Historical Markers in Hays County
Texas·96 places·Page 2 of 4
History
Driftwood Cemetery
This cemetery traces its origin to the building of a sanctuary by the Driftwood Methodist Episcopal church, South, here in 1884. The sanctuary was built on two acres of land acquired by the congregation from David L. and Mattie Elizabeth Dorrah. This cemetery was established on a portion of the churchyard immediately south of the sanctuary later that year.
History
Dripping Springs Academy
Founded 1881 by W. M. Jordan, noted Baptist preacher. Its stone building was given to Pedernales Baptist Association 1883; then to public school district, 1889. Second floor was added, 1920. It became property Rambo Lodge #426 A.F. & A.M., 1952. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1967
History
Dunbar School
Private instruction for black children in San Marcos may have begun as early as 1847, but the first public school was founded in 1877 with 50 pupils. The school was moved to this 7.3 acre site in 1918. Many graduates continued into higher education, and some returned as teachers, including Ola Lee Coleman, whose 36-year career was the longest here.
History
Eliza Pitts Malone
In 1842, Eliza Pitts (1832-1923) and her parents came to Texas from Georgia. She was a charter member of First Methodist Church in San Marcos and served as an active church leader. She married James Lafayette Malone in 1850, and they had sixteen children. During the Civil war, 1861-65, Eliza Malone ran their 1,000-acre farm and sewed for Confederate soldiers.
History
Farmers Union Gin Company
Local farmers Henry Kellerman, J. H. Barbee, A. H. Fleming, I. B. Rylander, and J. H. Williams purchased this site in 1908. Through their efforts the Farmers Union Gin Company was established here under the leadership of Oscar Calvin Smith. The first industrial plant of its size in San Marcos, the gin became vital to the area's cotton industry and remained in operation until 1966.
History
First National Bank of San Marcos
Ed J. L. Green (1841-1924) came to San Marcos in 1859 from Arkansas. He saw the need for a bank, bought the lots on the south side of the Courthouse Square in 1878, and erected a large two-story rock building. "Green's Bank" opened May 6, 1879. He rented the extra space to lawyers, doctors and real estate agents.
History
George Henry Talmadge Home
A farmer from Illinois, George H. Talmadge (1840-1911) served in the Union Army during the Civil War. In 1888 he moved to San Marcos with his wife Lydia (1851-1900) and their children, including an adopted daughter orphaned by the Chicago fire. Talmadge, who was also a carpenter, built this Victorian house of cypress wood in 1889.
History
George Thomas McGehee House
Among the first settlers in the San Marcos area, George Thomas McGehee (1836-1926) moved here with his parents, Minerva (Hunt) and Thomas Gilmer McGehee, in 1846. He fought in the Civil War with Terry's Texas Rangers and served 3 terms in the State Legislature, 1887-91 and 1893-94. In 1895 he and his wife, Sarah Cherokee Woods McGehee (1849-1928), built this turreted Victorian residence.
History
Goforth
Once the center of cotton-producing activity in Hays County. Goforth became a ghost town during the 1920s. The community was established in the 1870s by James Taylor Goforth (1849-1915), who operated a general store at this site. Goforth's store served as a social center and as a banking facility for many of the farm families in the area.
History
Heard-Baker House
William Green built this house about 1889 and sold it to rancher Samuel McGehee Heard (d. 1909). At the time, the homesite included enough surrounding land to graze livestock. Members of the Heard family lived here until 1944, when Robert Lee Baker (d. 1957) purchased the house.
History
Hector Family Cemetery
Astyanax Troy Hector was born to Scottish immigrants in Virginia in 1823. Though the Hector children were named for Homer's Iliad, Astyanax Troy was later nicknamed "Stine." The family relocated to Texas between 1838 and 1846. Astyanax Troy Hector was a farmer, hatmaker and land surveyor. He married Sarah Jane Hocker in 1851. She died giving birth to their seventh child in 1864.
Architecture
Ike Wood House
After settling in San Marcos about 1886, I. W. (Ike) Wood (1866-1960) became a prominent merchant, banker, and civic leader. In 1888 he married Elizabeth Williamson (1869-1961). Wood hired local architect John Whaley (1853-1915) to construct this classical revival house in 1908. A row of massive Corinthian columns and a hanging second floor balcony dominate the structure's classical facade.
History
Indian Mott Skirmish
After peace talks ended in the disastrous 'Council House Fight' in March 1840 in San Antonio, the Comanche increased raids. Returning from a bold attack on Linnville, a band of warriors was intercepted at Plum Creek near Uhland on August 12, 1840, by 200 Texas Rangers and volunteers. A fierce running battle ensued.
History
Jacobs Well Cemetery
Since 1883, Jacobs Well (Jacob's Well) Cemetery has served as a final resting place for area residents. In 1876, three schools were organized nearby, including one for the Jacob's Well community, named for a natural spring in Cypress Creek. The school building housed grades first through eighth and also hosted the community church. Many of the settlement's pioneers came from South Carolina.
History
James C. Lane House
Wimberley builder James Calvin Lane (1902-1976) built this home in 1935 adjacent to a café operated by his wife, Rebecca (Cobb). Lane later built a two-story home and a larger café in the same style on nearby property on the square. Rebecca operated Wimberley's first telephone switchboard in the home's living room. The couple sold the home to educator Susie Danforth in 1938.
History
James Lafayette and Eliza Pitts Malone House
This house was built in 1891-92 for James L. and Eliza Malone. The Malones, parents of 16 children, were among the early pioneer families in the Stringtown area east of San Marcos. the house was sold out of the Malone family in 1906 following James' death. In 1926, the Victorian Queen Anne dwelling was modified to classical revival style by S. A. and Lellye McGehee Perkins.
History
John F. McGehee Home
Built in 1889 by John Francis McGehee (1838-1922), a veteran of Hood's Brigade in Civil War. The house, constructed of pine hauled from Bastrop, cypress siding, and handmade brick, is of 19th century Eastlake architectural style. Since McGehee sold the property in 1906, it has had several owners. Dr. J. R. Morton, whose wife, Frances M. Morton, was San Marcos' poet laureate, lived here 1920-51.
History
John Henry Saunders Homestead
Born in Virginia, John Henry Saunders (1850-1919) served in the Confederate Cavalry and came to Texas in 1870, via Tennessee and Indian Territory. He was the first teacher at Purgatory Springs (later called Hugo) where he married Calladonia Modeline Williamson (1855-1930) in 1872.
Architecture
John Matthew Cape House
This late Victorian style home was built in 1902 for the family of John Matthew Cape (1861-1933). Cape owned several cotton gins along the San Marcos River and was instrumental in the organization of San Marcos Utilities and the State Bank & Trust Co. He and his wife, Mary Elizabeth Bales (1870-1941), had 7 children.
Architecture
John R. Dobie House
Constructed about 1892 for Charles and Susannah Cock, this house was purchased by John R. and Martha Dobie in 1899. A native of Scotland, Dobie (1849-1924) was a farmer, rancher, and Hays County commissioner in 1897-98. A fine example of vernacular house types, the John R. Dobie house features a central hall plan, board-and-batten construction, and classical detailing.
History
John Wheeler Bunton
Born in Sumner County, Tenn., John Wheeler Bunton migrated to Texas in 1833. To secure freedom for his new homeland, he signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, helped draft a constitution, and fought in the Siege of Bexar and the Battle of San Jacinto. A lawyer, rancher, and owner of extensive lands, Bunton served in the 1st and 3rd congresses of the Republic of Texas.
History
Joseph B. Rogers House
The son of settlers who came to Texas in 1831, Joseph B. Rogers (1833-1912) served with Terry's Texas Rangers in the Civil War. In 1869 he bought this land and in early 1870s hired local workmen to build this native limestone house. Like many pioneer homes, it had a central hall and a chimney at each end. The wooden porch was replaced with concrete in 1916.
History
Joseph W. Earnest Home
A native of Tennessee, Joseph W. Earnest (1844-1920) migrated to Hays County with his parents in 1854. He was a veteran of the Texas Rangers and Confederate army. A merchant and cattleman, Earnest married Cevilia Cock (1850-1931) in 1870. He hired local builder Charles Sinz (1846-1903) to construct this Victorian residence in 1892. The Earnests' niece Mary Cock (1890-1976) grew up in this house.
History
Julia Ann Ragsdale Home
Widow of Dr. Frederick B. Ragsdale (1804-1851), Julia Ann Ragsdale (1821-1908) was a well-educated woman who taught school in Arkansas before she brought her family to Texas during the Civil War. In 1864 her daughter Mary Elizabeth (1843-1872) married Light Stapleton Townsend (1834-1928). After Mary's death, Mrs. Ragsdale moved to Wimberley in 1875 to raise her four grandchildren.
History
Katherine Anne Porter
(May 15, 1890 - September 18, 1980) Katherine Anne Porter, one of America's most distinguished writers of fiction, was born Callie Russell Porter in Indian Creek, Brown County, Texas. Her mother, Mary Alice Jones Porter, died in 1892, and her father, Harrison Boone Porter (1858-1942) returned with the children to his native Hays County to live with his mother, Catherine Ann Skaggs Porter…
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