In 1854 the Patrick brothers, James Moore (1795-1867), John Thomas Campbell (1814-68), and Minor Leander (b. 1818), led Presbyterian families from South Carolina to Rusk County. John built a six-room log house on the Shreveport-Douglass Road. The . . . — — Map (db m268561) HM
This church dates to the late 1860s and efforts by Methodists of the Caledonia community to organize formally. At that time, Dr. Lovick P. Garrison, John Barham and J. Harvy Johnson bought a tract here for the first church building. Also in the late . . . — — Map (db m268380) HM
Worship services began about 1917 in the Chalk Hill schoolhouse until a church building was erected in 1921. Materials for the community church were purchased through donations solicited from the citizens of Chalk Hill. In 1925 the women sold baked . . . — — Map (db m266769) HM
Organized in the late 1800's, Concord School operated until 1986, first as a high school, and later as an eighth grade school. The school was dismantled in 1977.
A Place of Memories
Faculty
Henry Busby
J.E. Rives
C.C. Choice . . . — — Map (db m268390) HM
Cemetery was begun after the death of Julien Sidney Devereux (1805-56), with the remains of his father, John W. Devereux (1769-1847), and an infant son reinterred soon after. Called Devereux and Sand Field, the plot served nearby Forest Hill . . . — — Map (db m268393) HM
Monte Verdi, the 10,700-acre Antebellum Plantation of Julien Sidney Devereux and Sarah (Landrum) Devereux Garrison, was one of the most economically and historically significant plantations in the state. Devereux family papers at regional and state . . . — — Map (db m268394) HM
The original two acres of land on which this cemetery is located were donated by John W. Kuykendall in 1852. At the time of the cemetery's founding a large rock marked the grave of J. W. Hall, who was buried here in 1844. His is the oldest grave in . . . — — Map (db m266770) HM
A group of freedpersons established the Antioch community when they organized Antioch Baptist Church in 1866. The congregation planted five other area churches between 1884 and 1914, and served as a focal point of the settlement. Another important . . . — — Map (db m268601) HM
Prominent Henderson businessman and civic leader John R. Arnold moved his family to this property in 1908. He added a second story to the home (razed in 1966) that already existed at the site. He also built a number of structures around the . . . — — Map (db m268931) HM
This board-and-batten, five-room, dog-trot house, built in 1884, has been restored to its appearance in 1900. It was built at Church Hill by Robert Augustus Beall and wife, Ida Jane Peek Beall. Four of their seven children were born in this . . . — — Map (db m268927) HM
This burial ground, named for the community that organized near Bethel Springs was associated with a school and Methodist church. The earliest marked grave dates to 1879, though it is believed there are earlier interments. Features include Woodmen . . . — — Map (db m268848) HM
Blossom Hill United Methodist Church was established in 1879, when Mr. and Mrs. L.H. Patterson donated the first church property. The church was first known as Pleasant Hill Methodist Episcopal Church and was the first church established in the . . . — — Map (db m221465) HM
Eli and Eliza Buckner moved from Georgia to the Chapman community in 1851. Eliza died in 1857; when Eli died in 1861 he left a half-acre of land including their graves for use as a public burial ground.
The Reverend Julius Caesar Alford Bridges . . . — — Map (db m268569) HM
In 1839 this congregation was organized with the Rev. Claugh Waterfield as pastor. The first member was 14-year-old William F. Richards. The Rev. William Craig began the 300-mile Church Hill circuit in 1843. John Robertson, John Strong, and Samuel . . . — — Map (db m268594) HM
Chartered on Jan. 16, 1845, this Masonic Lodge shared a two-story building with the First Methodist Church for a number of years. A lodge building constructed at Depot and North Main in 1868 was also used for public school classes. The Masons . . . — — Map (db m268845) HM
The Mt. Enterprise Cotton Gin was donated by the Barts family of Mt. Enterprise, Texas: Mark, Sandi, Brian, April, Timmy, Jacob and Bailey, to the Rusk County Historical Commission for the preservation and enjoyment of all generations.
In 1792 . . . — — Map (db m268929) HM
It is believed interments were made at this site prior to 1882, when Jo Anna (Armstrong) Crim, the wife of Abraham B. Crim, was buried here. Hers is the earliest marked grave. That same year, the Crim's daughter Louisa (Crim) Armstrong was buried . . . — — Map (db m268615) HM
Sacred Harp (Fasola) singing is based on a system of shaped notes, dispersed harmony and minor chords. In its origins it was rural, folk, religious music that allowed singers to interpret, or personalize, the sounds. Brought westward by migrating . . . — — Map (db m268926) HM
In the mid 1800s, a community was formed on what is now FM 3310. By 1884, it was called the Mansinger neighborhood but was changed to the Ebenezer community after a church and school organized. Most of the early families were involved in . . . — — Map (db m268849) HM
Elias Fleming "Flem" Crim, Sr. and his wife,
Mattie Mae (Spharler) hired J.T. Melton to build
this home in 1913. E.F. was president of First
National Bank and served on the Henderson
school board. He was also a city alderman
and the Sunday . . . — — Map (db m289543) HM
Begun in 1845 by the Rev. Lemuel Herrin (d. 1852), pioneer missionary Baptist minister from Tennessee, this church was reorganized in 1850 by Elders John B. Renfro and J. O. Walker, and the Rev. Jesse Witt, who served as the first pastor. Total . . . — — Map (db m289541) HM
This congregation was organized by the Rev. Preston W. Hobbs in 1842. One year before Rusk County was created, as part of the Shawnee Mission. That appointment was renamed Henderson in 1843, when the Rev. Orin Hatch was appointed pastor. Other . . . — — Map (db m268607) HM
A native of South Carolina and a Confederate veteran, George W. Burton migrated to Rusk County, Texas, about 1880. He served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1915 to 1921. During his three legislative terms, he participated in the . . . — — Map (db m268844) HM
Constructed in 1884 for Mr. and Mrs. John S. Hardeman, this home was purchased in 1918 by H. L. and Nellie Griffin. Both Hardeman (1852-1925) and Griffin (1860-1947) were Henderson businessmen. The house, which exhibits elements of the Eastlake and . . . — — Map (db m221461) HM
Founded as the county seat for the newly created county of Rusk in 1843, Henderson was named for Republic of Texas pioneer and statesman James Pinckney Henderson, who would later become the first Governor of the State of Texas. Land for the town was . . . — — Map (db m221476) HM
The Old City Cemetery, believed to be the oldest established in Henderson in the mid-1840s, is situated on land that originates from the 1845. W.F. Johnson survey. The original deed records are not available due to a fire in the courthouse in 1878. . . . — — Map (db m266764) HM
W.O. Baughman CSA
John Chisum Bell CO. В 3 Texas CAV
Oswell Burt CO. D 18 TEX INF
William Jacob Clamp CO. K 13. SC INF
Benjamin Gibson PVT. CO. F 17 TEX CAV.
John T. Gibson 1st. SERG. 17 TEX CAV.
Thomas Gibson CAPT. CO. D 10BN GA . . . — — Map (db m268617) WM
First brick home in county. Built 1855 by brothers, David P. and Jas. Logan Howard, settler's from Richmond, Va. The Howards made bricks with mud mill and later with a patented machine and kiln on the premises.
(Howard Bricks and carpentry went . . . — — Map (db m268609) HM
Georgia natives John and Mary Strong migrated to Texas about 1849 and were pioneer settlers of eastern Rusk County. They helped set aside land for the local Methodist congregation, the Church Hill Male and Female Academy, which operated in the . . . — — Map (db m268592) HM
Born in Halifax County, North Carolina, William Wright Morris moved with his family to Coosa County, Alabama, in 1840. He taught school, studied law, and was elected judge. In 1847 he brought his mother, widowed sister Martha (Morris) Spivey, her . . . — — Map (db m266766) HM
Following the creation of Rusk County and the establishment of Henderson as county seat in 1843, Old City Cemetery and the Graham-Hall or "New" City Cemetery served families as the primary public graveyards for nearly a century. With the death of . . . — — Map (db m268747) HM
Organized in the Sugar Hill community in 1866, the Liberty Missionary Baptist Church was accepted into the Mt. Zion Baptist Association in 1868. A new building was erected east of the original church and school in 1897. In 1927 the church had 68 . . . — — Map (db m268556) HM
The jet fighter/trainer was assigned by the USAF Museum to the Skyhook Squadron, CAF, and the city of Henderson to serve as a 'Gateway Guardian' to Rusk County Airport. Approval was received on September 22, 1992, and on September 28, 1992, . . . — — Map (db m268838) HM
Built 1901 by Michael Kangerga (1873-1962), a native of Croatia, Austria-Hungary, who settled in Henderson in 1887 and with his brother Rade Kangerga founded M. Kangerga & Bro., a mercantile and financial institution, 1895. In 1896 he married . . . — — Map (db m289540) HM
Constructed in 1884 by S. M. and J. H. Mims, this building was purchased in 1893 by Clinton Lodge No. 23, A. F. & A. M., which had been chartered in 1845 when Texas was an independent republic. The Masons conducted meetings on the second floor of . . . — — Map (db m221478) HM
This house was built in 1892 by Charles M. Thompson and his wife, May Agatha Trammell, for May's mother, Martha (Mattie) Gibson Trammell, a certified teacher. In this building Mattie taught young men and women the rudiments of etiquette until 1910. . . . — — Map (db m268606) HM
One of the first lots occupied after the town of Henderson was founded in 1848, this site has been a cornerstone in the city's downtown development. Jesse F. Merritt bought the lot in 1883 and had this brick building constructed for his Sunny South . . . — — Map (db m221479) HM
In the 1840s, Jesse Walling, veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto, set aside four acres for a church, school, Masonic lodge and cemetery for Liberty Hill community, later renamed Millville of nearly 400 graves many unmarked, Ann Rushing's (d. 1851) . . . — — Map (db m268616) HM
Located on part of the Hansel Wright Survey, this congregation and cemetery were established in the 1850s. Many early church members, including organizers Thomas Ballenger (1811-1882) and B.F. Montgomery (1810-1900), migrated to the area from . . . — — Map (db m268602) HM
For years major oil companies had contended there is "No oil in East Texas." They were proven wrong when Columbus Dad Joiner's third oil well hit the Woodbine Sand on October 3, 1930. Joiner's Daisy Bradford #3 roared in at a depth of 3,592 feet and . . . — — Map (db m268987) HM
On this hill, as he wished for burial in sight of courthouse is grave of General James Smith, co-founder of Henderson. A South Carolina native he fought for the U.S. in War of 1812. Moved to Texas 1835. Returned to U.S. to raise troops for Texas War . . . — — Map (db m268614) HM
Located on land donated in 1845 by Captain Robert W. Smith (1814-1851), a veteran of the Texas Revolution, this cemetery first served the members of Pleasant Hill Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The earliest marked grave is that of DeWitt Smith, who . . . — — Map (db m268749) HM
Captain Robert W. Smith (1814-51), a veteran of the Texas Revolution, donated land at this site in 1845 for use by a Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The first building here, a log chapel, was also used for school classes. In 1856 the property was . . . — — Map (db m268748) HM
Αn 1836-37 Republic of Texas soldier who joined 1842 Mier Expedition to punish Mexican invasions of Texas. Captured in Mexico, he escaped firing squad by drawing a white bean, but was chained in prison for two years.
The well-educated son of . . . — — Map (db m268568) HM
In the early years of Texas Statehood Rusk County was home to a number of large plantations. By the end of the Civil War many of the plantations were gone, and small farms replaced larger operations. Crops included cotton, sugar cane, grains, and . . . — — Map (db m268984) HM
In the 1850s, several families settled in an area that became Pleasant Grove also known as Shake Rag. In 1911, the community organized a Baptist church. The church met in the Pleasant Grove School House that was shared with the Methodist Church. In . . . — — Map (db m268990) HM
An Indian village occupied successively by several Indian tribes before the Cherokees and their associates were driven from east Texas in 1839. The mounds, suggestive of their burial places, and bits of pottery remain mute evidences of the . . . — — Map (db m289583) HM
This cemetery originally served the family of Georgia native John Strong (1806-1854), a pioneer leader of the nearby Church Hill community. The earliest marked grave is that of his grandson John A. Young (d. 1853), the son of William and S.E. . . . — — Map (db m268590) HM
From the beginning of the Rusk County Depot Museum in 1978 until her death in 2017, Susan Weaver was a driving force in recording, interpreting, and preserving Rusk County history.
She served as director of the Depot Museum from its inception . . . — — Map (db m268980) HM
In 1841 Thomas Jefferson Walling (1811-1902) and his wife Nancy (Price) erected this one-room log cabin. Typical of many pioneer farm homes in this area, it was built of hand-hewn timbers joined at the corners by square notches. Walling was a . . . — — Map (db m268930) HM
The fire of August 5, 1860 in Henderson, Texas, marked the beginning of the end of the Union in Texas. As a successful agricultural and commercial center, Henderson was one of the most important cities in Texas. Fires erupted all over Texas . . . — — Map (db m221474) HM
On June 1, 1877, the first train of the Henderson and Overton Branch Railroad arrived here. Only a freight-loading platform was built at that time. The depot was finished by 1901 and the warehouse added in 1909. A Fairbanks 1 and 1/2 ton scale was . . . — — Map (db m268604) HM
Although plans for a rail line were made as early as 1852, railroad tracks were not laid in this area until after the end of the Civil War. Overton (14 mi. NW) became the center of Rusk County railroading after the International & Great Northern . . . — — Map (db m268932) HM
A Methodist circuit rider, the Rev. William Craig was born in South Carolina and entered the ministry at age 18. He married Rebecca Hortense Horton (1785-1866) and had six children. About 1841, he moved from Mississippi to San Augustine, Texas. In . . . — — Map (db m266767) HM
From 1948 when Lake Forest Park first opened, to the early 1970's, the train and 3 cars entertained thousands of youngsters and adults alike.
Riders were taken around familiar scenes of East Texas on 2200 feet of track. Crossing the Sabine . . . — — Map (db m268989) HM
December Fifth 1803 July Twenty Ninth 1857
Soldier Patriot Jurist Statesman
Left Side
He signed the Declaration of Independence.
Helped draft the Constitution to a large degree. He devised the court system and served as . . . — — Map (db m221307) HM
The first grave at this site was that of Georgia native Anna Welch (1804-1877), who selected the hillside for her own burial. It was used as a family cemetery from that date. The property was owned by her son Andrew Jackson "Jack" Welch (1825-1899), . . . — — Map (db m268563) HM
William C. Davis came to Texas from North Carolina in 1835 and settled in this area, in what was then part of Nacogdoches County. He received a land grant in Lamar County for his service in the Indian Wars of the late 1830s, but retained his . . . — — Map (db m268847) HM
Hansel Wright (1773-1856) came to East Texas in 1836 and was granted land for service in the Republic of Texas Army. In 1846 he moved his family to this area and used a portion of his land to establish the cemetery at this site. The oldest marked . . . — — Map (db m268603) HM
In 1867 Augustus Ferguson deeded 8.5 acres of land for a church and school. This congregation was formed in 1868, with the Rev. John Sparkman (1821-82) as the first pastor. According to tradition, there were 15 charter members. Services were . . . — — Map (db m268566) HM
An oil boom here in the early 1930s prompted the formal organization of the Gaston Independent School District in 1931 to cope with the community's rapidly expanding student population. The district chose Dallas architects Emory White and Howard . . . — — Map (db m105651) HM
The first well in the East Texas Oil Field
was discovered by C. M. (Dad) Joiner in
October, 1930. This discovery, 1.2 miles north of this point, led to the development of the largest oil field in America.
Pioneer Park
Dedicated to . . . — — Map (db m164024) HM
Discovery genius was C. M. (Dad) Joiner, 70-year-old Oklahoman who for years believed there was oil in Rusk County. Driller was E. C. Laster. Crew: Dennis May, Dave Cherry, Glenn Pool, Jim Lambert and Dave Hughes.
Joiner's 2 early efforts . . . — — Map (db m105656) HM
Located in the Chinquapin community, McCune Cemetery dates to 1852. Pioneer James L. McCune (1788-c.1838) came to Texas as a member of David G. Burnet's colony and received a land grant in 1835. McCune's son, James, married Delila Storm, a local . . . — — Map (db m268433) HM
In 1889, the Centre Presbyterian Church formed to serve as a school and place of worship for the growing
Elderville community. A burial site formed behind the church with charter members among the earliest interments. There were 12 graves by 1920. . . . — — Map (db m266768) HM
This rural community has been known by many names. First called Gibsontown, it changed to Murval when a post office operated from 1853 to 1866. During the 1890s, the Rusk County News labeled the locale Needmore, and a hotel and school soon . . . — — Map (db m268562) HM
This cemetery began with the interment of Paul and Martha Rettig's infant son, Joseph, in 1879 on Rettig family land. In 1883 two children of the tenant farming Kinsey family were buried near Joseph Rettig's grave and the site gradually became a . . . — — Map (db m268434) HM
The Mt. Zion Baptist Association, composed of thirteen area Baptist churches, was organized on this property in 1857. The cemetery's name is derived from the use of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church sanctuary and grounds as a campsite by Confederate . . . — — Map (db m268391) HM
Josiah J. Holleman, born in 1785, came to this area from Virginia circa 1846, bringing with him his wife, Jane (Jennie) Elliot Holeman, and their children, Josiah was buried on his family's land here in 1862. In 1869, his wife was buried beside him. . . . — — Map (db m268421) HM
J.W. Griffith was born November 1, 1923 in Gary, Panola County, Texas. He was the fifth son of W.G. and Ethel Griffith. On August 10, 1946, he married Mae Chapman. They had 4 children: Phil, Joe, Nancy and Mark.
He was saved June 18, 1939 and . . . — — Map (db m270686) HM
Originally serving the Lyles and Sanders families, this burial ground was established in 1860, when infant Susan Lyles was interred here. By 1899, individuals from outside the family, living in communities like Iron Mountain, Gould, Sulphur Springs, . . . — — Map (db m268418) HM
The first of Wyatt Greer and Francis Ethel Griffith's nine children was born at Mt. Bethel, Panola County, Texas on November 24, 1914, they named him Heaton Oran. He changed it to Oran Heaton. Family and close friends called him Heaton. Others . . . — — Map (db m270688) HM
This church traces its history to 1873, when a small group of worshipers gathered together at Chinquapin Springs (one mile east) to build a community church. A small one-room log structure was completed on August 16, 1873, and was used by both . . . — — Map (db m268432) HM
This cemetery dates from the 1853 burial of Maranda Gilbreath. Four years later, the land was officially set aside by early settler Josiah Johnson for use as a public burial ground. Many of the unidentified graves are thought to be those of slaves. . . . — — Map (db m268435) HM
This congregation grew from the pioneer Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, which was organized in 1858. On August 16, 1873, following the earlier dissolution of Mt. Carmel several former members and area residents attended a meeting at Chinquapin Spring . . . — — Map (db m268431) HM
While no church records predating 1895 exist today, tradition holds that Sulphur Springs Missionary Baptist Church dates to 1890, when area residents formed the congregation. They first met in the Sulphur Springs Schoolhouse near the springs for . . . — — Map (db m268392) HM
London Baptist Church traces its history to 1856. By 1857 church members shared meeting facilities with the Odd Fellows Lodge in a jointly owned building located on the stagecoach route from Henderson to Waco. The structure was destroyed by fire in . . . — — Map (db m221463) HM
On March 18, 1937, a massive explosion destroyed the New London Junior-Senior High School, instantly killing an estimated 296 students and teachers. The subsequent deaths of victims from injuries sustained that day brought the final death count to . . . — — Map (db m221240) HM
The East Texas farming community of Pleasant Grove, also known as "Shake Rag," was established during the 1850s by southern planters. Among the first settlers were Judge Stephen Decatur Morris (1819-1898) and his wife, Mary (Bradford) (1823-1906), . . . — — Map (db m268991) HM
John S. Buckner (1806-1870), his wife, Mariah T. (d. 1874), and their two sons, Arthur Washington (1828-1894) and Mumford Jackson (1831-1872), traveled from Georgia and settled in this area before 1850. As the family and community grew, this site . . . — — Map (db m268558) HM
Pine Grove Cumberland Presbyterian Church was organized about 1850, with the Rev. Archibald Watkins (d. 1880) playing an instrumental role in its early years. The fellowship first met in a small log cabin near Martin's Creek. This building was . . . — — Map (db m268567) HM
In 1844, William Henderson Hillin established the Pine Hill community; over the next few years additional pioneers settled here, and soon this burial ground was established. The oldest marked grave here is of Wilson Sanders, dating to 1854. Veterans . . . — — Map (db m268559) HM
Members of the Scots-Irish Grant clan sailed from the British Isles to the new world early in the 1600's bound for Colonial Virginia and Maryland.
Matthew Matthias Grant was born in Virginia where he grew to adulthood and married Caroline . . . — — Map (db m268554) HM
Daniel Martin and his family settled at this site ca. 1833, adjacent to the historic Trammel's Trace. Although the cemetery may have been in use much earlier, the oldest documented burial in Martin Cemetery is the 1883 grave of Jewel Williamson. The . . . — — Map (db m268553) HM
Begun as a burial ground for the family of pioneer settler Albert Tatum (1810-70), this land was the site of the rose garden near his plantation home. It was first used as a cemetery in 1862 for the interment of his son William. Also buried here is . . . — — Map (db m268542) HM
Wealthy Alabama native Albert Tatum (1810-1870) settled here at Trammel's Trace and Grand Bluff Road crossing in the 1840s. Slave labor built Tatum's plantation home, a social center for the area. His wife Mary gave land and a station in 1882 for . . . — — Map (db m268547) HM
An early Indian trail later named for Nicholas Trammel who surveyed it in 1813 for the U.S. used in describing most of the boundary between Rusk and Panola Counties. Portions of the Trace are incorporated into the County Line Road, 7/10 of a mile . . . — — Map (db m268545) HM
