Military
Military Road (Ft. Belknap-Ft. Phantom Hill)
Past this point extended a military road surveyed in 1849 by Colonel J. E. Johnson who was detailed by the U.S. War Department to locate the most feasible route from Red River to El Paso. From 1851 to 1854 it connected two frontier forts, Belknap and Phantom Hill, 73 miles apart. Traveled 1858 to 1861 by stages of the Butterfield line which connected St. Louis and San Francisco.
Military
Military Road (Ft. Belknap-San Antonio)
Past this point extended a Military Road connecting Fort Belknap and San Antonio. Blazed in 1851 by Lieutenant Francis T. Bryan of the U.S. Army. Traveled by troops, supply trains and frontier settlers.
History
Morrison Funeral Home
Mississippi native John Edward Morrison (1848-1926) and his family moved to Texas in 1874, settling first in Tarrant County. They arrived in Young County in 1876, and Morrison purchased several tracts of land. By January 1877 he had opened a blacksmith shop on the Town Square, and in 1884 he formed a partnership with Spencer Boyd Street.
History
Old Fort Belknap Powder Magazine
Best preserved of the original structures at Fort Belknap. The Fort, named for its builder, Brig. Gen. W. G. Belknap (1794-1851), was one of the frontier posts placed by the Federal government along a line from the Red River to the Rio Grande to guard settlers from Indians, soon after Texas joined the Union. This was one of 9 stone and 7 picket houses on the site by 1853.
History
Proffitt Cemetery
Members of the Robert Smith Proffitt family came to this area about 1862 and established homes. A son, John Proffitt (1846-1925), amassed large land-holdings and built a gin and other businesses. The developing community was named Proffitt. At its height it boasted homes, a post office, school, retail businesses, a Methodist church, and Baptist church.
Architecture
Ryus Store Building
Druggist Joseph E. Ryus (1848-1909) built this structure of locally made bricks in 1879 after his frame store on this lot burned. The large room above Ryus's drugstore served as Judge Andrew P. McCormick's first courtroom in 1879 when Graham was named site of a federal district court, which later moved to Abilene. Since purchasing the building in 1892, Knights of Pythias Corinthian Lodge No.
Military
Site of Camp Van Camp
Established April 30, 1859 by the United States Army. Named in honor of Cornelius Van Camp, 2nd Lieutenant, Second U.S. Cavalry, killed in action at the Wichita Village, October 1, 1858. Abandonded August 28, 1859.
History
Site of Donnell Mill
After heartbreaking failures, James D. Donnell; his wife, Julia; and sons, Will and Tom, finished the dam and mill here in 1876. The mill withstood floods and began turning out meal and flour for a vast region. It operated almost half a century. The Donnells had migrated from Missouri to Texas, and Young County. Their mill yard was the community gathering place.
History
Site of Third County Courthouse
Young County was organized in 1856 with Belknap designated as county seat. After retreat of frontier troops during Civil War, county records were moved to Jacksboro 1865 during renewed Indian trouble. County was reorganized 1874 with Graham, county seat. Courthouse (of which only archway remains) was built 1884.
History
St. Luke Lutheran Church of Olney
In 1883 when this area was still a roundup point on the cattle range, German families of the Lutheran faith began settling in the Salt Creek Valley. The following year William Bernhardt received a bible, prayer book, and a devotional book or "Hauspostille" from a visiting cousin. The families began using the books to conduct religious services in their rock and log cabins.
Nature
Standpipe Mountain
Rising 1160 feet above sea level as part of the Belknap Range, Standpipe Mountain is the western peak of the twin mountains, which dominate the surrounding landscape. It was included in the land purchased in 1872 by E. S. and G. A. Graham, for whom the town was named. The brothers moved to this area from Kentucky to begin development of land and mineral resources in the area.
History
The Young County Jail
(1878-1921) This jail was built with two stories in 1878. The jailer lived downstairs, and above were two cells--one with a steel cage for maximum security. There were many dramatic jailbreaks, with lives lost on both sides of the law. In 1881, killer Jack Post, the only man legally hanged in this county, rode from the jail astride his coffin.
History
Townsite of Old Farmer
Named for a missionary, Rev. William H. Farmer, who camped here 1877. Later he had a general store; first postmaster, 1878. Town once had a school, 2 churches, a newspaper, 3 doctors, 17 businesses, a Justice of the Peace Court. The old Farmer ranch house still stands.
History
Two Miles Southwest to Fort Belknap
Two miles southwest to Fort Belknap. Established in 1850 - The largest military post in Northern Texas - Until the Civil War the first county seat of Young County - A station on the Southern Overland Mail Line connecting St. Louis and San Francisco 1858-1861
History
Tyra Graveyard-Murray Community Cemetery
Pioneer residents of this area called their community Fish Creek until 1880, when a U.S. Post Office was established and named for the local postmaster, J.J. Murray. This cemetery dates to May 6, 1884, when the infant child of Russell and Rosa Bell Hart Tyra died and was buried on land set aside by grandparents Jesse V. and Martha Jane Higgins Tyra.
Elsewhere in Texas
Hear it from the road
Whistlestop tells you this story automatically when you drive past. No searching, no tapping, nothing to ask.
