Everything Gilmer is known for
Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Gilmer.
Gilmer, Texas. It's a name that might not ring a bell for everyone, but around here, it's synonymous with Friday night lights and sweet potato pie. You can feel the small-town charm just driving in, past the piney woods and rolling hills that rise up from the East Texas Timberlands. It was named for a Secretary of the Navy way back in '46, and while it's remained a quiet place in many ways, Gilmer has produced a few folks who've gone on to make a real name for themselves.
Gilmer, nestled in the East Texas Timberlands, feels like a place where time slows down a bit. Founded back in 1846 and named for Thomas Gilmer, the Secretary of the Navy, its story is etched in the gentle rolling hills and pine forests that surround it. Agriculture has always been at its heart, and even today, sweet potatoes remain a major part of the local economy. You can almost taste the history in every bite. But Gilmer is more than just farming. The echoes of the past resonate in the local legends of buried Confederate gold, said to be hidden somewhere nearby. Later, the tragic plane crash that took the life of country music star Jim Reeves just outside of town left a lasting mark. More recently, the roar of the crowd at Buckeye Stadium after state football championships in 2004, 2009, and 2014, brought a different kind of excitement. It's a town proud of its past, but always looking ahead, holding onto that small-town charm and sense of community that makes it so special.
Gilmer is more than just another dot on the East Texas map; it's a place where the land and a little bit of luck conspired to create something special. The rolling hills, part of what they call the Timberlands, aren't just pretty to look at; that sandy loam soil is perfect for growing sweet potatoes. Agriculture took root early here, and that's been a steady hand guiding the town’s economy for generations. Of course, there's Lake Gilmer, too, drawing folks who love to fish and boat. It's hard to say exactly why this particular spot became a hub, but the confluence of good soil, access to water, and the timber industry certainly helped. Nowadays, you might hear about the Buckeyes winning state championships – that's big news around here. Some come hoping to find that buried Confederate gold they say is hidden somewhere nearby. But ask any local, and they’ll tell you the real reason people end up here, and why they stay, is the community. It’s that small-town charm everyone talks about, where neighbors still look out for each other. It's a place where history runs deep, from Secretary Gilmer to Jim Reeves, and where the future is still being written, one sweet potato and Friday night football game at a time.
Freddie King, blues musician, was born Freddie Christian in Gilmer, Texas, on September 3, 1934. He was the son of J. T. Christian and Ella Mae (or May) King. At the age of six he began playing guitar with his mother and an uncle, Leon King. As a youth he purchased a Roger's acoustic guitar with money he had earned picking cotton. He moved to Chicago with his family in 1949. At the age of sixteen he snuck into a Chicago blues club and sat in with the house band, which included Howlin' Wolf. King developed his style under the influence of Lightnin' Hopkins , T-Bone Walker , B. B. King (not a relative), Louis Jordan, and others. He married Jessie Burnett by 1952. By day he worked in a steel mill, and he played shows at night. King formed his own band, the Every Hour Blues Boys, which included Eddie Taylor, Jimmy Rogers, Jimmy Lee Robinson, and Sonny Scott. He recorded songs on the Parrot Label in 1953. During the 1950s King played local clubs and also worked with the Sonny Cooper Band and Earlee Payton's Blues Cats. In 1960 he signed with King/Federal, a label that had other impressive artists such as pianist Sonny Thompson who collaborated with King on a number of recordings. Some of King's classic songs were "Have You Ever Loved a Woman," "Woman Across the River," and "Hide Away," which became a major crossover hit from blues to pop. King toured the United States and appeared in concert halls, night clubs, and at jazz and blues festivals. Weary of her husband's brutal recording and touring schedule, King's wife Jessie and their six children moved to Dallas in 1962. King left Chicago and moved to Dallas and back to his family in spring 1963. There he worked on perfecting his own soulful vocal style. In 1966 he made a series of appearances on The !!!! Beat , a weekley rhythm-and-blues Dallas television program whose house band was headed by Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown . He signed with Cotillion in 1968 and recorded two albums, Freddie King is a Blues Master and My Feeling for the Blues . That same year he toured England. In 1969 he was one of the headlining acts at the Texas International Pop Festival . Like many blues artists in the late 1960s and early 1970s, King had close ties to rock-and-roll . Musicians such as Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck recorded his songs, and King toured with Clapton in the mid-1970s. In 1971 he recorded the first major live album ever made in Austin at Armadillo World Headquarters , known sometimes as "the House That Freddie King Built." He regularly played at the club and returned periodically for fund-raisers. His recordings with Shelter Records brought him recognition throughout the state as a "top notch Texas bluesman." King died on December 28, 1976, of bleeding ulcers and pancreatitis at the age of forty-two. He was buried in Hillcrest Memorial Park, Dallas. In 1982 he was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall of Fame. Texas Gov. Ann Richards declared September 3, 1993, as "Freddie King Day," and in 2003 Rolling Stone ranked King twenty-fifth among its list of the 100 greatest guitarists. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
On this Cherokee Trace site he had visited 25 years earlier, when he lived with the Indians, Sam Houston twice spoke as the leading Texas statesman-- on June 10, 1857, as U. S. Senator, and early in 1861 as governor. At both times he spoke against secession and in favor of the Union.
Near this site the Cherokee Indians blazed an early Texas trail. They wanted a road from their settlements near Nacogdoches to their home reservation on the White River in Arkansas. About 1821 they selected a man known for his uncanny sense of direction. Mounting a horse and dragging buffalo skins behind him, he set a northward course. A group of Indians followed, blazing the trees to mark the trail. Another group cleared away the heavy underbrush and trees. A third group established camping grounds by springs and planted Cherokee roses which still mark the route today. Sam Houston, friend of the Cherokee, travelled it on his first Texas visit. David Crockett and other Texas revolution fighters as well as thousands of settlers from northeastern United States first saw Texas from the road, many establishing homes nearby. The Cherokee remained peaceful as long as friend Sam Houston was President of the Republic. In June 1839 they were ordered from Texas because of raids and intrigues with Mexican agents. A two-day battle ensued on the Neches River where their chief was killed. The tribe retreated, fighting, leaving Texas by the famous trail they made.
(Star and Wreath) Civil War supply and activity center. Men and boys served in the Confederate army on many battlefronts and in state troops protecting Texas from invasion. 3 military training camps were set up. Vital needs for military and civilians met with production of hats, shoes, saddles, harness, cloth, iron and pottery in factories in Gilmer and Ore City. A Quartermaster Depot was established on the home front, women, joined by old men, children and loyal slaves, ran the farms producing grain, meat and cotton for army, giving much, keeping little. Home county of southern heroine Emma Sansom Johnson (1847-1900). "Sunbonnet heroine" of the Confederacy. Buried Little Mound Cemetery, 11 miles west. On May 2, 1863 Gen. N. B. Forrest, with 600 C. S. A. Cavalry, in pursuit of 1,700 Federals bent on destroying vital supplies was halted by a burned bridge on Black Creek near Gadsden, Alabama. Forrest asked about another crossing, Emma Sansom volunteered to show way to little-known ford. Forrest swung her up behind his saddle. Bullets pierced here calico dress, but the 15-year-old waved her bonnet defiantly and pointed out the crossing, enabling troops to surprise, capture enemy. Feat recognized by note from Forrest, a gold medal from C. s. A. Congress and "The Ballad of Emma Sansom." She married Confederate veteran C. B. Johnson and moved to Texas in 1876. Texans with Forrest were 1st Legion, Willis Cav. Bn., 34d, 6th, 9th Cav. regts.
John Lafayette Camp, Jr., judge, was born on September 23, 1855, in Gilmer, Texas, the son of Mary Ann (Ward) and John Lafayette Camp . After graduating from the Gilmer Academy, Texas Military Institute (San Antonio), and Trinity University he served in the Texas Senate from 1887 to 1891 and then moved to San Antonio, where he established a legal practice. In 1897 Governor Charles Allen Culberson appointed Camp judge of the Forty-fifth District Court. He continued to be reelected for seventeen years, usually without opposition. Among his most notable decisions was that which enabled the preservation of the Alamo chapel. "Care and custody" of the shrine had been granted to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas by a state law of 1905. In 1912, however, the state legislature, at the prompting of Governor Oscar Branch Colquitt , appropriated $5,000 to "improve" the Alamo. Colquitt's true intention was to turn the Alamo into a state park. When the DRT filed suit to halt the dismantling of the historic structure, Camp ruled that the 1912 law had not overturned that of 1905 and that the Daughters maintained custody of the property. An appellate court concurred. In 1913 President Woodrow Wilson appointed Camp United States district attorney for western Texas. In that position he was chiefly responsible for the arrest, on June 27, 1915, of former Mexican president Victoriano Huerta for the violation of United States neutrality laws. Huerta was released on bond but rearrested on July 3 and confined at Fort Bliss, where he died six months later. In 1916, when Judge Thomas Sheldon Maxey retired from the bench, the eighteen Texas representatives and two senators endorsed Camp as his successor as federal judge of West Texas, but President Wilson demurred, thinking that no one over the age of sixty should hold such a position. Wilson did, however, appoint Camp to a second term as district attorney. In 1881 Camp married Lamartine Felder, the daughter of J. L. Felder, a Leesburg physician. Camp died in San Antonio on August 10, 1918. He was survived by his wife, five daughters, and two sons.
William Pierson, associate justice of the Texas Supreme Court, the son of Marshall S. and Roxana (Ryan) Pierson, was born at Gilmer, Texas, on March 12, 1871. After the death of his mother when he was ten years old, Pierson moved with his father, a prominent banker, to Haskell, where he attended high school. He entered Baylor University in 1891 and graduated in 1896 with a degree in literature and oratory. He spent the next two years studying law at the University of Texas in Austin. After graduating in the summer of 1898, Pierson opened a law practice at Greenville, the county seat of Hunt County. Three years later he married Lena Haskell. The couple had three children, two sons, and a daughter. Pierson was a life-long Democrat, a Baptist, a Mason, and an officeholder in the Woodmen of the World and many other civic organizations. He was elected to the Texas House in 1901 and served on the judiciary and education committees. He sponsored a bill to establish the College of Industrial Arts for Women (now Texas Woman's University) at Denton and state normal schools at Denton and San Marcos. After the completion of his term, he returned to his law practice at Greenville. In 1912 he campaigned successfully for the office of judge of the Eighth Judicial District. Pierson served as district judge for Hunt, Rains, Delta, and Hopkins counties until 1921. His decisions in seven brewery cases brought to the court by the state influenced political policymakers concerned with the controversial issue of prohibition . As a result of these decisions and his handling of other cases, Governor Pat M. Neff appointed Pierson associate justice of the state Supreme Court in 1921. Pierson was also a member of the Texas State Historical Association and served on the board of trustees of Burleson College in Greenville. He served on the bench for fourteen years. A week before his death he lamented the increasing number of cases involving violence and murder that came before the court. On April 24, 1935, William and Lena Pierson were murdered by their twenty-year-old son, Howard, the youngest of the couple's three children; Howard confessed to the crime. Family members and relatives of the young man believed that he had been emotionally unstable for a number of years. Pierson and his wife are buried in the State Cemetery in Austin.
Most recent: 28-26 over Bellville · 2023 4A Division 2 final
Gilmer High School, a familiar name in Texas high school football, holds a distinguished record in Class 4A competition. The Buckeyes have consistently demonstrated their strength on the field, bringing pride to their East Texas community. Their program is a notable part of the local sports scene, reflecting the dedication found in high school athletics across the state.
The school's football program has achieved significant milestones, including a UIL 4A Division 2 State Championship. This accomplishment stands as a highlight for Gilmer, showcasing the team's ability to compete at the highest levels of Texas high school football. The achievement is a point of local celebration, underscoring the success of the Buckeyes.
Gilmer High School secured the 2023 4A Division 2 State Championship by defeating Bellville 28-26.
187 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.
Gilmer, Texas. It's a name that might not ring a bell for everyone, but around here, it's synonymous with Friday night lights and sweet potato pie. You can feel the small-town charm just driving in, past the piney woods…
On this Cherokee Trace site he had visited 25 years earlier, when he lived with the Indians, Sam Houston twice spoke as the leading Texas statesman-- on June 10, 1857, as U. S. Senator, and early in 1861 as governor. At…
Near this site the Cherokee Indians blazed an early Texas trail. They wanted a road from their settlements near Nacogdoches to their home reservation on the White River in Arkansas. About 1821 they selected a man known…
(Star and Wreath) Civil War supply and activity center. Men and boys served in the Confederate army on many battlefronts and in state troops protecting Texas from invasion. 3 military training camps were set up. Vital…
You're driving through Gilmer, Texas, right where the Confederacy was keeping its horses shod and its armies moving. During the Civil War, this area was home to vital leather factories. One plant churned out shoes for…
You're driving through Gilmer, and right here is the home of the Gilmer Mirror, the oldest continuous business in Upshur County. It started way back on January 1st, 1877, as the 'Upshur County Democrat.' Over the years,…
Freddie King, blues musician, was born Freddie Christian in Gilmer, Texas, on September 3, 1934. He was the son of J. T. Christian and Ella Mae (or May) King. At the age of six he began playing guitar with his mother…
John Lafayette Camp, Jr., judge, was born on September 23, 1855, in Gilmer, Texas, the son of Mary Ann (Ward) and John Lafayette Camp . After graduating from the Gilmer Academy, Texas Military Institute (San Antonio),…
William Pierson, associate justice of the Texas Supreme Court, the son of Marshall S. and Roxana (Ryan) Pierson, was born at Gilmer, Texas, on March 12, 1871. After the death of his mother when he was ten years old,…
You're driving through Harrison County, near Gilmer, where a remarkable man named Meshack Roberts once lived. Born into slavery, Roberts was given land after the Civil War and built a home for his family. But in the…
You're cruising through North Texas, maybe not too far from Gilmer, where a musical legacy began. Back in 1924, brothers Virgil and Frank Stamps founded the Stamps Quartet. They weren't just singers; they were…
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Gilmer, where John Lafayette Camp made his home. When the Civil War broke out, Camp, already a lawyer and planter, answered the call. He rose to become colonel of the…
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Gilmer. Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, this area was home to a remarkable institution: the Dickson Colored Orphan's Home. It was spearheaded by Reverend William…
You're driving through Upshur County, not far from Gilmer, the home of Cullen Redwine Earp. He was a Confederate officer who fought in over twenty engagements, including Chickamauga and Atlanta. Earp was promoted to…
You're driving through Gilmer, Texas, a town with a name that came from a tragic accident way back in 1844. Right here, in what is now Upshur County, the county seat was to be named for Thomas W. Gilmer. He was a…
You're driving through Upshur County, near Gilmer, the site of the Looney School. Established in 1861 by Morgan H. Looney, this wasn't just any school. It was a bustling academy, averaging 200 students annually. They…
Right here, south of Gilmer in Upshur County, you're passing the site of the State Colored Orphans' Home. It began in 1900, founded by African American Baptists who wanted to create a safe haven. Initially known as the…
You're driving past the site of an early Cherokee village, established right here at the start of the 1800s. This settlement was a home for these Native Americans and their associated tribes for decades. But by 1839,…
You're driving through Upshur County, near Gilmer, where Jesse Martin Glasco made his mark. Born in Tennessee in 1818, Glasco arrived in Texas and became a key figure in this region. For decades, he served as Upshur…
Right here in Gilmer, you're driving past the site of a school that had a few names and a few owners! It started in 1851 as the Gilmer Masonic Female Institute, founded by the local Masons. When their lodge disbanded,…
You're driving through Gilmer, passing a business that's served this community for over a century. Back in 1890, J.F. Croley bought a hardware store, and saw a need for more than just nails and hammers. He added…
You're driving through Upshur County, named for a Secretary of State under President John Tyler. This area has been home to people for thousands of years, from Paleo-Indians to Caddoan and Cherokee tribes. But it was…
You're driving past the site of Gilmer's First United Methodist Church. Organized around 1852, this congregation established both a men's and a women's academy in the 1850s. The church has occupied this site since 1881,…
You're driving through Upshur County, Texas, where in 1881, David Abner Jr. made history. Right here, he became the very first African American to graduate from a Texas institution of higher learning, earning his degree…
You're driving through East Texas, not far from where Matthew F. Locke established the town of LaFayette back in 1850. Locke wasn't just a planter; he was a Confederate Colonel who raised the Tenth Texas Cavalry.…
You're driving through Upshur County, and right here is the site of Coffeeville. It’s one of East Texas’s oldest settlements, named after the pioneering Coffee family. Back in the mid-1800s, this was a bustling stop for…
You're driving through Upshur County, near Gilmer, and you're passing through the quiet community of Kelsey. It wasn't always this way. In 1901, brothers John and Jim Edgar founded this settlement specifically for…
You're driving through what used to be LaFayette in Upshur County. Back in the late 1800s, this area struck gold... well, iron ore, to be exact! A huge deposit discovered in the early 1890s sparked a real mining boom.…
You're driving through Upshur County, and right here is Bettie, Texas. Established in the early 1880s, this community owes its existence to the railroad, specifically the Texas and St. Louis Railway. It was named for…
You're driving through southeastern Upshur County, near Gilmer. Right here, you're passing through the area once known as Glenwood. It started as a plantation before Texas was even officially organized as a county in…
You're driving through western Upshur County, near the Big Woods. This area, once known as Hamil's Chapel for a small Baptist church, got its start in the late 1880s. Around 1890, John J. Grice opened a store and post…
You're driving through what used to be Latch, Texas, a community that sprung up in the late 1880s. Originally called Know, it was renamed Latch in 1894 when the post office opened. The town owes its name to L. A. Latch,…
You're driving through what used to be Rosewood, Texas, out here in Upshur County. This community, probably first settled in the late 1880s, went through a few names before landing on Rosewood in 1902. It really boomed…
You're driving through what's left of Simpsonville, Texas, a community that's worn a couple of names. It started as Chelsea in the late 1850s, even had a post office for a hot minute. But by April of 1858, it was…
You're driving through Upshur County, heading southeast of Gilmer, and you're passing through what's left of West Mountain. Founded by Isaac Moody, one of the first settlers here, it got its name from a nearby rise. A…
You're driving past Gilgal Baptist Church, a place with roots stretching back to 1865. Led by the Rev. John Baptist, the founding members built a brush arbor and chose the name "Gilgal" – the Israelites' first…
Gilmer High School (Gilmer, TX): Most recent: 28-26 over Bellville · 2023 4A Division 2 final.
You're driving past the site of a truly unique Texas institution: the Pioneer Dickson Orphanage. For thirty years, from 1900 to 1929, this was the *only* home in Texas specifically for African American orphans. Founded…
You're cruising through Gilmer, a town that got its start way back in 1846. It's named for Thomas W. Gilmer, a big deal in Washington D.C. who pushed hard for Texas to join the U.S. During the Civil War, Gilmer was a…
You're driving past the site of early Gilmer, right where the Cherokee Trace used to run. Imagine this spot in 1845 – an oak tree served as the very first Upshur County courthouse! Just a year later, in 1846, Judge O.…
You're driving past Morris Cemetery in Gilmer, and right here, you're looking at the final resting place of an Unknown Soldier. This is the first grave in this cemetery, and it belongs to a Confederate soldier who died…
You're driving through Bettie, and right here is the site of the Bettie Methodist Church. Organized in 1892, this sanctuary was built mainly by the Parish brothers, Jeff and Hillard. It's said to be one of the first…
You're driving through Kelsey, a town with roots in faith and community building. Back in 1898, brothers John and Jim Edgar bought this timber land, paving the way for a Mormon settlement. By 1901, Sunday School and…
You're driving through Gilmer, and just off the road here is the site of the Pritchett Normal Institute. Opened in 1901 by the Maberry brothers, this place wasn't just a school; it was a teacher-training powerhouse. It…
You're driving past the site of Enon Baptist Church, organized way back on May 13, 1848, in the home of M. S. Long. Charter members included the Davis and Knight families. The original log building was replaced by this…
You're driving past the site of the Oak Hill Missionary Baptist Church. Organized around 1870, this was the very first Baptist congregation in the Gilmer area. Services kicked off in a humble log schoolhouse nearby. In…
You're driving through Gilmer, and you're passing the final resting place of Alex Earp. Now, this isn't that Earp, but he was a lawman in his own right. Born in Alabama in 1832, Alex moved to Texas with his family, who…
You're passing Rosewood Cemetery, born from a railroad boom and a family's grief. When the Marshall and East Texas Railroad cut through here in 1907, the town of Rosewood was organized. A four-year-old boy, Denny Dell…
You're driving past West Mountain Cemetery, established in the mid-1850s by plantation owner Alpha Phillips. His father's grave, marked by a stone cairn, was the first here. Originally called Old Phillips Cemetery, it…
You're driving past the site of Rosewood Baptist Church, originally organized in 1872 as Double Springs Baptist Church. When the railroad came through and a town was platted, it was renamed Rosewood Baptist Church in…
You're driving past the site of the Parson McClelland School, built around 1869 by Reverend William Henry McClelland. He was a Baptist minister and educator who ran this private school, with both day and boarding…
You're driving past the site of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church. Organized in 1855 with 15 members, meetings were initially held in a log schoolhouse. The church received its first building in 1872, and the…
You're driving through Enon, and right here is the site of Harmony Independent School District. Imagine the effort back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1929</say-as> to bring together rural schools from Wood…
You're driving past the site of the Upshur County Discovery Well, the J. D. Richardson No. 1. Completed on May 6th, 1931, this well kicked off a massive oil boom in the area. It was the very first of over 2,000 wells…
You're driving past Soules Chapel Methodist Church, a name with a direct link to one of Methodism's founding figures. <break time="400ms"/> Bishop Joshua Soule, the first bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South,…
You're driving through East Mountain, a community that owes its boom times to a surprising discovery. Established in the 1870s near a rise called East Mountain, this town was a quiet farming community. But in the 1930s,…
You're driving through Union Grove, a place that really grew up around its schools. Back in 1888, a public school kicked off here with J.H. Sheppard at the helm. Fast forward to 1907, and the Union Grove Common School…
You're driving past Little Mound Baptist Church and Cemetery, a place with roots stretching back to the 1860s. The oldest marked grave here belongs to E. Hoggue, who died in 1877. Just a year later, in 1878, the…
You're driving past the site of Rhonesboro, a town that boomed and busted with the timber industry. Founded in 1902, it was named for W. M. Rhone, the sole sawmill operator here before the railroad arrived. Suddenly,…
You're driving past the site of Walnut Creek Baptist Church, organized by pioneer settlers around 1855. The congregation built a sanctuary and cemetery here in 1856, with the oldest marked grave dating to 1870. A new…
Houston. You feel it the moment you arrive – a relentless energy, a mix of cultures bumping elbows, and a scale that can be both exhilarating and a little daunting. It’s a place built on ambition and, well, a lot of oil.
You're driving past Shiloh Baptist Church in White Oak. It was founded in 1871 by former slave Butcher Christian and Reverend John Baptist. Services started in a log sanctuary on land donated by Christian. For years,…
This East Texas city experienced a dramatic transformation in the early 20th century, evolving from a quiet farming and lumber community into a bustling oil boom town. The discovery of oil in 1931 triggered an explosive…
You're driving past Pleasant Grove Cemetery, a resting place for many of the pioneer families who settled the Lafayette community in the 1850s. The earliest recorded burial here is little Thomas J. Harrison, who died in…
You're driving through the Lafayette community, named for Matthew F. Locke's son. Locke deeded land here for a cemetery in 1858, though it already held two family burials. The oldest marked grave is T. E. Montgomery,…
You're driving through East Texas, and right here is Gladewater, the lifelong home of Dick Burnett. He wasn't just an oilman; he was a baseball entrepreneur! Burnett struck oil in the 1930s, becoming wealthy, but his…
You're driving through Gladewater, a town that owes its boom to a gusher! Founded by the railroad in 1873, Gladewater grew slowly for decades. But on April 7, 1931, everything changed. Right near here, the first oil…
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Gladewater, where John Ben Shepperd was born. He became a powerful figure in Texas politics, serving as Attorney General in the 1950s. He took on big fights, like tackling…
You're driving through North Texas, and right here is the hometown of Harding Lawrence, the man who transformed Braniff Airways into an industry icon. Growing up in Gladewater, Lawrence went on to lead Braniff from 1965…
You're passing through Gladewater, a town that exploded overnight! Originally founded as St. Clair back in 1827, it moved to this spot on the railroad in 1872. But the real boom happened in 1931 with the discovery of…
You're driving past the Foshee Family home, built in 1890. Imagine this: the lumber for this house was sawed at a famous local mill, and the chimney? It's made of unique, hand-hewn rock pulled from the stream running…
You're driving through Gilmer, Texas, and right near here was Coffeeville. It was a bustling town back in the 1850s, with shops, doctors, churches, and even an academy. But during the Civil War, Coffeeville truly lived…
You're driving through Coffeeville, and just ahead is the resting place of Colonel John Hamilton McNairy. Born in North Carolina in 1804, McNairy lived in Tennessee before making his way to Texas in 1837. He settled in…
You're cruising through Gladewater, and right here, you're passing the birthplace of Texas public bus travel! Back in March 1925, W. E. Nunnelee started the state's very first franchised motor bus line. Imagine this: a…
You're driving past Rosedale Cemetery, a place with a story as rich as the oil that once flowed beneath it. Back in 1844, John Kettle Armstrong and his wife Sarah were early settlers here. When Sarah passed in 1856,…
You're driving past the former home of Dr. E.L. and Nannie Walker, a remarkable couple who left their mark on early Gladewater. Dr. Walker, a physician and drugstore owner, bought this land in 1895. Their impressive…
You're driving past the Matinburg Cemetery. Local tradition says it started in 1871 when W. P. Jones buried his wife, Delila, here. The land was deeded to Fairview Baptist Church in 1883, and annual spring cleanups…
You're driving past Clarksville City, a community that owes its modern existence to the East Texas oil boom. Right here, in the 1930s, homes and businesses popped up so fast along U.S. Highway 80 that it was nicknamed…
You're driving through Upshur County, near Ore City. This place owes its name to rich iron ore deposits discovered here before the Civil War. But it wasn't until 1911 that a real push began to industrialize the mining.…
You're driving past the Phelps Home in Big Sandy, a house built around 1905 by merchant J. B. Rowe. It was purchased in 1909 by Ashley W. and Ruth Phelps, who ran a local dry goods store. After Ashley's death in 1922,…
You're driving through North Texas, and right here in Big Sandy is where Homer 'Wick' Fowler got his start. He became one of Texas's most colorful journalists, a crime reporter, a highway patrolman, and even an…
The area has been home to several notable athletes who made their mark in professional sports. Mike Barber, a tight end, played for the Houston Oilers and later became involved in prison ministry. Byron Hunt also played…
You're driving through East Texas, and right here near Big Sandy, you're passing through the birthplace of Henry 'Ragtime Texas' Thomas. Born in 1874 to former slaves, Thomas hated cotton farming and hit the road around…
You're driving through Ore City, a town that owes its modern existence to a railroad that pushed through around 1911. This wasn't just any line; it was the Port Bolivar and Iron Ore Railway, connecting the ore fields of…
You're driving through Big Sandy, a town that owes its very existence to the railroads. Back in the early 1870s, the Texas and Pacific Railway cut through this area. Then, around 1880, another line, the Tyler Tap,…
You're driving past what used to be Point Pleasant, a community that thrived from about 1850 to 1871. It started as Gilead, with a post office and a ferry crossing the Sabine River. In 1852, the name changed to Point…
You're driving past the County Line Cemetery, a final resting place for early settlers of this crossroads community. Folks like Eli Henderson McCoy, who arrived from North Carolina in 1859, and Jeremiah Brisco Ormes,…
You're driving through Longview, the heart of the East Texas oil boom! Look around you, because this area was transformed by wells like the F. K. Lathrop A-1. After years of searching, B. A. Skipper, Sr. assembled a…
You're driving through Ore City, and right here is the site of a true Texas pioneer of education: the Murry Institute. Founded in 1853 by Rev. Joshua Clark and Wm. L. Coppedge, this was the very first school in Upshur…
You're driving through Wood County, near Yantis. This area was once known by several names, including Singleton Crossing and Black Jack. But in 1893, a post office opened, and the community was temporarily called Mapes,…
You're driving past the Angus, Dundee home, built by Dr. J. N. Allison, a pioneer physician. He even brought some building materials all the way from Virginia! But the real story here is the discovery right nearby that…
You're driving through East Texas, right where history was carved into the landscape. Back in 1821, Cherokee Indians blazed this trail, slashing trees and clearing a path all the way from Nacogdoches to Arkansas. They…
You're driving past the site of Tarver's Ferry, a vital crossing on Big Cypress Creek that helped settlers push west into Texas. Imagine wagons pulled by oxen, loaded with hopes and provisions, stopping at the nearby…
You're driving through Camp County, near Pittsburg, where a story of freedom and community unfolds. Back in the 1850s, Ebenezer and Martha Bolton were major plantation owners here. But after Ebenezer's death in 1877,…
You're driving past the site of Holly Springs Baptist Church. It formed in 1903 from a merger of two earlier churches, with Reverend B. H. Sims as its first pastor. The congregation built its first sanctuary here before…
Perryville, Texas, isn't known for skyscrapers or bustling city life. What defines us is the land, and what comes from it. Ranching and farming have been the heartbeat of this town since its very beginning. Situated at…
You're driving past the site of the Perryville Baptist Church. It began in 1884 as the County Line Missionary Baptist Church, with five founding neighbors and their first pastor. The congregation officially became…
You're driving past the site of Perryville Methodist Church, organized in 1879 as Marvin Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church with 38 charter members. The Reverend A. K. Hughes was the first pastor. Land was donated in…
You're cruising along near Big Sandy, and right here, you're passing the site of Walters' Bluff Ferry. This crossing on the Sabine River was a vital link for settlers heading north or south into Upshur and Smith…
As you drive through Longview, look for this marker. During the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, this site was a vital home industry. Joseph M. Sparkman, despite suffering from arthritis, ran a shoe factory for the…
You're passing the Rock Springs Schoolhouse, built way back in 1849. Imagine this one-room schoolhouse, powered by a single teacher, serving students until the 1930s. It wasn't just for lessons, though. This building…
You're driving past Riley Cemetery, a final resting place for many early Camp County settlers. The oldest marked grave here belongs to Louise Gillum, dating all the way back to 1859. The land officially became Riley…
You're driving past the site of the Pine Tree Cumberland Presbyterian Church, founded way back in 1847. That makes it the very first church in Gregg County, and one of the oldest continuously serving churches in all of…
You're driving past Longview, a town named for a 'long view' from a hilltop when surveyors laid out the townsite way back in 1870. It quickly became a railroad and lumber center, but listen to this: in 1894, it was the…
You're driving through Pittsburg, Camp County, where a community faced a problem in 1879: no place to bury their dead. Counce Reeves, a Civil War veteran, and his wife Selina stepped up, donating land for both a church…
You're driving past Hawkins, where a vital part of Texas's African American history took root. Back in 1904, the Texas Negro Disciples of Christ and the Christian Women's Board of Missions joined forces to create a…
You're driving past Pittsburg, but just a few miles back, you might have seen the site of Center Point. This community started in 1865, founded by Black Freedmen just after the Civil War. They built more than just…
You're driving through North Texas, and right here is a place that gave us Carroll Hall Shelby. Born in Leesburg in 1923, Shelby was a legendary race car driver and designer. He battled a heart condition his whole life,…
Longview High School (Longview, TX): Most recent: 35-34 over Beaumont West Brook · 2018 6A Division 2 final.
You're driving through East Texas, near Pine, where a young man named Lonnie Alfred "Bo" Pilgrim got his start. Born in 1928, he grew up poor, working his grandmother's farm and raising his first chickens. After a stint…
You're driving through Camp County, near Pittsburg, on Highway 271. Right here is where Harvard began, not as a town, but as a railroad switch. In the late 1870s, the St. Louis Southwestern Railway laid track through…
You're driving through far southeastern Camp County, near the Upshur and Morris county lines. Right here is the former community of County Line, named for its location right on the border. By 1884, settlers here were…
You're driving through what used to be Ebenezer, a farming community founded in the 1850s by families like the Rapes, Devenports, and Laneys, who moved here from Georgia. Israel Braden Rape even donated land for a…
You're driving through Camp County, heading west of Pittsburg. Right here is Leesburg, a community named for the John Lee family who settled this area. Back in 1874, Leesburg was in the running to become the county…
You're driving through what's left of Pine, Texas, a community that's worn a few different hats over the years. It started as Pine Tree in the late 1840s, named for the abundant pines. Then the railroad showed up in the…
You're driving through Camp County, and right here, Prairie Creek flows. Back in 1928, a man named A. W. Smith had a big idea to connect Prairie Creek with another nearby creek, Greasy Creek. He dug a mile-and-a-half…
You're driving through what remains of Union, a community born from a schoolhouse. Back in the early 1900s, kids in this part of Camp County trekked to separate, one-room schools. But in 1907, folks decided to build a…
You're driving through Camp County, and right here, you're passing the former site of Yellow Bush. It started in the 1870s around a schoolhouse, built by settlers who called the area Yallo Busha, an Indian term meaning…
You're cruising past the site of the Ferndale Club, originally called Fern, Fin and Feathers. It started in 1908 as a hunting and fishing club, with members from Pittsburg buying land, building a dam to create Ferndale…
You're driving past the New Mine Cemetery, established by the New Mine Baptist Church. Land was deeded in 1892, but the congregation didn't start its own burial ground until 1930, with James M. Quillin as the first to…
You're driving past the site of the New Mine Baptist Church. This congregation was officially organized on September 11, 1892, after Mr. and Mrs. G. O. Hart gave land for a new building. The church was founded so…
You're driving through Pittsburg, heading into what was once the heart of a thriving African American community called Center Point. It started around <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1865</say-as>, with the…
You're driving past Ebenezer Cemetery, officially established in 1857 when Israel B. Rape deeded land for the burial ground. The oldest known burial here is infant Pairlie Clementine Bailey, who died in September 1870.…
You're driving past the site of the Alpine Presbyterian Church in Longview. Founded on December 2, 1881, by evangelist J. DeWitt Burkhead, the congregation first held services in Tyron School. Members built their own…
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Longview, where Karen Silkwood was born. She became a union activist at the Kerr-McGee nuclear plant in Oklahoma, where she discovered dangerous leaks and missing plutonium.…
You're driving through Gregg County right now, and you might not realize it, but you're passing through the heart of a boomtown story that changed Texas forever. Back in 1931, just as the Great Depression was hitting…
You're driving through Longview, Texas, a city born from a single, breathtaking vista. Right here, in the mid-1800s, Ossamus Hitch Methvin, Sr. settled on a prominent hill. He built his home on Rock Hill, a spot that…
You're driving near Longview, and right here is the site of the legendary Reo Palm Isle! Opened in 1935 as the Palm Isle, this place was built to be the largest and most elaborate nightclub in the South. Imagine a…
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Longview, where George Benton Turner was born. He wasn't always a hero. After leaving college early, he worked in California. But when the call came in World War II, he…
This entry is currently being revised and the new version will be available soon! LONGVIEW RACE RIOT . The Longview Race Riot occurred during the Red Summer, as May to October of 1919 has been called. It was the second…
You're driving through Hawkins, Texas, a town that hit the jackpot back in 1940. Until then, it was a quiet community shipping lumber and cotton. But then, Bobby Manziel drilled a wildcat well just north of town,…
You're driving through Hawkins, Texas, home to Jarvis Christian College. What's amazing is that this school, founded in 1912, was the only historically Black college still operating that was founded by the Christian…
You're driving through Longview, Texas, and right here is LeTourneau University. But did you know this whole campus started in a World War II hospital? In 1946, industrialist Robert LeTourneau and his wife Evelyn bought…
You're driving through Longview, a city born from a railroad's ambition. Back in the early 1870s, the Texas and Pacific Railroad needed a western terminus. They laid out a new town on land purchased from Ossamus…
You're driving through Wood County, not far from Hawkins, Texas. Right here is where Lillian Richard Williams lived. Born in 1891, she grew up on a farm near Fouke. Though she had little formal schooling, she left East…
You're driving through Gregg County, Texas, and right here near Longview is the area where Bluford Washington Brown made his mark. After serving as a Confederate officer in the Civil War, Brown moved to Texas in 1866.…
You're driving through Longview, Texas, a town that once hosted a funeral so massive, it drew some 6,000 mourners. That was for Reese Calhoun De Graffenried, a lawyer and congressman who made his mark here after moving…
You're driving through East Texas, and right here in Longview, Carl Lewis Estes was a powerhouse of industry and media. After serving in two World Wars and working as a foreign correspondent, he returned to Longview and…
You're driving through what used to be Longview Junction, a community that sprang up in 1873 right here where the International-Great Northern Railroad met the Texas and Pacific line. It wasn't long before this junction…
You're driving through Wood County, near Hawkins, in a region once known as Sand Springs. Settlers arrived as early as 1848, drawn by fertile land. By 1852, a post office was established, and the community grew around a…
You're driving near Longview, where the Texas, Sabine Valley and Northwestern Railway Company was chartered way back in October of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1887</say-as>. This ambitious line planned to…
You're driving past the site of New Providence Cemetery, a final resting place with a dramatic past. This cemetery was tied to the New Providence Missionary Baptist Church, founded in the 1880s. The first recorded…
Hawkins, Texas, sits atop a geological oddity: the Hawkins Oil Field. Unlike the flat farmland surrounding it, this area had a unique concentration of oil-bearing structures deep underground. That accident of geology…
You're driving past the site of Smyrna Cemetery, a place with roots stretching back to the mid-1800s. Pioneer physician John Chadd received a land grant here in 1845 and, the very next year, donated land for a church,…
You're driving past the Sabine River, but you might not realize it's also a historic oilfield. The massive East Texas oilfield was discovered in 1930, and just two years later, drilling began right here in the riverbed.…
You're cruising past Lone Star, heading down the old Pittsburg-Jefferson Stage Road. Right here, Big Cypress Bayou used to be a busy crossing, first operated by E. B. Smith with a mill and ferry back in the Republic of…
You're driving past Pittsburg, Texas, where a Baptist minister named Burrell Cannon had a dream of flight. In late 1902, a full year before the Wright brothers, Cannon and his investors launched the Ezekiel Airship…
You're driving past the former site of Rockwall Farm, just outside Longview. Built in 1854, this large colonial home was a key stop on William T. Brooks' stagecoach line, connecting Louisiana to Tyler. Imagine mail…
You're driving through Gregg County, and right here, you're passing the site of Camden, once known as Walling's Ferry. This community sprang up in the late 1820s around a ferry crossing operated by John Walling on the…
You're driving through what's now Longview, but you're passing through the ghost of Earpville, a town literally built by one man. James Earp, a farmer and merchant, arrived in Texas before 1835 and eventually settled…
You're driving through Longview, but just a few generations ago, this area was Earpville. It was founded in the 1840s by the James Earp family, who bought over a thousand acres right here. Earp built his homestead near…
Pittsburg (Pittsburg, TX) placed on the 4A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Lane Hall (3 HR); Keyton Mayben (3 HR).
You're driving through Pittsburg, and right here is the site of the very first Carnegie Library in Texas! Back in 1898, philanthropist Andrew Carnegie donated five thousand dollars to help build it, matching local…
You're driving past the site of Little Hope Missionary Baptist Church, organized in 1881 by Elder Jacob Ziegler and Deacon P. M. Gunstream. Legend says the church got its name because folks doubted it would last, but it…
Pittsburg has always been a town shaped by nature and resilience. You see it in the loblolly pines that surround us, constantly growing back after timber harvests. You see it in the spirit of bouncing back after those…
You're driving through Pittsburg, and right here is the old Cotton Belt Depot. The railroad first rolled into town in 1880, thanks in part to William Harrison Pitts, the city's founder, who donated land for a depot way…
You're driving past the site of a deadly confrontation at the Pittsburg Depot on February 10th, 1885. It started as a domestic dispute between George 'Dallas' Smart, his wife Annie, and U.S. Army Lt. John W. Heard. As…
You're cruising through Pittsburg, and right here is the W.L. Garrett Building, a landmark that's been part of this town since the 1890s. It started as a simple one-story shop. Then, in 1902, W.L. Garrett bought it for…
You're driving past Pittsburg, a town named for one of its earliest settlers. The W. H. Pitts family arrived from Georgia way back in 1854, and soon more folks followed. Pitts himself donated land for a townsite, and it…
You're driving through Pittsburg, the county seat of Camp County. This impressive courthouse you see was built in 1928, replacing an earlier structure from 1881 that had become too small for the growing county. Designed…
You're driving past the former home of John L. Sheppard, a prominent Texas figure. The Sheppard family lived in this house from 1884 until 1891. During that time, John L. Sheppard served as both a district attorney and…
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Pittsburg, and right here is a story of dedication. Christine Cash took over as principal of the Center Point school in 1911. Under her leadership, this community school…
You're driving through Pittsburg, Texas, a town with a surprisingly lofty ambition around the turn of the 20th century. In 1901, local mechanic and minister Burrell B. Cannon, inspired by the Book of Ezekiel, built an…
You're driving through Camp County, not far from Pittsburg. Right here is where Jewel Preston Lightfoot, a Texas attorney general, started his legal career. After studying law while working as a telegrapher, he became…
You're driving through what is now Camp County, Texas, near Pittsburg. Back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1862</say-as>, this was Camp Murrah, where Augustus H. Rogers, a twenty-three-year-old captain, was…
You're driving through Longview, and right here is the story of Oliver H. Pegues. He arrived in Texas with his family back in 1850, eventually settling in Longview in 1871. That very year, he became the town's very…
You're driving through Camp County, Texas's third smallest. It was carved out of Upshur County back in 1874. The county seat election that year was a real nail-biter, with Pittsburg winning out over Leesburg and Center…
You're driving through Camp County, not far from Pittsburg, where Charles Thomas Phillips served in the Texas House of Representatives. He was a farmer and a Confederate soldier before entering politics. Phillips…
You're driving through Pittsburg, and if you look closely, you might spot the Stafford-Paris House, a beautiful Victorian built in 1899 for Eugene Fore. It's known for its ornate gingerbread woodwork. In 1913, it became…
You're driving through Longview, and you might notice the unique architecture of Temple Emanu-El. Its story starts not here, but in nearby Kilgore. In <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1936</say-as>, Temple Beth…
You're driving past Winterfield Methodist Church, which began as Methodist camp meetings in the Winterfield farm community as early as the 1870s. The site was set aside for worship in the early 1880s, and the…
You're driving past the Winterfield Cemetery, which began as a family plot on the Garner farm back in 1879. It eventually grew into a community graveyard, serving Longview for generations. Today, the Winterfield…
You're driving through the Jobe community, founded by African American families who settled here in the late 1800s. Brothers Phelix and Sampson Jobe bought land starting in 1881, setting aside a portion for this…
You're driving past the Longview home of Martin Hays, a man who served his community for decades. Born in 1883, Hays was a respected citizen who first entered public office in 1910 as city marshal and district clerk. He…
You're driving past Preachers Hill, a historic African American neighborhood just outside Longview. Established in the 1880s, it earned its name when Bethel Temple Church was founded here in 1920. Legend says Ella Jacob…
You're cruising past the site of Belzora Landing, once a bustling port on the Sabine River. From the 1850s until the railroads arrived in the 1870s, this was a vital hub for Tyler and East Texas. Despite the challenges…
Longview, Texas, a city nestled in the East Texas Piney Woods, offers more than just rolling terrain and the scent of pine. Established because the Southern Pacific Railroad needed a place to stop after bypassing New…
This stretch of Spur 63 in Longview, running from US-80 down to Spur 502, is named for Texas Ranger Glenn Elliott. Elliott was an East Texas legend. He spent thirty-five years as a Ranger working the oil country and the…
You're driving past the Iron Bluff Cemetery, a resting place for generations of Texans. It began as a family plot for Livingston Skinner, a veteran of both the War of 1812 and the Creek Indian Wars. He arrived here in…
You're driving through Longview, the home of General John Gregg. Born in Alabama in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1828</say-as>, Gregg moved to Texas in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1854</say-as>. A…
You're driving through Longview, and right here is a spot known as The Grove. <break time="400ms"/> This natural timber stand was more than just trees. <break time="400ms"/> As early as the 1860s, freedmen gathered here…
You're driving through what used to be Lone Star, thirteen miles northeast of Rusk. This place started in the early 1880s, founded by Henry L. Reeves. Now, Reeves was known for being a tough businessman, so tough that…
You're driving past one of Longview's earliest homes, the Franklin L. Whaley House. Built in 1871, this place has seen five generations of the Whaley family grow up within its walls. Imagine the lumber for this house…
You're driving past Bethel Baptist Church, a cornerstone of Longview's African American community. It was organized in 1874 by Rev. Richard Perry and nine deacons, starting under a brush arbor before a sanctuary was…
You're driving past Leesburg Cemetery, established around 1870. Dwight Hays Townsend donated the land, and the earliest burials are thought to be two children moved from the schoolyard. The oldest marked grave belongs…
You're driving past the site of the Dalton Gang's last raid, right here in Longview on May 23rd, 1894. Bill Dalton himself, leading his armed gang, walked into the First National Bank demanding money. But Longview…
You're driving through Longview, the county seat of Gregg County, a place that's seen its share of courthouse drama. Formed in 1873, the county’s first courthouse was a tiny building, quickly outgrown. For a while,…