Several communities in Navarro County organized military units that saw action in the Civil War. Company E of the 15th Texas Infantry was formed on April 16, 1862, when two squads were combined into one unit under the leadership of Captain Joshua . . . — — Map (db m60758) HM
Prior to the United States' entry into World War II, the U.S. government contracted with a number of civilian flying schools to assist in training military pilots for the Army Air Corps. In December 1940 the air activities of Texas, Corsicana . . . — — Map (db m118349) HM
A native of Scotland, Alexander Beaton came to the United States in 1843. He migrated to Texas in 1848 after serving in the U.S. Army during the Mexican War. In 1850 he settled in Corsicana and began the practice of law. He was chairman of the . . . — — Map (db m60493) HM
Grassroots researcher-writer and historical preservationist whose work led to development of this pioneer village.
Born near Dawson (10 miles Southwest), Taylor attended Baylor University (1911-13), married Maud Stockard (1914), and was . . . — — Map (db m60495) HM
Organized in Kansas in 1890 by Horace Greeley Johnston (1851-1930) of Ohio and Pennsylvania native Charles Rittersbacher (1857-1919). This company began as a water well drilling business. In 1891 the partners moved to Texas and began drilling in . . . — — Map (db m309664) HM
In 1923 Beauford H. Jester (1893-1949) and his wife, Mabel (Buchanan), built this colonial revival home on land that had been his family's dairy farm. A Corsicana attorney, Jester later served as chairman of the University of Texas Board of Regents . . . — — Map (db m247011) HM
Billy Joe Shaver was a pioneer of the outlaw country music movement. He is credited with writing some of the genre’s greatest songs. Shaver was born in Corsicana, Texas and raised by his mother, Victory Watson Shaver and his grandmother, Birdie . . . — — Map (db m309141) HM
West of the Mississippi River, in
this well, drilled by H. G. Johnston,
E. H. Akin, and Charles Rittersbacher
under contract for a water well
for the city of Corsicans in
1894, the first oil in commercial
quantities in the . . . — — Map (db m60000) HM
First important oil field in Texas
opened here October 15, 1895.
First successful refinery in Texas
Completed Christmas Day , 1898
— • —
Plaque presented to
The Citizens of Corsicana
by the
Texas Mid-Continent Oil and . . . — — Map (db m60492) HM
Chief executive when significant Gilmer-Aikin law was passed raising standards of public education in Texas. His administration also made strides toward prison reform, water control, improved public roads.
Jester was born at family home in . . . — — Map (db m60501) HM
A Corsicana native who was a hard working, well respected businessman that owned and operated Haynie Drilling Company.
He was often called Mr. Corsicana because of his love and support for his hometown. He received numerous community service . . . — — Map (db m309086) HM
On July 7, 2016 Brent Thompson and four other officers were murdered while protecting the citizens of Dallas. A peaceful protest was under way in downtown Dallas when gunshots echoed off of the buildings and chaos ensued. The police officers were . . . — — Map (db m309114) HM
(On plaque on south side of base:) The Call to Arms Erected 1907 by Navarro chapter United Daughters of the Confederacy To commemorate the valor and heroism of our Confederate Soldiers It is not in the power of mortals to command success . . . — — Map (db m61945) WM
Teer Hall is one of the last remaining buildings which were part of the original campus of what is now the Corsicana State Home. It originally served as the dining facility for the school and as student housing. The building fell into some . . . — — Map (db m310109) HM
Land for this cemetery was given to the Harmony Methodist Church in 1855 by Navarro County pioneer David Wilson Campbell. Ten acres were donated to the church trustees, with part to be set aside as a graveyard and known as Campbell Cemetery. David . . . — — Map (db m217629) HM
New York native Charles Henry Allyn (1842-1918) came to Texas in 1868, after having served as a captain in the Union army during the Civil War. Capt. Allyn arrived in Corsicana with his wife, Angela (Aldrich), in 1871. As a Corsicana businessman, . . . — — Map (db m201818) HM
1963 Corsicana State AAA Football Champions
14-0-0, the only undefeated, untied team in Texas
Assistant Coaches
Raymond Anderson •
Jerry Moore •
Paul Slaughter •
Jerry Matthews
Team
Bill Allison •
Jerry Anderson . . . — — Map (db m309111) HM
Collin Street Bakery was founded in 1896 by Texas entrepreneur Tom McElwee and German baker Gus Weidmann. It stood on this site from 1906 to 1965. This small-town bakery grew to be world famous, shipping deluxe fruitcakes to 196 foreign lands. . . . — — Map (db m309113) HM
Opened two blocks north of this site in 1896, by August Weidmann, an immigrant baker from Wiesbaden, Germany, and W. T. McElwee, a local cotton buyer.
Combining the talents of a baker whose pride and joy was baking a better cake with the . . . — — Map (db m313663) HM
Eminent judge, for whom a Texas county was named. Born in North Carolina.
Settled in 1840 in the Republic of Texas. Admitted to the Bar (1843), he served 1847- 49 in 2nd Texas Legislature.
Raising 150 men for Hood's Brigade, he served . . . — — Map (db m62207) HM
Born in Kentucky. Came to Texas 1849. Civic and political leader. Represented Navarro County in Legislature, 1859-60. Joined in call for State Secession Convention, 1861. Joined 3rd Texas Cavalry. Later a colonel in 10th Texas Infantry. Wounded in . . . — — Map (db m60954) HM
Soon after Navarro County was created by the Texas Legislature in 1846, a committee was appointed to choose a site for the county seat. The committee selected a 100-acre tract of land that came to be the city of Corsicana.
The town was named . . . — — Map (db m60061) HM
This memorial tablet is dedicated to the memory of the aviation cadets and instructor pilots who died in training accidents at Corsicana Army Air Field during World War Two. Men of three nations, here represented, made the supreme sacrifice while . . . — — Map (db m309144) WM
Air Activities of Texas
Corsicana Army Airfield
Corsicana, Texas
1940- 1944
301st Army Air Force Flying
Training Detachment
Primary Flight Training
Produced numerous combat
flying aces WW II
Civilian Operators and . . . — — Map (db m61628) WM
The city's first brick jail, this structure was erected in 1908 adjacent to the city hall on a lot purchased from Rebecca A. Croft, widow of Judge William Croft. On the lower floor were cells and on the top floor the police chief's office, occupied . . . — — Map (db m60500) HM
This burial ground has served the Jewish residents in Corsicana since the late 1800s. The first Jewish settlers in
the community came here in 1871, when the Houston and Texas Central Railroad extended it’s line from Houston to
Corsicana en . . . — — Map (db m62445) HM
A center of patriotism especially committed to the Southern cause. After the Nov. 1860 presidential election, citizens lowered the Stars and Stripes and ran up the Texas flag on the Courthouse. Early in 1861 influential men beat drums on the Square . . . — — Map (db m61783) HM
The first newspaper in Navarro County, called the "Prairie Blade," began publication in 1855 and was owned by Dan Donaldson. By 1859 the paper was owned by R. A. Van Horn who changed its name to the "Navarro Express." Paper was in short supply . . . — — Map (db m61921) HM
The women's clubs of Corsicana were instrumental in opening the city's first public library in 1901 at West 6th and
Main St. The city created a library board in 1904 and secured a construction grant from the Carnegie Corporation the . . . — — Map (db m60499) HM
Created by the 20th Legislature in 1887, the State Orphan Asylum originally provided care for orphans under age 14. State officials located the institution in Corsicana after local citizens donated over 200 acres at this site. The first students . . . — — Map (db m309658) HM
David Reed Mitchell, born in 1797 in North Carolina, arrived in Robertson County, Texas, in 1845. He was a surveyor
by trade, and had surveyed the upper Trinity and Brazos River areas in 1844. He became surveyor of the Robertson
County Land . . . — — Map (db m62464) HM
A native of Georgia, David Wilson Campbell migrated to Texas in 1835. He served in the Texas Army the following year during the Texas War for Independence. A pioneer farmer in Navarro County, he gave ten acres of land to the Harmony Methodist Church . . . — — Map (db m217630) HM
A native Texan, Will Coleman (1882-1953) grew up caring for livestock on the Robert Witherspoon Ranch in Chatfield (12 miles northeast). His family moved to Corsicana in 1899; in 1911, Coleman graduated from the McGills University School of . . . — — Map (db m309663) HM
A native of Kentucky, Ewing Eric Dunn (1835-1917) came to Texas in 1850. He served as Navarro County deputy
sheriff, 1854-1858, and joined the Confederate army during the Civil War. In 1866 he built the first portion of this
frame house. . . . — — Map (db m60840) HM
First public use of natural gas began in Texas in 1902, from transmission lines on this street, serving local homes and businesses. These early lines were forerunners of mains that now transport Texas gas to three-fourths of the United States and . . . — — Map (db m61400) HM
In 1896 the SCV recognized this Southern lady as the originator of the Confederate reunions. In the centennial year the SCV honored her as “The Mother of the Confederate Reunions.” She was the widow of Lt. Col. Thos. Glover of Co. A, 21 Ga. Inf. . . . — — Map (db m309071) HM
The Corsicana Volunteer Fire Department was organized in December 1879, with J. J. Strupper as chief. Volunteer fire fighters carried buckets before acquiring hand-and horse-drawn equipment. Fire Station Number One, located at city hall, was first . . . — — Map (db m62120) HM
Originally known as the United Baptist Church, this fellowship was established through the leadership of the Rev. Noah Turner Byars, a pioneer preacher and founder of the Trinity River Baptist Association. The church organizational meeting was . . . — — Map (db m61358) HM
This pipe denotes the location of the successful
water well that led to the oil discovery
(Upside down text)
This pipe denotes the location of the first
commercial oil discovery in Texas — — Map (db m60868) HM
A group of former slaves, led by Simon Perry, organized the second African Baptist Church in 1868. Following an 1886 storm that destroyed the sanctuary on Fourth Avenue, the members purchased this property and constructed a new building. In 1918 . . . — — Map (db m309649) HM
Founded 1851; sanctuary built 1871 was not yet consecrated when State Democratic Convention met here 1872 and laid plans to free Texas from Reconstruction rule. First missionary society west of the Mississippi organized here, 1880. H. A. Boaz, . . . — — Map (db m61135) HM
At age 14 Joseph S. Cullinan (1860-1937) began his career as a laborer in the Pennsylvania oilfields. After the Corsicana oil discovery in 1894, Cullinan played a major role in the early development of the field. A daring business leader, he moved . . . — — Map (db m63417) HM
Corsicana built its first public school for blacks on this site in 1881. The early formal name, commemorating ethnic leader Frederick Douglass (1817-95), was changed in 1925 to honor the first principal, G.W. Jackson (1854-1940). A Booker T. . . . — — Map (db m309653) HM
A Navarro County native, Frank Neal Drane married Florence A. Bingham in 1885 and had two children. He ran a
hardware store with his father before becoming president of City National Bank. In 1901 Drane formed the
Corsicana Power and Light . . . — — Map (db m62369) HM
In 1912, J.F. Strickland extended his passenger rail interurban service from Dallas to Corsicana. This established the Southern Traction Company, a sister company of the Texas Traction company. The company was already providing service from . . . — — Map (db m167989) HM
Pioneering Educator, Author, Civic Leader
I have not grown rich in this world's goods while I have served my people, but I enjoy a great satisfaction in the thought that I leave the principalship of the school in the confidence of my old . . . — — Map (db m310258) HM
A Texas War for Independence soldier. Born in Virginia. Lived in Tennessee, where he joined 15 other recruits late in 1835 to come to Texas and fight against dictator Santa Anna. Served Jan. 14 to Sept. 18, 1836. Was awarded two land bounties for . . . — — Map (db m62677) HM
Born into slavery in Smith Station, Alabama, to parents Anderson and Clara Jackson, George Washington (G.W.) Jackson (1856–1940) was a pioneer Navarro County educator, author, civic and religious leader for 52 years. His parents valued education . . . — — Map (db m310045) HM
William Harvey Beeman (1817-1860) received a Mercer colony grant of 640 acres in Navarro County and brought his family here in the 1840s. He and pioneer Samuel Hamilton (1820-1900), who owned adjacent property, each gave one acre to establish this . . . — — Map (db m309650) HM
The James Hamilton, Jr. family left Tennessee for Texas ca. 1841. Upon James' death in Arkansas, his wife Elizabeth and their children continuned the journey, arriving in Navarro County ca. 1846. Elizabeth Hamilton died on August 7, 1857, and is . . . — — Map (db m309678) HM
Born in Florida, Henry Damon served in the Confederate army and was taken prisoner during the Civil War. After moving to Corsicana in 1873, Damon became a lawyer and established the Texas Loan Agency with his partner, businessman W. R. Bright. . . . — — Map (db m62614) HM
Herbert Lewis (Hub) Hill, 9-21-1915 to 9-29-1989, was a hometown boy, born and raised in Corsicana. He graduated CHS (played baritone horn in band) then graduated from Mary Hardin Baylor in 1937 and became the 2nd band director of Corsicana High . . . — — Map (db m309094) HM
Radio station KAND began broadcasting in 1937, originally from the basement of the State National Bank building and later from the mezzanine. The license was granted to the West Family, owners of Wolf Brand Chili. The call letters signified . . . — — Map (db m309096) HM
William Lee Holman (1863-1932) moved to Corsicana in 1908 to become the manager of the Southland Cotton Oil Mill. He built this home in 1914, and it remained in his family for eighteen years. The classical revival style house also exhibits late . . . — — Map (db m309651) HM
Erected A.D. 1987
By the Ex-Students Association
to commemorate the hundreds
of students
who lived, studied and prepared
for adulthood near this site,
and to honor the
Odd Fellows and Rebekas
of Texas
who made our home . . . — — Map (db m62810) HM
Born in 1790 in North Carolina, James Clinton Neill came to Texas in 1831 with Stephen F. Austin's third colony. He settled in Milam County, and represented his neighbors at the Convention of 1833. On September 28, 1835, Neill entered the Texas Army . . . — — Map (db m63149) HM
Born in Tennessee on December 31, 1851, James Emerson Whiteselle moved to Texas in 1870 to work in the lumber company of his uncle P. W. Ezell. In 1875 he began working in the local Carruthers Lumber Company which he later owned. Under his . . . — — Map (db m62898) HM
Born in Weston, West Virginia, James Lawrence Collins (1883-1953) began his career in the petroleum industry at age fourteen. New oil discoveries in Texas brought him to the Corsicana area about 1923. He soon formed a partnership with two brothers, . . . — — Map (db m309665) HM
An excellent and elegant example of Colonial Revival design by an architect well-trained in detail and proportions, the home of rancher and banker Charles Jester and his wife Marion was completed in 1920. It was designed by Birch D. Easterwood . . . — — Map (db m247012) HM
This house was built in 1883 for the family of Ebenezer Wiley Johnson, a prominent local citizen. Originally built in the Second Empire architectural style, it was altered to a classical revival appearance after 1922 by Johnson's daughter and . . . — — Map (db m60926) HM
Lover of liberty. Foe of despotism. Born in San Antonio, Texas, February 27, 1795. Died January 13, 1871 and buried there. Member of the Legislature of Coahuila and Texas, 1821; land commissioner of De Witt's colony 1831 and of Bexar District, . . . — — Map (db m62998) HM
Eldred James Simkins (1838-1902), then of South Carolina, served 4 years in the Confederate Army. A brother, William S. Simkins, was credited with firing the first shot of the Civil War, at Fort Sumter, April 12, 1861. E.J. Simkins moved here in . . . — — Map (db m281989) HM
John Spencer Callicutt moved to Corsicana in 1886 and opened his law practice. As an active member of the community, Callicutt served on the founding board of the county hospital, as well as the boards of Central State Bank and other businesses. A . . . — — Map (db m63571) HM
“Tireless, Respectful, Learned.
When needed, he answered the call”
Internist -
Medical Arts Clinic • Navarro Regional Hospital
Medical Director -
Corsicana–Navarro Co. Public Health Dept.
Board Member -
Corsicana Independent . . . — — Map (db m309084) HM
Corsicana resident A. L. Lemon built this home in 1895 of Louisiana cypress. In 1902 it was sold to John Wesley Edens. The owner of 2400 acres of local farm and ranch land, Edens had served the area as deputy sheriff, tax collector, and city . . . — — Map (db m63599) HM
Commandancy of the Alamo-
Bexar, Feby. 24th 1836-
To the people of Texas & all Americans in the world--
Fellow citizens & compatriots
I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna - I have sustained a continual . . . — — Map (db m309073) HM
Educator, Musician, Volunteer, Activist
“She was an institution around here.”
— Mayor C.L. Brown
Mrs. Hart was a student of GW Jackson. She purchased this property, on which Mr. Jackson’s home stood, to become a Multicultural Center . . . — — Map (db m310133) HM
Fires were a major concern of oil fields.
This cannon stood at the Magnolia Petroleum tank farm
in Corsicana. It was used to shoot a hole in the bottom of
the cyprus tanks if lightning struck. The oil would drain
into a pit . . . — — Map (db m61761) HM
Born in Shelby County, Kentucky, to Stephen and Birthia (Ford) Drane, Meritt Drane exemplified leadership in early Navarro County. His father was a wealthy farmer and stock raiser. Meritt's education consisted of homeschooling and learning how to . . . — — Map (db m309661) HM
In 1874, three years after the rail line was laid through Corsicana, lawyer Henry Molloy (1829-1913) had a one-story hotel built to accommodate businessmen and other travelers. Molloy added the second story in 1881. Over the years, the building came . . . — — Map (db m60601) HM
This area was actively traveled by hostile warriors as well as friendly hunter-gathering Native Americans. Nomadic tribes moved through following the buffalo herds and also trading goods. There were sudden dangers to settlers of the county from . . . — — Map (db m309035) HM
Formed from Robertson County
Created April 25, 1846 Organized July 13, 1846
Named in honor of
Jose Antonio Navarro
1795-1871
Soldier, patriot and statesman,
Signer of the Texas
Declaration of Independence,
Member of the Texas . . . — — Map (db m152966) HM
Navarro County was created in 1846 by an act of the first Texas Legislature. It was named for early statesman Jose Antonio Navarro (1795-1871), a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The first county seat was established at the home of . . . — — Map (db m62139) HM
1st Panel
In honor of all Navarro County Veterans who answered the call of duty to preserve our freedom
Front of Main Panel
In honor of all who lie silent for protection and defending the spirt of Democracy and the ideals of . . . — — Map (db m281965) WM
1914 1918
In Memory Of The Men Of Navarro County Texas
Who Lost Their Lives In The World War Charles B. Johnson Lewis Wiggins
Isaiah D. Adams James O. Johnson
Perry A. Allison William V. Keel . . . — — Map (db m63941) WM
During the Civil War, the Navarro Rifles were an infantry company comprised of approximately 87 men from Navarro and surrounding counties. The group formed in Corsicana in July 1861 to join the army of the Confederate States of America. . . . — — Map (db m62268) HM
Oak Valley was one of thirty school districts created in Navarro County in 1867 by County Judge John L. Miller and a committee composed of E. G. Melton, John M. Bright, L. H. Dunham, J. C. Wells, J. M. Quinlan, and G. W. Foster. Classes were not . . . — — Map (db m309654) HM
In 1885 the Grand Lodge of Texas, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, founded the I. O. O. F. Widows and Orphans Home, one of the first fraternal orphanages in the state. Corsicana Lodge No. 63 and other local citizens gave 200 acres as a site for . . . — — Map (db m63600) HM
This sculpture of an oil field worker is a tribute to all the men who established the oil industry for Texas by discovering oil in Corsicana in 1894. — — Map (db m309112) HM
Expert with acetylene torch, Nicol is remembered as first welder operating in the Navarro County oil fields, which opened 1894. He began work about 1912, at a time when he had to mix own welding chemicals. In addition he pioneered welding of cast . . . — — Map (db m60912) HM
Travelers across this area traversed nearby creeks at hardbottom crossings, including one north of here on Chambers Creek. They crossed Briar Creek on the way into Corsicana, established in 1848. The first road utilizing these two crossings was . . . — — Map (db m309668) HM
The land on which the Pinkston Community would be established was owned by Doctor Alexander
Colvin Sloan, who was born in 1843 in Montgomery, Alabama. He served in the Civil War and around 1870 migrated to Navarro County. In 1887, he sold . . . — — Map (db m62239) HM
Established before the Civil War by pioneer area settlers, this congregation first met in a schoolhouse on the property of William Harvey Beeman (1817-1860), a member of the Mercer Colony. Early services were conducted by Methodist circuit riders, . . . — — Map (db m309656) HM
Rev. Hampton McKinney (1796–1857), a Methodist preacher from Illinois came to Navarro County in 1846 first settling in the Dresden community. While on a return trip to Dresden from a religious camp meeting in the Bazette community, Rev. McKinney . . . — — Map (db m309059) HM
A Corsicana native, Rex (Clifford) Ingram was the son of Mack and Mamie Ingram. He graduated from Northwestern University before launching his brilliant acting career, which spanned 50 years. Ingram made his screen debut during the era of silent . . . — — Map (db m309652) HM
A native of South Carolina, Robert Newton White (1810-1891) moved his family to this area in 1845. One
year later Navarro County was created and White was elected the first County clerk, a position he held for
ten years. During that time he . . . — — Map (db m63721) HM
Outstanding example plantation architecture. Was long the home of U. S. Senator Roger Quarles Mills (1832-1911). Born in Kentucky, Mills came to Corsicana in 1852. Was colonel in Civil War; served Texas 27 years as congressman, senator. Married: . . . — — Map (db m61549) HM
Ben Rosenberg (1862-1929) emigrated from Poland to the United States about 1882. After living several years in Waco, he settled in Corsicana about 1890. Rosenberg soon became the proprietor of the Cotton Exchange Saloon and in 1902 opened the . . . — — Map (db m60582) HM
This church was established in 1871 following Episcopal missionary efforts which began in the Corsicana area in the 1850s. Started as a mission, St. John's was organized under the leadership of the Rev. Virginius Gee. In 1874 the first church . . . — — Map (db m61206) HM
A native of Huntsville, Texas, Samuel R. Frost grew up in Navarro County and in 1863 enlisted in the Confederate Army. After the Civil War he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1870. In the years that followed, Frost served as Navarro . . . — — Map (db m309070) HM
A native of Georgia, Samuel W. Johnson established his first medical practice in Atlanta. After moving to Texas and settling in Corsicana, he became a respected community physician and was elected mayor in 1900. During his term in office the public . . . — — Map (db m61224) HM
Built 1900 of long leaf pine lumber. Entry paneled in beveled leaded plate glass. Children had skating rink and gym in attic. Occupied by Senator Woods and family 1900-1931; by son, 1931-1939. Senator Woods (1858-1931) came to Corsicana from . . . — — Map (db m281984) HM
Sergeant Candelario Garcia, Jr. enlisted in the U.S. Army on May 28, 1963. On December 8, 1968 while serving in Vietnam, he was involved in a battle that earned him a nomination for the Medal of Honor, which was awarded posthumously in 2014. . . . — — Map (db m256723) HM WM
At this site in 1891, a group of businessmen built a three-story structure to replace the small Corsicana Opera House above city hall. The Merchants Opera House had stores and offices on the first two floors and a balconied auditorium on the top . . . — — Map (db m61874) HM
The Texas Legislature specified that the seat of Navarro County should be called Corsicana; but the location was not secured until 1848 when this site was donated by David R. Mitchel, James C. Neill, and Thomas Smith. Other structures served briefly . . . — — Map (db m304401) HM
Built in 1880, this house originally was the residence of Dr. John R. Smith, who served as the mayor of Corsicana from 1883 until 1885. During his term of office, Smith organized the volunteer fire department and helped Navarro County set up a poor . . . — — Map (db m61583) HM
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