From this headquarters site in the 1870s, the brothers J. T. and Sam Ealy Johnson started thousands of cattle up trails to Kansas and other shipping or market points. To the west, at Williamson's Creek, and at Deer Creek (southeast) the Johnsons had . . . — — Map (db m35352) HM
E. Babe Smith was instrumental in the founding of Pedernales Electric Cooperative in the late 1930s. His vision, along with that of Congressman Lyndon B. Johnson and others, brought electric power to the farms and ranches of the Texas Hill Country. . . . — — Map (db m31095) HM
Built by Johnson City founder James Polk Johnson (1845-1885), this structure has housed a variety of businesses and served as a community gathering place. In addition to serving as a community hall, opera house, and meeting place for churches and . . . — — Map (db m31126) HM
By the 1930s, many residents of cities across the U.S. were benefiting from the common use of electricity. However, a vast majority of rural areas lacked electric service, which compounded depression-era problems for farmers whose crop returns were . . . — — Map (db m126764) HM
"Of all the things I have ever done, nothing has given me as much satisfaction as bringing power to the Hill Country of Texas." - Lyndon B. Johnson
In the 1930s, investor-owned utilities didn't consider it profitable to extend miles of . . . — — Map (db m236546) HM
Gideon Cowan Thorp was born in Tennessee in 1844 and had settled in Texas with his family by 1850. The Thorps later moved to Llano County. Gideon served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War and returned to the area after the war, relocating . . . — — Map (db m244565) HM
Built in 1884 by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio, at a cost of $6,465, this bridge spans 150 feet across the north Bosque River. This type of bridge, called a Whipple Truss, was named for its designer. One of the few remaining . . . — — Map (db m233815) HM
In 1857, R.G. Grant of Coryell County built a wooden mill at this site, using the waters of the Bosque River to power his operation. Two years later, the property transferred to J.H. Stinnett, and the mill building was used as a commissary and . . . — — Map (db m233818) HM
Named for Maj. Gen. Johann de Kalb - a hero of the American Revolution - upon suggestion (1836) of David Crockett, a visitor on his way to fight in Texas War for Independence. Other Texas heroes traveling through here were James B. Fannin and Wm. . . . — — Map (db m96648) HM
Named for James Bowie (1799-1836), who fought for Texas freedom from 1819, when he joined the Long Expedition, to 1836 — when he died in defense of the Alamo.
Inhabited before 1800 by agricultural Indians, charted 1819 for . . . — — Map (db m96141) HM
Founded when Texas & Pacific railroad platted townsite and held sale of lots on Dec. 8, 1873, to open regional shipping point. Strategically located on famed Indian trail from the Mississippi to Mexico, site had already been named (for its . . . — — Map (db m202025) HM
Brazoria County was the leading sugar producing county in Texas in the 1840's & 1850's. Sugar cane was grown and processed in sugar mills on large plantations using slave labor. After the cane was ground and the juice was extracted, the cane . . . — — Map (db m173315) HM
Built in Confederate Texas in 1861-1862. Furnished essential salt to army and civilians. Raided by landing parties of Federals from Gulf ships, Nov. 27, 1862, lost buildings, 22 kettles, 4 large boilers. 10 tons of salt in hide bags was partly . . . — — Map (db m173948) HM
(South Face of Monument)
Henry Smith was born in Kentucky, May Twentieth 1788, came to Texas in 1827 and settled in what is now Brazoria County which he regarded as his home until his death. He was severely wounded in the Battle of . . . — — Map (db m90101) HM
Jane Herbert Wilkinson (1798-1880) was born in Maryland and moved to Natchez, Mississippi, in 1812. There in 1815 she married physician and soldier James Long (c.1793-1822). Jane was granted land in Austin's Colony in 1827, and opened a boarding . . . — — Map (db m184358) HM
Founded 1823 as Brazos River landing for Josiah H. Bell's plantation. Townsite of Marion laid out in 1824. Later named East Columbia. Army enlistment point and ferrying dock during Texas Revolution. Key river port and trade center during Republic of . . . — — Map (db m89323) HM
Near site of Dance Gun Shop. Started on Brazos River in 1850 by brothers J.H., George, and David Dance. Shop produced guns which helped arm the Confederacy during Civil War, 1861-65. The firearms were noted for precision. Shop also made machinery . . . — — Map (db m49712) HM
During a brief and troubled time in her life, Carry Amelia Moore Nation (1846-1911) operated the "Old Columbia Hotel" on this site about 1880. She later achieved fame as a hatchet-wielding crusader against the use of alcoholic drink and tobacco. . . . — — Map (db m89328) HM
During the first decade of the 20th century, mining engineers discovered sufficient quantities of sulphur deposits at Bryan Mound to lead to the organization of the Texas Freeport Sulphur Co. in 1912. The commercial production of sulphur at Bryan . . . — — Map (db m169695) HM
The Freeport Sulphur Company was instrumental in the founding and early development of the city of Freeport and the region. It was incorporated on July 12, 1912, and then organized the Freeport Townsite Company with the purpose of developing a city . . . — — Map (db m96295) HM
Born near Austinville, Virginia, as was her brother Stephen Fuller Austin (1793-1836), Emily moved with her father Moses Austin (1761-1821) and mother Maria Brown Austin (1768-1824) to Missouri in 1798. The family operated lead mines there and . . . — — Map (db m90628) HM
A native of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, James Franklin Perry moved to Potosi, Missouri, in 1808. He joined the mercantile business of his relatives Samuel and John Perry, and became a partner in 1818.
While living in Potosi, Perry met and . . . — — Map (db m90627) HM
Named for a Mexican general. Early as 1532 a thriving village. Port of entry in Republic of Texas. Strategic fort in Civil War. Industrial area, cattle and cotton shipping point, 1870-1900. Fashionable summer colony, 1884 and afterwards. Largely . . . — — Map (db m244314) HM
This complex of barge canals and natural channels—most valuable waterway in America—stretches 1,116 mi. from Brownsville, Texas, to St. Mark’s, Florida. Is longer, carries more tonnage than Suez and Panama canals. Is a vital link in . . . — — Map (db m90133) HM
In the 1920s, the Hogg family built this row of cottages and the barn. Generations of cattle hands, workers, and property managers called these cottages home. The Hogg family built these cottages in the midst of the oil boom to provide . . . — — Map (db m173814) HM
The newly formed Republic of Texas faced many problems. With
no credit and no resources other than land, the republic had a
debt of 1.25 million dollars. Hostile Indians plagued the population. The new government appropriated $20,000 to . . . — — Map (db m164574) HM
In the 1840s, the Patton family slaves built this factory to produce sugar and molasses from sugarcane. Today, you can still see the outline of its foundation. Only the wealthiest planters could afford the massive investment of a sugar mill . . . — — Map (db m180369) HM
The Civil War and its aftermath greatly affected Brazos County. War halted progress of the Houston & Texas Central Railway and made Millican a boomtown. After the war, the railroad created a new town, Bryan City, and brought a need for men and . . . — — Map (db m170303) HM
"Welcome to My Town"
Father of Brazos County
Harvey Mitchell was born in 1821 in Tennessee. Because his parents could not afford to send him to college, the ambitious 18 year old came to Texas in 1838. From 1839 to 1842, . . . — — Map (db m170405) HM
Came to Texas from Tennessee in 1839, and joined "minute men" protecting north frontier from Trinity to Brazos River. Moved to Brazos County; served 1842-1853 in County offices: Deputy Clerk, County Clerk, Surveyor, Chief Justice. Taught school, . . . — — Map (db m119644) HM
In December 1924, Martin Kapchinskie purchased land at this site, along a one-lane country road connecting Bryan to Texas A&M University, near the communities of Union Hill and Midway. Here, he opened a store for travelers and named it Martin's . . . — — Map (db m168371) HM
Eli Seale 1793-1857
Elias (Eli) Seale was born in North Carolina in 1793. He served as a fifer in the War of 1812 in Mississippi, and in 1835 moved with his three brothers and his family from Alabama to Texas. He received his Mexican . . . — — Map (db m170484) HM
The First National Bank of Bryan traces its history to 1862 when its earliest predecessor, a private lending agency, was established by W.H. Flippen and Milton Parker in Millican. In 1867, after the Houston and Texas Central Railroad extended its . . . — — Map (db m170259) HM
The State of Texas consists of 254 counties. Washington County, with its settlements of Independence and Washington on the Brazos, was one of the 23 counties created in 1836 following Texas independence. Most of the area of present day Brazos . . . — — Map (db m170365) HM
Native of Missouri. Member of prominent family who were Texas statesmen, planters, developers. Grandson of Moses Austin, who obtained from Mexico charter for American Colony in Texas, but died before making settlement. Nephew of Stephen F. . . . — — Map (db m119643) HM
In 1831, Richard Carter (1789-1863), Virginia native and War of 1812 veteran, came from Alabama and received a grant of land within the Stephen F. Austin colony at the site of what is now the City of College Station. He became one of the areas . . . — — Map (db m168426) HM
The northern, or "highland",
region of Brewster County has
the highest average elevations
in the County, ranging from
3,700 up to 6,000 feet above
sea level. Lower temperatures
and slightly increased rainfall
contribute to open . . . — — Map (db m163876) HM
Born in Wharton County, John Riley Holland as a young man moved to Brady (McCulloch Co.) to become a rancher. He married Mary L. Fuller in 1881; the couple had two children, Crystal and Clay. By 1884, the Hollands moved to Presidio County near . . . — — Map (db m61070) HM
Transportation
In the thirty years following the Civil War, massive trail drives brought more than 10
million cattle to markets in the Midwest. Driving herds
across country was time-consuming and expensive in staff, supplies and wear on . . . — — Map (db m163874) HM
Imagine living in this remote region a century ago. In 1927, J. O. Langford built this store and post office to provide services to a ranching and mining community that spanned many miles and two countries.
In 1939, Maggie Smith ran the store . . . — — Map (db m218847) HM
The buildings below look like an active ranch, though this line camp was abandoned in 1945. Take the short trail down into the canyon for a closer view. The foreman's house makes eloquent use of native materials: reed ceiling from the river, timbers . . . — — Map (db m219285) HM
With better transportation and extensive advertising, health seekers and vacationers sought out this remote, riverside retreat. Langford's resort flourished from the 1920s to the 1940s. Rooms were $1 per day or $6 per week; hot spring baths were 25¢ . . . — — Map (db m218854) HM
Before the 1920s no one along this part of the Rio Grande had ever planted cotton. In 1922 businessman Wayne Cartledge began to sow that high-dollar commercial crop in these river-bottom fields. Cartledge also introduced steam- and gasoline-powered . . . — — Map (db m219109) HM
This adobe house was built in 1925 as the residence of Fred Garlick, farm manager for Wayne Cartledge's La Harmonia Company. During the 1930s, it also served as a schoolhouse for the children who lived in this remote area. The Garlick House is among . . . — — Map (db m219259) HM
During the Mexican Revolution, life on the border was often chaotic. This adobe structure stood as a symbol of harmony in that perilous time.
In 1918 Howard Perry, owner of the Chisos Mining Company in Terlingua, and his bookkeeper, Wayne . . . — — Map (db m219107) HM
Magdalena Silvas lived in this house in the 1950s. As a widowed mother, she raised her five children while cooking for La Harmonia Company here in Castolon for about 30 years. The family kept animals in the yard.
The Magdalena House is a window . . . — — Map (db m219110) HM
The southern region of Brewster County is characterized by rough terrain and low elevations with higher temperatures and less rainfall than in other parts of the County. As a result, only the hardiest of cattle can thrive here.
Border . . . — — Map (db m218777) HM
Transportation
In the thirty years following the Civil War, massive trail drives brought more than 10 million cattle to markets in the Midwest. Driving herds across country was time-consuming and expensive in staff, supplies and wear on the . . . — — Map (db m218636) HM
To a Modern Observer, living conditions in early 20th century Terlingua may seem primitive, even brutal. For immigrant miners, Terlingua and the Chisos Mine offered a distinct improvement over their native Mexico, which was torn by political . . . — — Map (db m220385) HM
Villalba family tradition traces their lineage to Algiers where several generations were members of the Order of Santiago in 1764, Federico's great-grandfather, Juan Villalba, traveled to New Spain (Mexico). He founded Rancho Villalba in 1773 near . . . — — Map (db m218941) HM
Mercury, or Quicksilver, is derived from a red-colored ore known as cinnabar.
Cinnabar (sample at left) was used by Native-Americans as a durable pigment, and there are many places in Big Bend where traces of ancient drawings . . . — — Map (db m111500) HM
With the Mother-Ore Cinnabar strike in 1890, Terlingua became the world's quicksilver capital, yielding 40 percent of nation's need by 1922.
Its name from Terlingua (three tongues) creek nearby, was coined by Mexican herders. Comanche, Shawnees . . . — — Map (db m60861) HM
Briscoe County pioneer William E. Schott (1870-1941) was born in Ohio and moved to North Texas in 1885. Still legally a minor, he came to this area in 1890 and filed a claim for the first of his later extensive landholdings. In 1891 he overcame . . . — — Map (db m151696) HM
Founded as a cattle shipping point by Edward C. Lasater, 1904, town bears name of a village on land he purchased in 1893. When the San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railroad extended its lines, Lasater (1860-1930) platted present townsite, built a hotel, . . . — — Map (db m166345) HM
One of ten children, Brooke Smith was born in 1853 to Paulina Thilman (Doswell) and John Snelson Smith, Jr. In Hanover County, Virginia. The family moved to Indiana in 1860 and then to Waco, Texas ten years later. There, Brooke became a clerk at . . . — — Map (db m220761) HM
The original Camp Bowie was a World War I training
camp near Fort Worth, Texas. On September 19, 1940,
the U.S. War Department authorized construction
of a new "Camp Bowie" near Brownwood. On
September 27, 1940 work began on the site. The . . . — — Map (db m246099) HM
On January 24, 1903, a group of local businessmen under the direction of J. J. Lane and C. C. Nelms met for the purpose of establishing a National Bank. The thirty original stock subscribers who attended pledged $25,000 in organizational capital and . . . — — Map (db m150939) HM
An 1878 railway work camp; in 1880 became town of Lyon's Station, named for site donor, W.A. Lyon. Soon had 3 cotton gins, an oil mill, many businesses. In 1894 hosted first auto ever seen in this county, with rides for the daring. Now gateway to . . . — — Map (db m204216) HM
Jebb Lee Woods (1872-1932) came to Somerville in 1900. He began working for his uncle at the cowboy merchant store, where he sold coffins. In 1911 he became the town undertaker and started the first funeral parlor in the county. The practice of . . . — — Map (db m203939) HM
In 1882 the Austin & Northwestern RR built a rail line through this site to haul granite, quarried at Granite Mountain in Marble Falls to build the State Capital in Austin. The town of South Gabriel was moved here, surrounding the tracks, and . . . — — Map (db m203267) HM
The Briggs State Bank was chartered on May 27, 1909. Constructed that spring, this limestone and brick building is typical of a commercial architecture style once popular in Texas. It features a three-bay front with central entry and transoms, and . . . — — Map (db m27432) HM
Completed about 1883, this two-story limestone structure is representative of other commercial buildings located on the Courthouse Square in the 1880s. It was built for local financier Dr. W. H. Westfall and Captain Brandt Badger (b. 1839), a . . . — — Map (db m27398) HM
The potential of water power on the Colorado River led town developer Gen. Adam R. Johnson and Farmers Alliance members to build a cotton mill on this site in the 1890s. The two-story stone factory, 300 ft. long and 100 ft. wide, was erected for . . . — — Map (db m27599) HM
Ernst Gustav Michel (1865-1930), a native of Germany, and his wife, Lillie Agnes, opened a drugstore at this site in 1891. After fire destroyed the first store in 1905, Michel built a 3-story edifice here. The first floor housed the drugstore and . . . — — Map (db m27635) HM
The earliest known permanent settlers in this area were Orrin L. and Susannah Winters and their extended family. By 1873, enough of a settlement existed to make application for a U.S. Post office. Postal officials rejected the first name selected . . . — — Map (db m180702) HM
Tennessee native Andrew Lee Brock (1830-1904) moved to Caldwell County in 1848, and he married Rebecca Montgomery Wayland. Two years later, Rebecca's father gave the couple a parcel of land on Boggy Creek as a wedding gift, and Brock built a log . . . — — Map (db m156052) HM
With cotton declining in the 1920s, Charles, who bought out Herman's share in 1922, shifted focus to the next wave of agricultural enterprises - livestock. With cattle, dairy, poultry and swine came a need for feed, so Charles and his sons Paul and . . . — — Map (db m204913) HM
Founded when Galveston Harrisburg & San Antonio Railroad line intersected a main wagon road from south Texas to Austin. Many families of the Atlanta community (3 mi. SE) relocated here. Plum Creek Post Office, opened nearby in 1848, also moved here . . . — — Map (db m204678) HM
One of the great benefactors of Texas. Born in Brockton, Mass. Had business careers in shoe manufacture and rubber planting. On retirement, came here and in wildcat operation brought in Luling oil field, 1922. By 1926 had 215 producing wells. Gave . . . — — Map (db m159725) HM
1922 brought the discovery of oil, drought and a boll weevil infestation. Cattle ranches, dairy farms, and oil derricks gradually replaced cotton fields and gins closed one by one, but not Zedler's Mill. It survived by milling a bit of everything - . . . — — Map (db m204794) HM
Cotton farmers brought in 1500 - 1800-pound wagon loads of cotton along with dirt and seeds. The cotton was sucked up into the mill where vacuums, a conveyer belt, gin stands, belts, shafts and a baler carried, cleaned and compressed the lint into . . . — — Map (db m204801) HM
Gears, shafts, wheels and belts captured and carried the force of the turbine's spinning shaft to power the millstones, gin stands, baler, elevators, augers and other moving parts of the mill.
Captions
Lower Left: In 1885 . . . — — Map (db m205210) HM
Do you know the history of your home town? Chances are that a grist mill played a key role. Ancient Rome valued bread so highly that bakers were freemen; all other craftsmen were slaves. Much has changed since then, but bread remains a staple in . . . — — Map (db m205208) HM
Once known as the "toughest town in Texas," Luling was established in 1874. Since it was originally founded as a railroad town as well as a rowdy center for cattle drivers along the paths of Chisholm Trail, Luling was not highly recognized until a . . . — — Map (db m204723) HM
In the late 1920s Charles Zedler and his sons built this mill to make feed for beef and dairy cattle, swine and poultry. Although exact locations are not known for all parts of the mill, storage bins and a milling separator were on the 2nd floor, . . . — — Map (db m204903) HM
With an ever-increasing demand for cotton clothes in the late 19th century, textile mills from America to Europe needed cotton thread to feed their looms. Meriwether and partners quickly added a cotton gin to the grist mill after the railroad . . . — — Map (db m205205) HM
What started as a grist mill quickly became a focal point of life in Luling. The gin sparked the town's first industry, the saw mill cut lumber for construction, and the grist mill churned out cornmeal. The steady stream of farmers, merchants, . . . — — Map (db m204792) HM
From mortar and pestle to massive millstones, humans have been grinding grain for millennia. More than 7000 years ago brute strength turned the stones. Draft animals replaced muscle power and wind and water replaced animals, but millstones still . . . — — Map (db m205203) HM
'Head' is the force generated by falling water. The further it falls, the more force it generates, which is why Meriwether dammed the San Marcos River to increase the fall of water.
Beginning in 1894, the Zedlers sold excess power to Luling. . . . — — Map (db m205211) HM
From about 1880 to the early 1920s, residents of Wattsville, Hall and other nearby towns used a cotton gin located here. Brothers Zechariah John and Thomas Watts settled the area ca. 1855, building the gin and also a general store and blacksmith . . . — — Map (db m204644) HM
On August 9, 1922 the trajectory of Luling changed forever when oil was discovered 6 miles northwest of town on a 126 acre plot of land named "El Rancho", which was owned by Mexican immigrant Rafael Rios, Sr. The Rafael Rios #1 discovery well opened . . . — — Map (db m204668) HM
John and James Meriwether and Leonidas Hardeman in 1874 built gristmill and sawmill at this site, with a stone dam across the San Marcos River. Bob Innes, John Orchard, J.K. Walker, and Fritz Zedler, as Luling Water Power Co., bought mills in 1884, . . . — — Map (db m76908) HM
Discovery well of Luling Field, a major Texas oil area. Wildcatter E.B. Davis drilled on land owned by R. Rios. Well came in Aug. 10, 1922, after 3 dry holes had been drilled in same area. Magnolia (now Mobil) Oil Co. bought field 1926. By 1969, . . . — — Map (db m201846) HM
James D. Cochran, H.H. Rogers, and S.A. White, in December 1848, opened a beef canning plant. It. had only moderate success. Live cattle on foot continued to be shipped to the distant beef markets. It would be twenty years before mechanically . . . — — Map (db m193371) HM
Indian Point had developed with a port of four wharves. This was achieved in three years from the ports beginning. In 1848 a steady movement of European immigrants continued through Indian Point, destined for the inland. The Adelsverein went . . . — — Map (db m193372) HM
In 1850 Angelina Eberly, a hotel owner, became the principal property holder in Indianola. Her assets being valued at fifty thousand. Mrs. Eberly's hotel catered to families, and her rooms being in constant demand. Her principal competitor was the . . . — — Map (db m193286) HM
In October 1848, a contingent of U.S. troops reached the port in route to San Antonio. These troops garrisoned the new fort of El Paso. Shortly thereafter, gold was discovered in Northern California and the seekers entered the port to take the . . . — — Map (db m193378) HM
Sailing ships from Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Pensacola, Mobile and New Orleans crowded the four wharves at Indian Point in 1848, to discharge their cargoes for the interior of Western Texas and to take in raw materials to the . . . — — Map (db m193289) HM
Harris & Morgan's steamship yacht was on a weekly schedule between Galveston and Matagorda Bay ports. Indian Point received another boost, this one from the widely read book by the author Viktor Bracht. His book compared Matagorda Bay favorably with . . . — — Map (db m193377) HM
Many of the graves in this cemetery reflect the hardships encountered by residents of Indianola, one of Texas' leading 19th century ports. The earliest marked grave is that of a child, William Woodward. His death occurred in 1852, a year when . . . — — Map (db m207844) HM
Henry Joseph Huck was born on August 3, 1822, in Ottenhöfen, Baden, in southern Germany. He graduated from Heidelberg University and, with the inheritance from his mother's death, Henry ventured to London and established a merchant business at the . . . — — Map (db m182236) HM
A Tennessean, Angelina Peyton came to Texas in 1822. With her husband, J.C. Peyton, she operated an inn in San Felipe, capital of the Austin colony. Peyton died in 1834; in 1836 the widow married Jacob Eberly. She and Eberly had a hotel in Austin by . . . — — Map (db m120710) HM
Between 1844 and 1887, Indianola grew to become a cosmopolitan port city that was second only to Galveston. Indianola became a port for trade and was the eastern terminus of the Chihuahua Road that traveled overland from the mines of Chihuahua city . . . — — Map (db m120703) HM
Charles Eckhardt and Theo. Miller, representing the merchants of Indian Point and the German Emigration Company, arranged a survey by John A. King, of Dewitt County, of a new and shorter route from New Braunfels to Victoria. The purpose was to save . . . — — Map (db m193343) HM
The war between U.S. and Mexico ended on Feb. 2, 1848. The exodus of the American troops from Mexico was a boost to Indian Point. There was an uninterrupted flow of homeward bound troops. The treaty gave the U.S. more land which would benefit the . . . — — Map (db m193380) HM
An Early Landing Place of
Supplies for the Interior
Captain Jack Shackelford's
"Red Rovers" of Alabama
Disembarked at This Point
A Town Established Here in 1836
Was Burned by Indians in 1840 — — Map (db m181121) HM
After Texas was annexed into the United States in 1846, part of what was once De Leon’s Colony was organized as Calhoun County, giving the county access to valuable cropland and bays—the most important being modern-day Matagorda . . . — — Map (db m117439) HM
After independence from Spain, Mexico utilized the Empresario System to settle the province of Texas with loyal citizens. Seeing his opportunity, Don Martin de Leon applied on April 8, 1824, to the provincial delegation of San Fernando de Bexar for . . . — — Map (db m181115) HM
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