In December of 1902 the city hall building burned. For more than 20 years the city conducted business in rented quarters. In 1929 the City bought land at the corner of N. Line and W. Kilpatrick St., the site of this building, from the Barney B. Hart . . . — — Map (db m139532) HM
Addie E. McFarland, an early black educator in Mineola, first opened a kindergarten program in her home before being asked to teach first and second grade at the public school. Miss Addie taught full time until 1944 when she became ill. After her . . . — — Map (db m139482) HM
Born here on July 10, 1882, Ima Hogg was the only daughter of Sarah Stinson and Gov. James S. Hogg. Ima studied fine arts at the University of Texas in Austin, and in New York and Europe. In 1918 oil was discovered on the Varner-Hogg Plantation near . . . — — Map (db m139022) HM
A native of Upson County, Georgia, Cadwell Walton Raines (1839-1906) contributed to Texas history as a Methodist preacher, schoolteacher, attorney, newspaper publisher, county official, historian and state librarian. He first came to this state in . . . — — Map (db m138988) HM
Wood County natives Lorenzo Dow Callaway (1869-1918) and Elizabeth Williams (1874-1949) married in 1892 and had five children. Lorenzo joined his father, James Anderson Callaway, in his mercantile business, and had other varied interests including . . . — — Map (db m139051) HM
Taylor Greer, Henry Mings and A. W. Fulcher purchased this property for a bottling plant in 1913. Greer and his wife, Ebbie (Bomar), later bought the others' interests and ran the plant, which bottled milk and soft drinks. In 1926, Greer Bottling . . . — — Map (db m139032) HM
Adolphus Patten was born in North Carolina to Elijah and Nancy Watson Patten. He opened a medical practice in Rome, Georgia, where he married Emeline Eliza Trout in 1846. In 1854, they set out with family members to California via Texas but settled . . . — — Map (db m139057) HM
This site has been home to the First Baptist Church of Mineola since the congregation's first frame building was constructed here in 1877. The church's history dates to the early years of Mineola's development, after the town was founded in 1873 at . . . — — Map (db m139035) HM
Chartered in 1898, the First National Bank of Mineola was housed in several downtown locations before this building was constructed in 1912. Built on the site of the former Mineola Mercantile, which burned in 1903, the bank building exhibits a blend . . . — — Map (db m139011) HM
Chartered on May 31, 1898, the First National Bank of Mineola incorporated for $50,000 at $500 per share. The majority shareholder, lawyer and former Wood County Judge H. M. Cates, became first president. Local photographer J. O. Teagarden served as . . . — — Map (db m139039) HM
Georgia native George C. Reeves came to Mineola soon after its founding in 1873. He served as city marshal, and through his association with County Attorney (later Governor) Jim Hogg, he became a transfer agent for the state penitentiary system. . . . — — Map (db m139056) HM
James Stephen Hogg lived in Wood County from 1868 to 1882, formative years of his political career. When he became Governor, he appointed several Wood County friends to public offices. They included: Sarah Rosalie Patten Buchanan, who became a . . . — — Map (db m139023) HM
During the Great Depression (1929-41), Mineola residents were aided by federal and local government initiatives. Federal programs such as the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Civil Works Administration (CWA) employed workers; provided funds . . . — — Map (db m219468) HM
Kentucky native Harry Meredith (1871-1962) attended business college in Illinois and was owner-operator of a brick plant in his hometown of Leitchfield before moving to Mineola, Texas, with his wife, Mary Henri Hunter, by 1907.
Meredith entered . . . — — Map (db m139036) HM
Louisiana native John Creighton Buchanan moved to East Texas and established a legal practice in Quitman. He became the first Wood County Attorney in 1876, the year before he married Sarah Rosalie "Rosa" Patten (1855-1941). He represented Rains, . . . — — Map (db m139070) HM
Angus and Lena Beaird began construction of this house in 1918; it was completed in the early 1920s. The Beairds sold the house in 1928 to Howard and Vivian Lott, who were leaders in the development of Mineola and Wood County. The house exhibits . . . — — Map (db m139049) HM
M.T. Mallory and his sons, Eugene and Claude, beginning in 1916 owned and operated two grocery stores and a feed store. The first location was at 112 South Johnson Street. Shortly after 1920 the store location was moved to 127 West Broad Street at . . . — — Map (db m139533) HM
Since its establishment in 1873, the community of Mineola has been tied historically to the railroad and transportation industries. The Texas & Pacific Railroad planned to connect Longview and Dallas by rail, and began building west in 1872. . . . — — Map (db m138978) HM
The Mineola Black Spiders were minor league baseball players who played in league where only the ball was "white". Consisting of 27 players clad in solid gray uniforms, figuratively speaking, could thump the cover of a baseball. All home games were . . . — — Map (db m139481) HM
In the 1800s and into the first half of the twentieth century, African-American baseball teams played separately from white teams. The community of Mineola, though small in population, had both white and black baseball teams. The Mineola Black . . . — — Map (db m138972) HM
In the 1870s, the Texas & Pacific and International & Great Northern railroads built lines through this area, with the town of Mineola serving as the eventual juncture of the two. Fire was one of many challenges faced by early local inhabitants of . . . — — Map (db m139053) HM
This business located on Front Street was established in October, 1902. The owners were Dr.Cochran, Mr. C.M. Dozier, and Mr. J.P. Kittrell.
The company had a power plant that produced all the electricity for the city. They also had an ice plant . . . — — Map (db m139485) HM
The Opera House Era in Mineola lasted from the 1870s until the 1910s and was an important period in the city’s social history. Rail connections to bigger cities brought many famous artists here. In 1877, William J. McDonald opened McDonald Hall, and . . . — — Map (db m139005) HM
Postal service in Mineola dates to 1873, when an "unofficial" post office opened in a local drugstore. The first U. S. post office in the area was granted in 1875. This building was constructed in 1937, at a time when numerous public works projects . . . — — Map (db m219456) HM
Mineola Public Library (later Mineola Memorial Library) was established largely through the efforts of Vivian Williams Lott. She became interested in opening a public library after seeing one while working as a teacher in San Benito (Cameron Co.) in . . . — — Map (db m139037) HM
When the Texas & Pacific and the International & Great Northern Railroads intersected in 1873, the town of Mineola was created. Settlers quickly saw the need for educational facilities for their children. Shortly thereafter, private schools were . . . — — Map (db m139052) HM
Jewish immigrants who came to Texas through Galveston started arriving by train in Mineola shortly after its establishment in 1873. Many soon established businesses near the intersection of Broad and Johnson Streets, including Simon and Aaron . . . — — Map (db m139016) HM
Arkansas native Owen Pinkney Pyle (1867-1919) was publisher and editor of the Mineola Courier at the turn of the century. An advocate of the farmer he was instrumental in establishing the Texas Farm Union and the National Farmers Educational and . . . — — Map (db m201920) HM
An early leader of the Texas progressive era and a national spokesman for the concerns of farmers, O. P. Pyle had this home constructed in 1903-04, when he was editor and publisher of the Mineola "Courier." Built by local craftsmen, including "Zonn" . . . — — Map (db m139021) HM
This city's fortunes have been tied historically to railroads. Mineola was born in the summer of 1873, as the Houston and Great Northern (later International and Great Northern) and Texas and Pacific lines raced to a predetermined crossing point. . . . — — Map (db m138977) HM
Born in Kentucky, Richard Malcolm Smith came to Texas in his youth. He found work as a journalist with the Galveston News and the Brazos Pilot. Smith attended his first Democratic state convention in 1878. He became a lawyer in 1885. . . . — — Map (db m139072) HM
A Georgia native and son of a Methodist minister, Robert N. Stafford moved to Mineola in 1880. He was county attorney from 1880 to 1882, served two terms as district attorney, and was elected to the Texas Senate in 1894. He served twice as a . . . — — Map (db m139073) HM
Mineola's saloon era began with its founding in 1873 at the junction of the Texas and Pacific and the Houston Great Northern Railroads. Saloons catered to Mineola’s many transient workers; the town had at least 14 different saloons during the era, . . . — — Map (db m138981) HM
Quitman native Sarah Rosalie "Rosa" Patten married future state senator John Creighton Buchanan in 1877. They moved to Mineola, and in 1884 Sarah was left a 29-year-old widow with three young children to support. She became a schoolteacher, and in . . . — — Map (db m139038) HM
The Select Theater was the seventh in a long line of Mineola venues dating from 1886. Mrs. Martha (Mattie) Hooks named the theater for Select Pictures, a Texas motion picture franchise, in 1920. Mrs. Hooks and her husband R. T. Hooks operated the . . . — — Map (db m219458) HM
A 1906 two-story home was constructed by J.J. McLeod for attorney Barney B. Hart (1845-1925), and the home remained virtually unchanged since a breakfast room was added to the original structure in 1916. Hart family members lived in the home until . . . — — Map (db m139034) HM
Mineola settlers chose this area, nicknamed "the Forks of the River," for its abundance of water. The town's first water service was administered by A. W. Front, who made daily deliveries to his 50 clients. A water well was located on this site as . . . — — Map (db m139014) HM
Dr. Walter Jackson Coleman and his wife, Mary Eugenia (DuBose), moved to Texas with their family from Isney, Alabama in 1897. After settling in the railroad town of Mineola, a traveling salesman persuaded Dr. Coleman to invest in the pharmacy . . . — — Map (db m139003) HM
Extensive settlement in this area began after the end of the Texas Revolution in 1836. The Texas legislature created Wood County in 1850, influencing further settlement. The community of Sodom developed here by 1871, when the Rev. John Branham . . . — — Map (db m138974) HM
During 1920 the highway from Dallas to Shreveport was routed through Mesquite, Forney, Wills Point, Mineola, Longview and on east to Shreveport. It has no marking and was called "The Dixie Overland Highway" or "42". Miss Clara Bogan (Bunn) is . . . — — Map (db m139534) HM
Irish immigrant Thomas Breen came to Mineola working for the Texas & Pacific Railroad Company, which reached the town in May 1873. He stayed to be the first ticket agent. In the late 1870s, he wed Irish native Lucy Wilson. In the 1880s, he opened a . . . — — Map (db m139040) HM
James W. Williams, a native of Mineola, was born in 1916, graduated from Mineola High School in 1934, and later received his medical degree with Baylor School of Medicine. In 1946, released from his military service with the Army, Dr. James Williams . . . — — Map (db m139484) HM
Desiring better living conditions, new residents began to look for water, electric and gas providers. The first water service, owned by A.W. Front, delivered water daily to customers in a one-horse wagon in addition to providing a bathhouse for the . . . — — Map (db m139055) HM
Born in Mississippi, "Bill" McDonald moved with his family to Rusk County, Texas, about 1866. During Reconstruction, McDonald was tried for treason after a conflict with Union authorities but was acquitted. He established W. J. McDonald and Co., one . . . — — Map (db m139048) HM
Ambrose Fitzgerald was born March 17, 1827 in Tennessee and came to Texas in 1846. On his arrival he settled on a 640 acre land grant in the Mercer Colony about 7 miles south of the present Lone Oak. In 1846 this land grant was a part of Nacogdoches . . . — — Map (db m139560) HM
It was not until 1884 that Wood County had public schools. From the date the first settler, Martin Varner, arrived in 1841, the County only had "pay" or "subscription" schools.
On April 24, 1871, the State of Texas approved "section five of an . . . — — Map (db m139535) HM
One of the earliest churches in Wood County. Organized Nov. 16, 1850, by pioneer settlers in a meeting moderated by a Cumberland Presbyterian, the Rev. Simon W. Weaver. Charter members included: Ursula Benton; M. M. and Mary Bigham; James, Robert, . . . — — Map (db m139241) HM
Founded before the Civil War, as Quitman Masonic Lodge. Petition for charter was made on Jan. 5, 1852. First officers: James N. Brown, Worshipful Master; A. Gunter, Senior Warden; Francis C. McKnight, Junior Warden. Petitioners (other than the . . . — — Map (db m139219) HM
A native of Alabama, J. H. Jones (d. 1923) came to Texas in 1877. After teaching school for several years, he was elected clerk of Wood County in 1886. He later became a successful merchant in Quitman. In 1902 Jones donated property at this site to . . . — — Map (db m139221) HM
Constructed in 1869 of virgin pine and oak by James A. Stinson, a widower who came to Texas in 1868 from Georgia after having served as a colonel in the Confederate Army. He brought with him his daughter Sallie. He bought extensive timber and farm . . . — — Map (db m139226) HM
Texas statesman whose nationally-acclaimed public career began at this site. The third son of Gen. Joseph L. and Lucanda (McMath) Hogg was born near Rusk. Orphaned during troubled Civil War era, he began at age 14 to earn his own way as a farmhand, . . . — — Map (db m139230) HM
Built in 1860s; bought Jan. 8, 1873, by James Stephen Hogg (1851-1906), who in 1874 married Sarah Ann Stinson of Wood County. When the couple honeymooned in this cottage, young Hogg was editor-publisher of "Quitman News" and justice of the peace -- . . . — — Map (db m139222) HM
Attorney, representative in the Texas legislature and public official Benjamin Franklin Cathey purchased several lots from Thomas Stephens located on the north side of the public square. By 1922, Cathey built several commercial brick buildings on . . . — — Map (db m139238) HM
Created
February 5, 1850
Organized
August 5, 1850
Named in Honor of
George T. Wood
1815-1856
Member of the Congress of the
Republic of Texas
An officer in the Mexican War
Governor of Texas 1847-1849
Quitman, . . . — — Map (db m138680) HM
The Texas legislature created Wood County in 1850 with Quitman as the county seat. The county first used a log courthouse on the south side of the square before building a two-story frame structure, which burned in 1878. The county’s third . . . — — Map (db m139235) HM
Notorious outlaws ravaged the southwest during the Depression years of 1932-33-34.
Spent time around Winnsboro, but never committed any known crimes. An accomplice lived west of own who provided food, ammunition and a hideout. Criminal pair . . . — — Map (db m139566) HM
Oil discovered in 1943. Town changed overnight. Hundreds arrived from oil patches throughout the U.S. Oil supported the local economy for over 40 years, & assured Winnsboro's future. Winnsboro is not wild today, but once was a "Texas Oil Boom Town". . . . — — Map (db m139570) HM
Built in 1903 by M.D. Carlock Sr. Confederate courier, prominent early - day attorney and political leader. Guests were Governors Hogg and Colquitt and Miss lma Hogg.
In this home the gracious living and entertaining of the old south are not . . . — — Map (db m139564) HM
Colonial mansion built by Marcus DeWitt Carlock, Sr., prominent early-day attorney, Confederate courier, political leader, friend of Governor Jim Hogg, member Electoral College that named Woodrow Wilson president. Entertained many high officials in . . . — — Map (db m139269) HM
The Rev. Kimberly served as the first pastor of the Central Christian Church of Winnsboro, organized in 1893 with twenty charter members. The following year the congregation had this sanctuary constructed. The original steeples were destroyed by a . . . — — Map (db m139305) HM
Located on land owned by early settler L. M. Musgrove, the springs near this site first were known as Musgrove Springs. Later called Chalybeate Springs for the high iron content in the water, they gave rise to a thriving resort community. A school . . . — — Map (db m139307) HM
This congregation, organized as the Providence Baptist Church in 1872, changed its name to First Baptist Church in 1880. A small sanctuary built nearby in 1880 was replaced by a brick building at this site in 1904. Prominent Baptist theologian the . . . — — Map (db m139277) HM
Organized in 1859 as the first religious group in Winnsboro, this congregation was disbanded during the Civil War, but was reactivated in 1869 with fifteen members. Early worship services were held in a community church until a Methodist sanctuary . . . — — Map (db m139279) HM
Organized in 1871, this church was chartered by the Rev. R. E. Sherrill with former members of the Presbyterian church in Webster (3 mi. SW). The first building for this church was a white frame structure built near the city cemetery on land given . . . — — Map (db m139274) HM
North Carolina natives Benjamin Lee, his wife Alice, and their family came to this area about 1853, and soon acquired over 1,230 acres of land. The Lees operated a large cotton plantation with the help of their ten children and slave labor. Benjamin . . . — — Map (db m139161) HM
One of oldest cemeteries in East Texas. First burial (date unknown) was an accident victim. The earliest gravestone belongs to Andrew Vannoy (1812-58), co-owner with Dr. Joseph McGee of one of first sawmills in area. Buried here also are members of . . . — — Map (db m139304) HM
The original cemetery site was donated by John and Martha Willard, whose son was the first to be buried here. They migrated to Wood County about 1866. In 1870, they purchased 300 acres for 50 cents per acre. Some of this property was rented to . . . — — Map (db m139306) HM
Settled in 1854, as "Crossroads," Wood County's first business located here. Crossroads' name changed to Winnsborough in 1855, when post office est. In 1878, railroad built through town. Became an important shipping point for timber & farming . . . — — Map (db m139561) HM
1878, East Line & Red River Railroad extended to Winnsboro from the water port at Jefferson, then to Greenville. 1902, Texas Southern Railroad, later M&ET, built from Winnsboro to Marshall. Winnsboro became a shipping center for timber & agriculture . . . — — Map (db m139568) HM
In 1900 a group of Indiana families, led by John M. Hart and Roland Alexander, migrated to this area of Texas. They arrived to find the land, which had been promoted as abundant in timber and rich soil, to be unfertile and susceptible to flooding. . . . — — Map (db m139160) HM
