History
Antioch Cemetery
Located on a two-acre site purchased in 1883 by the trustees of the New Hope Methodist Episcopal Church from J. Thomas and Oma Henry, this cemetery has long served the Black farming community of Antioch. The earliest marked grave is that of Allen Delorah, who died in 1894. The cemetery contains numerous unmarked graves of early settlers and ministers.
History
Arthur C. Horton, M.D.
(August 27, 1873 - June 6, 1946) A native of Mississippi, Arthur Columbus Horton came to Texas with his family in 1876. He studied medicine at Barnes Medical College in St. Louis, Missouri and the University of Dallas Medical College (later Baylor University College of Medicine). Dr.
History
Athens
Founded 1850. Named for Athens, Greece. Supply and military training headquarters during Civil War. Sent army about 1,000 men. Center for manufacturing and agriculture. Home of annual Old Fiddlers' Contest and of Henderson County Junior College. Black-eyed peas capital of the world.
History
Athens Cemetery
Athens Cemetery After citizens petitioned for its closure, an unofficial burial ground in this area (Large Lot 13) closed in 1857. That same year, local residents buried prominent planter, Mason and school superintendent William J. Brantley here on one acre donated by Pleasant Tannehill to Masonic Lodge No. 165.
History
Athens Lodge No. 165 A.F. & A.M.
Athens Lodge No. 165 A.F. & A.M., founded in 1854, was the first Masonic lodge to be organized in Henderson County. Henderson County had been created in 1846, and the third county seat, Athens, had been founded in 1850. The group emphasized morality, tradition, fellowship and self-improvement, and hoped to instill the values in the burgeoning community.
History
Black Jack Cemetery
This burial ground has served this area of eastern Henderson county since the mid-1800s, when the Black Jack community was established. Cradled between the towns of Brownsboro and Murchison, Black Jack became a desirable place to settle due to the area's rich soil, and abundance of water and timber. By the 1870s, community members organized a church.
History
Brownsboro Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery
After migrating from Norway in 1845, Ole Reierson bought the land that included this cemetery site (1.1 mi. ESE). He chose the spot for his burial and carved several of the plain brown gravestones before he died in 1852. The cemetery's 24 marked and 81 unmarked graves are mostly those of Norwegian immigrants. A Lutheran church built nearby in 1889, served as a cemetery chapel until the 1920s.
History
Bruce Field
As the focal point of Athens schools and athletics, Bruce Field has served the community since 1922. Bruce Academy, a leading educational institution at the turn of the 20th century, was established in 1898. Both the school and sports field on the site were named for Dr.
History
Buffalo
Before Henderson County was created by the Texas Legislature in 1846, a small community known as Buffalo had developed around a ferry that operated in this area on the Trinity River. Despite its location in the northwest section of the county, Buffalo served as the seat of government from 1847 until 1850.
History
Bushrod W. J. Wofford
Bushrod William John "Bush" Wofford was born in February 1832 to William M. and Mariah Frances Johnston Wofford in Madison County, Alabama. He grew up an only child in Tippah County, Mississippi. His parents died when he was a young man, and he came to Texas in the early 1850s. In 1852, Wofford married Martha A. Miller of Anderson County, Texas.
History
Carroll Springs Cemetery
The Carroll Springs Methodist Church and a school began meeting at this site in 1883. The following year, A.M. Carroll, who owned property in Henderson and Anderson counties, set aside nearly five acres here to be used for a school, church and cemetery. The community, which derived its name from the Carroll family and nearby springs, began using this site for burials as early as 1859.
History
Cherokee Exodus from Texas
Driven from eastern states by white settlers, Cherokee Indians migrated to the East Texas area, becoming established by 1820. In 1822, they unsuccessfully sought title to their land from Mexico. The years following were ones of an increasingly uneasy truce for both Texans and Cherokees. In 1839, Mirabeau B. Lamar, Republic of Texas president, sent orders for the tribe to leave Texas.
History
Clinton Williams Murchison, Sr.
Clint W. Murchison, Sr. was born April 11, 1895, in Tyler to John W. and Clara (Williams) Murchison. His grandfather, T.F. Murchison, was one of the earliest settlers to arrive in Athens and established the first bank in Henderson County in 1890. Following the death of T.F. Murchison, control of the bank passed to his sons.
History
Cockerell Hospital
In 1929, Dr. Lonnie Lee Cockerell (1879-1969) bought second-story building space on the northeast corner of the Eustace city square. The next year, he opened the first hospital in Henderson County. Dr. Cockerell offered a wide variety of services, ranging from vaccinations to dental work to surgery. Eustace residents came to the hospital for both acute and chronic health issues, and Dr.
History
Courts Under the Oaks
Henderson County was established in 1846, the year after Texas was annexed by the United States. In 1850, after previous reductions in the county's original size, the present boundaries were set by the Texas Legislature.
History
Davis Cemetery
This burial ground, named for the pioneering Davis family, has served this rural section of Henderson County since the mid-1800s. It was established in the early 1870s on property deeded by J.J. Deupree in 1883. The Baxter community, officially established by 1901 when it became a station for the Texas and New Orleans Railroad, is particularly represented here.
History
Davis Reynolds
Henderson County pioneer Davis Reynolds (1800-1869) came to Texas in 1856 with his wife Catherine (1802-1871), their unmarried children, James, Julia, Catherine, and John H.; and several slaves. Traveling by wagon and foot, they journeyed from Gordon County, Georgia. Three married children, Almira Otts, Eliza Forester and George W., came later.
History
Durham Avant
(1798-1862) A native of North Carolina, Durham Avant came to Texas in 1834 with his wife, Susan (Winsett), and after a time they settled in present day Henderson County. Avant served as a Texas Ranger and in 1850 helped survey and determine a central location for the Henderson County Seat. He later opened a hotel in the new county seat of Athens.
History
Faulk-Gauntt Building
An earlier building at this location housed the law offices of Senator J. J. Faulk and Judge W. L. Faulk. In the early 1890s the site was purchased by J. R. Gauntt, a local businessman. The son of pioneer area settlers, he operated a mercantile store, the Chany Tree, with his brother R. L. Gauntt, and later ran a monument business.
History
Fincastle
One of the earliest settlements in Henderson County, Fincastle developed during the early 1850s. At that time, this part of the state was a center of economic activity with a growing number of plantations and farms. In 1851 John Tindel (1796-1864) purchased 1091 acres in the Juan Jose Martinez survey and later platted the community townsite.
History
Fincastle Cemetery and Church
Little physical evidence remains of the early Henderson County community of Fincastle. The pioneer cemetery and church building at this site stand as reminders of this once-flourishing trade center. In 1851 Dr. Pleasant P. Adams deeded 1091 acres of land to John Tindel, and all marked graves date from that time.
History
Goodgame Cemetery
This cemetery, named for the pioneering Goodgame family, has served the area since the Civil War era. Purchasing acreage in 1857, Floyd Crockett Goodgame (b. 1807) migrated from Alabama to Henderson County with family including his wife, Hulda Crowson (Fulton) and his two sons, James Allen (b. 1829) and John Anderson (b. 1832).
History
Goshen Cemetery
The community of Goshen was established after the Civil War. Named for the Biblical "land of milk and honey," the town of Goshen served the rural farms and communities as a marketing center. It was also a rest stop for trail drivers herding cattle on the Chisholm Trail from East Texas. Goshen existed through the latter part of the 19th century when the railroad was built through this area.
History
Ham (Pauline)
By 1900, a community had developed here on property owned by the Texas and New Orleans Railroad, which laid tracks through the area to create a more direct path to Dallas. The company purchased land in 1898 from attorney Marshal Hamlet "Ham" Gossett. The new town was named Ham in his honor.
History
Henderson County
Formed from Houston and Nacogdoches counties. Created April 27, 1846; organized August 4, 1846. Named in honor of James Pinckney Henderson, 1808-1858, first governor of the State of Texas. Buffalo, Centerville and Athens (since 1850) have served as county seats.
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