Historical Markers in Parker County
Texas·78 places·Page 3 of 4
History
Poolville
The town of Poolville built up around a natural spring-fed pool in the Clear Fork of the Trinity River in Parker County. The pool, located one-half mile northeast of the present Poolville Town Square, was a well-known watering place for cattle herds on the way to market. Gradually a settlement grew around the pool area.
History
Porter Cemetery
Robert Scott Porter (1795-1877), first Parker County judge, dedicated this land near his cabin as a family cemetery in 1867 after the death of his 3-year-old granddaughter Syrene E. Newberry. Judge Porter's grandson Elbert T. Doss (1847-1869) and the judge's daughter Mary, her husband, W.G. Light, and child were killed by Indians and buried here.
Architecture
R. W. Kindel House
Druggist R.W. Kindel (1847-1931) built this Second Empire-style Victorian home about 1881. The 20-inch-thick native stone walls were topped by a concave mansard roof. A coal furnace in the cellar with vents leading into each room provided an early form of central heating. In 1895 Kindel sold the structure to Jasper Haney. Other owners included W.F.
History
Rock Creek Cemetery
In the 1870s a stagecoach stop was established on the nearby Fort Worth-Fort Belknap Military Road. The stage line led to the area's early settlement, and the community that developed here became known as Rock Creek. In 1884 the Rock Creek Baptist Church was founded on a site about two miles southeast.
History
Rock Springs Cemetery
This cemetery contains the graves of many of the pioneers of Rock Springs, a village that served as a social center for area farmers. Thirty-one graves are marked with native stones, while a few are identified with engraved headstones. The earliest marked identifiable grave, dated 1867, is that of Mary L. Sullivan. The last marked grave in the cemetery, that of Mary J.
History
Samuel Joseph Redgate
Born in England, 1800 Member of Legislature, 1858-1861 Died May 20, 1893 Jane Yergins Jordt Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Yergins Wife of H. E. Jordt Born in what is now Oklahoma August 20, 1836 Died April 8, 1896 In Memory of Mary Yergins-Redgate Born in Germany, June 11, 1816 Died in Dayton, Ohio October 31, 1881 Shortly after Mrs.
History
Samuel Willis Tucker Lanham
S.W.T. Lanham was born on July 4, 1846 to James and Louisa (Tucker) Lanham in South Carolina. He joined the Confederate Army in 1861, serving in the Third South Carolina Infantry, and was wounded at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, 1864. He wed Sarah Meng in 1866, and they moved to north Texas, relocating in 1868 to Weatherford, where he became a lawyer.
History
Shaw House
Tennessee native Thomas J. Shaw (1819-1904), a farmer, rancher, and carpenter, migrated to Parker County in 1854. Two years later he built the original log room of the this house. He and his wife Louisa Ann (Long) (1827-1890) lived in the cabin for twenty years during which time eight of their thirteen children were born. In 1876 Shaw enlarged the cabin by adding the board and batten room.
History
Soda Springs
Early settlers were attracted to this area of Parker County by the abundant water supply available from the Brazos River and Soda Springs. A number of farming and ranching families established homes here, and a Baptist congregation was soon organized by the Reverend George W. Slaughter.
History
Soldier Spring Park
Confederate soldiers are said to have camped here in the 1860s because of the inviting spring. In 1890, veterans used the site for their 25th reunion. During the next year, 55 acres were set aside as "Soldier Spring Park". Chautauqua programs (1910-28), circuses, town gatherings, other reunions, and the public hanging of a criminal (1908) occurred here before the park fell into disuse.
History
Spring Creek Community
Settlement of this area of Parker County began in 1854, with the arrival of the T.J. Shaw family from Tennessee. They built a log cabin on the south branch of Spring Creek and the community which built up in the area was named for the creek. As more settlers arrived, the community grew to include a number of homes and farms. Jeff W.
History
Springtown Cemetery
This cemetery first served the area's pioneer settlers. In use before the Civil War and before the founding of Springtown, it was included in land patented to Mary Leonard in 1859. The site was later conveyed to the Springtown Methodist Church, and the congregation worshiped in an adjacent log cabin for many years. The earliest legible gravestone is that of J.E. Arrington, who died in 1854.
History
Stephens Cemetery
William Henry Stephens (1826-1891) and his wife Elizabeth Dockery (1827-1888) came to this area from Kentucky in the early 1860s. Together with their sons Shelby, Hugh, Nathan, and Jonas, they established a family farm. In 1876, at the age of 29, Hugh Stephens died and was buried on the family farm. His is the earliest documented burial in the Stephens family cemetery.
History
Texas Pythian Home
The Texas Grand Lodge of the Knights of Pythias considered building a home for dependent widows and children as early as 1886. In 1897 the Grand Lodge Convention started a fund to establish such a home. Both the Knights and the Pythian Sisters of Texas contributed to the fund, and in 1905 the decision was made to find a location and to make plans for the construction of the home.
History
The Double Log Cabin
At Holland's Lake * A monument to the pioneers of Parker County * The east room with bullet scarred walls shows where George McCleskey was killed by Indians in 1873 * The west room was Dan Waggoner's headquarters ranch house built in 1855 * Adopted meeting place for Old Settlers Reunions. Erected by the State of Texas 1936
History
Thomas C. Snailum
A native of England, Thomas C. Snailum came to Texas in 1834, settling in Bastrop. He enlisted in the Texas Army in 1836, served during the Texas Revolution, and settled in Nacogdoches. After the war in 1840 Snailum married Mary Ann Rogers (1825-1875) of Robertson County, and the family lived in Robertson, Grimes, Leon, and Freestone counties before coming to Weatherford about 1866.
Civic & Local
Twentieth Century Club
ON FEBRUARY 8, 1900, A GROUP OF TWENTY-NINE WEATHERFORD WOMEN ORGANIZED THE TWENTIETH CENTURY CLUB. THE CLUB WAS FEDERATED AS AN AFFILIATE OF THE TEXAS FEDERATION OF WOMEN'S CLUBS LATER THAT YEAR. SINCE ITS INCEPTION, THE CLUB'S MEMBERSHIP HAS BETTERED THE COMMUNITY THROUGH THE FOUR AREAS OF WORLD AFFAIRS, FINE ARTS, HOME SCIENCE, AND GREEN THUMB.
History
Veal's Station
Settled in 1852. Here was established in 1858 by William G. Veal (1831-1891), a leading spirit in all public improvements of the region, an outstanding school of Parker County which functioned more than a half-century. (1936)
History
Walker Bend Community and Cemetery
Located in Parker County on a bend in the Brazos River, the Walker Bend Community was named for W.J. Walker (1821-1901) who settled in this area in the 1860's. By 1884 settlers established the Walker Bend School that served students until 1925. The nearby cemetery contains 24 recorded graves including pioneers and Walker Family members.
History
Weatherford
Founded 1856. Named for Jefferson Weatherford, state senator and a confederate soldier. Frontier people found protection here from constant Indian threat during Civil War. Long the only town between Fort Worth and El Paso. Home of Chandor Gardens and Texas Railroad Museum. Nearby is Double Log Cabin Museum. (1964)
History
Weatherford College Old Main Building
This wing, Old Weatherford Masonic Institute, always has been part of a school. Masons en route to lay the cornerstone, July 5, 1869, were delayed by a skirmish with Indians. Incorporated into main building of Weatherford College 1895. Has educated many Texans. (1964)
Architecture
Weatherford Post Office
A postal station was first established in Weatherford in 1856. Facilities were located in several early buildings before this structure was completed in 1914. Judge J.M. Richards was postmaster at the time. Built on the site of a gasoline service station and an earlier wagon yard, the post office building was designed in the Classical Revival style.
History
Weatherford, Mineral Wells and Northwestern Railway
In 1852, years before the nation's first transcontinental rail line was completed in 1869, the Texas Legislature chartered what would become the Texas & Pacific Railway Company. The Civil War halted progress, but in 1888 the line reached Weatherford in its advance westward to the Pacific coast. The tracks then turned south to avoid the Palo Pinto Hills.
History
Whitt Cemetery
The town of Whitt was officially established in 1877, but permanent settlement in this area had been taking place since about 1855. Originally a farming community, Whitt became a stagecoach stop for people traveling between Weatherford and Jacksboro.
History
Whitt Seminary
In January 1880 the elders of the Christian Church at Whitt purchased five acres of land at this site to build a community school. The Whitt Seminary opened in 1881 in a two-story rock building. By 1885 Whitt was a thriving community of about 400 inhabitants with a number of businesses and a sincere interest in quality education.
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