plots here. Nell Arnoldi Everheart cared for the cemetery until her death in 1973, and the Everheart Cemetery Association later formed. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2004 #13085
?, Whitewright, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12902
Whitewright Masonic Lodge No. 167. Whitewright Masonic Lodge No. 167 In 1855, men in Kentucky Town organized a Masonic lodge, receiving their charter the following year as the Kentucky Town Masonic Lodge No. 167. More than 20 years later, in 1878, the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad bypassed Kentucky Town, running three miles east in the newly established town of Whitewright. Many residents of Kentucky Town, Orangeville and Pilot Grove moved their homes and businesses to Whitewright. The Masonic Lodge moved in 1883, and in 1893, members changed the name to Whitewright Lodge No. 167 but kept the original Kentucky Town charter. The lodge has occupied several buildings since its founding. It has also served several affiliate Masonic orders, including Whitewright Chapter No. 198 of Royal Arch Masons, which merged with a Denison chapter in 1949, Whitewright Council No. 136, which merged with a Denison group in 1971, and the local Order of the Eastern Star, which received its charter in 1948. The Order of the Eastern Star, comprised of men and women, continues to support the work of the lodge. Several lodge members have been leaders in government and in the Masonic order. These men include Dan Scott McMillin, grand master of Texas Masons in 1915, who served as both a state representative and state senator; James J. Gallaher, grand high priest of the Royal Arch Chapter of Texas, who served as grand treasurer of Texas Masons for 20 years; and John Thomas Bean, grand master of Texas Masons in 1959, who chaired the Conference of Grand Masters of Masonry in North America in 1960. Lodge membership has also included other prominent leaders. Today the lodge is the second oldest Masonic group in Grayson County with continuous service. The history of the lodge and its members reflects the formation of Whitewright and the county. (2003) #12902
110 W. Pine, Whitewright, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12751
Samuel E. and Mary C. Marshall House. Samuel E. and Mary C. Marshall House Civil War veteran Sam Marshall (1838-1911), his wife, Mary (1840-1924), and their family came from Kentucky to Grayson County in the late 1860s and moved to the new railroad town of Whitewright by 1880. After achieving success with their land investments and commercial businesses, the Marshalls built this Queen Anne Free Classic house in 1899-1900. The gabled roof, decorative woodwork, classical columns, porch and balcony are all notable elements of this style. After Mary Marshall's death in 1924, the house subsequently was owned and occupied by the Carter, Sanders and Stuteville families. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2001 #12751
318 W. Walnut St., Whitewright, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #11561
Whitewright. Early settlers in this part of Grayson County established communities at Orangeville (4 mi. E), Pilot Grove ( 4 mi. S), and Kentucky Town (3 mi. W). In 1878, after the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas (MKT) railroad built a line southeast from Denison to this site, a new town was created and named for William Whitewright (1825-1898), a railroad official and vice president of the Union Trust Company of New York, the railroad's financial backer. Immediately upon the new town's founding, former citizens of Orangeville, Pilot Grove, and Kentucky Town moved to Whitewright. A post office was established in 1878, along with numerous homes and businesses. By 1894 the town boasted schools, churches, a newspaper, a college, and community organizations, as well as railroad depots, cotton gins, restaurants, drugstores, grocery stores, wagon yards and livery stables, lumberyards, hardware stores, blacksmith shops, and numerous other businesses. Serious fires in 1904 and 1911 almost destroyed the central business district, but the citizens soon rebuilt. The city of Whitewright no longer has passenger rail service, but it continues its role as an important marketing center for this area of Grayson County. #11561
?, Whitewright, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #11548
Vittitoe Cemetery. This graveyard was begun as a family burial plot by Samuel and Ellen Vittitoe, who settled on land surrounding this site in 1852. Their son, Frank, probably was the first to be buried here sometime before the outbreak of the Civil War, although his headstone is undated. The Vittitoes made it known to the residents of Kentucky Town (1 mi. N) that their plot was open for burials outside the family, but the cemetery was not used as a public burial ground until it was legally established as such in 1885. More than 700 graves have been recorded in the Vittitoe Cemetery. Most of them bear tombstones with legible inscriptions, but others are marked only by stakes or pieces of stone or rock. Included among those buried here are early settlers such as Andrew Thomas, who brought his family to the area in 1837; numerous Civil War veterans; the Rev. Isaac Teague, pastor of the Kentucky Town Baptist Church during the early 1900s; and Benjamin Earnest, who helped establish a general store soon after settling in Kentucky Town in 1859. Vittitoe Cemetery, which is cared for by the Vittitoe Cemetery Association, is an important reminder of the early history of this part of Grayson County. #11548
?, Whitewright, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #08932
Home of T. H. Sears. Colonial style home built by T. H. Sears, son of Christopher C. Sears, pioneer. Situated on part of original land grant. Show place since 1909. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1967 #8932
6694 FM 151, Whitewright, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #08905
Old Kirkpatrick Home. Victorian architecture. Built 1899 by family of Rev. W. A. Kirkpatrick. Still has original cypress roof, bois d'Arc foundation, some of first furnishings. Center, social life old Grayson College, and Presbyterian community. RTHL - 1967 #8905
1008 FM 151, Whitewright, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07390
Kentuckytown Baptist Church. Founded 1853 by Kentuckians coming here by wagon train. Present building erected 1904. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966 #7390
264 Kentucky Town Rd., Whitewright, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07389
Kentucky Town. When first settled in 1830s was known as Annaliza. Renamed by Kentucky emigrants in 1858. Unique layout gave town protection against Indian attacks. On freight and stage routes. "Sacred Harp," a robust frontier gospel style of singing and composition, began here. During Civil War was Quantrill gang rendezvous. #7389
?, Whitewright, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07375
Grayson College. -- #7375
Grady St. between College and Cedar, Whitewright, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07366
First Presbyterian Church and Manse. On October 30, 1853, a Cumberland Presbyterian Church was organized in the home of Christopher Sears in nearby Lick Skillet (Pilot Grove). J. A. Zinn served as moderator, and T. E. Montgomery, J. D. Barbee, and J. T. Clark as first elders. The church established the Canaan and Sears Chapel congregations in the 1860s. Sears Chapel moved to Whitewright in 1883, built a sanctuary in 1899, and became First Presbyterian Church in 1907. This classical revival church building, erected by the congregation in 1930, features art glass windows and doors. The adjacent manse has provided housing for pastors since 1902. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1994 #7366
202 N. Blanton, Whitewright, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07365
First Methodist Church of Whitewright. This congregation traces its history to Sears Chapel (one mile southeast), a Union Church established in the late 1850s at the home of early settlers Christopher and Mary Sears. In 1876 the Sears family deeded the land on which the Sears Chapel Church building stood to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The village of Whitewright was established in 1878. The Methodist congregation associated with Sears Chapel organized the First Methodist Church of Whitewright in 1882. By 1885 the congregation had completed a sanctuary and a parsonage and was served by the Rev. W. M. Robbins, a circuit-riding Methodist preacher. A Sunday School, organized in 1886, averaged about 50 pupils during its early years of operation. A new sanctuary, built at this site in 1895, served the congregation for over 100 years. A new parsonage was completed in 1930, and in 1942 the church erected an education building. Major renovations to the church and education buildings were completed in 1979. The church, renamed First United Methodist Church in 1968, supports a variety of special annual events and continues to be active in many local and foreign outreach programs. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845 1995 #7365
305 S. Maple, Whitewright, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07340
Bethel Baptist Church. This congregation grew from an early prayer group, established in the Bethel community in 1875. A small group met in the schoolhouse, which also served as a community center, for weekly prayer and Bible study. On April 16, 1884, nine men and women met to organize the Bethel Baptist Church. These charter members were Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Autrey, Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Blanton, Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Holland, Mr. and Mrs. E. F. Jones, and Mrs. Sarah Miller. The Rev. Bob Thomas served as first pastor. The small congregation grew rapidly and soon had more than 150 members. In 1897, this property was deeded to Bethel Baptist Church by Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Autrey. In the same year, during the pastorate of J. M. Harder, a one-room sanctuary was constructed. A 1918 storm damaged the building, but it was repaired and the congregation continued to worship there until another was constructed in 1937. Throughout its history, Bethel Baptist Church has served as a focal point for the small community. The congregation continues to maintain the ideals and traditions of its pioneer founders. #7340
?, Whitewright, TX, United States