Military
Henderson County C. S. A.
(Star and Wreath) Voted 400-49 for secession. Sent about 1,000 into Confederate Army, with one detachment of 150 having only 13 live to return. Caldwell's farm, three miles northeast, and Fincastle, 19 miles southeast of Athens, had camps of instruction. Confederate supply depot, Fincastle, had stores of grain, mean in charge of Capt. Thomas F. Murchison, who also was county enrolling officer.
Architecture
Henderson County Courthouse
The Texas Legislature created Henderson County in 1846. For the next few years, county commissioners met at various locations, including private homes and the communities of Buffalo and Centerville. Samuel Huffer later determined the center of the county was on the Thomas Parmer survey, and Matthew Cartwright secured 160 acres for the new courthouse.
Industry & Science
Henderson County Pottery Industry
Prehistoric Caddoan Indians utilized the abundant deposits of rich clays in this region to make their fine pottery vessels. The modern pottery industry in Henderson County began in 1857, when Levi S. Cogburn (1812-1866), one of a family of potters from Georgia, started making cups, saucers, and plates in Athens. Cogburn's plant operated until shortly after his death in 1866.
History
John Crane
In 1830, John Crane applied to be a part of Joseph Vehlein's Colony. Reportedly from Virginia, he was a veteran of the War of 1812. He moved his wife and seven children to what is now Walker County, Texas, in 1834. There, he organized men and became a part of the Texas Revolution. He fought at the Siege of Bexar in December 1835.
History
John Matthews McDonald
North Carolina-born John Matthews McDonald (1827-1883) came to Texas in 1848 and lived first at Larissa, Cherokee Co. and then Mound Prairie, Anderson Co., where his brother Murdoch earlier settled. Two years later, he moved to the young town of Athens and became a teacher and a lawyer. He also served as the town's first mayor.
History
Joseph Thomas La Rue_Stella E. Parsons La Rue
JOSEPH THOMAS LA RUE (Nov. 18, 1864 - Feb. 13, 1930) Alderman on Athens' first city council (1901). La Rue (town 13 mi. SE) was named for him. Educator, merchant, civic leader, banker, humanitarian, prohibitionist, Democrat, historian. Married March 16, 1892, Stella Elvira Parsons. They had seven children. STELLA E. PARSONS LA RUE (Feb. 16, 1874 - Dec.
History
Leagueville Cemetery
The Leagueville community developed out of the Aaron York survey. Tradition holds this cemetery began west of an early schoolhouse located on land donated by B.T. and Annie Roberts. The community's pioneer schoolhouse also provided space for religious services, and in 1880 the congregation that would eventually become Leagueville Baptist Church organized there.
Industry & Science
Machinery From First Factory in Athens
Established 1882 (at site 1.5 mi. NE) by local planter H. M. Morrison, to make building brick. Total original machinery consisted of this press and plunger. Press was hand-operated. A mule-drawn swivel ran the plunger, mixing clay dug at the plant site. C. H. Coleman bought into firm in 1891; after Morrison's death in 1899 he became sole owner.
History
Malakoff Man
A sandstone image of a human head-- carved by prehistoric men-- was found near here in 1929 by workmen of Texas Clay Products Company. It was dug from gravel pit now under Cedar Creek Lake. The carving weighed 98 pounds, was 16 by 14 inches, with eyes 2.5 inches wide. First stone was found at depth of 16.5 feet. Two similar images were unearthed in same area in 1935 and 1939.
History
Meredith Campground and Tabernacle
North Carolina native Eber Meredith, his wife Caroline (Ross), and their four children moved to this area of Henderson County in the 1850s. Eber Meredith bought 320 acres of land in 1859 and purchased an additional 160 acres four years later. In 1875 a schoolhouse was built near the Meredith home.
History
Moorehead-Melton Cemetery
Located in the Elizabeth Washburn Survey on land owned by Andrew and Nancy Moorehead, this site first served as a burial ground for members of their extended family. Natives of South Carolina, the Mooreheads migrated west and settled in Alabama before moving to Texas by the 1850s. In 1884, Tennessee native Elias Melton and his first wife, Anna (Capps), bought the surrounding farmland.
History
Old Rock Hill Cemetery
The first known burial in this cemetery, that of Thomas Clark, dates to 1851. He was buried on land that was public domain until 1857 when A. J. Laymance was awarded title to a tract of land of more than 292 acres. The Old Rock Hill Cemetery consists of nearly an acre of land and lies in the southeast corner of the Laymance survey.
History
Owen Cemetery
David Allen Owen came to Texas with his first wife, Mary (Langsdon), who died enroute, and their 5 children. They traveled with family members and others from Randolph County, Alabama to Henderson County, Texas in 1851. Owen served as chief justice (county judge) from 1860 to 1869 and was a pioneer member of the Pilgrim's Rest Primitive Baptist Church at Baxter.
History
Payne Cemetery
Surrounded by a forest of trees, Payne Cemetery is the final resting place for many of the area's pioneer settlers and their descendants. In the 1870s, early pioneers moved to this area of Henderson County hoping to improve their lives. One early pioneer to the area, William K.
History
Payne Springs Methodist Church and Cemetery
For over a century, this church and cemetery have served the community of Payne Springs, originally known as Mallard Prairie. By 1880 the church already had a large membership and met in a log structure. The church building served as a gathering place for elections and political rallies. Summer revivals were held under a brush arbor on the church grounds.
History
Poynor Cemetery
Poynor overlooks the valley of Caddo Creek in the southeast corner of Henderson County, and was established along the Texas and New Orleans Railroad in 1901. Originally, Poynor was known as "David" in honor of David Marion Dickerson (1822-1902), a farmer, veteran, and city official who moved to this area following the civil war.
History
Red Hill Cemetery
Settlement in this area began in the 1840s. By 1849 the Red Hill Methodist Church had been established about three miles northwest of here. Sometime prior to 1877 the Red Hill Methodist congregation began to hold camp meetings at this site. In 1877 Smith County resident H. E. Calehan donated more than seven acres here to the Red Hill Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
History
Richard Columbus Fisher
(May 20, 1888 - Sept. 4, 1932) A native of Falls County, R. C. Fisher graduated in 1913 from what was then Prairie View Normal College. The following year he began his career in education at Blackshear Colored School in Athens. Fisher later became principal of the school, which grew from a seven-grade facility to twelve-grade accredited high school during his years of leadership.
History
Rock Hill Cemetery
Rock Hill Cemetery has served this area since the late 1800s. It is located on land granted to pioneer Alexander J. Clayton, who migrated here from Alabama with his wife, Martha (Carver), and his children in 1854. Clayton, who was born in North Carolina, was a farmer and leader in the Rock Hill community, which developed around the Rock Hill Baptist Church.
History
Rupert Talmage Craig
Son of Henry Clay and Dana (Moss) Craig, was born on November 17, 1889, in Shiloh, Kentucky. He began setting type in a print shop at the age of 10 and at the age of 16 became the youngest licensed printer in Kentucky. He worked as a printer for several major U. S. newspapers before coming to work for the "Athens Review" in 1907.
History
Sand Flat Cemetery
In 1856, Joseph M. Stirman of Kentucky donated five acres of his property for the building of a church and school regardless of race, sex, or religion, establishing the Sand Flat community. Of these five acres, two acres signify the resting place for the African American community of this area.
History
Science Hill
A group of pioneers from Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana founded the Science Hill community when they arrived in this area in 1846. Their hope for the settlement was that it would become a cultural and educational center for the county. Soon after their arrival, the residents started mills, cotton gins, mercantile businesses, churches, and schools.
History
Site of Blackshear/Fisher School
Athens' first public school for African Americans was established in 1876-77. Athens Colored School held classes in a Baptist church and later in a 2-room schoolhouse erected at this site. Richard C. Fisher, who joined the school's faculty in 1914 and who later became principal, renamed the school Blackshear to honor a former professor at Prairie View College. The school was accredited in 1924.
History
Site of Centerville
Replaced Buffalo as county seat, 1848, due to central location in county; on land donated by James Harper Starr (1809-90), Texas statesman. Clerk's records were kept in a log cabin courthouse. When county was reduced in area, 1850, county seat was moved to Athens, and Centerville died. (1973)
History
Site of Gum Creek School
Following the close of the Civil War in 1865, Armstead Barker brought his family to this area. Other African American families followed, and their settlement became known as Gum Creek. By the mid-1880s, African American children in the area attended Gum Creek School, which offered classes through the eighth grade. Students met in a one-room frame building. Early teachers included P.H. Eddings, S.
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