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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Near Anna in Collin County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
 

Mantua

 
 
Mantua Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., March 9, 2014
1. Mantua Marker
Inscription.

On February 23, 1854, William C. McKinney, James W. Throckmorton, John A. Throckmorton, and Joseph Wilcox set aside twenty-five acres for the town of Mantua, which was conceived as a site for Mantua Seminary. Proceeds from the sale of town lots provided funds for the school. The town plat consisted of forty-eight city blocks surrounding a town square. To help ensure a proper environment for the school, deeds for town lots prohibited gambling, horse racing, prostitution and the sale of alcohol.

Mantua Lodge No. 209 A.F. & A.M. organized in 1857, and the Masons first met on the second story of Walcott's store. A post office was established in Mantua in 1858, and E.B. Rollins was appointed as the first postmaster. On October 21, 1858, McKinney, James W. Throckmorton and Wilcox met with Mantua citizens to establish rules for the co-educational Mantua Seminary, and a building was constructed just outside of town for the use of the seminary and the Masonic Lodge. Classes were first held in 1860 and by 1868, eighty pupils were enrolled. Liberty Christian Church was established in 1846 and a Methodist congregation was formed the next year.

In 1872 the Houston and Texas Central Railroad laid tracks approximately 1.5 miles east of Mantua, and the new town of Van Alstyne was formed along the tracks. Almost immediately,
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the residents and businesses of Mantua relocated to the new town. Mantua's post office was closed in 1873, the Mantua Seminary last held classes during the early 1880s and the churches relocated to neighboring towns. Today, only Mantua Cemetery and Mantua Road remain as symbols of the vanished community.

175 Years of Texas Independence • 1836-2011
 
Erected 2011 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 16694.)
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: EducationSettlements & Settlers.
 
Location. 33° 22.674′ N, 96° 33.935′ W. Marker is near Anna, Texas, in Collin County. Marker is on Bryant Farm Road, 0.2 miles north of County Route 371, on the left when traveling north. Marker is located in front of Joe K. Bryant Elementary School. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2725 Bryant Farm Road, Anna TX 75409, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. A. Sherley & Bro. Hardware Store (approx. 2.2 miles away); Anna Train Depot (approx. 2.2 miles away); First Christian Church of Anna (approx. 2.3 miles away); Public Education in Anna (approx. 2.4 miles away); Van Alstyne Cemetery (approx. 2.9 miles away); American Legion Memorial
New location of Mantua Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Jeff Leichsenring, May 15, 2023
2. New location of Mantua Marker
(approx. 2.9 miles away); Collin McKinney (approx. 2.9 miles away); First Christian Church of Van Alstyne (approx. 3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Anna.
 
Also see . . .
1. Mantua, Texas. (Submitted on April 7, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Mantua Seminary. (Submitted on April 7, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
 
Mantua Marker - old location image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., March 9, 2014
3. Mantua Marker - old location
Looking south toward US 75 Exit 49 (Mantua Road).
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on May 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 7, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 979 times since then and 20 times this year. Last updated on May 15, 2023, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. Photos:   1. submitted on April 7, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.   2. submitted on May 15, 2023, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas.   3. submitted on April 7, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 19, 2024