Fairfield in Freestone County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

David Hall Love

(January 12, 1816 - April 21, 1866)

Photographed by James Hulse, April 30, 2025

1. David Hall Love Marker

Inscription. A Texas War for Independence veteran. At Battle of San Jacinto, April 21, 1836, he and 11 comrades captured 220 enemy soldiers, and on orders of Gen. Sam Houston he walked next day to Harrisburg with news of Texan victory. For military service he was granted 640 acres of bounty land, from which he later donated Fairfield townsite. He held offices in his church and as precinct justice. A native of Tennessee, he was married twice; had 8 children. Recorded-1971

Erected 1971 by State Historical Survey Committee. (Marker Number 9891.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, Texas Independence. A significant historical date for this entry is April 21, 1836.

Location. 31° 43.188′ N, 96° 9.25′ W. Marker is in Fairfield, Texas, in Freestone County. It is at the intersection of E Reunion Street and S Dunbar Street on E Reunion Street. The marker is located in the southwest section of the Fairfield Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fairfield TX 75840, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Prairies & Lakes

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Region.

It is also in the American South.

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 Republic of Texas,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: James Bonner Rogers (within shouting distance of this marker); Fairfield Female College (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Manahan House (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Fridolin (Fred) Fischer Home (approx. 0.4 miles away); Rev. George Washington Baines (approx. half a mile away); Butler Church Bell (approx. half a mile away); 1881 Freestone County Jail (approx. half a mile away); Val Verde Battery (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fairfield.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Old Freestone Jail (was approx. half a mile away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Also see . . . Fairfield, Texas: History and Community Overview. Texas State Historical Association

David Hall Love Gravestone image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, April 30, 2025

2. David Hall Love Gravestone

(TSHA)

FAIRFIELD, TX.Fairfield, the county seat of Freestone County, is at the junction of Interstate Highway 45, U.S. highways 75 and 84, and Farm roads 27, 488, and 1580, in the center of the county. The site was originally called Mound Prairie, but the name was changed to Fairfield when the location was chosen for the county seat in 1850. The original townsite, 100 acres of the Redin Gainer league, was donated by David Hall Love. In 1851–52, 128 lots were auctioned off for prices ranging from six dollars to $101. Rich farmland, vast amounts of timber, clear springs, and proximity to the Trinity River for transportation attracted settlers from the eastern states. Fairfield acquired a post office in 1851 and by September 1852 had three dry-goods stores, two hotels, a grocery, and a jail. A Fairfield Masonic lodge chartered in 1853 was still active in 1989. The first of four courthouses, a small wooden building described as "no better than a pigsty," was built about 1852. New courthouses were built—in 1854–56, at a cost of $8,330; in 1891–92, at a cost of $22,120; and in 1919–21, at a cost of $125,000. In 1891 and 1918 the need for a
Photographed by James Hulse, April 30, 2025

3. David Hall Love Marker and Gravestone
new courthouse led to county-seat elections in which Fairfield defeated Wortham and Teague, respectively.

(Submitted on May 1, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

The view of the cemetery with the David Hall Love Marker in the background image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, April 30, 2025

4. The view of the cemetery with the David Hall Love Marker in the background

Credits. This page was last revised on May 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 30, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 150 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 1, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.