Eastland in Eastland County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Early Settlers of Eastland County
Photographed by Mark Hilton, July 7, 2017
1. Early Settlers of Eastland County Marker
Inscription.
Early Settlers of Eastland County. . First known Eastland area inhabitant was Frank Sanchez (d. 1867), who grazed herds here in the 1850s. The United States in 1853 established Army posts at Fort Phantom Hill, in present Taylor County, and Fort Belknap, in present Young County, giving the frontier protection against hostile Indians. This opened a modest influx of settlers, including families named Bell, Birden, Birt, Blair, Ellison, Fitzwaters, Flannagan, Gilbert, Herring, Highsaw, McGough, Mansker, Melburn, Oliver, Owens, Richards, Shirley, Singleton, Upton, and Wyatt, from "old states" of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee. The county was created, but not organized, in 1858. The U.S. Census for 1860 showed 99 residents. When Texas seceded from the Union in 1861, and Army garrisons withdrew, many pioneers left or took refuge at Blair's Fort, in southeastern part of the county. , Post-Civil War settlers included such leaders as Dr. Edwin Daniel Townsend, who arrived from Kentucky in 1871. The county was organized in an election held Dec. 2, 1873, with Merriman designated county seat (in violation of legislation creating the county). In 1875 the government was moved to Eastland, founded that year by investor Charles U. Connellee (1851-1930).
First known Eastland area inhabitant was Frank Sanchez (d. 1867), who grazed herds here in the 1850s. The United States in 1853 established Army posts at Fort Phantom Hill, in present Taylor County, and Fort Belknap, in present Young County, giving the frontier protection against hostile Indians. This opened a modest influx of settlers, including families named Bell, Birden, Birt, Blair, Ellison, Fitzwaters, Flannagan, Gilbert, Herring, Highsaw, McGough, Mansker, Melburn, Oliver, Owens, Richards, Shirley, Singleton, Upton, and Wyatt, from "old states" of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee. The county was created, but not organized, in 1858. The U.S. Census for 1860 showed 99 residents. When Texas seceded from the Union in 1861, and Army garrisons withdrew, many pioneers left or took refuge at Blair's Fort, in southeastern part of the county.
Post-Civil War settlers included such leaders as Dr. Edwin Daniel Townsend, who arrived from Kentucky in 1871. The county was organized in an election held Dec. 2, 1873, with Merriman designated county seat (in violation of legislation creating the county). In 1875 the government was moved to Eastland, founded that year by investor Charles U. Connellee (1851-1930).
Erected 1972 by the State Historical Survey Committee. (Marker Number 1351.)
Location. 32° 24.02′ N, 98° 49.136′ W. Marker is in Eastland, Texas, in Eastland County. It is at the intersection of South Lamar Street and West Olive Street, on the right when traveling north on South Lamar Street. Located flat to the wall of the Eastland Centennial
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Memorial Library at the south end of building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 210 South Lamar Street, Eastland TX 76448, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Big Country. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Comancherνa, the Republic of Texas, and one of the Confederate States of America.
2. Marker near the Eastland Centennial Memorial Library.
(Submitted on July 9, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Credits. This page was last revised on July 9, 2017. It was originally submitted on July 9, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 885 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 9, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
