The administration building served as the fort's headquarters. Built of stone and measuring 18 feet by 45 feet, it was one of the fort's larger structures. The commanding officer and his assistant, called an adjutant, worked out of this building. — — Map (db m305003) HM
On this hill stood Albany’s first public school, a wooden building, erected 1884. It was replaced, 1909, by a stone structure which was enlarged – to the west, 1923, to the east, 1927, a gymnasium was added on the north, 1928. The school and . . . — — Map (db m85275) HM
Fort Griffin's bakery was one of the most substantial buildings on the post. Built of stone with a cypress-shingle roof, the bakery is one of the few structures that remains from the original fort. As bread was a permanent feature of the garrison's . . . — — Map (db m304891) HM
This pioneer burial ground contains more than a dozen graves of African Americans. The land was part of the Veals Addition to the town of Fort Griffin. Milton Sutton bought the property at public auction in April 1882. Two visible markers are for . . . — — Map (db m105366) HM
In 1900, the Texas Central Railway extended a line northwest from Albany across this portion of Rose Ella (Matthews) Conrad’s cattle ranch. Ella and her brother John A. “Bud” Matthews, for whom this site is named, promptly constructed . . . — — Map (db m79194) HM
Chosen county seat of Shackelford in 1874, Albany had a 43-acre townsite donated by Sheriff Henry C. Jacobs. County Clerk W.R. Cruger named city for his old home, Albany, Ga. A wooden picket courthouse was erected. The post office opened Aug. 1, . . . — — Map (db m94055) HM
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) operated nationwide between 1933 and 1942 to conserve natural resources and to provide work for young men during the Great Depression. The Federal program provided employment for 2.5 million young men working . . . — — Map (db m101585) HM
In 1961, Dyess Air Force Base, of Abilene, Texas, was one of six United States Air Force bases selected to host the Atlas F Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) system. Twelve launch sites, complete with launch control centers and silos, were . . . — — Map (db m105204) HM
Physician and military commander, Jack Shackelford, was born in Richmond, Virginia. He earned an M.D. degree and in 1811, moved to Winnsboro, South Carolina, where he opened his first practice and met Maria Youngue, whom he married. Shackelford . . . — — Map (db m85600) HM
(Front Side)
Few in numbers and with little protection from the military but refusing to abandon their country, certain families of courageous and determined people on the Texas frontier during the Civil War gathered together in hastily . . . — — Map (db m93646) HM
In December 1886, Evangelist J.P. Pinkerton led 26 people from 19 families to found this church. Members met in the Shackelford County courthouse. Miss Betty Parker then gave $50 to buy land for a one-room frame building completed in January 1889 at . . . — — Map (db m85200) HM
Commemorating
First Producing Oil Well
In
West Texas
The Texas Company - J.E. Wild A 1
Survey 65, University Lands
Shackelford County
Completed Nov. 9, 1913
Presented to
The Texas Company
By
Texas Mid-Continent Oil and Gas . . . — — Map (db m85638) HM
Oldest congregation in Northwest Texas Conference of Methodist Church. First church of any denomination founded in Shackelford County. Organized in 1873 at ranch home (8 mi. E) of J.C. Lynch (1828-1912), a later county judge, after Shackelford was . . . — — Map (db m94024) HM
Established by Brevet Colonel Sturgis acting under orders of Lieutenant General Charles Griffin, Commander Sixth U.S. Cavalry and Commander Frontier Area, for whom named. Headquarters of Companies A, F, & G, 11th Infantry and two companies 4th . . . — — Map (db m101560) HM
This structure was the jail used in the town of Fort Griffin near the United States Army post of Fort Griffin which defended the frontier from 1867 to 1881. During this period lawlessness was common in the town. Citizens built this thick-walled . . . — — Map (db m201796) HM
In July 1938, area residents gathered here to participate in the first showing of the Fort Griffin Fandangle. Earlier that year, Albany High School drama teacher Robert Nail, Jr. wrote and directed a play depicting the settling of the Fort Griffin . . . — — Map (db m85274) HM
On site acquired Aug. 18, 1877, for Fort Griffin Lodge No. 489., A.F.&A.M., chartered on Dec. 14, 1878. Stone was quarried nearby on Collins Creek. Volunteers built hall. School, civic affairs, church services of many denominations were held . . . — — Map (db m308369) HM
In the 19th century, the U.S. government established forts along Texas’ frontier to protect pioneers. By the early 1850s, Col. Jesse Stem farmed along the Clear Fork of the Brazos River, and Thomas Lambshead established his Clear Fork farm. As . . . — — Map (db m93641) HM
In Honor of the Georgia Battalion
Georgia was the only state in the Union to supply arms from its state arsenal when her sons came to Texas to join the fight for freedom. The Georgia Battalion of 5 companies of volunteers came as a . . . — — Map (db m94068) HM WM
Charles A. Hartfield purchased the lot on this site in 1881. A noted area cook, he quickly established “Charley’s Restaurant,” which included a bakery and boardinghouse. Hartfield was so successful that he planned an elegant rock . . . — — Map (db m85239) HM
T.E. Jackson, a prominent businessman from Fort Griffin (15 mi. N) built this structure in the late 1870s as a warehouse for a general merchandise store. For more than 100 years, it served the town of Albany as the site of various commercial . . . — — Map (db m85234) HM
Bob Green was born on his family ranch about 17 miles northeast of this spot in 1924, and he died there just before Christmas in 2009. Bob was a noted local rancher, conservationist, historian, writer, public speaker, and musician. He was immensely . . . — — Map (db m85560) HM
William Henry Ledbetter (1833-84), a native of Georgia, came to Texas in 1858, and established a salt works on Hubbard Creek (8 miles SW) in 1862. Ledbetter withstood fierce Indian attacks before moving near Fort Griffin (15 miles N). He was . . . — — Map (db m94057) HM
Located 8 miles southwest on Salt Prong, Hubbard Creek. Discovered 1861 by trail drives. W. H. Ledbetter began extensive development of deposits in 1862 with increased Civil War demand for salt. A large furnace was built, kettles and materials for . . . — — Map (db m46594) HM
(Center Panel)
Graduated
John Tarleton College
May 18, 1936
Graduated
Advanced Flying School
Kelly Field
October 6, 1937
“I want you to know I love every one of you”
Last words spoked to Albany friends . . . — — Map (db m93987) HM
A graduate of Albany High School, William Edwin Dyess was an aviation and infantry commander in the Philippines during World War II. Captured at the Fall of Bataan in 1942, he survived the Death March and escaped his captors a year later. Back in . . . — — Map (db m93986) HM
A native of Albany, and a graduate of Albany High School and John Tarleton Agricultural College, William Edwin Dyess was the son of Judge Richard T. and Hallie Graham Dyess. Trained as a pilot at Randolph Field, San Antonio, he led the 21st Pursuit . . . — — Map (db m85559) HM
Edwin Dyess remains Shackelford County’s most decorated serviceman. Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene is named in his honor. Born and educated in Albany and John Tarleton College, he joined the Army Air Force in 1938 and received his wings at Randolph . . . — — Map (db m85586) HM
The highest ranking serviceman from Shackelford County during World War II, Robert Williams was a native of Albany. After attending schools here, he graduated from Texas A&M in 1923 with a degree in Civil Engineering and a commission as a Second . . . — — Map (db m85585) HM
Arden Grantham moved to Albany as a small child and grew up here. In 1930, he was considered one of the most brilliant students ever to graduate from Albany High School. Albany Congressman Thomas L. Blanton secured him an appointment to the U.S. . . . — — Map (db m85587) HM
Robert (Bobby) Nail graduated from Albany High School in 1926. In New Jersey, at Lawrenceville Prep. School and Princeton U., his literary activities were highly acclaimed. Nail directed theater groups in Fort Worth, Dallas and Abilene before . . . — — Map (db m85201) HM
Built in 1874, and used as an office building, this structure was moved here in 1879 from Fort Griffin. Owner Edgar Rye was a newspaper publisher, cartoonist, and held numerous elective offices. Rye sold the building in 1896 to Anna F. Caperton, who . . . — — Map (db m94070) HM
Formed from Bosque County
Created February 1, 1858
Organized September 12, 1874
Named in Honor of
Dr. Jack Shackelford
1790–1857
Captain of the “Red Rovers”,
a company from Alabama which
became a . . . — — Map (db m80001) HM
First inhabited by nomadic Indian tribes, Shackelford County was created in 1858 and named for Dr. John Shackelford (1790-1857). The first permanent Anglo-American settlers in this area included J.C. Lynch (1828-1912), a native of Ireland who moved . . . — — Map (db m85633) HM
Built 1883-84 from plans by J.E. Flanders of Dallas, architect for several other 1880s Texas courthouses. Edgar Rye of Albany was construction superintendent. Kilted Scottish masons erected the walls of stone quarried a few miles southwest of . . . — — Map (db m85635) HM
Forever Honored
Dedicated to the Men
Who Served in All
Wars and to Those
Who Gave Their Lives
In Service to Our
Country Center front panel: Guy Taylor · Franz Miller · Gene Mauldin · Charlie Taylor · Bonnard Stafford · . . . — — Map (db m85589) WM
Erected 1877-78 by architects and builders Thomas & Woerner of Fort Worth. Gerard B. Allen of Saint Louis furnished ironwork. Initials on many of the native limestone blocks show masons’ claims to payment for work. An early prisoner, John Selman, . . . — — Map (db m94071) HM
Founded on counsel of the Rev. French McAfee; named in honor of pioneer rancher, Barber Watkins Reynolds (d. 1882). The Reynolds Presbyterian Academy opened in 1898, with classes meeting in a vacant storehouse. A Richardsonian Romanesque-style . . . — — Map (db m94025) HM
From 1858 until the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, a station of the Butterfield Overland Mail route was located here. Despite a brief existence, it was an important stop on the early stage line that reached from Missouri to California. Stages . . . — — Map (db m105201) HM
The Houston & Texas Central Railway, which began building north from Houston in 1856, was tapped in 1872 by a branch line from Waco. In 1879, the Texas Central Railway Co. was chartered to extend the branch from Ross, 11 miles north of Waco, to the . . . — — Map (db m94053) HM
In 1866, a Union Army Regular, Harry Hall (H.H.) McConnell (1837-1895), left Pennsylvania and traveled to Fort Belknap near Jacksboro. A natural journalist, he was a talented writer with an inquisitive mind and sense of humor. Along with his . . . — — Map (db m94054) HM
The first cable tool oil field drilling rig was introduced in Texas in 1866. A cable tool rig consisted of a steel drilling cable with a bit suspended at the end. The bit would be dropped into a hole, and the impact would break up the ground. A bail . . . — — Map (db m105202) HM
William Ivy Cook (1857-1923) and his wife Matilda moved to this county in 1895. With a brother-in-law, J.H. Nail, Cook purchased a 27.75-section ranch. The Cooks bought out Nail in 1898, and have owned the ranch ever since. During the 1918 . . . — — Map (db m80000) HM
First permanent home in Albany. Built 1875 of stone from nearby deposits by Henry Carter Jacobs (1842-94), an organizer and the first sheriff of Shackelford County. A Kentuckian, Civil War veteran, and surveyor, Jacobs platted town of Albany, . . . — — Map (db m94069) HM
This was Albany’s first stone mercantile store. It was erected in stages, combining Greek Revival and Victorian Italianate designs. In 1878, W.H. Miller built 1-story east unit, and permitted Albany Masonic Lodge to erect a second story. Local . . . — — Map (db m85198) HM
In the fall of 1874, Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie and his 4th Cavalry Regiment were under orders to drive large bands of hostile Indians in northwest Texas back to the Ft. Sill Reservation. In a fierce battle Sept. 26-28, 1874, in Palo Duro Canyon, . . . — — Map (db m105367) HM
Scottish immigrant John Brown (1842-1903) moved west following his theological studies in New York. He married Mary Jane Matthews Larn near Fort Griffin and in 1884 became minister of Albany Presbyterian Church, just as West Texas farmers and . . . — — Map (db m288891) HM
Cattle have been important to Texas’ economy since early Spanish mission days. Before and after the Civil War, routes developed for driving herds through Texas to sell in Missouri and Kansas. The best known was the Eastern, or Chisholm Trail, but . . . — — Map (db m93643) HM
The oldest church building in Albany. Methodists, who organized their church in 1873, built this sanctuary on Schoolhouse Hill in 1889, moved it to Main Street in 1909. Trinity Episcopal Mission, founded 1910, bought structure in 1913, remodeled . . . — — Map (db m94026) HM
The land on this site, Lot 9, Block 3 of the original town plat of Albany, was purchased in 1882 by noted local restauranteur Charles Hartfield. He planned to build a restaurant next door, and the pending establishment was much anticipated by . . . — — Map (db m85238) HM
Modern Christian camping records go back to the late 1700s, but the focus on camping for youth started in west Texas in 1898 on the Clear Fork of the Brazos River. The Baptist Young People’s Union of Haskell, Albany, Anson and Abilene met here for a . . . — — Map (db m95118) HM
The appearance in 1908 of oil and gas in water wells in this vicinity prompted the Texas Company (later Texaco, Inc.) In June 1909 to begin leasing large tracts of land. After a surface geological survey, a wooden derrick complete with cable tools . . . — — Map (db m80101) HM
Born in Ashtabula County, Ohio in April 1852, Granville Eades Waters came to Texas in 1871. He settled in the north central part of the state before moving to Shackelford County in 1876. The next year, he wed Rennie Harris, daughter of a Waco mayor. . . . — — Map (db m80130) HM
Oil drilling in the 1920s transformed this area from cattle ranches to a boomtown. In 1919, the Ibex Oil Co. drilled a successful well into the Caddo Lime Formation. Soon other drilling companies came and wooden derricks spread for miles. In 1921, . . . — — Map (db m80073) HM
Pioneers came to this area as early as the 1860s. During the Civil War (1861-65), they built the temporary fortress settlement of Mugginsville on Deep Creek. At one time, a branch of the Western Cattle Trail passed nearby. Population increased . . . — — Map (db m80100) HM
After Hulltown (later Moran) was founded in 1883, nearby Dennis and Johnson cemeteries were the only burial grounds. In 1896, Moran citizens elected local business leaders Matthew D. Bray, Aaron J. Thomas and John W. Despain as trustees for the . . . — — Map (db m80131) HM
The Hulltown Church of Christ organized shortly after the establishment of the village of Hulltown (later Moran) in 1883. In the early years, the congregation met in different homes. In 1886, real estate investor, Bem Scott, deeded Block 30, Lots . . . — — Map (db m144892) HM
