Tyler in Smith County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Our Land - Our Heritage

In Recognition Of The Families Who Settled This Land

Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 17, 2012

1. Our Land - Our Heritage /In Recognition Of The Families Who Settled This Land Marker

Inscription.
Our Land - Our Heritage
1894 - 1942

Dedicated to those who
sacrificed their land and
heritage when Camp Fannin
displaced a number of families
from their original homesteads.
Placed in remembrance and
acknowledgement of their loss.
March 1998
Donated by the Walsh Family

(Lower Plaque)
In Recognition Of The Families Who Settled This Land
1894 — 1942
In 1942, the War Assets Administration purchased or acquired through adverse possession, 3072 acres of land to establish the Tyler Air Force Replacement Training Center. The landowners, who were paid as little as $25 per acre, even though replacement land was selling for much higher price, took legal action to get a fairer price and to guarantee the land would be returned to them after the war. The courts denied their appeals. The land became the heart of Camp Fannin, U.S. Army Infantry Replacement Training Center, after the government changed the scope of its original plans. More than 250,000 soldiers were trained here from May 1943 to December 1945 and in 1946, Camp Fannin was deactivated. In 1948, the War Assets Administration declared the purchased

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land was a disposable "war asset" and deeded 2,369 acres to the State of Texas. This included the 1,000-bed Camp Fannin Station Hospital. In 1949, the hospital reopened as the East Texas Tuberculosis Sanatorium.
In 1958, the State returned 1,691 acres to the U.S. Government, retaining 614 acres for the East Texas Tuberculosis Hospital. The surplus land was auctioned in 1959 and was purchased by Tyler businessmen and the Owen Development Company which established the community of Owentown.
In 1977, the Texas Legislature transferred the East Texas Chest Hospital to The University of Texas System who renamed it The University of Texas Health Center at Tyler.
Since the end of World War II, the families who lost their land and an important part of their heritage have sought acknowledgment of their sacrifice. This memorial is dedicated to them. It is located on the original homestead of William P. and Mary Walsh, who purchased their land in 1894. They raised seven children and seven grandchildren on their farm prior to 1942.
The stone memorial was donated by the Walsh family in honor of the descendants of William P. Walsh, R.L. Cashion,

Our Land - Our Heritage Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 17, 2012

2. Our Land - Our Heritage Marker

Mrs. L.M. Cashion, John G. Zorn, W.T. Nolan, Bess Olive, G.E. Olive and Tully C. Jarvis, who owned part of the 614 acres occupied by the UT Health Center and of the families of the remaining landowners including: M.G. Desmond, T.E. Wiggins, Eliza Osborne Miller, Mrs. H.H. Lytle, G.W. Jacobs, and T. Hale. Winona Consolidated Common School District, Center Methodist Episcopal Church, and Houston Oil Company also owned land within this area.
This memorial is intended to serve as a permanent tribute to those farming families who gave up a part of their heritage with the loss of their land. It is not intended to overshadow the great achievements of The University of Texas Health Center at Tyler. It is placed as a reminder of the sacrifice these landowners were forced to make during the War. The UT Health Center appreciates the support of the Walsh family in making this memorial possible and apologizes if any family names have been omitted.
Dedicated March 29, 1998

Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Settlements & Settlers • War, World II. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1998.

Location. 32° 25.461′ N, 95° 12.714′ W.

In Recognition Of The Families Who Settled This Land Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 17, 2012

3. In Recognition Of The Families Who Settled This Land Marker

Memorial is in Tyler, Texas, in Smith County. It is on Health Center Drive, on the left when traveling west. Located .3 miles north of US 271 / State Route 155. Touch for map. Memorial is in this post office area: Tyler TX 75702, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial is in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and in the Piney Woods.

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 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Camp Fannin, Texas (approx. 0.2 miles away); Nicholas Wren 1807-1859 (approx. 2.9 miles away); Harris Creek Cemetery (approx. 2.9 miles away); Scouts of Texas Army (approx. 2.9 miles away); Shamburger Cemetery (approx. 3.2 miles away); Pine Springs Baptist Church (approx. 3½ miles away); Camp Ford Stockade (approx. 3.8 miles away); Camp Ford (approx. 3.8 miles away).

Our Land - Our Heritage Marker ; US 271 / SR 155 seen in distant background image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 17, 2012

4. Our Land - Our Heritage Marker ; US 271 / SR 155 seen in distant background

wooded, hilly site of more than 14,000 acres

Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tyler.

Other markers no longer nearby. Camp Fannin (was approx. one mile away but has been confirmed missing); Camp Fannin Internment Camp (was approx. one mile away but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . . Texas State Historical Association - Camp Fannin,. an infantry-replacement training center of World War II, was located ten miles northeast of Tyler. (Submitted on January 18, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 19, 2016. It was originally submitted on January 18, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 828 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 18, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.