History
In this vicinity extended the Vial-Fragoso Trail
In this vicinity extended the Vial-Fragoso Trail Blazed in 1788 by Pierre Vial and Francisco Xavier Fragoso on their way from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Natchitoches, Louisiana Erected by the State of Texas 1936
History
John Franklin Overton
(May 24, 1816 - July 29, 1879) Born in Maury County, Tenn., came to Texas in 1845 with his wife, Jane Jameson Overton, and mother, Susan Alexander Overton. He received land grants totaling 1600 acres. His wife died in 1849, and he married Mary D. Walker in 1852. They had 11 children. During the Civil War he sold supplies to the Confederacy and was addressed as "Colonel.
History
Major James P. Douglas
(Star and Wreath) (1836-1901) School named for Texas Confederate. Born in South Carolina. Came to Texas 1848. Led 50 Tyler men, 1861, to join 50 in Dallas to form Good-Douglas Battery - only Texas artillery serving east of the Mississippi. At Chickamauga, Battery shoved its big guns to edge of Federal rifle pits. Gallantry of Douglas was praised. In 1865 he returned to editing Tyler "Reporter.
Architecture
Major John Dean House
On land bought Jan. 22, 1863, by Frances Clarenda Rice Dean (1836-76) with Confederate pay sent home from Civil War post by husband, Major John Dean (1831-1902). Using Louisiana heart pine lumber that he himself milled and seasoned, Dean had house built in 1872. An ex-slave, Jesse Duckinfield, made and burned brick of farm clay.
History
Milburn-Gary House
Anglo settlement of the Gum Springs area in Smith County was underway when the community name changed to Starrville in 1852, in honor of pioneer Russel Julius Starr. Located on the Dallas-Shreveport freight route, Starrville included a post office, school, Masonic Lodge and Bethel Baptist Church. The Rev. Williamson Milburn was appointed pastor of the Baptist Church in 1854. The Rev. Mr.
History
Murphey the Jeweler
A native of North Carolina, Archibald Michael Murphey (1836-1886) married Elizabeth Findley in Rusk, Texas, in 1853. By 1868, they had moved to Tyler. Murphey opened his jewelry business on Ferguson and Broadway in January of that year. Murphey later indicated he had begun as a watchmaker as early as 1851, possibly as an apprentice to his father, who was a native of Ireland.
History
Near Site of C.S.A. Ordnance Plant
Founded 1862 by J.C. Short and Wm. S.N. Biscoe (both gunsmiths) and Col. Geo. Yarbrough. In 2-story brick building, on 125-acre site, contracted to make for State of Texas 5,000 rifles for the arming of troops in the Civil War. After trouble obtaining men and material, plant was sold in October 1863 to the Confederate government. Short and Biscoe stayed in with the plant, to continue making guns.
History
Neches Saline, C. S. A.
Now covered by the waters of Lake Palestine, the Neches Saline was the source of salt for early settlers from over a wide area of East Texas. As early as 1765, the Spanish missionary Calahorra recorded the presence of salines in the area.
History
Nicholas Wren
(1807-1859) Came to Texas, 1833. Became a soldier in the Texas army, 1836. Was commissioned Lieutenant of Rangers by Sam Houston, President of Texas. Fought for Texas during the Vasquez and Woll invasions. Had horse shot from under him in Battle of the Hondo. Resided in Smith County at its organization, 1846. His wife Mariah was a charter member of Harris Creek Baptist Church.
History
Oakwood Cemetery
Originally called Lollar's Cemetery and later City Cemetery, this burial ground was located on land purchased by John Lollar in 1846. Five acres were reserved for cemetery use when Lollar sold his land to John Madison Patterson in 1849. Burials began in the 1840s, but many early gravestones have been lost. The oldest marked grave is that of four-year-old P. M. Scott, who died in 1852.
History
Omen (Canton) Community
Promoters Alexander Douglas, Thomas Weatherby, and Mitus White platted the townsite of Canton in 1850 near the junction of two main roads, one leading to the county seat at Tyler. Although the post office was renamed Clopton in 1852 and the name was changed to Troup in 1854, the village continued to be known as Canton for many years.
Military
On Burleson Lake_Camp of the Army of the Republic of Texas
On Burleson Lake, 3.5 miles west of here was last Cherokee War Camp of the Army of the Republic of Texas. Under Gen. Kelsey H. Douglass, Gen. Thomas J. Rusk, Gen. Edward Burleson, and Col. Willis H. Landrum.
Architecture
Ramey House
An important example of turn-of-the-century domestic architecture, the home of Thomas Brown and Mary Josephine (Spencer) Ramey was crafted of virgin cypress and southern heart pine in 1903. The architectural style of the house is typical of the revival interest in colonial American history and the late 19th century classical movement.
History
Richard Bennett Hubbard
(1832-1901) Georgia native Richard Bennett Hubbard came to Texas in 1853 and set up a law practice in Tyler with B. T. Selman, later a state senator. Politically active, Hubbard became a leading spokesman for the Democratic Party. His early career in government included service as U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, 1857-59, and state legislator, 1859-61.
History
Rudolph Bergfeld
(1855-1930) Entrepreneur and property owner Rudolph Berfeld was a significant figure in the development of the city of Tyler. Bergfeld was born in Wisconsin and as a youth apprenticed at his uncle's jewelry business in Germany. He returned to the U.S. in 1874 and worked as a bookkeeper in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1878, Bergfeld moved to Tyler, where he opened a saloon.
History
Shamburger Cemetery
Members of the Peter Shamburger family came to this area of Texas from Mississippi in 1847. Peter and his family lived near Starrville. His son, Mathew, married Julia Ann Shockley in 1849 and settled in the Fruit community (later renamed Pine Springs). Mathew and Julia's son, T. J., along with other family members and neighbors, pioneered the growing of fruit trees and roses in Smith County.
History
Smith Cemetery
In 1846, Mary M. "Polly" Long received 640 acres in this area from the State of Texas. She deeded half to her son, Richard B. Long, in 1852. He sold this tract in 1881, reserving one acre to preserve the existing cemetery, which was used as early as 1857 by local settlers, many of whom were Long's relateives or neighbors. The earliest marked grave dates to 1862.
History
Smith County
Formed from Nacogdoches County. Created April 11, 1846, organized July 13, 1846, named in honor of General James Smith. Pioneer soldier and statesman, friend of General Sam Houston, Thomas J. Rusk and J. Pinckney Henderson. Born September 10, 1792, died December 25, 1855. Buried with military honors at Henderson. Tyler, the county seat.
History
Smith County as a 19th Century Legal Center
Soon after its establishment in 1846, Smith County became an important legal center in East Texas. The first legal proceeding to take place in the county was a district court session held in an abandoned one-room log cabin in Tyler in December 1846.
History
Smith County Jail, 1881
Houston architect Eugene T. Heiner and builder Henry Kane designed and built this structure in 1880-81 to serve as Smith County's fourth jail. An 1894 second-story addition doubled the jail's cell space. The building was replaced by a new jail in 1916 and subsequently housed the Lewis Hotel until 1986.
History
Smith County Rose Industry and the Tyler Rose Garden
A combination of sandy soil, year-round rainfall, and a long growing season make the Tyler area ideal for rose propagation. First known commercial production began here in the 1870s when industry pioneers such as G. A. McKee and Mathew Shamburger (1827-88) sold rose bushes along with other nursery stock. Business expanded in the 1920s as more nurserymen began growing roses.
History
Smith County, C. S. A.
[FRONT] Smith County C.S.A. Major center of Confederate activity during Civil War. Many distinguished men and military units served South. The largest ordnance plant west of the Mississippi River manufactured "Tyler Rifles" near here. Camp Ford located east of town was the largest prisoner of war compound in the western Confederacy.
History
Starrville Community
In 1852 the Rev. Joshua Starr, a Methodist minister from Alabama, bought 640 acres of land here on the Dallas-Shreveport Road. Platting Starrville, one of the earliest towns in Smith County, he sold lots with deed covenants against gambling and liquor. In 1853 he helped organize Starr Lodge No. 118, A. F. & A. M.
Architecture
The Connally Home
This residence was built in 1906 for prominent Tyler businessman Walter Connally. Connally's business interests included banking, ownership of a gin equipment firm, and part ownership in a hardware company. After his death in 1918, Connally's widow Gretta continued to live in the home with her son and daughter-in-law.
History
The Kay House
South Carolina planter Francis Lemuel Kay (1814-1867) settled in Smith County in 1856. Between 1856 and 1860, Kay bought 640 acres of land and built this two-story home for his wife Mary Ellen (Black) (1826-1896) and their eleven children. By 1860 Kay owned and operated 1300 acres of farm and ranchland.
Elsewhere in Texas
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