Historical Markers in Atascosa County
Texas·36 places·Page 1 of 2
History
Amphion and Amphion Cemetery
Amphion traces its beginning to the establishment of Atascosa County's first courthouse which is believed to have been constructed near this site at the county seat of Navatasco in 1857. Amphion, thought to have been named after a figure in Greek mythology, was located within the 17,000-acre ranch of Jose Antonio Navarro, a prominent local rancher and signer of the Texas Declaration of…
History
Anchorage Cemetery
The family of William and Mary Allen Stiggins emigrated here from Prince Edward island, Canada, in 1882. Included in the group were their daughter Mary Jane (1855-1935), who had studied medicine, and her fiancé Thoams Whittet (1838-1913), a former sea captain. Whittet is credited with naming this place Anchorage, declaring that this spot would be where the former seafarer would drop anchor.
History
Atascosa County Courthouse
Atascosa County was created from Bexar County in 1856. The first county seat was at Navatasco, on land donated by Jose Antonio Navarro, and the county's first courthouse was a log cabin. The county seat was moved to Pleasanton in 1858, and a frame courthouse was erected. A second courthouse was built in 1868, followed by a third, a red rock structure in 1885.
History
Atascosa County Courthouse
This log cabin is a replica of first courthouse built 1856 near Amphion (Navatasco) 9 miles to the orthwest, on site given by Jose Antonio Navarro out of his 1828 grant from Coahuila and Texas. A signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, he helped organize this county. First court term, 1857. First officials: Sheriff, James H.
Military
Battle of Medina
Texas' bloodiest military engagement -- the Battle of Medina -- may have taken place in this general vicinity in 1813. The early 19th century was a time of political upheaval, and in 1812, while the U.S. was at war with England, Spain faced revolts throughout Latin America, including Mexico.
History
Benton City Cemetery
Benton City Cemetery (Established 1870). First public cemetery in this community, which was famous in early days for its outstanding school, aggressive businesses, and newspaper, the Benton City "Era." Site was given by James M. Jones, farmer-livestock raiser and leading citizen, whose rock house stood nearby.
History
Benton City Institute, The
Structure was built in 1875. Atascosa Lodge 379, A.F. and A.M., bought top floor, 1876. School was owned by educators: first, Col. John D. Morrison, later B.C. Hendrix. A faculty member was Isaac Wood of Benton City. The institute operated under a Texas law distributing state funds to supplement private tuition; had basic courses plus accounting, law, music, and surveying.
History
Brite Cemetery
Brite Cemetery has served citizens of Atascosa County since the 1850s. It was formally set aside when Thomas Ransdele Brite passed away in 1859, though the earliest marked burial is that of his infant son, Dan (d. 1854). Thomas Brite was born in 1824 and came to Texas with his parents, Henry and Elizabeth (Moore), in 1839.
Military
Capt. Peter F. Tumlinson
Peter Tumlinson was 19 years old when his family moved to Texas in 1821. During an 1823 skirmish with Waco Indians, his father, John Jackson Tumlinson, became the first Texas Ranger to die in the line of duty. Peter followed his father into the Texas Rangers. During his forty years of service, Tumlinson clashed with Indian raiders and the infamous Mexican bandit Juan Cortina.
History
Chilipitin Cemetery
Early area settlers Dario and Manuelita Douglas Tober acquired land here in 1877 and later set aside this site for a family cemetery. The oldest marked grave, that of teenager Nieves Douglas Tober, dates to 1903.
History
Cooper Chapter No. 101, Royal Arch Masons
Chartered March 27, 1871, on petition of Master Masons of Pleasanton Lodge No. 283, A.F. and A.M., and the surrounding area. Met in upper floor of the Isaac Cooper home until 1891; over Cooper Brothers store until Masonic Hall was built in 1961. Marker in Appreciation for Royal Arch Masons past and present, 1971.
History
Coughran
Established on land purchased in 1901, the town of Coughran was named for founder and early settler W.A. "Abe" Coughran. He persuaded the San Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf Railroad to build tracks through his property. The town was platted in 1913; by 1914, Coughran boasted a cotton gin, a post office, a school and creamery, a general store, a hotel, a bank, a weekly newspaper, and a railroad station.
History
Dr. Ben and Mona Parker and KBOP Radio
Following World War II, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) lifted its freeze on new radio stations. In 1949, chiropractor, preacher and rancher Ben Parker and his wife, Mona Parker, each veteran broadcasters, helped form the Atascosa Broadcasting Co. to address the situation locally.
History
Edward Brown
(1808-1886) A veteran of both the Texas Revolution and the U.S.-Mexico War, Edward Brown was an early Atascosa County colonist and landowner. He was born to Avery and Maria Brown, though documents differ on place of birth in Tennessee or Kentucky. While in New Orleans in 1836, he volunteered to fight in the Republic of Texas Army and mustered into service in the company of William D. Burnett.
History
Hooge Hill
Prospect Hill Grocery and Hooge Homestead were established in 1917 by Anna Ripps and Petrus "Alphons" Hooge. The couple and their children came to this area to establish a home and cultivate opportunities from their mutual farming heritage. Known simply as "Hooge Hill," their produce and mercantile business became a center for working-class residents of Poteet and Atasocsa County.
History
Jourdan Campbell
JOURDAN CAMPBELL JOURDAN CAMPBELL (1867-1938) AND HIS FAMILY MOVED TO ATASCOSA COUNTY BY 1870; HIS FATHER JOHN CAMPBELL FOUNDED CAMPBELLTON. JOURDAN MARRIED ALICE LOUISE MARR IN 1897 AND THE COUPLE HAD EIGHT CHILDREN. JOURDAN BECAME COUNTY COMMISSIONER IN THE 1890s, AND IN 1907 WITH COL. T. H. ZANDERSON BOUGHT THE 33,760 ACRE TOBEY RANCH, PART OF WHICH WOULD BECOME JOURDANTON.
History
Jourdanton
In 1909, Jourdan Campbell (1867-1938) and Theodore H. Zanderson (1854-1927) established the Jourdanton community, named for Campbell, on the eastern edge of their Toby Ranch property. Jourdan Campbell was born in Atascosa County, and was a merchant and county commissioner. He first met Zanderson, a Dane whose significant business interests centered on wool and mohair, in San Antonio.
History
Jourdanton City Cemetery
T. H. Zanderson and city namesake Jourdan Campbell bought the 40,000-acre Toby Ranch in 1907 and laid out the town of Jourdanton. The original plat included two blocks designated for use as a cemetery.
History
Jourdanton United Methodist Church
The Methodist church in Jourdanton formally organized in 1909, the same year that the City of Jourdanton was founded. The church began as the Jourdanton Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and was a member of the Uvalde District in the West Texas Conference. Founding members included Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Billingsley, Mr. and Mrs. Murphy, Mr. and Mrs. Easterling, The W. H.
Industry & Science
Martin Abstract Company
By the early 20th century the ranching industry that spurred the growth of Atascosa County had begun to wane, with many large ranches split into smaller ranches, farms and town lots. George M. Martin realized the importance of a company to research title in relation to the resulting real estate transactions, and he founded Martin Abstract Company in 1909.
History
Mercy Hospital
As transportation increased through Atascosa County with the creation of major highways, the number of vehicular accidents and fatalities increased. In 1952, thirteen fatalities and many serious injuries were reported as the 'bloodiest year' in Atascosa County history.
History
Old Atascosa County Jail
County officials rented a small Jourdanton house for a jail in 1911 after the county seat was moved here from Pleasanton in 1910. A proposal to build a new jail with cells from the old Pleasanton structure was rejected and this reinforced-concrete, brick-clad building with new steel cells was authorized in 1915. This site was purchased that year from W.M.
History
Old Rock Baptist Church
Organized as Medina Baptist Church in April 1857 at Mann's Crossing, near Macdona. Until 1866, when members built an arbor here near Old Somerset, the services were held in homes or in a schoolhouse. Site for meetinghouse and cemetery (2.5 acres here) was bought for ten dollars in 1867 by committeemen F. M. Avent, Elisha A. Briggs, and W. D. Johnson on behalf of Medina Church.
History
Old Rock Schoolhouse
Constructed of locally quarried red sandstone, the Old Rock Schoolhouse was built in 1874 with funds pledged by citizens of Pleasanton. Once completed, the building was deeded to the county for free public school purposes. In addition to its educational function, the schoolhouse also served as a place of worship for the First Baptist Church from 1875 to 1883.
History
Pleasanton
(Founded 1858) Named for early Texas settler John Pleasants, by John Bowen (d.1867), San Antonio's first Anglo-American postmaster. Bowen, assisted financially by associate Henry L. Radaz, in Sept. 1858 founded this town at the juncture of Atascosa River and Bonita Creek as the county seat of Atascosa County. The first courthouse in Pleasanton (second in county) stood on this site.
Elsewhere in Texas
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