Westside in Piney Point Village in Harris County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Early Settlement South of the Bayou
Photographed By James Hulse, April 5, 2021
1. Early Settlement South of the Bayou Marker
In 1830, Stephen F. Austin's colony built a wagon road in order to transport the colony's cotton via ox wagons from San Felipe to the port at Harrisburg (and after 1836, to Houston). The construction of the San Felipe Trail spurred settlement south of Buffalo Bayou by Anglos and enslaved African Americans.
Joel and Elizabeth Wheaton operated an inn and assisted travelers at a dangerous ford across the bayou, where Highway 6 crosses today. Buckman and Harriet Canfield operated a farm and inn at Piney Point, at the site of John Taylor's early cabin. Harriet George, by 1846 widowed and remarried, built a sawmill. Its spring-fed millpond still exists near Fondren Road and Woodway.
Allen Reynolds, and later Agur T. and Grace Morse, operated cotton and timber plantations in the area. Post Oak Boulevard began as a farm lane on the Morse's Pleasant Bend Plantation.
Captions
Ox cart and driver
From Edward King's The Great South, 1875
Joel and Elizabeth Wheaton's Inn, as it looked in the 1890s
Prominent Early Settlers South of Buffalo Bayou
Allen Reynolds
Harriet George
Erected by Memorial Villages Heritage Trail.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers
this page online
Location. 29° 45.086′ N, 95° 31.059′ W. Marker is in Piney Point Village, Texas, in Harris County. It is in Westside. Marker is at the intersection of Memorial Drive and Piney Point Road, on the right when traveling west on Memorial Drive. The marker is located with two other markers in the Carol Tree Pocket Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11600 Memorial Drive, Houston TX 77024, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. German Settlements North of the Bayou (here, next to this marker); John Taylor's Piney Point League (here, next to this marker); Early Settlers of Piney Point (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Fritz Schroeder Home (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Rummel-Hildebrandt-Bauer Sawmill (approx. 2 miles away); a different marker also named The Rummel-Hildebrandt-Bauer Sawmill (approx. 2 miles away); Jacob Schroeder and Early Spring Branch Community (approx. 2 miles away); The Pioneer Spring Branch Community (approx. 2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Piney Point Village.
Photographed By James Hulse, March 25, 2021
2. Early Settlement South of the Bayou Marker
The marker is the middle marker of the three markers
Photographed By James Hulse, March 25, 2021
3. Early Settlement South of the Bayou Marker
The view from the road of the three markers
Photographed By James Hulse, April 5, 2021
4. Early Settlement South of the Bayou Marker
Map view from the plaque
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 10, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 203 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 10, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
