Historical Marker

Matagorda County HISTORICAL MARKERS

2023

More than 120 historical Markers in county

Matagorda County’s rich history is marked by more than 120 historical markers and 12 places designated on the National Register of Historic Places.

Historical markers are a way of remembering the history and architecture of houses, commercial and public buildings, religious congregations and events that changed the course of local and state history.

Markers also commemorate individuals who have made lasting contributions to the state of Texas. Official Texas Historical Markers are markers and plaques awarded, approved or administered by the Texas Historical Commission.

From the minutes of the city council of Matagorda, entered March 3, 1863:

Matagorda City has been much celebrated for the salubrity of its climate and the uninterrupted good health of its inhabitants (with few exceptions) ever since its first settlement in 1827. But in the autumn of 1862, the yellow fever appeared among us and before its departure desolated many homes and brought sadness to the hearts of all. As the prevalence of this scourge is a sorrowful epoch in our history we have caused the mournful results to be recorded herein for the information of future generations.

“About 150 white inhabitants of both sexes and all ages were in the city during the continuance of the disease. Of these 83 were attacked, 45 died and 43 recovered.”

One of the most important port cities of Texas’ early history, Matagorda served as an entry point for goods such as cotton passing through to the Colorado River.

During the civil war, it was also an important point for confederate blockade runners to move goods and bypass union ships.

It was also at this time that yellow fever made its way into the city. Much like the tropical storms, cases of yellow fever swept through Texas coastal communities periodically, doing particular damage to cities like Galveston as part of a larger scale epidemic that haunted the coast for decades.

The worst epidemic period for Matagorda was in the fall of 1862.

During the civil war, the continual move-

ment of contraband through Matagorda’s port likely introduced the Aedes Aegypti mosquito species to the populace. This species, still a danger today, thrived in the wetlands of Matagorda County. It carried the deadly yellow fever, causing extreme symptoms such as jaundice and kidney failure.

By the time it had subsided, many dead had been buried in the Matagorda Cemetery. Matagorda continues to be an important location for bio-archaeological research into viral outbreaks. (2015)

The Matagorda Incident

The Matagorda Incident may not be as well-known as larger events of the Civil War, but it is just as memorable to the families and friends of the young men who gave their lives for the cause in which they believed. The horrors of war were brought to the front doors of the residents of Matagorda, Texas, when twenty-two men perished in the midst of an expedition against Federal troops. They perished not as the result of hostilities but as the result of severe weather.

Approximately 90 men from the Matagorda County area joined Company D, 6th Texas Infantry and fought in Arkansas, Virginia and Georgia. The younger and older men were left as the home guard in Matagorda. The defense of the town would have been impossible without Captain Rugeley’s company being stationed there.

Late in 1863, during the civil war, union forces stormed much of the Texas coast in an effort to block the flow of goods and supplies going through coastal ports.

In December of that year, union soldiers were reported to have landed on Matagorda Peninsula supported by union gunboats. The present confederate naval officer, capt. James R. Marmion, led gunboats to face the union ships across the peninsula.

On the morning of Dec. 30, 1863, confederate cavalry and the union landing party opened fire.

That night a combined total of 57 men took two boats to the shore of the peninsula as well as a third boat to carry officers.

An extremely cold norther forced Capt. Rugeley to call the transports to return to the gunboat. Despite the short distance to retreat, the boats were swamped in the storm and 22

men died.

Most Matagorda families were impacted by the deaths. Eventually the union troops retreated, leaving the confederate forces in control of the peninsula. (2015)

Confederate Marker

A re-dedication ceremony was held for the Confederate Marker in Matagorda Cemetery on May 7, 2016.

Not for fame or fortune;

Not for place or rank;

Not lured by ambition;

But in simple obedience to duty These men suffered all, sacrificed all Dared all - and died.

Sargent-Rugeley-Herreth House

The historic Sargent-Rugeley-Herreth House, was officially recognized as a Recorded Texas on October 23 2019 in Bay City.

By the turn of the 20th century, Bay City was a flourishing community with houses and buildings constructed all over the city. John Thomas Sargent (1834-1911). A prominent cattleman, purchased a home in Matagorda for his family after a devastating storm destroyed his home and took the lives of his wife and father. In 1891, Sargent married Jane Ann Bates (1858 – 1945).

In 1905, Jane purchased several lots in the Hamilton Heights subdivision, one of the highest points in Bay City. Sargent assisted in the design of the home planned for his daughter, Catherine Minna Sargent Rugeley (1884 – 1967), and her husband, James Walcott Rugeley (1874 – 1935). The home was often referred to as “Miss Kate Rugeley’s home,” although John and Jane also lived in the house for a time.

The Sargent - Rugeley families owned the home from 1905 to 1969. Two years after Catherine’s death, the home was sold to the current owners, Albert Casper Herreth, Jr. and his wife, Georgia Irene Rice Herreth on May 5, 1969.

The Sargent – Rugeley – Herreth home retains the integrity of its original design materials and is a perfect example of the Prairie, Greek revival style of design in our city. The house is situated near the designated Southside Historic District of Bay City.

W. C. Williams Building

The historic W. C. Williams Building, built in 1909, was officially recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) during a ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 30 at 456 Commerce Street in Palacios.

The building was built by W. C. “Billy” Williams, a childhood friend of well-known western author, Charles Angelo Siringo (18551928). Siringo mentions several references to W. C. Williams, whose nickname was Billy, his wife, Martha Alice Franz Williams (1860 – 1952), and his father, John Aaron Williams (1816 – 1865), in his book, A Texas Cowboy or Fifteen Years on the Hurricane Deck of a Spanish Pony (1886).

Countless thousands of Palacios citizens as well as visitors have walked and shopped within the structure. Hundreds of students studied and learned an occupation on her second floor in the 1980s and 1990s. The venerable structure has served the community well and will continue to do so well beyond the tenure of its current owners.

W. C. Williams’ foresight to construct what became the W. C. Williams Building and the contribution the structure has made to Palacios business and history, will live on for years to come.

The building is of Romanesque design, an architectural choice popular in the late 19th and early 20th century. The building is 30 ft. x 70 ft., allowing for 4,200 sq. ft. of space in the structure. In all, the building has 3 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, 2 half baths as well as office and storage areas.

Hotel Blessing

From 1979 to 2016, hotel Blessing stood alone as the only Matagorda County historical site with a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

It was built in 1906 for landseekers, as well as a family home for this area’s prominent developers, Jonathan E. Pierce and son, Abel B. Pierce.

An architect from Victoria drew up the plans. The design was inspired by Spanish mission churches and was translated into “Anglo” wood-siding construction.

Both the town of Blessing and the hotel

Historical Markers • The Bay City Tribune

were named out of gratitude for an era of railroads and Gulf Coast Development.

In 1977, the hotel was given to the Blessing Historical Foundation, and restoration was begun in 1978.

In 1979, Hotel Blessing was entered into the National Register of Historic Places.

Masonic Lodge # 411

The Blessing Masonic Lodge was built in 1875.

Originally named the Tres Palacios Masonic Lodge and located in Deming’s Bridge near Pierce Ranch, it was moved to its present site in Blessing in 1907.

Jonathan Pierce established the Tres Palacios Masonic Lodge in 1874. Its name was later changed to Blessing Masonic Lodge.

The Grand Lodge of Texas granted a charter under dispensation on Jan. 29, then a full charter and the number 411 on June 8, 1874.

Soon after the Lodge was chartered, the Masons built a new two-story lodge building on the grounds of the church and cemetery, near Pierce’s land.

Luther Hotel (Old Hotel Palacios)

The hotel was built in 1903 on East Bay Front and moved in 1905 to its present site facing South Bay.

It housed a famous dining room and a permanent orchestra.

Ownership of the hotel changed many times between 1911 and 1936. During this time it fell into disrepair and became an eyesore to the community and the bay front.

When Charles and Elsie Luther purchased the hotel in 1936, it was in need of much work and renovation before it could once again be the “Jewel on the Tres Palacios Bay.”

On the Luther’s 20th wedding anniversary, April 20, 1941, the hotel, renamed “The Luther,” was reopened.

The hotel received a Texas Historical Marker in 1965, was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 and was a recipient of the Texas Treasures Business Award in 2013.

Price-Farwell House

In 1901, the Palacios city townsite compa-

ny began selling lots for the “New City by the Sea” laid out along Tres Palacios Bay.

Three years later, the New York, Texas and Mexican Railway built a rail line into town. Within 10 years Palacios was the site of the Texas Baptist Encampment and promoted widely as a health resort town.

Lumberman John T. Price (1875-1921) and his wife Opal Dean (Cates) (1883-1980) moved from Tennessee to Palacios in 1906.

They built this residence on the corner of Fifth and Duson Streets overlooking Tres Palacios Bay.

They lived in the home until 1920, when Howard Bradford Farwell and his wife Mary Estelle purchased it and moved it three blocks to this site.

The bungalow became a prominent house form in this region in the early part of the 20th century.

Design elements include a pyramidal roof, front-facing central dormer, classical columns, symmetrical facade, three-bay porch and multipane window patterning.

R. J. Hill Building

Robert J. (1864-1930) and Kate Elizabeth (Breggan) Hill came to Palacios in 1904, soon after its founding. Contractor J. G. Bontrager built this concrete block commercial building at the corner of Commerce and Fourth Street for them in 1910.

It originally housed a mercantile store with living quarters on the upper floor. Later uses include medical offices, a depression-era canning kitchen, American Legion Hall, Montgomery Ward store and a museum.

Featuring elements of the Richardson Romanesque style, the R.J. Hill Building remains a prominent structure in downtown Palacios.

The Texas Historical marker for the R.J. Hill Building was dedicated Oct. 28, 2001.

Christ Episcopal Church

The church at 206 Cypress Street in Matagorda was the first Episcopal Church in Texas.

This parish, the oldest Episcopal Church in Texas, traces its history to 1838, the year the Rev. Caleb S. Ives was appointed missionary to the Republic of Texas.

The first service was held in the new building on Easter Sunday 1841. Ives and his wife, Katherine, established a school, The Matagorda Academy, which was in operation until 1849.

The building was consecrated Feb. 25, 1844. The Diocese of Texas was established Jan. 1, 1849.

After the first church was destroyed in a hurricane in 1854, this building was erected 400 yards west of the original site.

Some materials from the 1841 church were salvaged for use in the new structure, including the altar, communion rail, altar cross and pews.

Designated as a recorded Texas Historic Landmark, the structure received the official Texas Historical Building Medallion in 1962.

Bay City Post Office (Matagorda County Museum)

An election in the fall of 1894 resulted in the relocation of the Matagorda County Seat from the city of Matagorda to Bay Prairie (now Bay City). D.P. Moore, the postmaster at the nearby small town of Elliott, owned property in the new town and moved his dry goods store to Bay City in 1894.

His nephew, Joseph D. Moore, became Bay City’s first postmaster in 1912. D.P. Moore sold his property to the U.S. Government for a new post office building.

Contractor W.B. Lovell broke ground for the post office in 1917, and the building opened to the public on May 15, 1918.

This building continued to serve the Bay City community as a post office until 1989.

On Oct. 30, 1990, after several months of negotiations with the United States Postal Service, the Matagorda County Museum Association purchased the building to house The Matagorda County Museum. (1992)

Matagorda Cemetery

Matagorda Cemetery is one of the earliest cemeteries in Texas. It was founded soon after the town was settled, in about 1829, as part of Stephen F. Austin’s colony. Marked graves numbered 650 in 1969, but interments exceed 1,000.

Inscriptions on stones chronicle frontier

hardships. Those buried include: victims of 1862 yellow fever epidemic; soldiers of Texas Revolution, War of 1812, and the Civil War; also Karankawa Indian victims.

Several patriots of early Texas are buried here as well.

Among them is Samuel Rhoades Fisher, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. (1970)

A historic marker was dedicated in 1970 and a Matagorda cemetery Medallion was given in 2001.

Holman House

Spanish-American War veteran and Matagorda County Judge William Shields Holman was active in many civic organizations and was one of the county’s more prominent residents.

William married Louise H. Kaulbach in 1897. The family moved to Bay City in 1902.

In 1903, William acquired lots on Avenue K from Louise’s father H.B. Kaulbach. They moved into a small five-room house on the lot and lived there until 1908 when construction began on their new house.

Designed by A.W. Large and constructed by contractor H. Speckles, the house is an excellent example of Queen Anne styling. It features asymmetrical composition, an elaborate roofscape, corner tower, wraparound porch and varying textures on its wall surfaces.

southside residential historic district

The Bay City Southside Residential Historic District was Matagorda County’s fifth listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

The historic district is an approximately 14-block area in the south central portion on Bay City’s original town plat of 1894. The district encompasses the variety of architectural forms and building sizes popular in Texas and the United States between 1894, when the town was established, and 1957.

ashby Markers

Ashby-Wilson Creek Community

William Erastus Moore, a New Jersey native, settled in Indianola in the 1850s.

After serving with Terry’s Texas Rangers in the Civil War, he returned to settle on land northeast of Blessing and named the surround-

ing agricultural community in honor of Col. Henry M. Ashby, a Tennessee field Commander with whom he had served during the war.

Moore operated a ranch in the community, as well as a general Store that housed the Post Office where he served as postmaster from 1890 until 1902.

He also freighted supplies by boat at a time when the Colorado Raft (logjam) made area creeks, such as Wilson Creek, more navigable.

An active member of the community, Moore donated land for the Ashby Methodist Church and the Ashby Cemetery.

Concurrent to Ashby’s development, a group of freed slaves established the nearby Wilson Creek Community.

The Ashby-Wilson Creek Community Historical Marker Dedication was held May 10, 2003.

ashwood Markers

John Duncan

John Duncan, an outstanding settler of early Texas, was born in Pennsylvania in 1788. On October 9, 1835, he enlisted in the Matagorda and Bay Prairie Company of Volunteers participating in the capture of Goliad under Capt. George M. Collinsworth.

Again, in early 1836, he became a member of the first regiment of Texas, under Capt. Moseley Baker, that prevented Santa Anna from crossing the Brazos at the San Felipe for several days.

He married Julia Coan and they were the parents of five children. He died 1878. (1936 Centennial Marker)

Smith Plantation House

Charles Leroy Smith (1863-1918) was born in Mississippi and developed lumber, oil, and banking businesses in Louisiana. In 1910, he bought more than 6,000 acres here and built this house as a hub for his plantation and the community he named Ashwood. The structure was framed with pine and the exterior is clad with cypress, all cut at Smith’s Mill at Merryville, LA. The two-story, five-bay front with central hall and rear ell defines a very late example of a popular Texas configuration. (1986 RTHL) (Destroyed by fire)

bay city Markers Bandstand

The bandstand was built by subscribed funds in about 1907. It was the stage for Bay City’s patriotic and political rallies, entertainments and concerts by city band, which was made up of music lovers of all ages, talents.

The bandstand was once on the southeast, then the southwest corner of courthouse square. It was moved to Liberty Park in 1965. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1967. Designated as a Landmark Building in 1998.

Old Bay City Bank

The bank was established in 1898, four years after the founding of Bay City. It was a private bank owned by Henry Rugeley and Frank Hawkins.

This building, erected in 1903, was the site of many investment transactions important to Texas Gulf Coast Development. (1965 RTHL)

Bay City Library

Organized in 1912, the Bay City Public Library was first housed in the J.P. KellerInsurance Company Office. The non-profit Bay City Library Association, also formed in 1912, spearheaded community fund raising efforts to operate the library.

Land was purchased in 1913, and a library building was completed in 1914.

The first Librarian was Miss Josephine McCullough. A new library building was constructed in 1958, and a Friends of the Library Organization was formed in 1977. The Bay City Library became part of the Texas State Library System in 1987. (1989)

Bay City Methodist Church

The origins of the congregation date to 1870, when circuit-riding ministers visited people living along the Colorado River at Red Bluff. Norman Savage (1826-1879), a church Elder, served the small congregation, and the first minister was Thomas W. Rodgers.

When the town of Bay City was surveyed in 1894, The Methodist Congregation relocated and bought one of the first town lots. By 1897, they had built Bay City’s first church structure, a frame building with a steeple and bell.

The building also served as a union church

for other dominations in the town.

The congregation purchased land at Fourth Street and Avenue H in 1904, and the original church building was later sold to the Bay City School System.

The church’s fifth building was erected in 1958 and dedicated on March 30 of that year.

A part of Bay City and Matagorda County history for over a century, the Bay City Methodist Church continues to serve the community. (1986)

Site Of Early Bay City School

In 1901 this land was a pastoral scene of trees and a strawberry field outside the city limits. That year the Bay City Independent School District purchased most of the block for $300. A two-story, eight-room frame school was erected here and classes were transferred from a two-room schoolhouse at Avenue D and Eighth Street, which had been used since 1895. One of the teachers, Miss Tenie Holmes (1874-1952), began her career in 1896 at a private school in Bay City. From 1898, she taught public classes at Avenue D, then moved to the first school on this site, which served from 1901 to 1905. She retired from Bay City schools in 1936, then conducted a private school until her death. An elementary school was named for her in 1952. Additional lots and a second block were acquired here in 1930, and Bay City High School was built on this site.

The one-story structure was designed

by architect Harry D. Payne, and exhibited Spanish colonial revival details in brick, cast stone, and tile roofing. The campus expanded in 1937 with the purchase of a third block. The 1930 building was converted to a junior high school in 1949, and in 1962 it became John H. Cherry Elementary School. The structure was demolished in 1986. (1986) Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986

Bay City U. S. O. Building – Service Center

Erected in 1941 on land loaned by the Pierce estates to serve both local citizens and World War II military personnel at Camp Hulen in nearby Palacios, this is one of 16 United Service Organization (U.S.O.) facilities built that year in Texas, Arizona and Oklahoma.

A coordinating council was formed that year to create a community center; Bay City citizens and businesses generously contributed to the U.S.O. project.

Of the five Gulf Coast U.S.O. buildings constructed early in the war, this is the only left standing. The building reflects the influences of the international style with banded windows, industrial sash, cantilevered overhangs and a flat roof of articulated massing. (1999 RTHL)

Bethel Baptist Church

Janet Hickl Office Manager

Faye Cunningham Cemetery Coordinator

(979) 245-0872

contact@cedarvalecemetery.org

Mailing: P.O. Box 91, Bay City, TX 77404-0091

Lacking church facilities in their “NorthEnd” African American neighborhood, Harris and Maria Anderson began to hold lay services in their home about 1904. They built a brush www.cedarvalecemetry.org

Office: 3600 Ave. F Suite B, Bay City, TX 77414

arbor and in 1905, organized the Bethel Baptist Church with the Rev. Joe Wren as its first pastor.

The church met in a building relocated to this site in 1910. It was eventually razed and replaced with a brick church building in 1954. The church has maintained a tradition of pride in its facilities and continues to serve to the community. (1993)

Cedarvale Cemetery

The Cedarvale Cemetery traces its history to 1896, when Rufus A. Mathis was killed in a hunting accident and buried on land owned by D.P. Moore.

At the time of his death, Mathis and other community leaders were in the process of establishing a cemetery for the community. Moore officially deeded four acres of land for a cemetery on March 14, 1896.

By 1906, the Cedarvale Cemetery Association was established to care for the cemetery and subsequent purchases were made to enlarge the burial grounds.

Many of Bay City’s early settlers are buried here. (1992)

Daily Tribune and Matagorda County Tribune

Publication of this newspaper, one of the oldest in the state still in operation, began about 1845 in the nearby town of Matagorda (22 miles).

The business was moved to Bay City in the 1890s, soon after the town was named the new county seat of Matagorda County.

Major events covered by the paper include several hurricanes and a yellow fever epidemic of the 1870s. A list of the paper’s publishers is inscribed on the reverse of the marker. The present owners, Bay City Newspapers, Inc., assumed ownership in 1958. (1981)

Dr. Henry Hofmann Loos

Henry Hofmann Loos (1887-1963) graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1908 with a B.A. in the summer of 1911. Dr. Loos interned at the government hospital in Colon, Panama Canal Zone. He graduated with an M.D. in 1912 and interned for three and onehalf years at Saint Agnes Hospital in Baltimore

under Dr. Joseph Bloodgood. In Bay City, Dr. Claude Jones decided to retire from surgery and wrote to Dr. Bloodgood requesting a replacement. Dr. Loos accepted the position and arrived in Bay City on December 5, 1915. He established a practice in Palacios but had to make a trip to Bay City when surgery was required. During World War I, Dr. Loos served in the medical corps in San Antonio after being discharged from service. Dr. Loos moved with his family to Bay City. He established his practice in an office over the Matagorda pharmacy and performed surgeries at Dr. Jones’ old hospital. He later performed surgeries at his office and moved his patients to his home.

In 1922, he moved the practice outside of town on two acres located on what is now Marguerite Street. The building was annexed several times and a separate wing was added for African-American patients. During the 1930s, Dr. Loos attempted to gain public support for a county hospital. State representative Paris Smith introduced a bill enabling

Eastview Cemetery

This cemetery traces its origin to 1907, when 1.8 acres of land were purchased from D. P. Moore. The first recorded burial was that of Henry Abram in 1912. It was known earlier as “The Burying Ground for Negroes,” “Cedarvale Eastside,” and “the old section.”

This cemetery is adjacent to the Anglo Graveyard Cedarvale Cemetery. Over five acres of land were added to this site in 1945 when purchased from E. E. Weller and his wife Ella May Weller.

Although the cemetery contains over 780 graves, it is believed that several unmarked graves exist, possibly in the old section. Buried here are veterans of World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

Closely associated with many of the area’s African American churches and community organizations, the Eastview Cemetery continues to serve the vicinity and Matagorda County. (1996)

First Baptist Church of Bay City

Members of Trespalacios Baptist Church, a Matagorda County congregation established in the early 1850s, organized a Baptist church in

the nearby community of Red Bluff in 1889.

In 1895, they moved the church to the new county seat of Bay City, changed the name to First Baptist Church of Bay City, and joined the Colorado Baptist Association. In its early years, the congregation met in a commercial building and The Methodist Church Building and participated in a union school with other local denominations.

The Rev. J.H. Thorn became the first fulltime pastor in 1903, the year the congregation erected its first sanctuary. The building, destroyed in a 1909 hurricane, was replaced with a tabernacle and later with a brick structure at this site in 1915.

The congregation completed an auditorium in 1941 and an education addition to its sanctuary in 1947.

Active in community outreach programs, the church opened a child development center in 1979 and an educational center in 1987. First Baptist Church continues to serve the community with a variety of ministries. (1994)

Elliott’s Ferry

During the early days of Anglo-American Colonization in Texas, The Matagorda Bay Prairie Area was an important route for people traveling between settlements. A convenient river crossing was a necessity, and a ferry was established on the Thomas Cayce League of Land near this site.

Known as Cayce’s Ferry, this site was garrisoned by a small army post. In January of 1839, George Elliott (1806-1862) purchased land on the west bank of the Colorado River and from that time, the ferry crossing was known as Elliott’s Ferry.

George Elliott was assisted in his endeavors by two nephews, William Elliott and John Elliott, who continued the ferry business after George Elliott’s death.

By 1863, a small settlement had grown up around Elliott’s Ferry. A small mercantile business and a post office known as Elliott’s Ferry, Texas, were in operation in 1872.

In 1883, the post office name was changed to Elliott, Texas, and a year later was moved to Bay City. In 1902, a bridge was built over the Colorado River two miles northwest of Bay City. Known as the “Old River,” its comple-

tion resulted in the demise of Elliott’s Ferry. (1986)

Ira Ingram First Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives

Born in Vermont, Ira Ingram came to Texas in 1824. He worked to establish the republic and represented Matagorda in the first congress of the Republic where he served as speaker from October 1836 to April 1837.

At his death in September 1837, he left $70,000 to schools in Matagorda. (1965)

First Christian Church of Bay City

In 1894, the Bay City Town Company established the town of Bay City on Bay Prairie between the Colorado River and Caney Creek. As families moved to the new townsite, religious institutions, businesses and schools were established to serve the growing population.

On April 4, 1904, trustees W.T. Goode, J.E. May and William Cash purchased several lots in town on which to construct the first permanent house of worship for the First Christian Church of Bay City.

The First Christian Church building served as sanctuary, church school, and social center for the new congregation until its destruction in a 1909 hurricane. Members of the church rebuilt their sanctuary and continued their traditions of worship and evangelism, including sponsoring an inter-denominational revival meeting in 1912. In 1939, they purchased and relocated a chapel and community center formerly owned by the Texas Gulf Sulphur Company in Old Gulf (16 mi. S) for their use. (2001)

First Presbyterian Church of Bay City

Within a year of becoming one of Bay City’s original settlers in 1894, Alexander D. Hensley organized an Interdenominational Sabbath School with the help of Gilford M. Magill. Early religious services were held in the county courthouse and in a community center.

In 1898, Hensley, Magill, and others drafted and signed a Presbyterian Church Covenant to formally organize this congregation. First Presbyterian was enrolled as a member of the Brazos Presbytery later that year.

The congregation built its first church

building nearby in 1903, with the Rev. George Wallace Story serving as pastor.

The frame sanctuary served the congregation until 1913, when a new brick sanctuary was constructed at this site. Church facilities have expanded over the years to meet the demands of a growing congregation. First Presbyterian continues to provide religious guidance for members of the community. (1994)

Hensley-Gusman Home

Alexander D. Hensley (1859-1947) purchased land at this site in January 1898. With his wife Maggie (1875-1960), he asked his brother, architect Henry Hensley, to design this house to catch breezes from any direction.

Built in 1905 by the Alamo Lumber Company, the house is a fine local example of a Victorian-era residence, with stylistic influences of the Queen Anne period. It features a distinctive octagonal plan, with porches providing additional spaces to complete the octagon.

Retail salesman James Robert Gusman (1862-1944), his wife Bettie Amanda Harrington (1864-1948) and their children moved to Bay City from Weimar in 1911.

They bought the house from the Hensleys in 1919, and it remained in their family for generations. (1993 RTHL)

Site of Hilliard High School

The Bay City African American Community established a school.

In the 1890s, and A.A. DeLeon served as its first teacher.

Three others, A.G. Hilliard, A.P. Allen and J.J. Grundy, began shortly after the school opened. By 1904, the school’s enrollment had outgrown the first building, so the community attained a larger one.

The new school, a two-story frame structure, was named after noted educator Booker T. Washington and was adopted by the Bay City School District in 1905. By 1926, there were 225 students and only four teachers.

Hilliard continued as teacher and later as principal at the school. Born in Georgia in 1863, he came to Texas in 1871 with his parents, Bunk and Mary, former slaves who strongly valued education.

Recognizing Hilliard’s contribution to the

school, the board of trustees renamed it Hilliard High School after he died. His son A.G. Hilliard II (d. 1983) then became principal.

Holy Cross Catholic Church

In May 1847, the Catholic Church established a new frontier diocese in Galveston. During the next several years, many Polish Catholic immigrants moved to Matagorda County, and priests from nearby towns visited their small community, known as St. Francisville.

In the latter part of the 19th century, Louisiana Thompson Bowie was instrumental in bringing the priests to deliver mass to area residents.

Monsignor Jacob B. Schnetzer became priest for the Bay City area in 1907, by which time the Bowies lived in the growing town. Schnetzer stayed in their home.

In March 1907, he bought lots at Avenue M and Fifth Street to build a sanctuary for the Bay City parish.

Designed by prominent Galveston architect Nicholas Clayton, the structure served the congregation for many years. (2007)

Linnie Roberts Elementary School

By 1894, Matagorda County had 20 African American schools with more than 700 students. The first school for African American children in bay city was a one-room frame building donated by the railroad company. In 1905, the community built a new school at avenue A and second street named in honor of noted African American educator booker t. Washington.

One of the long-time teachers at booker t. Washington, later known as Hilliard school, was Linnie (McHenry) Roberts (1893-1956). She was born in the Caney area of the county and attended Samuel Huston college in Austin and Prairie View AM college. Linnie Roberts taught elementary school classes for 32 years, earning respect from colleagues and students through her caring actions and community support. Linnie retired in 1955 and is buried next to her husband at Eastview cemetery in bay city.

The city’s population continued to grow and, by 1960, the school board made plans

to construct a new school. The architectural firm of Keifner, Koetter and Tharp designed the red brick one-story building and, in 1961, the name of the school was revealed as Linnie Roberts elementary. The 21-classroom facility with a cafeteria opened in September 1961. Over the years, the school was used for various grades with minimal changes to the exterior, retaining architectural integrity of the postwar institutional design. The school building remains as a reminder of the impact of Linnie Roberts and her significance in the community

Kilbride-Barkley House

Prominent ranchers, merchants, and civic leaders Edward John and Ann Elizabeth (Holt) Kilbride built this classical revival style House in 1910-11. The house is a good example of large-scale residential properties built in the early 20th Century.

Its elaborate rear porch design resulted from its proximity to the Bay. The Kilbrides’ daughter, Margaret Kilbride Barkley, inherited the house in 1939. The site of many social events, the house remained in the Barkley family until 1992. (1994 RTHL)

D. P. and Louise Moore House

Dolph Phenias (D. P.) Moore (1852-1928) moved to Matagorda County in 1869. He married Louise Wendel in 1879 and together they reared ten children.

A successful merchant, rancher and land-

owner, Moore sold the land on which the town of Bay City was platted in 1894. He moved his family to Bay City that year.

Local contractors Hatchett & large built this 15-room Queen Anne style house for the Moores in 1902. A prominent civic leader, Moore was instrumental in bringing railroads to Bay City and in the development of the area’s rice industry. He donated land for Cedarvale Cemetery and Park. (1995 RTHL)

M. S. and Cora Alice Perry House

An architectural Hybrid incorporating colonial revival and Queen Anne style elements, the M.S. (1872-1919) and Cora Alice (18831970) Perry House was erected in 1917 and 1918.

A prominent community leader, Perry was the principal owner of LeTulle Mercantile Co. Mr. and Mrs. Perry designed the home with their builder, George Schultz. Constructed of layered 1’ X 12” boards and concrete stucco, the home was intended to resist turbulent coastal weather. After many years as apartments, the home was restored in the 1970s. (1997 RTHL)

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church

This congregation traces its roots to Christ Church, Matagorda, from which parish many of its early members had come following the relocation of the Matagorda County seat to Bay City in 1894.

Formally organized in 1895 under the lead-

ership of The Rev. John U. Graf, St. Mark’s held early worship services in the two-story frame building that also served as a temporary courthouse.

The first church building was completed in 1901 during the ministry of the Rev. John L. Sloan. Over the years, the congregation has placed an emphasis on community service and outreach. (1986)

Philip H. Parker VFW Post No. 2438

Bay City VFW Post 2438 organized at a Nov. 24, 1940 VFW meeting in Texas City. In Bay City’s city hall auditorium, World War I veteran Col. Wyatt O. Selkirk presided as the first post commander of 18 charter members.

Post No. 2438 found its first home in 1948, on land owned by Herbert and Allie Parker at Bucks Bayou and Hamman roads.

The post changed its name to honor the Parkers’ son, Army Air Forces Capt. Philip Hackley Parker (1920-1945). Parker was killed in action by Japanese ground fire while piloting his P-51d Mustang over Hsiang Ch’eng, China on March 23, 1945.

A new post home was dedicated on North Hwy. 60 in 1980. That building and all contents were destroyed by fire in 2000, and a new building was dedicated in 2001.

Lukefahr School Community

In 1910, Casper Lukefahr came with family to this area from Nebraska. He donated property for a community school, which was named for him. The school was open until 1939, when the school district of which it was part consolidated with Van Vleck school district. A rural community developed around the building, which housed primary school students and functioned as a community center. Residents came to the schoolhouse for church and revival services and social activities. By 1939, the school districts across the county consolidated into five independent school districts, leading to the decline of this and other rural communities. (2008)

Mother Zion Missionary Baptist Church

The Rev. Basil Tolson, an African-American farmer in eastern Matagorda County, joined with his neighbors in 1887 to form a Baptist

congregation which they named Mount Zion Baptist Church. Tolson was elected pastor, and served the congregation until he moved to Bay City in 1905. In 1906, Tolson led a small group of people in organizing Mother Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Bay City. Charter members of the church included Isaac Wiggins, Manuel Mills, Simon White, Martin Hardin, Allen Frazier, John Tolson, Birdie Tolson, Harriet Peters, Nellie White, George Edward McNeel, and Amanda Tolson. The Rev. Basil Tolson served as first pastor of the congregation, and his brother, John Tolson, was elected superintendent of the Sunday School.

The congregation’s first sanctuary, built in 1907 by The Alamo Lumber Company,was destroyed in a 1909 hurricane. The members quickly rebuilt, however, and eventually erected larger structures to house church programs.

Throughout its history, the church has been active in community and foreign outreach programs, including aid to the poor and educational programs for youth. The church continues to play an integral role in the religious life of Bay City citizens. (1994)

Morton-Salyer Home

Designed by San Antonio architect Addis Noonan and built by local contractor O. E. Hatchett in 1927-1928, the Morton house is an unusual brick house with mission and Spanish influences. The structure’s distinctive features include a brick parapet, tile awnings, classical columns at the main entry door with sidelights, a flat roof and a second floor covered porch. This was the home of Dr. Albert S. Morton and his wife, Genevieve (Sharpless), a nurse. The family owned the house until 1982. In 1989 it was purchased by the Methodist Church, in which the Mortons were active. Morton House Historical Marker Dedication Program, May 7, 2000. The Morton House has since been demolished and the Historical Marker is now in the Matagorda County Museum.

bell bottoM Markers

St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church

In 1889, African American settlers under the leadership of the Rev. Anthony Martin, a freedman, organized St. Mark Missionary Bap-

tist Church. Many of the church members were freed persons and later became part of the Bell Bottom community after it organized in 1899. By 1919, the congregation began work on a permanent church structure here. The church is also associated with a nearby cemetery: the first recorded burial there dates to 1909.

Throughout its history, members have cared for the needy in the rural communities of this area. In 1970, members erected a new sanctuary. Today, St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church continues to serve as a spiritual leader in Matagorda County. (2009)

blessing Markers

Blessing Community House and Library Association

In the first years of the 20th century, Jonathan Pierce filed a deed with the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railroad (Southern Pacific) to lay out a town along the rail line at the junction of two major roads.

He named the community Blessing, and a second rail company soon built additional tracks throughout the town.

In 1912, concerned about the educational and cultural needs of the community, local women established the Blessing Library Association.

In 1991, the facilities transferred to Matagorda County, which maintains the property as a social and activity center for Blessing-area residents. (2005)

Blessing State Bank

Built during the boom of 1907, the Blessing State Bank is one of the few remaining commercial buildings from this period, possibly designed by Victoria Architect Jules Leffland, designer of the Blessing Hotel.

The bank operated until 1932. Blessing was without a bank until 1996, when it was restored to its original function and appearance.

An asymmetrical entry, arched windows, flat roof, and stately feeling reflect a classic, early 20th-century bank building. (1997 RTHL)

Deming’s Bridge Community

The Deming’s Bridge Community grew up around a wooden bridge built over the Tres Palacios River in 1857 for Edward A. Deming,

owner of the land along the west side of the stream.

The crossing provided by Deming’s Bridge became a natural gathering place for settlers of Western Matagorda County.

Tres Palacios Baptist Church, site of many community activities, was established on the east side of the river.

The Deming’s Bridge Post Office opened in 1858, with Edwin A. Deming serving as postmaster until it was discontinued in 1866.

A Masonic Hall, established in 1874, was also moved to Blessing after location of the railroad there caused a population shift.

Hawley Cemetery originated as a two-acre plot of land called Deming’s Bridge Cemetery.

Jonathan Pierce donated land to enlarge the cemetery and was instrumental in changing its name in 1898 in honor of Texas Senator Robert B. Hawley (1849-1921). (1986)

Grimes Cemetery

Cattleman Richard Grimes (1789-1858) established this family cemetery in 1856 when his infant grandson died. Grimes was born in rocky Hill, Connecticut, and from a young age he pursued a seafaring career.

In 1837, Captain Grimes came to Texas in his brig, The Driver, and settled at Palacios Point on Matagorda Bay where continued in the shipping trade.

Today, this burial ground is still an active cemetery. (2008)

William Walter “Pudge” Heffelfinger

Heffelfinger was born in 1867 in Minneapolis and began playing football at age 15. He organized a team at his high school and played four seasons at Yale on the varsity team where, in 1890, he conceived the idea of the pulling-guard play. “Pudge” also played baseball, track and rowed on the Yale crew. He is considered the first professional football player in the U.S., being paid $500 to play in Pittsburgh in 1892. He coached college teams in three states, taking Yale football style to his California team. Heffelfinger married Matagorda County native Grace Harriett Pierce in 1901, and they had three children. “Pudge” was inducted into the College Football Hall Of Fame

in 1951. He passed away in 1954 at his home near Blessing.

Old Hawley Cemetery

The cemetery was known in 1838-1899 as Deming’s Bridge Cemetery and the second post office in Matagorda County was located nearby in 1858.

Two acres were donated by Emelius Savage and his son Norman for the cemetery and Tres Palacios Baptist Church, founded in 1852.

More land was given by Jonathan E. Pierce, who in 1900 named the area Hawley, honoring United States Senator Robert Bradley Hawley.

Buried here are the brothers Johnathan E. and Abel H. (“Shanghai”) Pierce and many other famous early cattlemen as well as more than 50 veterans of the Civil War and all U.S. wars since 1865. (1967)

Hotel Blessing

Built in 1906 for landseekers, it was also a family home for prominent developers, Jonathan E. Pierce and son Abel B. Pierce.

The town of Blessing and the hotel were named out of gratitude for an era of railroads and Gulf Coast Development. (1965 RTHL)

Masonic Lodge # 411

The hall was built in 1875 at Deming’s Bridge, near Pierce Ranch, by John Pierce and Masonic brothers.

The first floor was used as Baptist church and community hall. It was moved about 1903

when town of Blessing was founded. (1965 RTHL)

A. B. Pierce Home

The home was built in 1909 for A.B. Pierce, who co-founded the town of Blessing in 1902 with his father.

Pierce was a veteran of the Spanish-American War. He and wife, Adelade, had four sons. The home was a gathering place for area civic leaders. The Rt. Rev. C.S. Quin and Episcopal Bishop, Diocese of Texas, often visited here.

Mrs. Pierce was co-organizer and first president of the Matagorda County Federation of Women’s Clubs, founded in this home, in 1916. (1968 RTHL)

St. Peter’s Catholic Church

Though Catholic settlers initially arrived in this area in the 1800s, it was in 1912, just five years after the founding of Blessing, that a mass was held in the community. At first, mass was held in the homes of Blessing residents whenever traveling priests were available.

In 1914, the Townsite company, owned by city founder Jonathan Edwards Pierce, donated land for use as a church. Catholic residents completed construction on a building on the property in 1915. It was placed under the patronage of Saint Peter.

At first, St. Peter’s Catholic Church was a mission parish attended on occasion by priests from Victoria, Port Lavaca and other surrounding communities. In 1930, the Rev. A.

J. Weber became the church’s first resident priest.

The church has moved twice in its long history. In 1947, members purchased its current property, opening a remodeled army chapel here the next year. That structure was replaced by the current one, which was dedicated in 1976.

The church’s historical marker was formally dedicated on Sept. 13, 2009.

caney Markers Caney Post Office

During the days of the Republic of Texas, the original Caney was once called Caney Crossing. It received its name from Caney Creek, thought to be the old bed of the Colorado River. It was the site of Caney Post Office, established about 1838. In its vicinity, members of Austin’s Colony established pioneer sugar plantations. (1936)

Texas Centennial Marker - 1936

buckeye Markers Buckeye

The founders of the town of Buckeye sought to establish a town upon existing grazing land and planned irrigated farm land and railroad service that would increase the town and surrounding area’s population.

Dr. Ambrose A. Plostner and John W. Stoddard purchased the land known as “Kuykendall Pasture” from Wylie and Susan Kuykendall and R.G. and Maggie Kuykendall in 1902. The two men named the planned town after their native Ohio, known as the Buckeye State. A headquarters was established at the site and Charles F. Chillson was hired as the general manager.

Plotner and Stoddard dissolved their partnership in 1916 and divided the remaining unsold property. Despite the hope of an oil discovery at Buckeye during the 1930s, the town gradually declined, and the Plotner and Stoddard heirs sold most of their property during the mid 1940s. The post office closed in 1971, and only a few houses remain today at the Buckeye site. (2012)

cedar lane Markers

Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church

Tradition holds that slaves from nearby plantations once gathered together in worship in the lower Caney Creek area.

These men and women continued their services after the close of the Civil War and by 1885 acquired land at this site.

Under the Rev. Anthony Morton (Martin), church members built a sanctuary here. For the next several decades, the building served as a place of worship, as well as a community school until circa 1930.

Although area population declined during the 20th century, the congregation remains a symbol of the community’s religious history. Its sanctuary and cemetery are visible links to generations of area families. (2004)

Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church

Following emancipation in 1865, freedmen and women established the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church near Caney Creek in 1866.

Instrumental in the church formation were the Reverend Dennis Gray (1814-1879), secretary John Alexander Sidney (1842-1928) and many charter members.

The first church building was erected on land from the A.C. Buckner league purchased by the Reverend Mr. Gray and donated to the church.

The building also served as a community school with an enrollment of about 100 pupils. A cemetery was established in the 1870s near the church and contains the graves of church and community members. (1997)

cleMville Markers

Clemville Community

Originally part of land granted to early colonist Henry Parker, this was a rural farming and ranching area until 1908 when F.J. Hardy discovered oil and formed the Hardy Oil Company.

By 1911, F.J. Clemenger had settled in the community, then known as Hardy.

After Clemenger purchased Hardy’s holdings and further developed oil fields in the area, the community was renamed Clemville in his honor and a post office was established in 1911.

Clemville became an oil boomtown, with schools, a church, residences, hotels, a general

store, and machinist shops. As the economy slowed in the 1930s, Clemville’s population began to dwindle. By the end of the 20th century, little physical evidence remained of the once booming oil town. (2002)

cedar lake Markers Bethlehem Christian Church

In 1872, the Rev. Henry Woodard established the Bethlehem Christian Church Disciples of Christ.

The Rev. Woodard, who served as pastor for 43 years until his death in 1915, conveyed two acres for the church and a cemetery to freed persons who were the earliest members of the congregation.

Members first met at a wood-framed building which also housed Cedar Lake School. The members erected new sanctuaries in 1913, 1951, and 1997. Through the years, the church has served the community as a spiritual, social, educational and financial leader.

Today, Bethlehem Christian Church continues to be a focal point of the Cedar Lake community. (2009)

collegeport Markers Collegeport

Jonathan Edward Pierce and Abel Brown Pierce hired land developer Burton D. Hurd to sell off 9,000 acres of their ranch lands in 1908.

The agreement with Hurd called for the development of a town that would include a college and a port on Tres Palacios Bay.

Advertising the venture in newspapers of northern states, Hurd promoted the area’s mild climate and promising farming opportunities.

A number of families relocated to Collegeport to purchase land, establish farms, and build new homes.

The Gulf Coast University of Industrial Arts, the college promised by the town’s developer, opened in 1909.

Served by the Missouri Pacific (MOPAC) Railroad, Collegeport grew quickly and by 1912 included a bank, post office, school, two churches, retail stores, and other commercial businesses.

It boasted the county’s first free public library, its First Boy Scout Troop and the Wom-

an’s Club, founded in 1910.

In 1914, a heavy freeze killed most of the farmers’ crops and the area experienced a drought and a disease, which devastated the livestock herds and caused many families to move away.

The railroad depot was dismantled, rebuilt as Mopac House and attached to the public library in 1935. (1990)

Collegeport Cemetery

The town of Collegeport was founded in 1908, and this site was used as a cemetery for area residents.

Early burials include those of Elizabeth Palmer and Harry Sundstrom.

Several burials are marked by Roman numerals set into shell concrete.

The King’s Daughters organization maintained the cemetery from 1921 to 1958, when the Collegeport Cemetery Association was formed.

In 1961, Hurricane Carla destroyed most of the cemetery records.

Members of the community have always tended the burial ground, from men in the early days digging the graves to those funding operation and maintenance projects today. (Historic Texas Cemetery - 2002)

Pilkington Slough Ranch

The Pilkington Slough Ranch has been a southwestern Matagorda County landmark for more than 100 years.

The original owners of the bulk of this land were Daniel, Elias and Erastus Yeamans, three brothers who fought in the Texas War for Independence. Elias and Erastus died at the Battle of Goliad.

The Yeamans family held the property until 1880, when noted cattleman Abel H. “Shanghai” Pierce and his brother, Jonathan. E. Pierce, purchased it.

By 1889, Jonathan was sole owner of this land, and he soon after established the Pilkington Slough Ranch.

The ranch was named for Dr. Samuel Pilkington, an early area physician who married Susan Perkins, a landowner on the west side of the Tres Palacios Bay. (2008)

First Presbyterian Church of Collegeport

The town of Collegeport, on Tres Palacios Bay in Matagorda County, was planned by the Burton D. Hurd Land Company as a promotional scheme for selling the lands of J.E. and A.B. Pierce.

The company provided land for a townsite and the creation of the Gulf Coast University of Industrial Arts.

In November of 1909, community leaders joined together at the university’s chapel to discuss the creation of Collegeport Federated Church.

Murray A. Travis was called as the first pastor of the church.

In 1910, the congregation began work on their first sanctuary building at an estimated cost of $2,000. The five-room building was opened for services on Nov. 27, 1910.

Among the charter members who signed the first register were persons of Baptist, Methodist, Universal, and Presbyterian backgrounds.

For many years the church doubled as a schoolhouse and community center.

In 1922 the congregation unanimously passed a resolution to join the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. and became the First Presbyterian Church of Collegeport.

The congregation continued to use the 1910 sanctuary until 1955 when new facilities were built using materials and furnishings from the original church. (1999)

live oak Markers Vine Grove Christian Church

After the 1865 Emancipation Proclamation, many of the more than 100 slaves who once farmed cotton and sugar cane for John L. Thorpe remained on former plantation land, forming the Live Oak Community. In 1867, Joseph Yeamans, a white school teacher, helped organize the Grapevine Church, serving as its first pastor. The first church building was a log cabin with a dirt floor.

By 1895, the church was known as The Mission Home School, later becoming the Vine Grove Christian Church. The congregation continues to uphold the values and traditions of its founders. (1997)

MarkhaM Markers Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church

The Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church traces its history to November 1903, when a number of residents of Markham’s “Tent City,” later known as “Red Town,” organized a congregation.

The nine charter members were among those who worked on the canal, cattle ranchers, rail lines and in the rice fields of the area.

The Reverend Andrew Lee of Bay City was their first pastor. The congregation’s first building. Erected in 1909, was destroyed in a hurricane the same year and was immediately rebuilt.

It was replaced by a new structure in 1923; that one was destroyed by Hurricane Carla in 1961.

The members acquired the former Ashby Memorial Baptist Church building and moved it from the Ashby Community in 1962. Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church Members continue in the traditions of their founders with programs of worship and service. (1999)

Matagorda Markers James Henry Selkirk

Born to William Selkirk (1792-1850) and Matilda (Hallenbake) Selkirk (1794-1820). James Selkirk (1815-1862) was heir to his father’s Old 300 Spanish land grant in Matagorda. He possessed an astute business mind which fostered regional import and export activity during the plantation and Civil War eras. Selkirk built a docking pier, warehouse and wharf, greatly increasing Matagorda’s economic prospects. Selkirk also served in numerous city and county positions and as a commissioner of the free education system. His daguerreotype studio created a photographic library of great interest. A man of vision and action, his numerous contributions were crucial to Matagorda’s early success

James Wilmer Dallam

Well-respected attorney James Wilmer Dallam contributed much to modern Texas law. He was born in Maryland in September of 1818. After starting a practice in Matagorda, he traveled to Washington-on-the-Brazos to compile five years’ worth of legal proceedings

and legislation passed by the Republic of Texas. Titled a Digest of the Laws of Texas containing a Full and Complete Compilation of the Land Laws, his book is still used by Texas Courts and often called “The Lawyer’s Bible.”

Dallum settled in Matagorda to publish newspapers and two novels.

For a brief time, Dallam edited a weekly newspaper in Matagorda known as The Colorado Herald. The first issue in July 1846 carried the motto “Give me liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely above all liberties.” Only four issues are known to exist, January 1, 8, 15 and 22, 1847. The Colorado Herald, which was published on Mulberry Street in Matagorda, was the forerunner of The Matagorda County Tribune, The Daily Tribune and currently in 2020, The Bay City Tribune. Later, Edward F. Gilbert took over the operation of The Colorado Herald and on October 18, 1847 changed the name of the paper and published the first issue as the Colorado Tribune.

The county of Dallam perpetuates his memory. His contributions to the state in the 28 short years of his life left a legacy still of importance in Texas today.

He took a trip to New Orleans and contracted yellow fever, dying in August of 1847. The Texas Legislature named Dallam County in his honor in 1876.

Battle Island

Here in 1826, a company of volunteers

commanded by Aylett C. Buckner almost exterminated a band of Karankawa Indians who had murdered several families on lower Caney. (1936)

Dale-Rugeley-Sisk House

The Dale-Rugeley-Sisk Home has withstood, many hurricanes. It was a cultural, social and political center.

It was the home of: A.C. Horton, first lieutenant-governor of Texas and governor for seven months; the Rev. Caleb Ives, first rector of First Episcopal Church in Texas; W. L. Sartwell, partner in Ives Sartwell Academy; Mrs. S.M.Dale, a leading churchwoman; F.L. Rugeley, son of a Confederate leader; Robert J. Sisk, pioneer in rice, oil and land development. (1964 RTHL)

Major George Morse Collinsworth

Commander of the Texans at the capture of Goliad in 1835, Major George Morse Collinsworth was born in Mississippi and died April 18, 1866.

He was Commander of Texas at the capture of Goliad on October 9, 1835. He was also a member of the Episcopal Church (vestryman). Collinsworth, with a Matagorda company, captured Goliad on Oct. 9, 1835.

The day before, George M. Collinsworth wrote Austin of his plan to surprise a Mexican garrison at Goliad and capture it. He stated in his letter that he had 47 good and effective men, and he said that was a sufficient number to take the fort. (1936)

Culver Home

Built in the late 1890s for owner George B. Culver by Roy Shoultz, architect.

Colonial styling, with two large galleries and a cupola, the house was built of Louisiana pine and cypress. The tile for fireplace was brought from England.

Distinguished visitors have included statesmen, railroad and church leaders in Texas. Pioneer of the Intracoastal Canal, Culver the drilled first artesian well in townsite in 1904. (1967 RTHL)

City of Matagorda

Projected site of a town in 1826, Matagorda was founded in 1829 with Stephen F. Austin, Elias R. Wightman, Hosea H. League and Ira Ingram as proprietors.

It was the third largest town in Texas in 1834 and incorporated on January 28, 1839.

The town was county seat of Matagorda County from 1837-1894, but badly wrecked by storms in 1854 and 1875.

It was an early cultural center of Texas as evidenced by schools, churches, and press. (1936)

Early Texas Freighting

Freighting was an industry that moved goods to build, sustain distant settlements in 18th and 19th Century Texas.

Teamsters defied Indians, bandits, and Texas weather to supply outlying forts and inland towns, which suffered if imports from the Gulf Coast, U.S., or Mexico slackened.

One of few regular runs was from Austin to Matagorda.

Wagons left each city on the first and 15th of every month, crossing Matagorda, Wharton, Colorado, Fayette, Bastrop and Travis counties.

Teamsters often banded together for mutual assistance. With coming of the “Iron Horse” in 1853, the freighter began slowly to disappear from the state.

Incise in base: Early travel, transportation and communication series.

Erected by the Moody Foundation. (1967)

Fisher-Sargent-Gottschalk House

Samuel Rhoads Fisher (1794-1839) early

Texas Colonist, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, and Secretary of the Republic of Texas Navy, had the house built for his family in 1832.

His widow, Ann, continued to reside here until 1860. Later owners of the house included: planter Elsey Harrison; Samuel W. Fisher, son of the original owner; John T. Sargent, who built a schoolroom onto the house for his children; and rancher Gus L. Gottschalk, whose family retained ownership until 1977.

A noted local landmark, the house features two-story open porches and a side gable roof. (1991 RTHL)

S. Rhoads Fisher

Secretary of the Navy S. Rhoads Fisher (1794-1839)

Fisher was a statesman-businessman who contributed talent and time tao establish and maintain Texas independence.

He was a Quaker, born in Pennsylvania, who moved to Texas 1830. He set up Mercantile House and a shipping business in Matagorda and struggled against anti-Texas policies of Santa Anna’s dictatorship in Mexico.

Fisher won an election as one of Matagorda delegates to the 1836 convention in Washington-on-the-Brazos.

He signed Texas Declaration of Independence and in the first regular administration of Republic of Texas, became secretary of the Navy in the cabinet of President Sam Houston in October 1836.

In late 1837, secretary Fisher resigned. Back in Matagorda, he died as result of a shooting in 1839.

He and his wife had four children. Several leaders in state government have come from this family. In 1876, A new county was named in honor of S. Rhoads Fisher. (1968)

Sinclair David Gervais

A native of South Carolina, Sinclair David Gervais was a soldier in the War of 1812.

He and his wife Katherine were the parents of four children. Following her death, Gervais and two of his daughters came to Texas in 1835.

He was appointed the first alcalde of The Municipality of Mina (Bastrop) by provisional

Governor Henry Smith.

Gervais came to Matagorda in 1837 and was appointed the second chief justice of Matagorda County by President Sam Houston. (1989)

Ira Ingram

First alcalde of Matagorda municipality in 1834, Ingram was also a member of the Congress of the Republic and first Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1836. (1936)

Seth Ingram

War of 1812out the town of San Felipe in Austin County.

He was born in Vermont on June 19, 1790 and died May 12, 1887. He was Sgt. 11th Regiment, U.S. Infantry in the War of 1812.

One of Austin’s surveyors, he laid out the town of San Felipe. He also served as Justice of Peace, first district in Matagorda County in 1836.

In 1849, Seth Ingram gave the City of Matagorda a plot of land for the location of a courthouse.

In 1830, Seth Ingram — a highly respected colonist — killed John G. Holthem in a street fight, after Holthem had refused to withdraw a notice denouncing Seth’s brother, Ira, for declining to fight a duel. (1936)

Albert Clinton Horton

Georgia native Albert Clinton Horton came to Texas in 1834 from Alabama, where he had served in the state legislature. He established

a plantation along Caney Creek in present Wharton County.

In 1835, he returned to Alabama to recruit volunteers for the Texas Army, and he served as colonel of a cavalry unit during the Texas Revolution. Upon the establishment of the Republic of Texas in 1836, Horton was elected to Congress.

He was chairman of a commission appointed by president M.B. Lamar to select for a permanent capitol for the Republic of Texas in 1839.

When Texas became a state in December 1845, Horton was elected its first Lt. Governor. He served as acting governor for over a year while Governor Henderson was leading Texas forces in the Mexican War.

By the 1850s, Horton had built homes in Wharton and Matagorda. A leader in the community, he and his business partner, Abner Clements, donated land for Christ Episcopal Church in Matagorda, the first Episcopal Church in Texas.

He and his wife, Eliza Holiday, had six children.

Horton died in Matagorda in 1865, various sources listing the date of death as September 1 or October 7. (1986)

Dr. Albert Moses Levy

Dutch immigrant Albert Moses Levy came to the United States in 1818.

After graduation from medical school in 1832, he practiced medicine in Richmond, Vir-

ginia, until about 1835, when he left for New Orleans.

In the service of the New Orleans Greys, he served as chief surgeon in the siege of Bexar (December 1835) and later served on the Brutus in the Texas Navy.

Levy settled in Matagorda, when he married Claudina O. Gervais, and was active in state and local affairs. (1986)

Little Bethel AME Church

The Little Bethel AME Church at Matagorda, Texas, was one of the many outreach worshiping facilities prescribed by the Rev. Richard Allen and the AME religious denomination. Allen, like thousands of slaves, bought his freedom.

In the early days of slavery, some Blacks, and especially those in New England, were permitted to belong and attend white churches. Even though they attended church services with whites, they were duly segregated.

One Sunday, while attending a prayer service in the St. George Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Richard Allen was pulled from his knees by a white usher. Allen made a firm resolution to establish a house of worship where he and his people would feel comfortable.

Several years later, he founded the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) denomination. Its first meeting house was called Bethel (See Gen. 28:19). The church was dedicated in 1794 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Allen became its first bishop. He is noted as the first bishop for the AME church.

Benjamin and Esther Randall Wightman, First Burials in Matagorda Cemetery

Benjamin Wightman

(Aug. 31, 1755-Aug. 1, 1830)

Esther Randall Wightman

(Dec. 4, 1758-June 20, 1830)

They were the parents of Elias R. Wightman, grantee of the Matagorda Town League from the Republic of Mexico.

Benjamin and Esther Wightman, natives of Connecticut, lived in Wightman Town, Herkimer County, N.Y., before joining the colony

in 1828, brought here by their son on “Little Zoe,” the first sailing vessel ever to enter the port of Matagorda. (1972)

Matagorda Lodge No. 7, A. F. & A. M.

One of the oldest Masonic Lodges in Texas, this lodge traces its history to the Republic of Texas.

A group of Masons met together on June 24, 1838, and petitioned the newly created Grand Lodge Of Texas for a charter to form a lodge here.

Matagorda Lodge No. 7, A.F. & A.M., was officially chartered Nov. 12, 1838, with Seth Ingram as first master.

In 1868, due to succession of financial difficulties and the strains of the Civil War, the Matagorda Lodge was deactivated.

The members maintained interest in the lodge, however, and it was finally rechartered by The Grand Lodge in 1911 under its original number.

The lodge has counted among its members veterans of the War of 1812, the Texas Revolution, Mexican War, Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War. (1990)

Old Matagorda Post Office

This structure was built priot to 1872 on a town lot purchased by Cyrus R. Sharp in 1837 and located several blocks east of this site.

Constructed of hand-cut lumber and held together with wooden pegs, the building housed only a general store before Postmaster Andrew August Duffy added the Matagorda Post Office to its function in 1882.

The structure was moved to this location and renovated following the opening of a new post office building in 1964. (1992 RTHL)

Richard Royster Royall

Temporary chairman of the Consultation of 1835, Royall was also a member of the General Council of Provisional Government of Texas from 1835-1836.

He was born in Virginia on June 1, 1798 and died May 28, 1840. Royall was chairman of a central advisory committee at San Felipe in November 1935 and member of the Committee of Public Safety on Sept. 25, 1835, when Matagorda made the first move in that town

toward cooperation in the effort to seek independence of Texas from Mexico. (1936)

Matagorda Methodist Church

One of the earliest Methodist churches in Texas. Founded Jan. 6, 1839, by the Rev. Jesse Hord, a circuit rider who recorded that he came through “black mud, a pouring down rain and a howling norther,” to hold services in Matagorda.

When he preached at “early candle light” (dusk), four persons came forward to form the nucleus of the present church.

The first church building was erected about 1851, but was destroyed by the great hurricane of 1854, which leveled almost every building in town. (1968)

Jane McManus

Jane McManus was a prospective colonial leader who in 1832 hoped to settle thrifty Europeans on a Mexican grant, which she never received.

Although Austin was the most famous leader in Texas colonization, other impresarios included Green DeWitt, Hayden Edwards, Robert Leftwich, Frost Thorn, Martin DeLeon, Ben Milam, Gen. Arthur G. Wavell, David G. Burnet, John Cameron, James Hewetson, James Power, Juan Dominguez, Juan Antonio Padilla, Thomas J. Chambers, Gen. Vincente Filisola, J.C. Beales and Jose M. Royuela.

Mrs. McManus was the only known lady colonizer. (1967)

Selkirk Island

William Selkirk (1792-1830), one of Stephen F. Austin’s original “Old Three Hundred” settlers, came to Texas from New York in 1822. Selkirk was a surveyor for the Austin Colony and served in the colonial militia.

He was part of a group sent (1824) by Austin to make a treaty with the Waco and Tawakoni Indians. His grant of land, known as Selkirk Island, was among the first issued by the Mexican government to American colonists in 1824.

Ownership of the property has remained in his family since that time. Selkirk’s descendants have been prominent civic and business leaders in Matagorda and Galveston counties. (1974)

St. Peter’s Baptist Church

Though early records for St. Peter’s Baptist Church were lost in heavy storms, the church is likely to have been organized by area African-Americans in the 1870s.

The heirs of Samuel Rhoads Fisher, who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, deeded land on this site to the trustees of St. Peter’s Baptist Church in 1879.

After the St. Peter’s Church building burned in 1928, members of the Matagorda Baptist Church gave their building to the St. Peter’s congregation.

In 1998, St. Peter’s Baptist Church members continued to meet in the structure.

The members of St. Peter’s Baptist Church continue to worship in the traditions of their founders. (1998)

The Oaxaca Wreck

This historical landmark recognizes and protects a ship sunk by a German U-boat off Matagorda Peninsula in the early months of World War II.

The landmark is in the Gulf of Mexico, 7.7 miles off Matagorda Peninsula, where the Mexican freighter Oaxaca was sunk by a single torpedo from the German submarine U-171 in the early-morning hours of July 26, 1942.

Unlike Matagorda County’s numerous other state historical landmarks, the Oaxaca doesn’t have the customary Texas Historical Commission metal marker or any other marker.

The sunken ship lies in two pieces under 65 feet of water, now a large coral reef. Visitors are allowed to dive to it but cannot alter anything.

The Oaxaca was the only vessel sunk by an enemy submarine off the Texas coast and is a significant reminder of that period in our past when our coast was considered vulnerable to enemy attack

Midfield Markers

F. Cornelius House

The house was built in 1886 by Frederick Casper Cornelius (Dec. 2, 1850-April 30,1946) and his first wife, Annie (Downer) Cornelius (1852-1894).

The Cornelius House is of a vernacular style with a one and one-half story frame, gable roof and inset gallery across the facade with turned porch posts. Not open to the public.

Midfield was so named because it was in the midst of open fields practically equal distance from Ganado to the west, El Campo to the north, Bay City to east, and Palacios to the south.

The town was laid out in 1903. (1971 RTHL)

Midfield Cemetery

The community of Midfield developed at a location equidistant from El Campo, Palacios, Bay City and Ganado.

In 1904, the community’s post office opened, and 10 years later the town was a stop

on the Texas and new Orleans Railroad.

By the time, Midfield-area residents were using this site as a community burial ground.

Iva Nell Hale, born to William and Eva Bennett Hale in 1896, died from appendicitis on July 17, 1913, and was buried here.

Her father talked to W.B. Gaumer, land agent and president of the Midfield State Bank, about the need for a community cemetery, and Gaumer formally deeded this site as a graveyard in August 1916. (2004)

Midfield Methodist Church

In 1903, area Methodist worshiped at the Hawley Methodist Church. George Duffy and W.K. and Alice Keller were congregation members and Midfield residents.

They became charter members of a Methodist church in Midfield in 1907, and the new congregation first met at the Keller Hotel.

Led by trustees Frederick Cornelius, W.K. McSparran and George Mullins, members built a sanctuary and parsonage at Junetta Street.

In 1970, affected by the area’s population decline, the Midfield congregation joined the Markham Methodist Church, where they worshiped until 1981.

That year, they bought their former church building and established the Midfield Community Church. (2004)

palacios Markers Palacios Colored School

Education was a priority to the earliest residents of Matagorda County. School was held early in the settlement of most of the communities--usually under less than acceptable circumstances and with few materials. During the 1800s, private schools were the primary avenues for educating Matagorda County students. Many plantation owners employed private tutors for their children.

Lack of education for the African American population has been a persistent thread throughout U.S. history. Prior to the Civil War, it was illegal in many states for African-Americans to be taught to read and write.

By 1904, there were 32 independent school districts; 19 of them instructed a total of 764 African American students. Conditions in the

schools varied from homes to schoolrooms to barns.

On May 8, Supt. Ralph Newsom received a letter from W. R. Goodson, director of the Division of Progressive Development and School Accreditation.”

Camp Hulen

Camp Palacios was established on this site in 1925 as the summer training camp for the 36th Infantry of the Texas National Guard.

Located on the Turtle and Tres Palacios bays, the land was donated by Palacios area citizens. Over 6,000 guardsmen arrived in July 1926 for the first training session.

Renamed for Major General John A. Hulen (1871-1957) in 1930, the new camp supported the largest concentration of troops for field training in the United States military.

In 1940, the war department leased Camp Hulen; first to undergo anti-aircraft training were National Guard units from several states.

By 1941, the City of Palacios suffered a housing shortage that was alleviated by government housing near Camp Hulen.

After extensive development, the camp had facilities for 12,000 military personnel.

Basic training continued until early 1944 when U.S. soldiers were removed. German prisoners of war, guarded by a small contingent of U.S. personnel, were housed here from 1943-1945.

In 1946, the War Department returned Camp Hulen to the National Guard, for whom it had become too small.

Buildings were slowly dismantled and sold. In 1965, the property was sold jointly to a group of Palacios citizens and a development company. (1997)

Cates-Price House

John T. and Opal Cates Price arrived in Palacios in 1906 and were soon joined by Opal’s parents, Reuben and Lula Cates.

They purchased adjoining lots and, by 1910, architect Winn Wood had designed companion homes for the two couples. The Prices sold their house within the decade and moved next door to the Cates house.

Though the craftsman bungalow was a dominant style of the early 20th century, this

example is unusual in its side-gabled roof and second story with dormers and veranda.

It was a showplace and hosted such guests as former Texas Gov. Pat Neff, who dined here weeks before John Price’s accidental drowning death in July 1921.

The home was the unofficial Camp Hulen Officers’ Club during World War II.

Mrs. Price and Mrs. Cates lived here until 1946. (1998 RTHL)

First Baptist Church of Palacios

The Reverend William H. Travis formed a school and missionary Baptist Church in Palacios in 1905. That year, the congregation became known as the First Baptist Church. In 1906, the Texas Baptist Convention chose Palacios as the site for its Baptist training union encampment, bringing missionaries and teachers into the community each year.

At the corner of Welch and Second St. in 1909 the church build a sanctuary having worshiped previously in homes and at the encampment tabernacle. The congregation grew over the next decades, moving in the 1970s to a larger building at this site, where it has continued to grow and serve the community.

Historical Marker dedication was held Nov. 27, 2005.

First Presbyterian Church of Palacios

The First Presbyterian Church of Palacios was organized by the Rev. W.S. Red on June 30, 1907.

In the local Methodist church Pioneer Hall 18 people joined the congregation that day, many of them active in the early growth of Palacios.

William Henry Clement was elected ruling elder. Duncan Ruthven, a founding member, was elected mayor when Palacios was incorporated in 1909. A church building was completed at Third and Morton streets in 1910, at a cost of $5,393.

In May 1911, the congregation called Dr. J.P. Green as its first full-time pastor, and the church was chartered by the state of Texas that November. By 1912, church organizations included the Sunday school, the Westminster League and a Ladies’ Aid and Missionary So-

ciety.

The congregation established a Mexican mission that year. An education building was completed in 1948. During World War II, a soldiers’ center operated by the church was important to nearby Camp Hulen. A new sanctuary was dedicated in 1951. The Mexican mission became the second Presbyterian church of Palacios in 1955. (1999)

First United Methodist Church of Palacios

Matagorda County was organized in 1837, and two years later area residents established the Matagorda Methodist Church. Decades later, in 1903, a group of people met in a oneroom schoolhouse and organized the first Methodist church of Palacios.

The Rev. W.H. Nelson led the new congregation, which continued to meet in the schoolhouse until 1905. Church members built Pioneer Hall, a place of worship for all of Palacios.

They soon added a parsonage and, in 1912, built a larger sanctuary next to Pioneer Hall.

Palacios’ population greatly increased during World War II, as the military established a greater presence at Camp Hulen. The church offered its facilities for Red Cross work, and members worked at the USO and rented rooms to military families. Later, church membership increased and new programs began, including the Methodist Men and Rebecca Circle.

Although Hurricane Carla damaged much of the church property in 1961, the congregation has continued to add new buildings and services, including education programs and child care, as well as youth and senior activities. (2004)

R. J. Hill Building

Robert J. (1864-1930) and Kate Elizabeth (Breggan) Hill came to Palacios in 1904, soon after its founding. Contractor J. G. Bontrager built this concrete block commercial building for them in 1910.

It originally housed a mercantile store with living quarters on the upper floor. Later uses include medical offices, a depression-era canning kitchen, American Legion Hall, Montgomery Ward store and a museum.

Featuring elements of the Richardson Romanesque style, the Hill building remains a prominent structure in downtown Palacios. (2000 RTHL)

General

John Augustus Hulen

Missourian John Augustus Hulen (18711957), citizen soldier and railroad executive, came to Texas with his family in the 1870s.

He later attended Virginia’s Staunton Military Academy and returned to Texas.

He joined a militia unit and later served in the Spanish-American War and then in the Philippines.

There he earned a silver star and a congressional citation.

In World War I, he earned a French Croix De Guerre and a U.S. distinguished service medal.

After the war, he was instrumental in establishing Camp Palacios in 1925, renamed Camp Hulen in 1930 in his honor. In 1935, he retired from service a Lieutenant General, the highest rank in the militia. (2003)

Luther Hotel (Old Hotel Palacios)

Built in 1903 on East Bay Front and moved in 1905 to its present site and enlarged.

It served as a resort for investors from the north who were buying orchards and land on the coast.

It housed a famous dining room and a permanent orchestra.

It has withstood many hurricanes, including Carla in 1961. (1965 RTHL)

Palacios Cemetery

The primary burial ground for citizens of Palacios, this cemetery dates to the beginning of the community.

The death of Alice Singer in 1905, three years after the founding of Palacios, gave rise to the need for a community cemetery.

The land, which was once a part of the estate of Texas Cattle Baron A.H. “Shanghai” Pierce, was donated to the city for use as a cemetery by the Texas Rice Development Company and The Palacios Townsite Company.

The plot was surveyed in 1907, and additional land was acquired in 1918 and 1983.

Soldiers and veterans of six wars are bur-

ied here — the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.

Additionally, stones marking the graves of Vietnamese refugees, a number of whom settled in Palacios and other Texas coastal towns after 1975, can be seen here.

St. John’s Episcopal Church

The community of Collegeport was founded in 1908 across the Tres Palacios Bay from Palacios, which has been established in 1902.

Three Collegeport families organized an Episcopal congregation.

Grace Theodora Smith collected donations from local residents and businesses to raise funds for land and a church building.

She collected nearly all the money needed and Bishop George Herbert Kinsolving gave the last dollars towards building the structure.

Grace Smith envisioned a mission style structure, and the congregation purchased the lumber and concrete blocks to build it, completing it on August 1911, when the Rev. John Sloan of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church of Bay City held the first service.

In November of that year, Bishop Kinsolving consecrated the church, which he named Grace Church of St. Mary’s Mission in honor of Smith and her hard work.

Palacios Pavilions

In 1903 the Palacios Townsite Company arranged with the Southern Pacific Railroad to extend its line to the new city.

The first train arrived on June 29, bringing prospective settlers from midwestern states.

The company began construction of a pavilion on the South Bay in June 1904. Designed by Victoria architect Jules Leffland, it was built on a pier extending 400 feet into the bay.

Called the Pleasure Pavilion, it consisted of a central round, two-story, open-air pavilion with boat docks and bathers’ dressing rooms extending along the pier. It quickly became the social center of the town, offering such activities as swimming, boating, dancing, skating, and basketball games. (1991)

Palacios Colored School

Founded in the 1920s, the Palacios Colored School was the first African American school

in the city. Because of Jim Crow Laws, which institutionalized segregation, African Americans attended separate schools from white students.

After moving twice, the school settled at this site and opened on October 2, 1939. Between 1940 and 1946, the student body grew from 37 to 81 students. When Palacios Independent School District integrated in 1963, the school closed.

Open for approximately 40 years, the Palacios Colored School symbolized the African American community’s struggle against racial inequality and their dedication to education.

Palacios Preparatory School

Opened in 1910, the Palacios Preparatory School was located at this site, behind the family home of its founder, Martha Pearl Dickson McGuire (1876-1962), and her family.

Music instruction was given in upstairs rooms of the house. It was the first Palacios school to offer courses in cultural arts, in addition to academics. Students performed twice a year in public programs.

As many as 60 pupils were enrolled, and parents often traded labor on school projects for children’s tuition.

The school closed in 1918, when the McGuire Family moved to Palestine, Texas. (1987) Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986

Pybus-Koerber House

In 1915, builder Joseph Pybus erected this home, designed by C.F. Emmons. James L. and Ina Mae (Perryman) Koerber bought it from the Pybus family in 1924.Owner of the Palacios Garage and Auto Co., J.L. also served as mayor, 1948-52.

Other business interests included a canning operation and travel court, along with rooms in the house, provided space for military personnel and families from Camp Hulen. The Bungalow Cottage features a pyramidial roof, central hipped dormer, three-bay porch and textured concrete blocks with oyster shell aggregate. (2004 RTHL)

Texas Baptist Encampment Grounds

Selected in 1906 by The Texas Baptist Convention as the site for permanent encampment

grounds, this coastal area was the scene of many inspirational camp meetings typically of Texas and the entire south in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

In those days, thousands of families would come by wagon, surrey, buggy, but primarily by train to spend weeks or longer at the grounds.

On opening day of the first camp meeting here (held July 3-12, 1906) gate keepers had to use buckets to collect the $1 admission fees — typically paid in silver dollars.

Campers stayed in the varied quarters provided and cooked their meals outdoors.

The first permanent auditorium was moved from La Porte (site of earlier encampments). It was replaced by a memorial auditorium in 1923.

The present building was erected after the hurricane of 1942. (1969)

pledger Markers

Grove Hill Missionary Baptist Church

Named for an area near the Brown Plantation home site, Grove Hill Baptist Church was organized in 1884 by the Rev. Jack Yates and London Branch. The original church building also served as a school for the African-American community.

A new church structure was built on this site in 1919. As the congregation expanded, a Sunday school, music department, choir and youth group were established. Improvements to the building included enlarging the pulpit area, and building a steeple and a detached bell tower. The church continues to serve the community as it has for over 100 years. (1996)

sargent Markers

Confederate Defenses at the Mouth of Caney Creek

During the war (1861-65), federal forces tried several times to seize Texas ports. Galveston was taken Oct. 5, 1862, but recaptured by a confederate Army on Jan. 1, 1863. Lt Dick Dowling’s troops stopped a federal invasion at Sabine Pass on Sept. 8, 1863. Another thrust began Nov. 7, 1863, when a federal expedition under Maj. Gen. N.P. Banks seized Brownsville, then moved up the coast, capturing Corpus Christi, Aransas Pass, Pass Cavallo,

and Port Lavaca (Dec. 26).

Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder, confederate commander of Texas, ordered fortification of the mouth of Caney Creek in an attempt to halt the invasion in January 1864.

An earthen fortress, rifle pits, trench works, and four redoubts were erected near the site, defended by 4,000-6,000 confederates. The area was bombarded by federal gunboats during January and February.

No ground combat occurred at Caney Creek, but the preparations deterred a further federal advance. In March 1864 Gen. Banks moved most of his troops to Louisiana and launched an unsuccessful invasion along Texas’ eastern border. Removal of federal forces from key Texas ports allowed blockade runners to continue transporting needed material to Civil War Texas. (1976)

Sargent Cemetery

George Thomas Sargent (1971-1875) and his family came to Texas from England in 1834. In 1838, they moved to Matagorda County, where Sargent became a major landowner.

This family cemetery contains six graves. The first to be interred here was a Sargent grandson, Jacob Smith, Jr. (1843-1859). The second burial was that of a great-grandson, Frank J. Freeman, in August 1872.

George T. Sargent and his daughter-in-law, Sarah Ann, drowned in the storm of 1875. Granddaughter Cornelia Smith Freeman (d. 1883) and her husband, Henry H. Freeman (d-1908), were the last to be buried here. (1986)

Texas Sesquicentennial Marker 1836-1986

vann settleMent Markers

Berean Missionary Baptist Church

The Congregation of the First Berean Missionary Baptist Church began formally meeting after Emancipation in 1865.

Members held worship services in homes, under trees and in a local school before building their first house of worship.

The church grew around the community known as Van, African, King Vann and Vann settlement, located in Buckner’s Prairie, which was named for Aylett C. “Strap” Buckner (d.

1832), an Old Three Hundred colonist and Texas folklore hero.

The congregation built its first sanctuary in 1896 on land sold for $5 by Odo and Fatuma Van (Vann), both born in Africa before being captured and sold into slavery.

The church’s first pastor was the Rev. Anthony Martin.

At this same time, congregation members named themselves Berean Missionary Baptist Church for a mission site in Greece. After purchasing an acre of land for a new sanctuary in 1951, the Berean Baptist Church, as it was often known, held its first service in the new structure in 1953.

The congregation incorporated in 1993 as the first Berean Missionary Baptist Church. (2003)

van vleck Markers

Van Vleck Independent School District

Education has always been a priority for the residents of Matagorda County and during the 1880s, private schools were the primary source of education for students in the county.

A small school was built in 1901 for white students. By 1914, a new three-story wooden structure was built. In 1918, a bond was passed to assist with building and equipment needs for the white and black schools of Van Vleck.

In 1938, Van Vleck school board members voted to ask the Texas Department of Education for the organization of an independent school district for Van Vleck. That same year.

They voted to apply for a grant from the public works administration to help build the new school. Architect C.A.. Johnson was hired to design the new building.

With the newly organized Van Vleck independent school district, board members wanted to consolidate the smaller community schools into the Van Vleck district. By 1939, the communities of Ashwood, Cedar Lake. Cedar Lane, Hasima, Liveoak, Lukefahr. Mount Pilgrim, Sargent and Shiloh had transitioned all high school students to the Van Vleck school district. The new school became the life of the community foåår entertainment and culture as a meeting place.

In 1966, Van Vleck schools offered vol-

untary integration of black students into the white schools. During the 1980s, many additions were made as the school district continued to grow.

For over a century, Van Vleck schools have fostered education in Matagorda County. (2014)

wadsworth Markers Hawkins Lake House

Hawkins Lake House was built by James Boyd Hawkins (Dec. 27, 1813-May 11, 1896) and his wife, Ariella Alston Hawking, who he married in 1834.

Hawkins began construction of this house in 1852 and completed it in 1854. Eight children were raised here.

The house is a two-and-a-half story Greek revival-style residence. The lumber was shipped in by boat from New Orleans and some came from a sawmill on Caney.

Hawkins Ranch consisted of 2,400 acres, where he planted sugar cane and cotton and raised a large herd of cattle. (1962 RTHL)

Sacred Heart Catholic Church

Early residents of Wadsworth (est. 1909), John H. and Anna Ottis, received help from Galveston Bishop N.A. Gallagher, the Rev. George Montreuil and other Catholics in the area to erect the two-story Sacred Heart Catholic Street and Avenue H.

Though the school closed after two years, Catholic services were continued.

Road construction prompted the Rev. M.J. O’Regan and the congregation to reassemble the original sanctuary here in 1924.

St. Francis Catholic Church

On the site donated by Polish settlers, Mrs. Frank Seerden and Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Butter, worship services in home led to the building of a church that was wrecked in a few months by a storm.

This 1896 church, built by the men of the parish, has blown off its foundation twice — in 1942 tidal wave and 1845 hurricane. (1985 RTHL)