History
Sam Woody's Cabin
Tennessee pioneer Sam Woody (1826-1920) migrated to Texas in the 1840s. He brought his family to Wise County in 1854. This cabin, located near Deep Creek, was the first dwelling in the area. After Woody cut the logs, friends and relatives helped him erect the cabin in one day. Indians came here to trade buffalo robes and moccasins for corn.
History
Samuel G. Evetts
A native of Tennessee, Samuel G. Evetts came to Texas in the 1830s. In December 1835 he was wounded at the Siege of Bexar. He later lived in Austin and Coryell counties and received land grants in those counties as well as in the counties of Washington, Williamson, and Wise. In 1870 he was granted a pension from the State of Texas for his Republic of Texas military service.
History
Sand Hill Community
A center of pioneer culture in North Texas, drawing crowds to meet here at good spring of water issuing from beneath hill that gave community its name. First church (Methodist) in territory to become Wise County was organized in home of Jim Brooks in 1854. Organizers, led by the Reverend W. H. H.
History
Siddons-Barnes Log Cabin
This log cabin, believed to have been built in the early 1870s, was the first place of worship for area Methodists and served as a schoolhouse. Dr. J. A. Siddons and his wife M. E. Siddons purchased the cabin in 1883 and enclosed it with other rooms. In 1918 J. D. Barnes and Rachel Perkins Barnes bought the property. The rooms surrounding the original log cabin were removed in the 1970s.
History
Site of Draco
Settled in the early 1880s, the rural community of Draco was originally called Tylewater. The name was changed when a U.S. Post Office was granted in 1883, with W. J. Mann as first postmaster. The community soon boasted two churches, a school, general store, blacksmith shop, public well, gin, and horse racing track. After the post office was discontinued in 1889, the community began to decline.
History
Site of First Post Office in Wise County, Odessa
Established Sept. 8, 1855. First white settler in Wise County, Benjamin B. Haney, was the first postmaster. Second was Martha E. Marshall, appointed Dec. 5, 1856; third, Nathan Huff, served from March 16, 1860, until office was discontinued on Dec. 5, 1866. David C. Haynes and William Quagle, contractors, brought mail every Saturday by stagecoach from Birdville (25 mi.
History
Site of Wise County Poor Farm & Cemetery
Operated 1885-1962 to support and employ dependent or needy citizens and as place for county convicts to work out fines. First superintendent of the 320-acre farm, R. Suffert, managed all land and activities and his wife cooked, washed, and sewed for both inmates and guards.
History
Texas Ranger Captain Ira Long
(May 5, 1842 - March 8, 1913) Dedicated and courageous. Born in Indiana; reared in Missouri. Wounded twice in Confederate service during the Civil War. On reorganization of Texas Rangers, 1874, was commissioned first lieutenant; promoted 1875 to captain, Company A, official escort of Major John B. Jones, commander of Ranger force.
History
Texas Tourist Camp Complex
Local businessman E. F. Boydston (1888-1945) purchased this site, a former feed lot, in 1927 for $400. Recognizing a potential business opportunity in offering services to the traveling public, he built a wooden shed and gas station in 1927. Travelers were allowed to build campfires during overnight stays, and by 1931 Boydston added three wooden cabins with garages to the camp complex.
History
Thurmond-Fairview Cemetery
This community was called "Illinois Settlement" by the early families who immigrated here. Later, it became known as "Fairview". J. F. Thurmond (1853-1945) and his wife Amanda Elizabeth Merrifield arrived in 1880 from Dallas County, Texas. In 1883, when an infant daughter died, Thurmond asked his brother Fred and neighbors to select a tract for a burial ground.
History
Toll Bridge & Old Bridgeport
When Butterfield Overland Mail traversed this area (1858-61) on St. Louis to San Francisco route, a crossing over West Fork of the Trinity was a necessity. Colonel W. H. Hunt on February 11, 1860, obtained a charter and built a toll bridge here (50 yards west). The Overland Mail ceased operating as Civil War began. The bridge soon collapsed.
History
Trimble Cemetery
TRIMBLE CEMETERY TRIMBLE CEMETERY WAS THE MAIN BURIAL GROUND USED BY THE RESIDENTS OF THE TINY COMMUNITY OF FLATWOOD (ALSO KNOWN AS DAVIS CITY) THAT EXISTED DURING THE LATE NINETEENTH CENTURY. THE CEMETERY IS NAMED FOR AN EARLY OWNER OF THE PROPERTY, JAMES W. TRIMBLE, WHO PURCHASED LAND INCLUDING THE CEMETERY SITE IN 1877. IN 1921, B.F. WALKER AND W.S.
History
Waggoner Cemetery
Georgia native the Reverend Henry Fullingim, his wife Martha, and their 17 children came to northeast Texas in 1849. Henry Fullingim served the area as a circuit-riding Methodist minister. Their son, Archibald, and their son-in-law, John Hale, came to Wise County in 1853 and were among the area's first settlers. Hale became the first Wise County sheriff in 1856. This cemetery is named for John T.
History
Willow Point Cemetery
The Willow Point Cemetery had its origins in 1882 when Anna M. English died on October 23 and was buried on land owned by Samuel G. Evitts. The next year, on July 13, Evitts died and was buried in the same area. The land changed hands several times before ownership passed to D. H. and M. M. Bishop, who deeded the property to Woodman of the World Camp #1763 in 1905.
History
Wise County Messenger
Started by William Forster in 1880, the "Messenger" was published in Paradise (10 miles southwest) and Alvord (11 miles northwest) before a permanent move to Decatur in 1885. Early editions included poems, love stories, and lists of strayed animals and mail at the dead letter office. N. W. and H. A. Halcomb became the owners in 1894. Two of their staff members, Marvin Smith and R. E.
History
Wise County Reunion
The Confederate veterans of Wise County are said to have held occasional reunions in the 1860s-1870s. Old settlers invited both the Confederate veterans and Wise County pioneers to an 1881 reunion at Cold Springs. This was on July 12, the anniversary of Captain George Stevens' victory over hostile Indians in 1874. About 5,000 people attended the 1881 reunion.
History
Wise County, C.S.A.
County named for Henry A. Wise, U.S. Senator from Virginia who supported Texas annexation, later Governor and C.S.A. general. Wise County was part of District One of 33 brigade districts of Texas established to recruit men for Confederate and state service in 1861. The headquarters at Decatur became a military post with an arsenal of supplies set up in the Old Howell and Allen Store.
Elsewhere in Texas
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