History
A. L. Spradlin Log Cabin
Adolphus Lane Spradlin (1863-1946) came to Texas from Indiana in 1875 with his parents. He settled at Hiram in Kaufman County and married Lee Ann Henson (1864-1939), of Cherokee ancestry. In 1898 he bought land in the Van Zandt County community of Small (5 mi. N of Edgewood) and built this dogtrot cabin of hand-hewn logs. In 1909 Spradlin sold the house and land to W. C.
History
Adren Anglin
(Feb. 14, 1796 - Jan. 10, 1865) Came to Texas from Kentucky in 1833. Helped build Fort Parker, Limestone County. He became a Texas Ranger, 1835. Furnished food and supplies to Texas Revolutionary army and received a headright in Henderson County. Married Phebe Parker. Recorded, 1968
History
Battle of the Neches
(Site 15 miles southeast) Main engagement of Cherokee War; fought July 15 and 16, 1839, between 800 Indians (Including; Delawares and Shawnees) and 500 troops of the Republic of Texas. An extraordinary fact is that David G. Burnet vice president of the Republic; Albert Sidney Johnston, secretary of war; and two other high officials took active parts in the fighting.
History
Ben Wheeler Community
Just as Native Americans were attracted to this area because of the climate and resources, early settlers also utilized these resources. The area was originally named Clough after George W. Clough (1820-1884) who, in 1868, purchased the 640-acre Harvey Randolf Survey. The northwest corner of his land became the majority of the old downtown of Ben Wheeler.
History
Benjamin Franklin Wheeler
Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, namesake for the Ben Wheeler Community, contributed to the development of communications across the region in his mail-carrying career and influenced land ownership in the area. He was born in 1818, in Adair County, Kentucky. He went on to spend many years as a boatman along the Mississippi River and its tributaries, finally marrying his wife, Eliza, in New Orleans.
History
Bennett Joseph Carter Home
In 1911, B.J. Carter (1875-1934) moved to Edgewood with his wife, Sallie Abigail (Smyre) (1880-1966), and their three daughters. B.J. Carter was a schoolteacher before becoming a certified pharmacist. After arriving in Edgewood, the couple jointly opened and operated a drugstore at 103 N. Houston St.
Architecture
Blackwell House
Known as the oldest house in Canton, this residence was built for Henry F. Blackwell, II, and his wife Nannie Jane Blackwell. An early merchant in Canton, Blackwell also served as county sheriff. Records state the house was built in 1886, and was home to the Blackwells and their eight children. Many alterations and changes were made to the house through the years, and several rooms were added.
History
Brady P. Gentry
Park dedicated to memory of Texas State Highway Commission Chairman Brady P Gentry (March 25, 1895-Nov 9, 1966) A man whose public service was of highest order. Born on a farm near this site in Van Zandt County. Educated at Cumberland University (Tennessee) and Tyler Commercial College, was county attorney and county judge of Smith County.
History
Cadwell Walton Raines
(September 18, 1839 - August 2, 1906) Born in Georgia, Raines came to Texas in 1858. After serving in Gen. R. M. Gano's Texas Cavalry Regiment in the Civil War, he was a teacher in New Braunfels and a lawyer in Canton. Van Zandt County Judge from 1876 to 1878, he played a major role in the infamous County Seat War of 1877. He published newspapers at Wills Point, Mineola, and Quitman.
History
Canton: The Misplaced County Seat
The Texas Legislature created Van Zandt County in 1848. It originally included nearly 2,000 square miles of territory. Jordan's Saline, now Grand Saline, was near the county's geographic location and became the first seat of government. Two years later, with the creation of Wood County from part of Van Zandt, officials had to select a new county seat based on the changed boundaries.
History
Carter Cemetery
Martha and John Pate Carter brought their family to Van Zandt County about 1851 and were among the first settlers in this area. Although local oral tradition holds that the first person buried in the cemetery was a nine-year-old son of the Carters, the oldest documented grave is that of H. H. Meeks (d. 1859).
History
Cherokee Chief Bowles
On this site the Cherokee Chief Bowles was killed on July 16, 1839 while leading 800 Indians of various tribes in battle against 500 Texans * * The last engagement between Cherokees and whites in Texas. Erected by the State of Texas 1936
History
Colfax Cemetery
In 1883, A. L. Kellam donated five acres of land that helped establish this cemetery. The first burial, which took place in 1884, was that of Elisha Tunnell, founder of Tunnell's Chapel, the rural community which later became known as Colfax.
History
Coltharp-Beall House
Built 1849 by James Coltharp. Used as stop for stagecoaches. Site of area's first sermon, and Hamburg post office. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1964
History
County Seat War
Due to a surveyor's error, the county seat of Van Zandt County was located on private property in 1850. An election was called 27 years later because of discontent with the site. On May 28, 1877, County Judge Cadwell Walton Raines ordered court records moved to Wills Point from Canton. Many citizens objected, and about 200 armed men from around Canton marched on Wills Point. Governor R. B.
History
Cox Cemetery
Robert K. Gibbs and his family settled in this area in the early 1850s. A gravestone for an infant daughter of R. K. and Sarah Gibbs reveals the earliest documented burial in this cemetery to be November 1853. Robert Daniel Cox (1842--1898) acquired the land in 1880. He offered the small Gibbs family graveyard for use as a community cemetery. It became known as Cox Graveyard or Cox Cemetery.
History
Creagleville
The rural community of Creagleville traces its beginnings to the 1840s. It was named for German native Henry Creagle (1826-1872), who settled in Van Zandt County about 1847. The community was located on the Dallas-Shreveport Road, a major east-west thorough-fare across the north portion of the county.
History
Dallas-Shreveport Road
A trail established by Caddoan Native Americans and later used by French traders who traversed this area is known today as the Dallas-Shreveport Road. The trail emerged in the mid-1830s as a main route into North Texas for emigrants and cargo from the river port of Shreveport, Louisiana. Van Zandt County's first courthouse was built along the route at Jordan's Saline in 1848.
History
Edgewood Cemetery
District Judge-Elect John C. Robertson (1824-1895) and his partner, W. S. Herndon (1837-1903), gave land in 1878 for a railroad depot. This started Edgewood community. Citizens of Canton moved their shipping here from Wills Point due to the Van Zandt County Seat dispute. The earliest gravestone in this community cemetery is that of Bruce Echols (1888-1889).
History
Elbert Gray
On Feb. 5, 1912, 16-year-old Elbert Gray committed a most heroic act. Two-year-old Calvin Stepp had fallen into a water well sixty feet deep and barely one foot across. Lowered by rope, Elbert descended feet first to carry Calvin to safety, but near the top Calvin slipped and fell again.
History
Fin & Feather Hunting and Fishing Club
On May 6, 1901, 21 Wills Point men met in the law office of W.B. Wynne to organize the Fin & Feather Hunting and Fishing Club to be located at Thorn Lake. The Texas & Pacific Railroad Company built Thorn Lake to provide water for their steam engines. In June, Mr. and Mrs. H.F. Goodnight deeded six acres surrounding the lake; the new park was named after the couple.
History
First Monday Trades Day
On the first Monday of each month in the early 1850s, Judges Oran M. Roberts and Bennett H. Martin held court in Canton, an event attended by townspeople and country folk alike. With large numbers of people present, court day also became the occasion for the common practice of auctioning stray horses. Within a short time horse trading and selling were prevalent and the day called "Hoss Monday.
History
First National Bank of Wills Point
Shortly after the arrival of the railroad caused an economic boom in the Wills Point area, a private bank was founded by John E. Owens in 1879. It was granted a Federal bank charter in 1895. Following a state and federal bank holiday in 1933, the First National Bank and the First State Bank declared a merger.
History
Grand Saline C.S.A.
The large saline deposit was a major source of salt in Texas during the Civil War. Salt was first obtained by the Indians. In 1854, works were built. Sam Richardson, the owner in 1861, went to war and left his wife to run the works until the Confederate government took over production.
History
High Cemetery
The first burial in this public cemetery, that of Nancy Jane Hubbard, took place in 1859, six years after the High community was first established. More than 100 graves date from the 19th century. Many members of the High family, including Samuel A. High (1809-1894), first permanent landowner in the area and original donor of land for the cemetery, are buried here.
Elsewhere in Texas
Hear it from the road
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