History
John Mitchell
Born in Tennessee c. 1836-37, John Mitchell came to Texas in 1846. He began purchasing land in this area in 1870, the same year he married Viney Cox. As a member of both the 12th and 14th Legislatures, Mitchell championed increased educational opportunities for African Americans. Elected as a delegate to the 1875 Constitutional Convention, he defended the policies of Gov.
History
Josef Masik
(March 30, 1810 - July 1, 1881) First Czech teacher in Texas. Born in Moravia (now Czechoslovakia). Certified to teach at age 16. Came to Texas 1855, seeking freedom from oppression. Following much hardship, he resumed teaching, 1859, with up to 50 pupils yearly. Retired, 1872.
History
Lake Somerville
First shovel of earth for Somerville Dam was turned Sept. 22, 1962, by Lyndon Johnson, then vice president of United States. Dam was built to control flooding on Yegua Creek. In the 46 years prior to 1958, Yegua has flooded 43 times, costing lives, crops. Project was finished 1967.
History
Lyons (History)
An 1878 railway work camp; in 1880 became town of Lyon's Station, named for site donor, W. A. Lyon. Soon had 3 cotton gins, an oil mill, many businesses. In 1894 hosted first auto ever seen in this county, with rides for the daring. Now gateway to Lake Somerville Recreation Area. (1968)
History
Macedonia Hix Baptist Church
Traveling ministers conducted services in this area during the 1840s. The church was organized about 1852 and located on land belonging to Ezra Webb. Oldest marked grave in the adjacent cemetery is that of Elder W. G. O'Bryan, who died in 1867. The first church building was torn down in 1879 and another built on nearby land donated by J .W. Porter. The present structure was erected in 1928.
History
Moseley's Ferry
Situated where the Old San Antonio Road crossed the Brazos River, this public ferry was begun by Michael Boren (1806-75) about 1846. The ferry and a settlement nearby were named for Daniel Moseley (1787-1856), who took over the service in 1849 and whose family ran it until 1868.
History
Near Homesite of Judge Andrew S. Broaddus
Noted pioneer leader. Member Virginia House of Delegates (1844-45). Piloted to Texas (1854) a mile-long wagon train of 200 people, who built Salem Baptist Church-- reminder of their Virginia home. Broaddus debated the Hon.Sam Houston at Waugh Campground (8 Mi. W), 1857.
History
New Tabor Brethren Church
About 1870 this area of Burleson County was settled by Czech-Moravian immigrants in search of fertile land and the religious freedom denied them in their native European homeland. Informal services were held twice a year in the family home of Joseph Macat until 1877, when The Rev. L. J.
History
Oaklawn Cemetery
Dating to 1900, this graveyard was first called the Somerville and Lyons Cemetery. Land was purchased by J. W. Lauderdale to establish a cemetery upon the death of his two-year-old son Charles on November 6, 1900. The name was changed to Oaklawn Cemetery in 1913.
History
Old City Cemetery
Created in 1840 (same year Caldwell was laid out) when lots 3 and 12 were made a "Grave Yard and Church lot" forever. Town founder Lewis L. Chiles (d.1864) is buried here. Oldest legible stone is for Margarette A. King and infant daughter (d.1843). Now maintained by city. (1971)
History
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church
In 1884, Catholic settlers from Czechoslavakia first arrived in this area. They named their settlement Frenstat for the community they had left, Frenstat Rod Radhost, Moravia. By 1887, the Rev. Joseph Chromcik regularly visited Frenstat. That year, Adolf Polansky sold land to the Galveston Diocese for school, church and cemetery purposes.
Architecture
Porter House
Robert U. Porter (1825-1899) came to Texas with his parents in 1833. He took over the family landholdings and farm operations upon his father's death. The area around this site became known as Porter's Prairie. Robert Porter and his first wife, Sallie Choate, had 7 children here, and he and his second wife, Araminta Roberson, had 9 children.
History
Providence Cemetery
According to oral tradition, this cemetery has served residents of the Providence area since the 1830s. The earliest marked grave is that of Elizabeth Hughes, who died in 1841, but the presence of unmarked graves suggests that the burial ground was used earlier.
Architecture
Reeves-Womack House
Caldwell native William Reeves (1858-1921), a prominent merchant and banker in the town, built this residence before the turn of the century. In 1907 it was sold to Civil War veteran Capt. Mansell Lewis Womack (b. 1846), a local business and civic leader who had served as Sheriff of Burleson County. Members of his family owned the house until 1957.
History
San Salvador Mission Church
San Salvador, a mission of St. Anthony's Catholic Church, Bryan, was named for the patron saint of Cefalu, Sicily, the native village of Italian immigrants who came here in 1894. Religious services were held in homes until 1908, when devout families each gave cotton from ten field rows to buy materials, and the men worked six weeks to build this church. First Mass was said at its Altar in Oct.
History
Site of Camino Real
(The old San Antonio Road) Great thoroughfare of early Texas. Following ancient Indian and buffalo paths, sometimes on same course as 1691 "Trail of the Padres", stretches 1,000 miles from Saltillo, Mexico, to present Louisiana. Highway for explorers, traders, smugglers, adventurers, settlers, armies. Was surveyed about 1800 and given name of "King's Highway".
History
Site of the Somerville Harvey House
Fred Harvey, a native of England, began operation of his Santa Fe Railroad dining rooms in 1876. In 1900 a Harvey House opened in Somerville, divisional headquarters of the Santa Fe line. The 2-story, galleried structure was 260 ft. long and contained a dining room, guest rooms, library and reading room. The Harvey House served travelers and railroad workers in an atmosphere of elegance.
History
Snook Brethren Church
During the 19th century, many families from Bohemia and Moravia emigrated to Texas. They brought their Czech traditions, including beliefs of the Brethren Church, established on religious teachings of reformer Jan Hus. Settlers to this area founded the community of Sebesta, later known as Snook, in the 1870s. In 1886, the Rev.
History
Snook Cemetery
Immigrants from Czechosovakia settled in this area in the 1880s. The community was originally known as Sebesta or Sebesta's Corners, after one of the early families. In the 1890s, residents renamed the settlement Snook in honor of John Snook, the postmaster in Caldwell. By that time, the community cemetery was already in existence.
History
Somerville
Located where two branches of the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway joined, town was named for Albert Somerville, first president of the railroad. First settlers arrived after town was surveyed about 1883; the post office was permanently established in 1897. Somerville boomed in the 1890s when local citizens persuaded a railroad tie plant to locate here.
Civic & Local
St. John's Lutheran Church
This church was organized by The Rev. A. H. Falkenberg and 35 charter members in 1910. Services were held in a schoolhouse until a sanctuary, containing an 800-pound bell donated by the family of John B. Luedke, Sr., was built here in 1917. The church established an adjacent cemetery in 1918. The congregation prospered and a new church building was erected here in 1966.
History
St. Mary's Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
A number of eastern European immigrants of the Catholic faith came to Burleson County in the late 1800s. Priests from nearby towns led worship services; the first recorded mass was in August 1893, with the Rev. Jacob Lauth presiding. In 1895, residents and trustees bought land and built a sanctuary dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lourdes.
History
Thomas J. Gary
Born on Sept. 16, 1922, in Texas City, Thomas J. Gary, Jr., attended Somerville Junior High in the 1930s. He returned to Texas City and, in 1940, at age 18, enlisted in the U.S. Navy. A Seaman Second Class, Gary was assigned to the USS California, flagship for the Pacific fleet. Stationed at Hawaii, the ship came under attack at Pearl Harbor on Dec.
Architecture
Thomas Kraitchar, Jr. House
A fine example of a Victorian cottage-style residence, this home was built in 1891 for Thomas Kraitchar, Jr. (1870-1946). A merchant by profession, Kraitchar also served terms as the Burleson County Tax Collector and as a Caldwell City Alderman. His house, of cypress construction, features a five-bay symmetrical facade with a central gable. It remained in the Kraitchar family until 1982.
History
Town of Chriesman
(Originally "Yellow Prairie" 0.5 mi. E) Settled by Alexander Thomson, Jr., early Texas patriot and partner of the colonizer Sterling C. Robertson. When railroad came through in 1880, the settlers moved to tracks. Renamed, 1884, after Capt. H.C. Chriesman, surveyor for Stephen F. Austin. Now serves surrounding ranches. (1968)
Elsewhere in Texas
Hear it from the road
Whistlestop tells you this story automatically when you drive past. No searching, no tapping, nothing to ask.
