Historical Markers in Stephens County
Texas·16 places
History
B. T. Brown House
One of the oldest structures in Breckenridge, this ranch house was erected by Benjamin Tarver Brown (1831-1905), a Confederate Army Captain who came to Stephens County in 1866. He built this house in 1876, the year Breckenridge was founded as county seat. Limestone blocks were cut nearby for the 18-inch thick walls, and other building materials were hauled by wagon from Fort Worth.
Architecture
Breckenridge Stephens Walker Home
Banker and oilman Breckenridge Stephens Walker (1876-1929) had this three-story brick residence constructed in 1922 as a wedding present for his daughter, Pansy. Prominently sited at the top of a hill, the home featured the town's first central heating system and a bank vault in the basement.
History
Caddo
The 1860 census reported fewer than 200 residents in Stephens County. That year, Joe Schoolcraft settled on Caddo Creek, 15 miles south of a Caddo Indian village. He built his home on the north bank of Caddo Creek at Elm Creek. The town grew during the next decade, and in 1876, local ranchers began recording their brands at the courthouse. Early settlers included Jere Hart, C.J. Johnson, A.W.
Military
Camp Breckenridge, C.S.A.
Established near this site 1862. Part Confederate frontier defense line from Red River to Rio Grande. Occupied by company of Texas Frontier Regiment. Posts were day's horseback ride apart and area patrolled regularly. Duties included curbing Indian raids, rounding up draft evaders and renegades. Confederates were poorly fed, clothed and lacked horses, ammunition.
History
Dr. Peter Gunsolus
(March 18, 1801-May 23, 1886) A native of Chicago, Dr. Peter Gunsolus came to this area in the 1850s. He lived and practiced medicine in Shackelford, Parker, and Stephens Counties. Gunsolus eventually settled here on Duck Creek, which was later renamed in his honor, and was a valued member of the community.
History
Gunsight Community
Records indicate that Gunsight existed on a wagon road from Fort Griffin to Stephenville in 1858. Settlement of the town, however, did not occur until the 1870s. The first recorded burial here was that of Lewis McCleskey is 1877. Gunsight developed as a stage stop and by 1880 contained a post office, school, two churches, gristmill, general store, and a cotton gin.
History
Mount Zion Cemetery
In 1879 this land was owned by Ezekel J. and Louisa J. McCleskey. According to McCleskey Family tradition M.M. McCluskey, a relative of Ezekel and Louisa from Georgia, died while visiting in 1879 and was the first person buried here. Eventually her grave site, near a church/school building, became a community cemetery named Veale for a local pioneer family.
Architecture
Old First National Bank Building
The First National Bank of Breckenridge was organized in 1904, when Stephens County was primarily a farming and ranching area. The financial institution moved its headquarters to this building following its completion in 1920, during the height of the area oil boom.
History
Parks Camp
Founded in 1918 and named for rancher J.W. Parks, on whose land it was located, Parks Camp was a company town built for employees of the Texas Company (Texaco). The discovery of oil on Parks' land caused an economic boom in the area, and the Parks Camp at its height was home to about 15,000 people.
History
Picketville
(0.5 mi. E) One of Stephens County's first white settlements, Picketville was founded before the Civil War (1861-65) on Gunsolus Creek. Without military defense during the war, families "forted up" here for protection against hostile Indian attacks. The name probably came from picket construction in which tree limbs were placed on end and chinked with mud.
History
Samuel P. Newcomb
Born in Connecticut in 1839, Samuel P. Newcomb made his way alone to Texas at age 17, arriving in 1857. A schoolteacher, he settled at Fort Davis on the Clear Fork of the Brazos River in Buchanan county. Newcomb held several public offices. In 1860 he was elected county clerk of Buchanan county (renamed Stephens county in 1861.
History
South Prairie Cemetery
Founded in 1880, this cemetery was the community burial ground for South Prairie, a settlement which once included homes, a post office, blacksmith shop, mercantile, and school. The community gradually declined in favor of the nearby towns of Ivan and Eliasville. The oldest burial in the cemetery is that of six-month-old Birddie G. Norton.
Architecture
Stephens County Courthouse
This ornate doorway was main entrance of the three-story red sandstone courthouse built here in 1883. Carved into these columns are the names of architect J.E. Flanders, County Judge E.L. Walker, and three of four commissioners. The fourth was omitted because he objected to the cost of the construction. A large cistern at the rear of the building provided water for the town.
Architecture
Stephens County Courthouse
Stephens County's first courthouse, erected in 1872, was a small pine building with desks for county officials lining the walls. In 1883, a new three-story red stone courthouse with a tower replaced the original structure. Discovery of oil in Breckenridge in the 1920s resulted in a dramatic increase in population that led to the need for a larger courthouse and jail.
History
Veales Creek Cemetery
The naming of this creek can be attributed to the Veal/Veale brothers from Palo Pinto county, who came to this area in the late 1850s to join in the roundup of unclaimed texas cattle. Though the Veale brothers were active in this area, they eventually settled south of Caddo.
History
Walter Prescott Webb's Formative Years
Noted historian Walter Prescott Webb (1888-1963) came with his family to Stephens County at the age of four. Over the next seventeen years, Webb received an education in frontier life that formed the basis of his intellectual development and his theories on the role of the Great Plains in American history. Webb's father, Casner, was a rural schoolteacher and farmer.
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