Leona, TX RoadyGoat

Leona, Texas, might seem like just another blink-and-you'll-miss-it spot on Highway 75 between Dallas and Houston. But this little Leon County community has quietly contributed more than its share to the world. While it may not boast a bustling downtown or towering skyscrapers, its soil has nurtured some truly remarkable individuals.

7.2 mi away

Buffalo, TX RoadyGoat

Buffalo sits nestled in a landscape shaped by time and tenacity. The gently rolling terrain, a mere 374 feet above sea level, is a testament to the ancient forces that formed this part of Texas. Imagine this land blanketed in post oak and blackjack oak trees, their roots reaching deep into the sandy soil. This wasn't always a place of quiet farms and small-town charm. A reminder of cosmic events lies hidden in the earth—a large meteorite fragment discovered in 1936, a visitor from the stars that landed here long ago. The land fostered a way of life. When herds of buffalo roamed these plains, they gave the town its name. Even after the buffalo were gone, the land remained a source of sustenance, shaping the community around agriculture, particularly cattle ranching. The Great Depression tested this resilience, bringing hardship, but the land and its people endured. This place, small in size but large in spirit, with its warm, neighborly atmosphere, has always been a testament to the enduring power of community and the connection between people and the land they call home.

14.6 mi away

Buffalo, TX RoadyGoat

Buffalo, Texas, might seem like just another dot on the map between Dallas and Houston, but there’s a reason this particular spot became what it is. The gently rolling hills, covered in post oak and blackjack oak, provided excellent grazing land. Long before the town was formally established in 1872, this area was prime territory for cattle ranching. That agricultural focus, born of the land itself, has remained a constant through booms and busts, even surviving the hard times of the Great Depression. You can still see it today in the Friday night lights at Leon High School, where folks rally around the football team like they always have, and in the neighborly wave you get driving down Main Street. Of course, there are quirks that make Buffalo unique. Some come to see the fragment of that meteorite discovered back in '36, a reminder of cosmic events far beyond our small town. But if you ask a local why people truly stay, or why they eventually come back, it’s not just the history or the geography. It’s the feeling of community, that slow and steady rhythm of life where folks look out for each other. It’s a place where the past isn't just remembered, it's lived.

14.6 mi away

Hopkins, Sam [Lightnin']

1911

Sam (Lightnin') Hopkins, blues singer and guitarist, was born in Centerville, Texas, on March 15, probably in 1911. Though some sources give his year of birth as 1912, his Social Security application listed the year as 1911. He was the son of Abe and Frances (Sims) Hopkins. After his father died in 1915, the family (Sam, his mother and five brothers and sisters) moved to Leona. At age eight he made his first instrument, a cigar-box guitar with chicken-wire strings. By ten he was playing music with his cousin, Texas Alexander, and Blind Lemon Jefferson , who encouraged him to continue. Hopkins also played with his brothers, blues musicians John Henry and Joel. By the mid-1920s Sam had started jumping trains, shooting dice, and playing the blues anywhere he could. Apparently he married Elamer Lacey sometime in the 1920s, and they had several children, but by the mid-1930s Lacey, frustrated by his wandering lifestyle, took the children and left Hopkins. He served time at the Houston County Prison Farm in the mid-1930s, and after his release he returned to the blues-club circuit. In 1946 he had his big break and first studio session-in Los Angeles for Aladdin Recordings. On the record was a piano player named Wilson (Thunder) Smith; by chance he combined well with Sam to give him his nickname, Lightnin'. The album has been described as "downbeat solo blues" characteristic of Hopkins's style. Aladdin was so impressed with Hopkins that the company invited him back for a second session in 1947. He eventually made forty-three recordings for the label. Over his career Hopkins recorded for nearly twenty different labels, including Gold Star Records in Houston. On occasion he would record for one label while under contract to another. In 1950 he settled in Houston, but he continued to tour the country periodically. Though he recorded prolifically between 1946 and 1954, his records for the most part were not big outside the Black community. It was not until 1959, when Hopkins began working with legendary producer Sam Charters, that his music began to reach a mainstream White audience. Hopkins switched to an acoustic guitar and became a hit in the folk -blues revival of the 1960s. During the early 1960s he played at Carnegie Hall with Pete Seeger and Joan Baez and in 1964 toured with the American Folk Blues Festival. By the end of the decade he was opening for such rock bands as the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. During a tour of Europe in the 1970s, he played for Queen Elizabeth II at a command performance. Hopkins also performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. In 1972 he worked on the soundtrack to the film Sounder . He was also the subject of a documentary, The Blues According to Lightnin' Hopkins, which won the prize at the Chicago Film Festival for outstanding documentary in 1970. Some of his biggest hits included "Short Haired Women / Big Mama Jump!" (1947); "Shotgun Blues," which went to Number 5 on the Billboard charts in 1950; and "Penitentiary Blues" (1959). His albums included The Complete Prestige /Bluesville Recordings , The Complete Aladdin Recordings , and the Gold Star Sessions (two volumes). Hopkins recorded a total of more than eighty-five albums and toured around the world. But after a 1970 car crash, many of the concerts he performed were on his front porch or at a bar near his house. He had a knack for writing songs impromptu, and frequently wove legends around a core of truth. His often autobiographical songs made him a spokesman for the southern Black community that had no voice in the White mainstream until blues attained a broader popularity through White singers like Elvis Presley. In 1980 Lightnin' Hopkins was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame. Hopkins died of cancer of the esophagus on January 30, 1982, in Houston. He was survived by his caretaker, Antoinette Charles, and four children. His funeral was attended by more than 4,000, including fans and musicians. He was buried in

Tsha Handbook →

Centerville - Birthplace of Lightnin' Hopkins

1912

Centerville, Texas was the birthplace of Sam 'Lightnin'' Hopkins, one of the greatest and most prolific blues guitarists in history, who brought Texas country blues to a worldwide audience.

Historical Marker →

Middleton, William B.

1842

William B. Middleton, pioneer, sheriff, and legislator, was born on August 4, 1819, in Crawford County, Illinois. In 1837 his father moved the family to Texas, and they settled in Leon County. The family and eleven other families built the settlement known as Fort Boggy where they lived for two years. President Sam Houston ordered the men to organize a ranging company to protect the settlement against Indian raids. In 1842 General Adrian Woll and a force of Mexican troops invaded Texas. Middleton answered the call from President Sam Houston to join the army, and he and his brothers were assigned to a Captain Wilson's company. He joined the ill-fated Mier Expedition and was one of the participants in the Black Bean Episode . Middleton and his brother drew a white bean that allowed them to live, although his brother later died in prison in Mexico City. Middleton was imprisoned in Mexico for two years. After his return to Texas, he married Mary Jane Potts in December 1845. He was elected sheriff of Leon County in 1846. During the Mexican War , Middleton served as a lieutenant in James Gillaspie 's company of the First Regiment of Texas Mounted Volunteers and returned to Leon County after mustering out. He was elected sheriff twice more. In 1855 and again in 1859 he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives. William Middleton died on March 17, 1877. He is buried in Makamson Cemetery in Leon County.

Tsha Handbook → · 3.1 mi away

Whaley, David M.

1862

David M. Whaley, druggist and Confederate infantry officer, was born in 1822 in Pennsylvania. He was the son of James Whaley. He trained to be a doctor and moved to Leon County, Texas, in 1853. He worked as a druggist, and, as a strong advocate for health on the frontier, he dispensed medicines and attended to the ill. He was a state senator in the Eighth Legislature representing the Twenty-first District including parts of Brazos, Burleson, Leon, and Robertson counties. During the Civil War , he was the captain of Company C in the Fifth Texas Infantry . Whaley was promoted to major on July 17, 1862. Whaley died on August 22, 1862, at the battle of Freeman's Ford in Virginia. This series of skirmishes took place from August 22 to August 25 in and around Culpeper County and Fauquier County. The area was laden with corn, and the Union and the Confederate sides took advantage of this readily available foodstuff, each sending out a corn gatherer. In the process of corn gathering, the two met each other in the middle and promptly began to pummel one another. Each side became aware of the fisticuffs, and shooting began. The Fifth Texas Infantry was especially vulnerable due to the extra long staff upon which they carried their Texas Lone Star flag. The flag caught the eye of the Federal troops, and a fired artillery shell struck Whaley's area killing him instantly. One other man died, and four others were wounded. Whaley was buried near where he fell.

Tsha Handbook → · 3.1 mi away

Fort Boggy

1840

Pioneers who settled in this area bout 1840 included members of the Middleton, Byrns, Staley, Erwin, Jones, Capp, Bloodworth, Philpott, Easton, Howell, and Hinton families. Nearby Kichai and Kickapoo Indian camps afforded these early settlers little sense of security. On February 5, 1840, Christopher C. Staley was ambushed and killed by a group of Indians while out hunting near his home. This incident led to the building of Fort Boggy for the protection and safety of the settlers. Named for its proximity to Boggy Creek, the fort consisted of two blockhouses with eleven dwellings inside an area of about 5000 square feet. A military company, authorized by Texas President Mirabeau B. Lamar, was formed under the leadership of Capt. Thomas Greer to protect the fort. According to one account, 77 people moved into the fort upon its completion. Illness proved to be a major problem for them. In 1841, while leading a scouting party beyond the fort, Captain Greer was killed in an Indian attack. Soon after, the threat of raids lessened, and the need for Fort Boggy no longer was vital. For many years, however, a community church and school retained the name "Boggy." As an early aid in the settlement of this area, Fort Boggy remains significant to the history of Leon County.

Historical Marker → · 4.5 mi away

Fort Boggy, Site of

1840

Here a blockhouse was constructed in 1840 as headquarters for the Boggy and Trinity Rangers commanded by Captain Thomas N. B. Greer. A community retained the name Fort Boggy for a number of years.

Historical Marker → · 4.2 mi away

Centerville, Texas

Music in Centerville

Songs About Centerville

Artists From Centerville

Rivers & Roads in Song near Centerville

History of Centerville

Leona, TX RoadyGoat

Buffalo, TX RoadyGoat

Buffalo, TX RoadyGoat

Hopkins, Sam [Lightnin']

Centerville - Birthplace of Lightnin' Hopkins

Middleton, William B.

Whaley, David M.

Fort Boggy

Fort Boggy, Site of

Everything Near Centerville