365 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.
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Lindale, TX
Lindale, Texas, a small town in Smith County in the piney woods of East Texas, punches well above its weight for famous people.
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Miranda Lambert
Before the platinum, there was a red envelope. Miranda Lambert grew up in Lindale, out in East Texas, and she and her father Rick just drove — town to town, gig to gig, trying to get somebody to hear her. One of those…
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LaCascio's Scratch Italian
· 0.2 mi · Things to Do
Italian fine dining in tiny Lindale at 75 Miranda Lambert Way — named for the town's famous daughter. Scratch kitchen, fresh-baked bread, upscale-casual…
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Lindale, TX
· 1.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lindale, a town that started as a simple post office in 1873. Just a year later, the name changed to Lindale, and it became a stop on the International-Great Northern Railroad in 1875. By 1884, it…
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Damascus Baptist Church
· 3.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Damascus Baptist Church, organized in 1890 with 12 charter members. Services were held in a schoolhouse until 1895 when the congregation grew and began planning this building. The first…
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Hideaway, TX
· 3.3 mi
Once a part of a large plantation owned by Texas governor Richard B. Hubbard, the land that is now Hideaway, Texas, underwent a significant transformation. In 1967, developer James Fair purchased the land and planned…
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Hubbard Family Cemetery
· 3.3 mi · Historical Marker
This site once overlooked the plantation home of Richard B. Hubbard (1800-1864) and his wife Serena Carter, who came here from Georgia in 1854. They operated a prosperous 720-acre plantation with 44 slaves. Their son…
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Sabine Methodist Church
· 3.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Sabine Methodist Church, organized back in 1894 by the Rev. W. L. Pate and named for its proximity to the Sabine River. Land for the church, school, and cemetery was donated by Joe…
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Bethesda Presbyterian Church and Cemetery
· 3.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Bethesda Presbyterian Church. In 1879, the Henderson family arrived from Alabama and soon began holding worship services here. The congregation was officially recognized in 1881, later…
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Duck Creek Soil Erosion Project
· 3.7 mi · Historical Marker
In 1929, one of ten erosion control research stations in the United States was set up southeast of this site for the purpose of studying erosion problems and the effectiveness of erosion control methods. This was one of…
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Site of Flora
· 4.0 mi · Historical Marker
James K. Beene settled in this area in 1845 and established a post office called Flora in 1849. John and Delila Austin and their daughter and son-in-law, Mary and Willis Jones, bought adjacent farms in 1850. Flora…
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Milburn-Gary House
· 4.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Milburn-Gary House, a testament to 19th-century Texas craftsmanship. Built in 1855 by Reverend Williamson Milburn, this home was constructed with hand-picked, knot-free lumber, featuring solid…
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Hopewell Baptist Church
· 5.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Hopewell Baptist Church, organized in 1858 with 30 members. Harvey Yarborough deeded land for the first structure, built in 1859. The congregation celebrated its 140th year of continuous…
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Here Was the Camp of the Army of the Republic of Texas
· 5.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Here Was the Camp of the Army of the Republic of Texas. Under Generals Kelsey H. Douglass, Thomas J. Rusk, Edward Burleson and Colonel Landrum, from which the soldiers returned to their homes on July…
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Vial-Fragoso Trail
· 6.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through East Texas, near Lindale, where a historic trail once stretched. In 1788, Pierre Vial and Francisco Xavier Fragoso blazed the Vial-Fragoso Trail. Their mission? To travel from Santa Fe, New…
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Flewellen-Thweatt Cemetery
· 6.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Smith County, past the site of the Flewellen-Thweatt Cemetery. This quiet resting place began in 1861, when Frances Maria Drake Flewellen was buried here after moving to Texas from Georgia and…
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Camp of the Army of the Republic of Texas
· 7.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through East Texas, not far from where the last Cherokee War Camp of the Republic of Texas once stood. Imagine soldiers under Generals Rusk and Burleson, mustering out after a decisive victory. It was…
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Antioch Baptist Church
· 7.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Antioch Baptist Church, established by the Smith County Baptist Association back in 1851. Members met in homes and the schoolhouse until their first sanctuary was built in 1857. The…
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New Harmony Baptist Church
· 7.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Tyler, passing the site of New Harmony Baptist Church. This congregation was established in 1867 and accepted into the Cherokee Baptist Association in 1869. Seven of its charter members are buried…
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Garden Valley
· 7.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Garden Valley, a town founded by James L. Davidson in 1851. It quickly grew, getting a post office and roads, with Davidson building a store and a mill. By the 1870s, it had both Methodist and…
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Smith Chapel United Methodist Church
· 8.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Smith Chapel United Methodist Church. Organized around 1885 as Davis Chapel, it was renamed Democrat Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and finally Smith Chapel. The current sanctuary was…
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Caddo Indian Communities in Wood County
· 8.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Wood County, following the Sabine River, a place that's been home to the Caddo people for over a thousand years. <break time="400ms"/> By the early 1800s, American settlers were moving in, finding…
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New Hope Cemetery
· 9.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Wood County, passing the New Hope Cemetery. It began around 1864, linked to the New Hope Baptist Church. The earliest marked grave is from 1875, but leaders sold the land to the church for a…
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Cherokee Chief Bowles
· 9.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Van Zandt County, near Edom. Look around – this is where the last major battle between Cherokees and Texans took place. On July 16, 1839, Chief Bowles led 800 Native Americans into a fierce fight…
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Wood-Verner Cemetery
· 9.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Wood-Verner Cemetery, the oldest known graveyard in the Dixie area. It's named for the two families who owned the surrounding land. The earliest marked grave here belongs to John Gordon, who died…
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New Hope Baptist Church
· 9.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of New Hope Baptist Church. This fellowship started as a Baptist Church of Christ in 1864, reorganized in 1890 as Stephen's Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, honoring elder Stephen Kelley.…
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Hogg, Ima
· 10.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
Ima Hogg, philanthropist and patron of the arts, daughter of Sarah Ann (Stinson) and Governor James Stephen Hogg , was born in Mineola, Texas, on July 10, 1882. She had three brothers, William Clifford Hogg , born in…
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Rhodes, Andrew Jackson [Jack]
· 10.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Mineola, and you're passing the place where a songwriting legend got his start. Andrew Jackson "Jack" Rhodes was born here in Van Zandt County in 1908. After a back injury…
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Varner, Martin
· 10.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Wood County, and right here is the final resting place of Martin Varner. He came to Texas before 1820, a pioneer who partnered with Henry Jones to run a trading post. Varner was one of Stephen F.…
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Giles, Barney McKinney
· 10.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving near Mineola, the birthplace of Barney McKinney Giles, a man who rose from a Texas farm to become a top commander in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. Giles enlisted in 1917 and steadily…
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Russell, Paul Lawrence
· 10.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Mineola, Texas, the birthplace of Paul Russell, a groundbreaking African-American ballet dancer. Born in 1947, Russell shattered barriers, becoming the first Black dancer to perform Siegfried in a…
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Mineola, TX
· 10.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Mineola, a town born from a railroad race. Back before 1873, this spot was called Sodom. But then, two railroad companies, the Texas and Pacific and the International-Great Northern, raced to see…
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Willingham, Noble Henry, Jr.
· 10.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
Noble Henry Willingham Jr. was a much sought after character actor who appeared in film and television from 1970 until the year before his death in 2004. Usually cast as an insightful "good old boy," his characters…
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Giles, Benjamin Franklin
· 10.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, not far from Mineola, the birthplace of Benjamin Franklin Giles. He was an Air Force general, born in 1892 on a farm right here. Giles saw action in World War I, flying over enemy…
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Giles, Robert Byron, Sr.
· 10.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, not far from Mineola, where Robert Byron Giles, Sr. was born. He could have been a pro baseball pitcher, even had an offer from Cleveland! But Giles chose medicine instead, heading to…
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Pyle, Owen Pinkney
· 10.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Mineola, where Owen Pinkney Pyle made his mark. Pyle was a farmer turned farmer's advocate, a powerhouse speaker for the Farmers' Alliance in the late 1800s. He even bought…
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Wood County
· 10.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Wood County, a place with a rich history tied to the East Texas timberlands. Back in 1873, a tiny village called Sodom existed right here, with only about twenty residents. But then, the Texas and…
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Shamburger Cemetery
· 10.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Shamburger Cemetery, a quiet resting place with a story rooted in East Texas agriculture. The Shamburger family arrived from Mississippi in 1847, settling near Starrville. By 1875, T. J.…
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Varner, Martin
· 10.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Wood County, heading towards Mineola. Keep an eye out for a marker honoring Martin Varner. He was a volunteer soldier who fought in the decisive Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, the fight that…
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Union Chapel Cemetery and Church
· 10.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Union Chapel Cemetery, where the earliest marked grave dates back to August 1873. Just a month later, land was deeded for a Methodist Church and cemetery. The original sanctuary served the community…
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Dr. Adolph Leander Patten
· 10.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Mineola, passing the site where Dr. Adolph Leander Patten lived and practiced medicine. Born in North Carolina in 1823, Patten first opened a practice in Georgia before heading west with his…
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Mineola Black Spiders
· 10.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Mineola, and right here is a marker for a team that's mostly forgotten today: the Mineola Black Spiders. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, African-American baseball teams played separately from…
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Smith County
· 10.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Smith County, formed way back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1846</say-as>. It’s named for General James Smith, a pioneer soldier and statesman. He was a friend to Texas legends like…
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George C. Reeves (Aug. 31, 1854 - Aug. 29, 1934)
· 10.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Mineola, where George C. Reeves arrived in 1873, just as the town was getting started. Reeves wasn't just a local businessman; he played a key role in the state penitentiary system as a transfer…
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John Creighton Buchanan
· 10.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Mineola area, the former stomping grounds of John Creighton Buchanan. Born in Louisiana, Buchanan set up his law practice in Quitman and quickly rose to prominence. In 1876, he became the first…
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Richard Malcolm Smith
· 10.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Mineola, and just ahead is a marker for Richard Malcolm Smith. Born in Kentucky in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1852</say-as>, Smith came to Texas young and jumped into journalism,…
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Robert N. Stafford
· 10.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Mineola, where Robert N. Stafford made his mark. Born in Georgia in 1856, Stafford arrived here in 1880 and quickly became a prominent figure. He served as county attorney, district attorney, and…
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Pleasant Retreat United Methodist Church
· 10.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Pleasant Retreat United Methodist Church, a place that's been a cornerstone of the community since 1854. Organized as the Black Fork Church by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, this…
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Lillian Richard
· 11.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Hawkins, Texas, a town that owes its 'Pancake Capital' title to Lillian Richard. Born in 1891, Lillian moved to Dallas and in 1925, began a 23-year career as 'Aunt Jemima' for Quaker Oats,…
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Roseland Plantation Home
· 11.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising through Edom, and right here is the Roseland Plantation Home, built way back in 1854 by B. H. Hambrick. This wasn't just a house; it was the hub of a massive 3,000-acre estate, built with incredible…
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Pine Springs Baptist Church
· 11.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Pine Springs Baptist Church. It all started in 1881 when E.S. Cook and Perry Ray bought land for a schoolhouse. Soon after, the Pine Springs Baptist Church of Christ was organized…
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Mt. Zion C. M. E. Church
· 11.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the area where Mt. Zion Church was founded back in 1874. Members from several nearby communities gathered on a local farm to start this congregation. It wasn't just about worship; Mt. Zion offered…
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Railroads in Mineola
· 11.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Mineola, a town that owes its very existence to a furious railroad race. Back in the summer of 1873, two lines, the Houston and Great Northern and the Texas and Pacific, were barreling towards a…
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Mineola
· 11.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Mineola, a town that owes its very existence to the railroad. Back in 1873, the Texas & Pacific Railroad was building west, and the Houston & Great Northern was building north. Communities popped up…
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County Line Missionary Baptist Church
· 11.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the County Line Missionary Baptist Church in Edom. Oral tradition says this church traces its roots back to 1851, making it one of the earliest attempts by African American families in…
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Tyler High School (Earl Campbell)
· 11.2 mi
Tyler High School in Tyler, TX (formerly John Tyler High School, now on Northwest Loop 323) is where Earl Campbell — 'the Tyler Rose' — became a national legend. As a senior in 1973 he rushed for 2,036 yards and led the…
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William Jesse McDonald
· 11.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising through Mineola, and you're passing the spot where a true Texas legend got his start: William Jesse McDonald. Born in Mississippi in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1852</say-as>, McDonald came to…
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Raines, C. W.
· 11.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Mineola, where Cadwell Walton Raines, a man of many talents, made his mark. He arrived in Texas as a boy in 1853 and went on to serve as a Confederate soldier, a preacher, a teacher, a lawyer, and a…
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Site of Coleman Family Drug Store and Clinic
· 11.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Mineola, and right here is the site of the Coleman Family Drug Store and Clinic. The Coleman family arrived from Alabama in 1897, and by 1902, Dr. Walter Coleman opened this pharmacy. He was known…
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Site of Public Mineral Water Well
· 11.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Mineola, and right here, at the intersection of Highway 80 and Johnson Street, was once the heart of the town's water supply. Back in 1885, folks knew this area was rich in water. But it wasn't…
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Mineola Opera Houses
· 11.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Mineola, and for a few decades here, the opera house was the heart of social life. From the 1870s to the 1910s, rail lines brought famous artists and musicians right to town. Imagine seeing…
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Frontier Red Hill Cemetery
· 11.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Frontier Red Hill Cemetery, a place that began with a tragic family loss. The first grave here belongs to 19-year-old Elizabeth Piles, who died way back on May 4, 1856. Just two days later, her…
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Lott House
· 11.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Lott House in Mineola, a beautiful example of early 20th-century architecture. Angus and Lena Beaird started building this home in 1918, finishing it in the early 1920s. It showcases Prairie…
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First National Bank Building
· 11.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Mineola, and just ahead is the First National Bank Building. Chartered way back in 1898, the bank operated out of a few spots before building this beauty in 1912. It replaced the Mineola…
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The Thomas Breen Family
· 11.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Mineola, where Thomas Breen, an Irish immigrant, arrived in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1873</say-as> to work for the Texas & Pacific Railroad. He became the town's very first ticket…
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Mineola Post Office
· 11.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the historic Mineola Post Office. Postal service here started way back in 1873 with an unofficial office in a drugstore, but the official U.S. Post Office wasn't granted until 1875. This building you…
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Mineola's Jewish Community
· 11.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past downtown Mineola, where Jewish immigrants began arriving by train shortly after the city's founding in 1873. Many established businesses right around here, like the Munzesheimer, Sodekson, Mayer, and…
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Government Projects in Mineola
· 11.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Mineola, and right here, you're passing the heart of a community that weathered the Great Depression. During the tough years of the 1930s, federal programs like the WPA and CWA put Mineola…
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Select Theater
· 11.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Select Theater. The Select Theater was the seventh in a long line of Mineola venues dating from 1886. Mrs. Martha (Mattie) Hooks named the theater for Select Pictures, a Texas motion picture…
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Hogg, Miss Ima, Birthplace of
· 11.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Mineola, a town that holds a special place in Texas history. Look around, because this is the birthplace of Ima Hogg, born right here on July 10th, 1882. Daughter of Governor James S. Hogg, Ima…
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Gov. James Stephen Hogg and Wood County
· 11.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Mineola, Texas, a place that played a crucial role in the early political career of James Stephen Hogg. From 1868 to 1882, Hogg lived right here in Wood County, laying the groundwork for his…
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Sarah Rosalie Patten Buchanan
· 11.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site where Sarah Rosalie Patten Buchanan lived out her later years. Born in 1855, Rosa was a Quitman native who married John Creighton Buchanan. Tragedy struck early when she was widowed at just…
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Harry W. Meredith
· 11.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of a home built by Harry W. Meredith, a man who left a huge mark on Mineola. Originally from Kentucky, Meredith came to Texas around 1907. He got into banking in 1908, eventually leading…
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O. P. Pyle House
· 11.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the O. P. Pyle House in Mineola, a home built in 1903 and 1904 for a man who was a leading voice for farmers during Texas's progressive era. Pyle was also a national spokesman for their concerns, and…
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Mineola Public Library
· 11.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of a library that started with a vision from a teacher named Vivian Williams Lott, who saw a need back in 1913. After a stalled effort in 1940, Mineola finally got its public library in…
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First National Bank of Mineola
· 11.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the First National Bank of Mineola, chartered way back in May of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1898</say-as>! With a starting capital of fifty thousand dollars, it was led by…
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Site of Barney B. Hart House
· 11.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the former site of the Barney B. Hart House, a Mineola landmark that stood for over a century. Built in 1906 by J.J. McLeod for attorney Barney B. Hart, this two-story home was a beautiful example of…
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O. P. Pyle
· 11.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the former home of Owen Pinkney Pyle, a journalist who championed Texas farmers. Born in Arkansas in 1867, Pyle became editor of the Mineola 'Courier' and was key in founding both the Texas Farm…
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St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church
· 11.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Mineola. Founded in 1871 by Rev. John Branham in a pioneer home, the congregation built its first sanctuary just two years later. The church…
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First Baptist Church of Mineola
· 11.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Mineola's First Baptist Church. The congregation started holding services in 1873, formally organizing as a Baptist church in 1875. Their first frame building, Powell's Chapel, was…
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Williams Medical Clinic Building
· 11.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Williams Medical Clinic Building in Mineola. Dr. James W. Williams, a Mineola native, opened his practice here in 1946 after serving in World War II. He built this state-of-the-art facility in…
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Camp Ford
· 11.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Camp Ford, right here near Tyler. This wasn't just any Civil War camp; it was the biggest prisoner of war compound for Union troops west of the Mississippi. Originally a training camp in…
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Camp Ford
· 11.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Camp Ford. Camp Ford, stockade prison of federal soldiers during the Civil War
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Callaway House
· 11.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Callaway House in Mineola, built around 1892 by Lorenzo Dow Callaway and his wife Elizabeth. Lorenzo was a businessman and served as mayor here, but sadly died in the 1918 flu epidemic. This…
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In the vicinity of Harris' place
· 11.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Smith County, not far from where scouts for the Republic of Texas Army were dispatched. It was July 16, 1839, just after a major battle with Cherokee and allied tribes. In that fight, the…
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Nicholas Wren
· 11.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Winona, Texas, where Nicholas Wren made his home. <break time="400ms"/> Wren arrived in Texas way back in 1833, and by 1836, he was a soldier in the Texas Army. <break time="400ms"/> Sam Houston…
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Macedonia School
· 11.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Wood County, and just ahead is the site of the Macedonia School. Established in 1885, this was one of the very first one-teacher schools in the county. It served the community of Macedonia, later…
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Jobe Cemetery
· 11.7 mi · Historical Marker
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…
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Harris Creek Cemetery
· 11.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Harris Creek Cemetery, the final resting place for folks from the Mount Carmel and Winona communities. It began as a cemetery for the Harris Creek Baptist Church, organized back in 1849. The…
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2016 UIL 3A Division 1 Football State Champions
· 11.8 mi
Mineola High School (Mineola, TX): Most recent: 35-14 over Yoakum · 2016 3A Division 1 final.
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Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Mineola (Mineola)
· 11.8 mi
Mineola (Mineola, TX) placed on the 3A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Matthew Ballew (0.561 avg, 2 HR).
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Head of Navigation on the Sabine River: Belzora Landing
· 11.9 mi · Historical Marker
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…
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First Election in Wood County
· 11.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Mineola, where Wood County held its very first election on August 5th, 1850. It all happened under a giant post oak tree on Gaines Greer's farm. Twenty men gathered to organize the county, pick a…
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Mineola Fire Department
· 12.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Mineola, a town born from railroads. Back in the 1880s, fire was a constant threat. Imagine this: one night, eighteen downtown buildings went up in flames! Residents rebuilt with brick, but the…
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Mineola Schools
· 12.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Mineola, a town born from railroads in 1873. Almost immediately, settlers saw the need for schools, leading to private academies and education for the African American community. By 1902, a bond…
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Douglas, Major James P.
· 12.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of a remarkable Texas artillery unit, the Good-Douglas Battery. Born in South Carolina, Major James P. Douglas arrived in Texas in 1848. In 1861, he led fifty Tyler men to Dallas to join…
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Marvin Methodist Church
· 12.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Marvin Methodist Church, which holds a special place in Tyler's history. Organized way back in 1848 by Reverends Sam Box and Alexander Douglas, this was the very first church established…
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Patterson Home
· 12.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Patterson Home in Tyler, a house that's been in the same family for over a century. It started as a simple dog-trot cabin before 1854, built by John Lollar and later owned by Doctor J. C. Moore.…
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Wisener Field
· 12.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Wisener Field, the site of one of the first airports in Texas! On July 4th, 1917, a U.S. Army Signal Corps pilot landed a Curtis JN-4D 'Jenny' biplane right here. Back then, it was called Massengale…
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Cedar Street United Methodist Church
· 12.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Cedar Street United Methodist Church in Tyler. Its story begins in 1887 with a Sunday School organized in a new neighborhood north of town. The congregation officially formed in 1888…
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Utilities in Mineola
· 12.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Mineola, a town that grew up with its utilities. Back in 1886, an artesian well and an ice factory opened, bringing new conveniences. By the early 1900s, phone service was up and running, and by…
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Marsh, Colonel Bryan
· 12.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the area where Colonel Bryan Marsh made his mark on Texas history. An Alabama native who settled in Tyler in 1854, Marsh became a captain in the 17th Texas Cavalry during the Civil War. He fought…
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Hubbard, Richard Bennett
· 12.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Tyler, home of Richard Bennett Hubbard, a man who wore many hats in 19th-century Texas. Born in Georgia in 1832, Hubbard came to Texas in 1853, setting up a law practice. He served as a U.S.…
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Dillard, John Henry
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Texas, and right here, you're passing through the story of John Henry Dillard, an Alamo defender. Born in Tennessee, Dillard came to Texas with his friend Sutherland Mayfield, hoping to bring…
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Neches Saline, TX
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
Neches Saline, also known as Brooks Saline and Gardiner's Saline, was a small antebellum community north of the point of intersection of State Highway 155 and Farm Road 344 in extreme southwestern Smith County. The…
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Starrville, TX
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
Starrville is three miles east of Winona and one mile northeast of Starrville Mountain at the intersection of Farm roads 757 and 16 in northern Smith County. Originally part of the I. W. Hall Survey, by 1849 it had…
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Universe, TX
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
Universe is a community on State Highway 64 a mile east of Tyler Loop 323 and a mile west of Bascom in central Smith County. The area, originally part of the Polinio Chireno survey, was settled as early as 1861. During…
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Gentry, Brady Preston
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving near Colfax, Texas, the birthplace of Brady Preston Gentry. He was a lawyer and legislator who became a giant in shaping Texas roads. Appointed chairman of the Texas Highway Commission in 1939, he was the…
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Stevenson, James Porter
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, a land where faith sometimes had to be a whisper. Back in the early 1830s, Mexican law strictly prohibited Protestant services. But James Porter Stevenson, a young Methodist minister,…
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Texas Agricultural Extension Service
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what is now Smith County, Texas, a place that holds a national 'first.' Back in 1906, William C. Stallings became the very first county agent in the entire United States. His job? To bring the…
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Goodman Home
· 12.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Bonnie Castle, a home with a musical legacy right here in Tyler. Begun by Gallatin Smith, it was bought in 1866 by Dr. S. A. Goodman. His son, Major W. J. Goodman, a surgeon for the 13th…
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Murphey the Jeweler
· 12.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Tyler, and you're passing the site of Murphey the Jeweler, one of East Texas's oldest retail businesses. Archibald Michael Murphey, originally from North Carolina, opened his jewelry shop right…
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Oakwood Cemetery
· 12.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Oakwood Cemetery in Tyler, a resting place with roots stretching back to the 1840s. Originally known as Lollar's Cemetery, it started on land purchased by John Lollar himself. The oldest marked grave…
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Mineola Masonic Lodge No. 502, A.F. & A.M.
· 12.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Mineola Masonic Lodge, chartered in 1879. It started with 17 members, growing to 48 by year's end. Among its early members was William Jesse McDonald, a future Texas Ranger. The…
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Ingram Cemetery
· 12.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Ingram Cemetery, the final resting place for a veteran of the Seminole Wars. Stephen Ingram, who fought in that 1835 conflict, settled here in 1850 and was the first person buried in this…
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Primrose-Sexton Community
· 12.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through what used to be the Primrose-Sexton community. It started with land grants in 1847 and settlers arriving in the 1850s. By the 1880s, a cotton gin and two churches had sprung up, serving a growing…
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Bascom, TX
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
Bascom is at the junction of State Highway 64 and Farm Road 848, a mile east of Tyler in central Smith County. The Texas State Quail Farm is located just to the south. The area was the site of a spring at the crossing…
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Belzora, TX
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
Belzora was at a ferry crossing where Farm Road 14 now crosses the Sabine River in extreme northern Smith County. The site, originally part of the Juan Santos Coy survey, was settled in 1850 and named for Belle Ham of…
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Flint, TX
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
Flint, at the junction of Farm roads 2868, 346, and 2493, four miles north of Bullard in Smith County, was originally part of the Tomás Quevedo survey. The site, named for local landowner Robert P. Flynt, became a stop…
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Jamestown, TX (Smith County)
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
Jamestown, also known as Berrien, Jimtown, and Old Jamestown, was just south of Wilds Creek in eastern Smith County three miles north of Overton in Rusk County. The site, settled in 1846, was part of the Edward Pierce…
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Omen, TX
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
Omen, also known at various times as Round Hill, Canton, Clopton, Troup, and Old Canton, is a rural community on State Highway 345 in southeastern Smith County about two miles west of Arp and just south of Omen Road…
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Sinclair City, TX
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
Sinclair City is on Kickapoo Creek and State Highway 135, just north of Troup and south of Arp in the Good Omen oilfield in southeastern Smith County. It was originally on the line between the Benijah Lafferty and Maria…
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Coleman, J. G.
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what was once Starrville in Smith County. Right here, in 1863, a farmer and slaveholder named J.G. Coleman helped organize the Texas First Cavalry Regiment. Though likely older, he was elected…
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Duck Creek (Smith County)
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Smith County, and right here, the Duck Creek watershed became a national laboratory during the Great Depression. In 1929, a soil erosion project kicked off, studying how to stop the land from…
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Joy, TX (Smith County)
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what used to be Joy, a small church community in eastern Smith County. It all started when farmers moved in after the Civil War, growing crops like corn and cotton. Joy got a post office in 1892,…
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Mount Carmel, TX (Smith County)
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Smith County, heading toward Winona. Right here, you're passing through the spot where Mount Carmel used to be. Established in 1850 as a stop on the busy Dallas-Shreveport Road, it was once a…
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Pine Springs, TX (Smith County)
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving north of Tyler, and right here is the area known as Pine Springs. Settlers arrived in the 1840s, drawn by a large spring nestled in the pines, giving the community its name. It was a hub for orchard…
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Sabine, TX (Smith County)
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what's left of Sabine in Smith County. This community's story starts not with a boomtown, but with faith. In 1899, Reverend W. L. Pate organized the Sabine Methodist Church, donating land for it,…
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Sand Flat, TX (Smith County)
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what used to be Sand Flat, a rural community in Smith County, just north of Tyler. It started taking shape in the late 1840s when pioneers gained access via the Brumley Crossing Road. By 1851, the…
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Scarborough, George Moore
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Mount Carmel in Smith County, where playwright George Moore Scarborough was born back in 1875. He studied law, even practiced it with his father, but the pull of…
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Watson, John Brown
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Smith County, Texas, the birthplace of John Brown Watson. Born in 1872, Watson wasn't just a teacher; he was a builder. After earning degrees from Colgate and Brown Universities and teaching at…
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Browning, TX
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
Browning (Browning's) is on Farm Road 2767 and the eastern edge of the Chapel Hill oilfield nine miles southeast of Winona in eastern Smith County. The town was named for its earliest settlers. Around 1850 Isaiah…
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Dixie, TX (Smith County)
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
Dixie is off State Highway 64 just west of Tyler in central Smith County. The settlement had been established by 1906, when William C. Stallings of Dixie became the first county agent in Texas. In 1923 the Dixie…
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Garden Valley, TX
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
Garden Valley is at the intersection of State Highway 110 and Farm Road 16, seven miles west of Lindale in northwestern Smith County. It is on land that was originally part of the Edward B. Ragsdale survey. A post…
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Hopewell, TX (Smith County)
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
Hopewell is four miles north of Tyler and just north of Swan off U.S. Highway 69 in central Smith County. The settlement had been founded by 1887, when a post office was established there with Leonard N. Stell as…
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Mount Sylvan, TX
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
Mount Sylvan is at the intersection of State Highway 110 and Farm Road 724, eight miles north of Tyler in northwestern Smith County. The settlement was founded in 1852 on a local trade route, the Tyler-Garden Valley…
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New Harmony, TX (Smith County)
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
New Harmony, also called Harmony, is a farming and church community on Clear Branch and Farm Road 724 two miles south of Mount Sylvan in western Smith County. The area was settled by April 1867, when New Harmony Baptist…
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Pleasant Retreat, TX
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
Pleasant Retreat is a small church community located just west of Tyler, north of State Highway 31, and south of State Highway 64 in central Smith County. Originally part of the George Myers Survey, the area was settled…
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Red Springs, TX (Smith County)
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
Red Springs is a small rural community in north central Smith County six miles northwest of Winona at the intersection of Farm roads 16, 14, and 2710. The springs for which the town was named are located just northwest…
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Sharon, TX (Smith County)
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
Sharon, also known as Maggie Murph and as Murph, is on Everett Branch just north of State Highway 64 and two miles east of Chapel Hill in southeastern Smith County. It is located on the line between the Thomas P. Payne…
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Swan, TX
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
Swan (Swann) is just east of U.S. Highway 69 three miles north of Tyler in east central Smith County. The site, originally part of the Francis Gilkinson survey, was occupied by farmers as early as the 1850s and named…
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Teaselville, TX
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
Teaselville, also known as Loftin, is near the intersection of Farm roads 344 and 346, a mile east of Saline Bay and four miles west of Bullard in extreme southwestern Smith County. The area was inhabited by 1846, when…
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Union Chapel, TX (Smith County)
· 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
Union Chapel is a church community on State Highway 110, a light-duty road, and two dirt roads, just south of Van Lake and three miles west of Garden Valley in extreme western Smith County. The area, originally part of…
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Smith County Rose Industry and the Tyler Rose Garden
· 12.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Tyler, the Rose Capital of America! It all started back in the 1870s, when folks like G.A. McKee and Mathew Shamburger saw that this sandy soil and year-round rain were perfect for growing roses.…
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Tyler Tap Railroad
· 12.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Tyler, and this marker tells the story of the Tyler Tap Railroad. Back in 1871, local leaders like future governor R. B. Hubbard wanted to ship their fruits, veggies, and cotton to faraway…
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Van Common School
· 12.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Van, where the discovery of oil dramatically changed this community, and its school, forever. Back in 1916, two smaller schools merged to form Van Common School. Local folks even hauled 114 wagon…
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First Baptist Church of Tyler
· 12.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Tyler's First Baptist Church, one of the earliest Baptist congregations still in existence in Texas. Organized in 1848 with just six members, they first met in a log cabin and later in…
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A President Born In Seventeen Ninety With A Grandson In Our Time
· 13.0 mi
Here's a fact about this town's namesake that sounds impossible until you check it. John Tyler was born in seventeen ninety, back when George Washington was still President. And believe it or not, one of his grandsons…
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His Accidency
· 13.0 mi
The man this town is named for got one of the meanest nicknames in the history of the White House. They called John Tyler His Accidency. Here's how he earned it. In eighteen forty-one, William Henry Harrison became…
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The Loophole That Made Texas A State
· 13.0 mi
Ever wonder how the President this town is named for actually pulled Texas into the Union? It came down to a clever bit of legislative math. Normally, to bring a whole new country like the Republic of Texas into the…
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The Man Who Never Saw His Own Town
· 13.0 mi
There's a quiet irony sitting under the name of this town. John Tyler, the President it honors, almost certainly never set foot here, and by the time Tyler, Texas was growing into a real city, the man himself had turned…
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How A President's Town Became The Rose Capital
· 13.0 mi
The town named for a President wears a second title that has nothing to do with politics at all. Tyler is the Rose Capital of America, and the way it got there is a story of one crop dying and another blooming in its…
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Tyler, TX
· 13.0 mi
Tyler’s always been a place of growth, from the Caddo who first called this land home to the oil boom that transformed the town in the 30s. But the last few years have seen a different kind of shift, one that’s more…
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Tyler
· 13.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Tyler, a city named for President John Tyler, who signed the resolution annexing Texas to the U.S. Founded in 1846, Tyler quickly became known for its schools and cultured citizens. During the…
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First County Agricultural Extension Agent
· 13.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Tyler, the birthplace of a revolutionary idea in farming: the County Agricultural Agent. Back on November 12th, 1906, local leaders met and appointed William C. Stallings as the first county agent…
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Smith County, C. S. A.
· 13.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Tyler, a major center of Confederate activity during the Civil War. Right near here, the largest ordnance plant west of the Mississippi churned out 'Tyler Rifles.' Camp Ford, east of town, became…
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Why This Town Is Called Tyler
· 13.0 mi
Here's the honest story behind the name on the sign. When the Texas Legislature carved out Smith County back in eighteen forty-six, they laid out a brand new county seat near the middle of it and named it for John…
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Hawkins, TX
· 13.0 mi
Hawkins, Texas. It sits right where the piney woods start to roll westward, a little piece of Wood County history tucked away. For a long time, it was just farmland, cotton mostly, like so much of East Texas. But then,…
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Tyler - Rose Capital of America
· 13.0 mi · Historical Marker
More than half of all commercially grown rose bushes in the United States come from Tyler, Texas and the surrounding East Texas fields. The rose industry took root here in the early 1900s when growers discovered that…
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Van School, 1929-1947
· 13.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Van, Texas, where the discovery of oil in 1929 completely transformed this community. Suddenly, the small rural school, which started with just 90 kids, was overwhelmed by an influx of over 600…
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Tyler Commercial College
· 13.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Tyler Commercial College, which grew to become the largest commercial college in the nation! It started in 1894 as the Adair Normal School, but after a few years, Tyler Commercial…
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Neches Saline, C. S. A.
· 13.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Neches Saline, a vital salt source for East Texas settlers. As early as 1765, Spanish missionaries noted its presence. During the Civil War, James S.O. Brooks operated twelve furnaces…
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Smith County as a 19th Century Legal Center
· 13.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Smith County as a 19th Century Legal Center. Soon after its establishment in 1846, Smith County became an important legal center in East Texas. The first legal proceeding to take place in the county…
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Christ Episcopal Church
· 13.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Tyler, and right here is the site of Christ Episcopal Church. Its story begins way back in 1866, when the first bishop of Texas, Alexander Gregg, started missionary work with this fledgling…
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Yarbrough Building
· 13.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the former site of the Yarbrough Building in Tyler. This structure, a part of the city's history, was unfortunately torn down in 1978. Though the building is gone, its memory is preserved by this…
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Henry Miller Morgan
· 13.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Tyler, heading past the legacy of Henry Miller Morgan. Born in 1895, Morgan became a barber, but saw a problem: Texas laws excluded African Americans from barbering education. So, in 1929, he…
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Jarvis Christian College
· 13.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
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…
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Williams, Lillian Richard
· 13.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
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…
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Jenkins-Harvey Super Service Station and Garage
· 13.1 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over here, because you’re looking at a time capsule of early American car culture! This isn't just a building; it's a monument to the roaring twenties and the dawn of the automobile age. Its Art Deco style is pure…
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Tyler Carnegie Library
· 13.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Tyler Carnegie Library. Five Tyler women’s clubs, the First Literary Club, Bachelor Maids, Quid Nunc, Sherwood Club and Athenian Club, collectively known as the Federated Women’s Clubs…
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Hawkins, TX
· 13.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
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,…
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Smith County Jail, 1881
· 13.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising through Tyler, and right here is a building that once held the county's toughest criminals. This was Smith County's fourth jail, designed by Houston architect Eugene T. Heiner and built in 1880 and '81.…
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Sand Springs, TX (Wood County)
· 13.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
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…
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Butler College
· 13.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Tyler, where in 1905, leaders of the East Texas Baptist Association founded the East Texas Baptist Academy. Their mission was clear: to boost educational opportunities for African American youth…
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Van Field
· 13.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Van Zandt County, and right here is the Van field, a place that changed Texas oil. Discovered in 1929, this wasn't just another oil strike. The Van field was the very first oil field in Texas, and…
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C.S. Nicks
· 13.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Van, Texas, where Charles Sparkman Nicks captured a pivotal moment in history. In the late 1920s, as oil was discovered, Nicks was the only professional photographer documenting the boom town's…
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Van, TX
· 13.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Van, Texas, a town that owes its existence to a surprising discovery. Originally known by colorful names like Ratty Towns or Who'd-a-Thought-It, the community was renamed for a local schoolteacher…
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Whitaker-McClendon House
· 13.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Tyler, and you might just catch a glimpse of a true Victorian gem. Built around 1880 for attorney Harrison Moores Whitaker, this house is one of the last grand high Victorian residences left in…
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John B. and Ketura Douglas House
· 13.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the John B. and Ketura Douglas House, built around 1873. This was home to John, a Civil War veteran and city official, and his wife Ketura, a prominent civic leader. Their house wasn't just a home;…
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Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Van (Van)
· 13.4 mi
Van (Van, TX) placed on the 4A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Connor Mccurley (2 HR).
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Providence Community
· 13.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Providence Community. Providence community, comprised mostly of small family farms, is located in the far northeast section of Van Zandt County, straddling the Smith County line. Since 1845,…
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Bonner, Thomas R., Colonel
· 13.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Tyler, past the site of a man who wore many hats. Thomas R. Bonner, born in Mississippi, came to Texas in 1849. He fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War, rising to Colonel and leading his…
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Jarman No. 1 Discovery Well
· 13.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of a Texas oil boom! In 1929, the Pure Oil Company was drilling for oil near the small farming community of Van. After weeks of anticipation, and even a day where thousands of onlookers left…
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Chilton-Lipstate-Taylor House
· 13.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Chilton-Lipstate-Taylor House. In 1887, Horace and Mary (Grinnan) Chilton acquired land in the Yarbrough addition and soon after started construction on a house for their family. The design, by an…
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Ramey House
· 13.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Ramey House in Tyler, a beautiful example of early 20th-century architecture. Built in 1903 from local cypress and pine, this home reflects a revival of classical American design. It was the…
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Gary Elementary School
· 13.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Gary Elementary School. Land was acquired in 1907, and an eight-room schoolhouse was built here in 1908, named for early settler Franklin N. Gary, a supporter of public education. That…
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Swindall School
· 13.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through the area that was once known as Swindall. Around 1880, George W. Swindall donated land for a community school, which eventually took on his name. The school served local children until a new,…
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Van United Methodist Church
· 13.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Van, where a congregation formed in 1885 to serve this community. Originally called Antioch Church, members met under a brush arbor before building their first sanctuary in 1891. The church has…
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Winona, TX
· 13.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Winona, Texas, a town with roots stretching back to Delaware Indian settlements. But right here, in 1912, a sudden tragedy struck during a church service. Lightning hit the Winona Liberty Baptist…
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The Connally Home
· 13.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Connally Home in Tyler, built in 1906 for Walter Connally, a businessman with interests in banking, gin equipment, and hardware. After Walter's death in 1918, his widow Gretta stayed here with…
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Camp Fannin
· 13.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through East Texas, and right here is the site of Camp Fannin. During World War II, this was a massive Infantry Replacement Training Center, churning out thousands of soldiers every four months to fight…
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Camp Fannin Internment Camp World War II P.O.W. Camp
· 13.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Camp Fannin, which became a World War II prisoner of war camp. The first German POWs from the Afrika Korps arrived in October 1943. By early 1944, it was a POW base camp, even allowing…
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Woman's Building
· 13.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Tyler, and right here is the historic Woman's Building. Built back in 1932, this place was a hub for women's civic groups. The Woman's Building Association, a part of the Tyler Woman's Forum,…
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Lott, Elisha Everett
· 13.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Winona, Texas, where Elisha Everett Lott made his mark. Born in 1820, Lott moved to Texas in 1840, and quickly became a key figure. He served in the Republic of Texas Congress, helped organize…
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Pruitt Baptist Church and Pruitt Community
· 14.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Pruitt, a community named for its first postmistress, Adelia Pruitt. The town, established in the 1880s, had a cotton gin, blacksmith, and general store. The Pruitt Baptist Church was organized in…
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The Boom of 1940
· 14.1 mi
Imagine driving through Hawkins in the fall of 1940. It's a sleepy farm town of about two hundred people. Now, imagine coming back a year later. The population has jumped to around twelve hundred. The quiet streets are…
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The Man-Made Lake
· 14.1 mi
If you head just northwest of town, about three miles out, you'll find one of Hawkins' most popular spots: Lake Hawkins. But this beautiful lake isn't a natural feature. It's a product of civic engineering from the…
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Tyler Confederate Ordnance Plant
· 14.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Tyler, Texas, where a Confederate ordnance plant once churned out weapons for the Civil War. Founded in 1862 by gunsmiths and a colonel, this facility on a 125-acre site was contracted to make 5,000…
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Rudolph Bergfeld
· 14.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Rudolph Bergfeld. (1855-1930) Entrepreneur and property owner Rudolph Berfeld was a significant figure in the development of the city of Tyler. Bergfeld was born in Wisconsin and as a youth…
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Kay House
· 14.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Winona, and right here is the Kay House, built between 1856 and 1860. Francis Lemuel Kay, a planter from South Carolina, settled in Smith County and built this two-story home for his wife and…
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First Baptist Church of Winona
· 14.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Winona's First Baptist Church. It began in 1849 as Harris Creek Baptist Church with 15 members and Pastor William H. Ray. The congregation met in homes until a log building went up in…
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Dean, John
· 14.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of a home built with love and Confederate pay. In 1863, Frances Dean bought this land using money sent home by her husband, Major John Dean, from his Civil War post. He then used Louisiana…
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Jarvis Christian College
· 14.2 mi · Historical Marker
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…
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Hebron Baptist Church
· 14.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Hebron Baptist Church. The congregation petitioned to join the Cherokee Baptist Association back in 1859. Reverend William H. Ray, a key figure, helped organize several other Baptist…
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The Gusher That Built a Town
· 14.3 mi
Imagine it's October 1929. Van is a sleepy farming town of a few hundred people. Then, acting on geological surveys, the Pure Oil Company drills a well on a local cotton farm. The land belonged to W.T. Jarman, who had…
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Marvin Chapel Cemetery
· 14.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Marvin Chapel Cemetery, which began as Marvin Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church in the 1860s. The first recorded burial was in 1872, though older graves likely exist. Over three acres were donated…
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Pure Oil Company Camp
· 14.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Van, and right around here, the Great Depression hit the rest of the country hard, but this town's economy was booming! Back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1929</say-as>, geologists…
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Tyler Junior College
· 14.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Tyler, and right here is the site of Tyler Junior College, established way back in 1926. It started as part of the local school system, but World War II really kicked things into high gear. After…
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Sand Springs Cemetery
· 14.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Sand Springs Cemetery, originally Big Spring Cemetery. It was formally set aside for burials in 1860 when Matthew Cartwright conveyed seven acres to the Big Spring Baptist Church. The grounds were…
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Chandler, TX
· 14.9 mi
Chandler, Texas, might seem like a small town nestled in Henderson County, but it's got a history that punches above its weight. You might not expect it, driving down Highway 31, but this little corner of East Texas has…
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Yarborough, Ralph Webster
· 14.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
Ralph Webster "Smilin' Ralph" Yarborough, United States senator and leader of the liberal wing of the Democratic party in Texas, was born at Chandler, Texas, on June 8, 1903, the seventh of nine children of Charles…
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Fisher, Therman [Sonny]
· 14.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Chandler, Texas, the birthplace of Therman "Sonny" Fisher, a rockabilly pioneer. <break time="400ms"/> Born in 1931, Fisher was the "Wild Man from Texas," blending blues and country into a sound…
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Chandler, TX
· 14.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Chandler, Texas, a town that owes its existence to a generous donation of land. It all started back in 1859 when Alphonso H. Chandler settled the area, calling his original spot Stillwater. But…
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Wilson, Arthur [Dooley]
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
Dooley Wilson, actor and musician, was born Arthur Wilson in Tyler, Texas, on April 3, 1886. Some sources list 1894 as the year of his birth, but Wilson's gravestone gives 1886. Wilson's career spanned more than forty…
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Gardner, Carl Edward
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Tyler, Texas, the birthplace of Carl Gardner, the voice behind some of the biggest hits of the 1950s rock and roll era. Born in 1928, Gardner sang his way out of Tyler, eventually joining the…
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Rose Industry
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, the heart of America's rose country! Right here around Tyler, what began as a small nursery in 1879 blossomed into a massive industry. After droughts wiped out local peach orchards,…
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Stallings, William Crider
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Smith County, maybe near Tyler, and right here, you're passing through the birthplace of agricultural extension in America. William Crider Stallings, a farmer, preacher, and innovator, was…
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Parsons, Albert Richard
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
Albert Richard Parsons, radical labor organizer, was born in Montgomery, Alabama, on June 24, 1848, the youngest child of Samuel and Elizabeth (Tompkins) Parsons. Both parents died before he was five, and Albert was…
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Plyler v. Doe
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
The 1982 United States Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe held, in a 5-4 decision, that states such as Texas could not charge tuition to undocumented children for free public K-12 education or prevent them from enrolling…
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Douglas, James Postell
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, near Tyler, where James Postell Douglas made his mark. Douglas was a Confederate artillery officer during the Civil War. He organized a company in Smith County to man a field artillery…
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Glass, Dominion Robert
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Tyler, Texas, home to Texas College, where Dominion Robert Glass served as president for thirty years. Arriving in 1931, Glass transformed the school. Under his leadership, Texas College grew from…
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Gun Manufacturing During the Civil War
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Texas, and right here, during the Civil War, this state became a crucial hub for manufacturing vital weapons. With supplies from the North cut off, Texas had to get creative. Governor Clark pushed…
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Hubbard, Richard Bennett, Jr.
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Smith County, near Tyler, the hometown of Richard Bennett Hubbard, Jr. He wasn't just a governor; he was known as the 'Demosthenes of Texas' for his powerful oratory. Imagine him, standing in…
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Johnson, Cone
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Tyler, Texas, where lawyer and politician Cone Johnson spent over forty years of his life. Back in 1887, Johnson was a fiery orator, campaigning against prohibition. He even debated Joseph Weldon…
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Johnson, Gus
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, and right here in Tyler, Gus Johnson was born. This jazz drumming legend started young, playing in Houston theaters by age ten and local bands by eleven. He honed his skills in Dallas…
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Johnson, Willie Neal
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Tyler, Texas, the hometown of a gospel music legend. Willie Neal Johnson, known as "The Country Boy," was born right here in 1935. He started singing gospel in his teens, forming his first group,…
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Lott, Elisha Everett
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Smith County, Texas, near Tyler. Right here, in the mid-1800s, Elisha Lott was instrumental in shaping this very landscape. He wasn't just a politician; he helped lay out the boundaries of this…
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Mahoney, Nona Boren
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, and right here, in Tyler, a powerful voice for women's rights was born. Nona Boren Mahoney was more than just a suffragist; she was a fourth-generation Texan whose family had deep…
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Potter, Elizabeth Herndon [Bessie, Bess]
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Tyler, Texas, a city that owes a lot to Bessie Herndon Potter. When Bessie returned to Tyler in 1899, she dove headfirst into the women's movement. She wasn't just a clubwoman; she was a force!…
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Tyler Tap Railroad
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, and right here in Tyler, citizens were worried. It was 1871, and the new railroads were bypassing their city, threatening to steal all their business. So, they decided to build their…
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Whitmore, George Washington
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Tyler, and right here is the story of George Washington Whitmore. Born in Tennessee, he moved to Harrison County, Texas, and became a lawyer and a slaveowner. But when Texas…
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Tyler, TX
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Tyler, a city that owes its existence to a presidential nod. Back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1846</say-as>, the Texas legislature decided to create Smith County and needed a county…
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Boren, Samuel Hampson
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Tyler, a town that owes part of its early success to Samuel Hampson Boren. He arrived here in 1854 after serving as a soldier in the Republic of Texas militia and fighting in the Mexican-American…
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Chilton, George William
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, not far from Tyler, where George William Chilton made his home. Chilton was a Confederate officer, but before that, he fought in the Mexican-American War as part of Colonel John C.…
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Chilton, Horace
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, possibly near Tyler, where Horace Chilton, a lawyer and statesman, made his mark. Born in 1853, Chilton started young, even publishing a newspaper at eighteen. He became a lawyer and…
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East Texas Symphony Orchestra
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Tyler, and right here is where a musical dream took root! Back in 1934, a group of lawyers, oilmen, teachers, and students banded together to form the Tyler Symphony. Their goal? To make this East…
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Eastern Texas Female College
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Tyler, Texas, and right here, at the corner of Fannin and Charnwood streets, once stood the Eastern Texas Female College. Founded in 1853 as the female department of Tyler University, it was a hub…
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Edwards, Martin Luther
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Tyler, Texas, a city that became a pivotal point in the state's efforts to address racial inequality. Right here, Dr. Martin Luther Edwards, a Black physician, was appointed to the state's first…
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Gary, Hampson Boren
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Smith County, heading into Tyler. Right here is the birthplace of Hampson Boren Gary, a man who went from Tyler lawyer to fighting in the Spanish-American War, serving in the Texas Legislature,…
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Herndon, Mary Louise McKellar
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Tyler, Texas, a city that was home to Mary Louise McKellar Herndon. She was a prominent figure in both the temperance and women's suffrage movements in Texas. Born in Alabama in 1840, her family…
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Johnson, Harold [Money]
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Tyler, Texas, the birthplace of jazz trumpet player Harold "Money" Johnson. Born in 1918, Johnson started playing at fifteen and was soon part of the Tyler Hotel orchestra in the early 1930s. His…
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Jones, Tignal W.
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Tyler, Texas, a city that was home to Tignal W. Jones. Jones was a lawyer who, after serving in the Mexican-American War, moved to Tyler in 1856. When Texas seceded from the Union, he first…
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Lorance, McDonald
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Tyler, Texas, right where McDonald Lorance made his mark. He arrived here from Tennessee in 1844, and when this community was officially laid out in 1846, Lorance stepped up to become its very…
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Quinn, Frank David
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, and right here, in Tyler, is where Frank David Quinn landed in 1931. He wasn't just a businessman; he was a park promoter! Quinn helped organize oil drilling operations in East Texas…
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Ramey, Thomas Boyd
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
Right here in Tyler, you're driving through the heart of East Texas, a place that owes a lot to Thomas Boyd Ramey. He was a lawyer, an educator, and a true civic leader. Ramey was instrumental in founding not just Tyler…
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Robertson, John C.
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Smith County, Texas, near Tyler, where John C. Robertson made his home. Back in 1861, Robertson was a delegate to the Texas Secession Convention. Just days after Texas voted to leave the Union, he…
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Roome, Ruth V. Brazzil
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Texas, and you might just be passing by a place that was once home to a unique experiment in state government: the All-Woman Supreme Court. Right here, in 1925, Governor Pat Neff appointed Ruth…
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Smith County
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Smith County, a place with a history stretching back centuries. Before Europeans arrived, the Caddo Indians called this land home. The first European to document it was a Spanish missionary in…
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Stell, John Dennis
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Tyler, where John Dennis Stell spent his final days. Stell was a Georgia planter and politician who moved to Leon County, Texas, in 1855. He established a large cotton…
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Texas Blues Festival
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Tyler right now, and you might just be missing the Texas Blues Festival! <break time="400ms"/> This annual event kicks off every April, filling the downtown streets with the soulful sounds of…
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Tunnell, Byron M.
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, and right here in Tyler, Byron Tunnell began his remarkable career. He served as Speaker of the Texas House, known for instituting a dress code to professionalize its image. Imagine,…
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Tyler Museum of Art
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
Right here in Tyler, you're driving past the Tyler Museum of Art. It began as a project of the Tyler Junior League way back in 1967, and opened its doors in 1971. What's really interesting is that for years, this museum…
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Tyler, Catholic Diocese of
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Northeast Texas, a region with a Catholic history stretching back over 300 years. Right here, in what is now the Diocese of Tyler, the story of Catholicism in Texas began. In 1690, Franciscan…
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Woldert, Edwin Albert
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Tyler, the birthplace of Dr. Albert Woldert. <break time="400ms"/> He was a physician who returned to his hometown in 1901, not just to practice medicine, but to fight disease. <break…
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Hubbard, Olivia Jane Roberts [Janie]
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Tyler, Texas, a city that was once home to Olivia Jane Roberts Hubbard, known as Janie. She was the wife of Governor Richard Bennett Hubbard, Jr., and served as the First Lady of Texas from 1876…
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Academy of Science of Texas
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Tyler. Back in the late 1800s, this area was the center of a scientific endeavor. It started in Austin in 1880 as the Academy of Science of Texas. Its founders hoped for…
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Donley, Stockton P.
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Texas, and right here, you're passing through the area that would eventually be named Donley County. But the man it's named for, Stockton P. Donley, had a dramatic Civil War experience. In…
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Kansas and Gulf Short Line Railroad
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, and right here, you're passing through the history of a railroad that aimed to connect Tyler all the way to Sabine Pass. The Kansas and Gulf Short Line Railroad was chartered in 1880…
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Lake Tyler
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Smith County, not far from Tyler, heading towards a massive body of water that's actually two lakes joined together. This is Lake Tyler, built primarily to supply water for the city. Construction…
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Park, William H.
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Tyler in Smith County. Right here, in the waning days of the Civil War, Dr. William H. Park was organizing troops. In late 1863, he helped form the Second Texas Infantry…
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Riggs, Walter Lee
· 15.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Tyler, where Walter Lee Riggs spent over two decades working for the USDA. Born in San Antonio in 1946, Riggs was a veterinarian who served in the Air Force, including…
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First Baptist Church of Edom
· 15.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the First Baptist Church of Edom. Organized in the 1850s, this was one of the first Baptist churches in Van Zandt County. The congregation erected several buildings over the years,…
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Cherokee Exodus from Texas
· 15.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through East Texas, a land that was home to the Cherokee Nation long before settlers arrived. By 1820, they were well-established here, but tensions with newcomers grew. In 1839, Republic of Texas…
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John Crane
· 15.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through East Texas, near Chandler. Look around, because you're passing over a battlefield. This is where John Crane died in 1839. Crane was a War of 1812 veteran who brought his family to Texas in 1834.…
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Yarborough Home
· 15.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Yarborough Home in Chandler, a place that's seen nearly a century and a half of family history. It's been occupied by the Spear and Yarborough families since 1903. This house is the birthplace of…
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Edom, TX
· 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Van Zandt County, and right here is Edom, the third oldest town in the county. It started out in 1849, a few miles from where we are now. It got its first post office in 1852, called Hamburg.…
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Edom Methodist Church
· 15.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Edom Methodist Church. Organized in 1874, the congregation may have been founded as early as 1859. They relocated here in the 1920s and built a new brick structure in 1952, which…
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Site of C. W. Morris Cotton Gin
· 15.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Edom, where the cotton gin was the heart of this town's economy for decades. Opened in 1918 and later owned by C.W. Morris, this gin processed hundreds of bales of cotton during peak season,…
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Edom
· 15.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Edom, the third oldest town in Van Zandt County. It actually started as Hamburg six miles east of here in 1849, then moved west to become Newburg. By the 1850s, it settled into its…
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Coltharp-Beall House
· 15.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Coltharp-Beall House, built way back in 1849 by James Coltharp. This spot wasn't just a home; it served as a crucial stop for stagecoaches traveling through the area. It also holds the…
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Concord Cemetery
· 15.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Concord Cemetery, established in the 1870s by settlers of the Concord Community. The earliest marked grave here belongs to Velinda Wood, dated July 31st, 1875. Today, it's the final resting place for…
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Tyler-Porter's Bluff Road
· 15.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past a piece of Texas history, the Tyler-Porter's Bluff Road. First mapped by state surveyors way back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1846</say-as>, this old trail might even pre-date Mexican…
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Thomas G. Pollard, Sr.
· 15.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Tyler, where Thomas G. Pollard, Sr. left his mark. Born in 1895, Pollard became an attorney and a state representative for East Texas from 1919 to 1921. He then moved to the Texas Senate, serving…
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Headache Springs, C.S.A. Medical Laboratory
· 15.7 mi · Historical Marker
As you drive, imagine this: during the Civil War, Tyler was home to a Confederate medical lab, one of only nine in the whole Confederacy and the only one west of the Mississippi! Right near here, at 'Headache Springs'…
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First Christian Church of Tyler
· 15.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Tyler's first Christian Church, also known as the Disciples of Christ. A congregation was first organized here in 1859, but disbanded during the Civil War. It wasn't until 1889 that a new…
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Battle of the Neches
· 16.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through East Texas, near Van, where one of the Republic of Texas's biggest clashes with Native Americans took place: the Battle of the Neches. On July 15th and 16th, 1839, over a thousand warriors and…
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Sand Flat Community
· 16.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through what used to be Sand Flat, a community that started in the 1850s at the crossroads of two old roads. It was first called Chrestman, but by the late 1800s, folks knew it as Sand Flat. By 1901, the…
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Stanger Springs Church
· 16.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving near Ben Wheeler, where Stanger Springs Church was organized on July 3, 1875, with 27 charter members. Originally built on land donated by the Stanger family, it later became a shared space for both…
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The Free State of Van Zandt
· 16.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Van Zandt County, a place that once proudly called itself 'The Free State of Van Zandt'! This nickname wasn't just about independence; settlers here in the 1840s could sleep outdoors without fear…
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Brady P. Gentry
· 16.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Van Zandt County, and you're passing the park dedicated to Brady P. Gentry. Born right here in 1895, Gentry wasn't just a local figure. He rose to become Chairman of the Texas Highway Commission,…
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Walters' Bluff Ferry
· 16.2 mi
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…
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Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church
· 16.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving by the site of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, one of the oldest fellowships in Wood County. It began as Holly Springs Baptist Church of Christ, with its first meeting in 1853 at the home of pastor J. D. J.…
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Hubbard, Colonel Richard B.
· 16.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site associated with Colonel Richard B. Hubbard, a man who wore many hats in Texas. Born in Georgia in 1832, he came to Texas in 1853, becoming a Tyler lawyer and state legislator. But when the…
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Rock Hill Cemetery
· 17.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Rock Hill Cemetery, the final resting place of a true Texas hero. Born in 1817, he fought in the Battle of San Jacinto, led the Texas Rangers in the Mexican War, and served as a Brigadier General in…
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Kacey Musgraves
· 17.3 mi
Golden, Texas — population not much — put Kacey Musgraves on a stage before the world ever heard her. As a teenager she opened for Ray Wylie Hubbard at a little East Texas venue, which is about as real a country…
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Golden, TX
· 17.3 mi
Golden, Texas, it’s a small place, no doubt. Drive through, and you might not even realize you’d passed anything more than a wide spot in the road. But what’s grown here, right out of this sandy East Texas soil, has a…
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Reneau Building
· 17.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Golden, and right here is the Reneau Building, a place that was the heart of this town for decades. It started in 1913 as a home for the local Masonic Lodge, but by 1916, it was also a general…
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Rock Hill Cemetery
· 17.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Rock Hill Cemetery, serving this area since the late 1800s. The earliest burial on record is Juno Martin, a young daughter of settlers, who died in 1885. The cemetery was formally established in 1900…
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Starrville Community
· 17.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through the site of Starrville, a town that boomed and busted right here in Smith County. It all started in 1852 when Reverend Joshua Starr, a Methodist minister, bought land and laid out this town, even…
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Rock Hill Cemetery, Old
· 17.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Old Rock Hill Cemetery, a final resting place for many early settlers in this part of Henderson County. The first known burial here was Thomas Clark, way back in 1851. Just a few years…
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Wood County
· 17.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Wood County, created in 1850 and organized the same year. It's named for George T. Wood, who served as Governor of Texas from 1847 to 1849. Quitman is the county seat.
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Camp Ford
· 17.6 mi · Historical Marker
Hidden in the piney woods near Tyler was the largest Confederate prisoner of war camp west of the Mississippi. Camp Ford started in 1863 as a conscription post but quickly became a holding pen for captured Union…
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Ben Wheeler, TX
· 17.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Van Zandt County, and right here is Ben Wheeler. This community was settled in the 1840s and first called Clough. But in 1878, it got its current name, Ben Wheeler, after a local mail carrier. He…
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Sanders, Morgan Gurley
· 17.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Van Zandt County, the birthplace of Morgan Gurley Sanders. Born in 1878, Sanders wasn't just a small-town lawyer; he rose to represent Texas in the U.S. Congress for a decade, from 1920 to 1930.…
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Cane Syrup Production in Van Zandt County
· 17.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Van Zandt County, a place that was once a major syrup-producing hub. Back in the late 1800s, folks migrating from the Deep South brought sugar cane and sorghum farming with them. Willis Jarrell…
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Alamo Institute
· 17.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Van Zandt County, where in 1890, there were plenty of schools, but none for higher learning. Right here, citizens decided to establish Alamo Institute, a place offering history, Latin, science,…
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Morgan G. Sanders
· 17.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Morgan G. Sanders. Legislator Morgan Gurley Sanders was born near Ben Wheeler. He published newspapers, worked as journal clerk of the state senate and was admitted to the State Bar of Texas before…
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Ben Wheeler Community
· 17.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through the historic heart of Ben Wheeler, a town with roots stretching back to 1868. It all started when George W. Clough bought 640 acres, and his land became the core of the original downtown. Clough…
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Fowler, Homer Thomas Wilson [Wick]
· 18.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
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…
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Thomas, Henry [Ragtime Texas]
· 18.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
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…
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Starrville Community Center
· 18.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Starrville, a town that was a stop on the Dallas-Shreveport Road as early as 1849. Reverend Joshua Starr bought the land in 1852 and began selling lots. By the late 1870s, residents started moving to…
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Big Sandy, TX
· 18.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
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,…
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Big Sandy, TX
· 18.1 mi
Big Sandy, Texas, has a rich history that began shortly after the American Civil War. The settlement was first known as Big Sandy Switch due to the Texas and Pacific Railroad and the narrow-gauge Tyler Tap intersecting…
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Phelps Home, Ashley
· 18.1 mi · Historical Marker
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,…
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Holly Lake Ranch, TX
· 18.4 mi
In the early 1900s, Holly Lake Ranch's story began with D.B. Contes, a cotton buyer from central Texas, who moved into the area along Holly Creek. During World War I and the Great Depression, Contes leased and sold…
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Smith Cemetery
· 18.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Smith Cemetery, a final resting place established by early settlers in this area. The land was originally part of a 640-acre grant to Mary "Polly" Long back in 1846. By 1857, the cemetery was already…
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Flora Lodge No. 119, A.F. & A.M.
· 18.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Flora Lodge, founded as Quitman Masonic Lodge back in 1852. It was named Flora Lodge on Christmas Day of that same year, and its original furniture cost just over ten dollars. The lodge…
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Lake Fork Reservoir
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Wood County, and right here is Lake Fork Reservoir. It might look like just a big body of water, but it was built for a very specific purpose: to supply water for industry and cities like Dallas…
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Hainesville, TX
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Hainesville is at the intersection of Farm roads 49 and 778, seven miles southeast of Quitman in southeastern Wood County. There were settlers in the area as early as 1845, and several families were living in the…
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Holly Springs, TX (Wood County)
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Holly Springs (Holly Spring) was seven miles northeast of Pine Mills (then Liberty Hill) and probably near Gunstream Lake in east central Wood County. The Holly Springs community was named after the nearby natural…
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Little Hope, TX
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Little Hope is at the intersection of Farm roads 154 and 312, ten miles east of Quitman in eastern Wood County. The old Little Hope church and cemetery are about 1½ miles north of the community, which is…
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Speer, TX
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Speer, also known as Stinson and as Stinson's Mill, was near Big Sandy Creek and the present route of Farm Road 312 three miles northeast of Pine Mills and eleven miles east of Quitman in eastern Wood County. The area…
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Stout, TX
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Stout is on Farm Road 312 six miles south of Winnsboro and ten miles northeast of Quitman in northeast Wood County. Both the community and a nearby creek were named after Capt. Henry Stout , who around 1848 was one of…
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Taddlock Site
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Wood County, near the waters of Lake Fork. Right here, over a thousand years ago, was a bustling Caddoan settlement known as the Taddlock Site. Between the years 1037 and 1070, people lived and…
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Webster, TX (Wood County)
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Wood County, and right here is the site of Webster, one of the oldest settlements in this area. It all started back in 1854 when Gilbert Smith Matthews bought this land and named it after…
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Cloverhill, TX
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Cloverhill (Clover Hill, Clover Hill Church) is on Farm Road 69 five miles northeast of Quitman in north central Wood County. In 1856 the area was settled by families from Georgia and Alabama, who the next year built…
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Redlands, TX
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Redlands (Redland), also known as Weimer (Weimar) and Macedonia, was a sawmill community in southeast Wood County twelve miles southeast of Quitman, the county seat, at the intersection of Farm roads 778 and 3056.…
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Perryville, TX (Wood County)
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Wood County, and right here is Perryville. This community sprung up around the intersection of Farm roads 2088 and 852, eight miles southeast of Winnsboro. Its story really begins in 1853, when…
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Pleasant Grove, TX (Wood County)
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Wood County, heading west of Winnsboro. Right here is the site of Pleasant Grove. It started in 1872, likely named for the big oak trees, when Henry Robinson opened a blacksmith shop. By 1896, it…
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Cartwright, TX
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Cartwright is on Farm Road 1643 seven miles northeast of Quitman in north central Wood County. The Cartwright area, which probably had settlers as early as 1851, was first called the Barrens because of its isolation and…
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Coke, TX
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Coke is on Farm roads 515 and 69, ten miles north of Quitman in northern Wood County. Though the area was settled as early as the 1850s, a community did not develop until the discovery of coal southwest of the area. By…
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Crow, TX
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Crow is at the intersection of Farm Road 778, U.S. Highway 80, and the Missouri Pacific Railroad, fourteen miles southeast of Quitman in southeastern Wood County. The site was called Graham when a railroad station was…
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Fouke, TX
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Fouke is on Farm Road 2869 three miles northeast of Crow and less than a mile west of Lake Hawkins in southeast Wood County. A community called Center was said to exist in the southern part of the county as early as…
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Golden Rule, TX
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Golden Rule, also known as Greer's Neighborhood, was four miles east of Mineola on what later became Farm Road 49 in southern Wood County. The community was probably first named for Gaines Greer, recipient of a land…
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Golden, TX
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Golden is at the intersection of Farm roads 1799 and 779, just off U.S. Highway 69 four miles northwest of Mineola in southwest Wood County. Though the area was settled as early as 1865, the community did not begin to…
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Hoard, TX
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Hoard, also known as Democrat, is at the intersection of Farm Road 1801 and U.S. Highway 80-which parallels the Missouri Pacific line-six miles east of Mineola in southern Wood County. Sometime before 1870 a one-room…
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Mount Pisgah, TX (Wood County)
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Mount Pisgah was a rural community at the intersection of Farm Road 49 and several soil-surfaced roads, two miles west of Pine Mills and nine miles southeast of Quitman in southeastern Wood County. A Texas Historical…
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Ogburn, TX
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Ogburn, also known as Jim Hogg, is just off Farm Road 2088 and fifteen miles east of Quitman in eastern Wood County. In 1897 the W. G. Ragley Lumber Company of Winnsboro built a tramline through the area to carry logs;…
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Peach, TX
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Peach, also known as Genevie Switch and Elberta, was fifteen miles east of Quitman in eastern Wood County. The area was settled as early as the 1850s and by 1870 had a sawmill and gristmill operated by J. H. Saxon. No…
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Pine Mills, TX
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Pine Mills, also known as Liberty Hill and as Reedsville, is at the intersection of Farm roads 14, 49, and 312 ten miles southeast of Quitman in southeastern Wood County. As early as 1850 a sawmill community called…
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Rock Hill, TX (Wood County)
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Rock Hill is near Farm Road 2966 seven miles north of Quitman in northwestern Wood County and extends two miles farther north near the intersection of Farm roads 2966 and 515 (the latter road is known locally as the…
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Smith, TX (Wood County)
· 18.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Smith, also known as Terrapin Neck, is just north of the intersection of Farm roads 2659 and 2911 and three miles northeast of Hawkins at the Upshur county line in southeastern Wood County. Settlers from Alabama,…
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Normandy, Site of Old
· 18.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Henderson County, right past the site of Old Normandy. This spot marks the very first Norwegian colony in Texas, founded way back in 1845. Johan Reinert Reierson, a Norwegian immigrant, advertised…
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Brownsboro Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery
· 18.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Brownsboro Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery. Ole Reierson, after migrating from Norway in 1845, bought this land and chose it for his own burial. Before he died in 1852, he even carved…
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Collins-Haines Home
· 18.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Quitman, and you're passing the site of the first brick structure ever built in Wood County. Look to your right! This home was erected in 1859 by James and Harriet Collins, who came here from…
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Corinth Cemetery
· 18.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Grand Saline, and right here is Corinth Cemetery. The oldest readable tombstone dates back to 1874, but land for this graveyard was first deeded in 1886. It's also the final resting place for six…
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Corinth Baptist Church and School
· 18.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Corinth, a community that once thrived here in Van Zandt County. It boasted a gin, grist mill, blacksmith, and even a doctor's office. The log schoolhouse, built around 1849, doubled as…
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Noonday, TX (Smith County)
· 18.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through southern Smith County, near Gresham, and you're passing through the community of Noonday. Its story starts way back in the 1860s with the building of the Spring Hill Methodist Church. A post…
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Colfax Cemetery
· 18.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Colfax Cemetery. In 1883, A. L. Kellam donated five acres to establish this burial ground. The first person laid to rest here in 1884 was Elisha Tunnell, who founded the community that would become…
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Brownsboro, TX
· 19.0 mi
Brownsboro was first settled in 1849 by John 'Red' Brown, who operated a toll bridge across Kickapoo Creek on the road to Jordan's Saline and Tyler. He had received a state-issued license to operate a bridge near the…
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Hill, James Calhoun
· 19.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the land once settled by James Calhoun Hill, a true pioneer of this area. Arriving from Alabama in 1840, he led the very first permanent settlers into this vicinity. Hill was instrumental in…
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Prairie Springs Cemetery
· 19.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Prairie Springs Cemetery, which began in 1866 with the burial of R. W. Berry's infant grandson. Berry deeded land for the graveyard in 1880, though burials happened earlier. The cemetery was formally…
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Jordans Saline
· 19.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Grand Saline, but you're passing the ghost of its original namesake: Jordans Saline. John Jordan settled here in 1844, and he and A.T. McGee organized a salt company. By 1860, this place had a…
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Brown, John [Red]
· 19.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Henderson County, Texas, and the town of Brownsboro owes its name to John 'Red' Brown. He was an Irishman who settled near Nacogdoches in 1836, practicing law and farming. He was instrumental in…
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Bascom Cemetery
· 19.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving near the Bascom Cemetery, a resting place for early Smith County settlers. The community of Bascom itself was settled in the mid-1840s and named for a Methodist bishop. Graves were moved here starting in…
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Hogg, James Stephen, Early Home
· 19.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the early home of James Stephen Hogg, the man who would become governor of Texas. He bought this cottage in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1873</say-as>, right here in Quitman. Young Hogg was…
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Stinson, James A., Home
· 19.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the historic home of James A. Stinson, built right here in 1869. Stinson was a Confederate colonel who came to Texas after the Civil War and became a successful sawmill operator and early scientific…
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Jones, J. H., and the Old Settlers Reunion Grounds
· 19.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the historic Old Settlers Reunion Grounds near Quitman. In 1902, a local merchant and former county clerk, J. H. Jones, donated this land to the Old Settlers of Wood County Association. Founded just…
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Anglin, Adren
· 19.2 mi · Historical Marker
Adren Anglin came to Texas from Kentucky back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1833</say-as>. You're driving near where he helped build Fort Parker in Limestone County. By <say-as interpret-as="date"…
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The Onion That Made a Town Famous
· 19.3 mi
You are driving through the home of a Texas legend—and it’s an onion. The Noonday Sweet Onion isn’t just any onion; it’s a specific variety that became famous for being so mild you could eat it like an apple. The story…
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Asbury Cemetery
· 19.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Asbury Cemetery, a final resting place with a fascinating story. The first burial here was Asbury Lowery in 1855. But the most famous resident, at least for a time, was Prairie Flower, daughter of…
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Light Crust Doughboys Hall of Fame and Museum
· 19.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Quitman, Texas, a town that once celebrated a legendary musical act: the Light Crust Doughboys. Formed in 1931, this band became a powerhouse of western swing music, performing across the country…
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Quitman, TX
· 19.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Quitman, Texas, a town founded in 1850 and named for a governor of Mississippi and a hero of the Mexican War. Quitman's early growth was slow, but it became the center of a political battle in…
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Bowling, Charles Taylor
· 19.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, not far from Quitman, where Charles Taylor Bowling was born in 1891. He spent most of his life in Dallas, working as a draftsman for Texas Power and Light for nearly fifty years. But…
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Governor Jim Hogg City Park and RV Park
· 19.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Quitman, in Wood County, and right here south of downtown is Governor Jim Hogg City Park. It started as Quitman City Park back in 1941, but by 1946, it was named Governor Hogg Shrine State…
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Hawthorne Cemetery
· 19.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Hawthorne Cemetery, also known as Turman Cemetery. Mississippi natives William and Emily Hawthorne moved here in 1867, and this burial ground takes its name from them, though their names aren't on…
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Hogg, James Stephen
· 19.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Quitman, in the heart of Wood County. Look around – this is where James Stephen Hogg started his incredible journey. Born near Rusk in 1851, Hogg was orphaned young and worked his way up from…
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Wood County Courthouse
· 19.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Quitman, the county seat of Wood County, which was created way back in 1850. This courthouse you see has a fiery history! The first log courthouse was replaced by a frame building that burned down…
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The Cathey Buildings
· 19.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Cathey Buildings in Quitman. By 1922, Benjamin Franklin Cathey built several brick commercial buildings here, including the post office and a mercantile. Though fire destroyed three…
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Myrtle Springs Baptist Church, BMA
· 19.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Quitman, near the site of the Myrtle Springs Baptist Church, BMA. Organized in 1861 by Rev. Coker, the congregation originally met in a log schoolhouse before building their own wooden church.…
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First Baptist Church of Quitman
· 19.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Quitman, and right here is the site of the First Baptist Church, but its story starts way back in November of 1850. It was organized by pioneer settlers, and get this – the meeting was led by a…
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The Town That Moved
· 19.9 mi
You might think Brownsboro has always been right where it is, but you'd be off by a ways. The settlement was founded in 1849 by John 'Red' Brown, who ran a toll bridge across Kickapoo Creek on the road to Jordan's…
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The College That Filled a Piney Woods Campus
· 20.0 mi
As you pass through Big Sandy, it’s hard to miss the enormous, manicured campus just off the highway. For a generation, this was the home of Ambassador College. Evangelist Herbert W. Armstrong had been bringing his…
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The Man Who Went 'Goin' Up the Country'
· 20.0 mi
The railroad tracks cutting through Big Sandy carry more than just freight; they carry the ghost of a sound that shaped American music. Henry Thomas, known as 'Ragtime Texas,' was born in Big Sandy in 1874. A wandering…
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The Engineering of the Crossroads
· 20.0 mi
The town of Big Sandy is essentially a railroad's afterthought that grew into a crossroads. The Texas and Pacific pushed its east-west line through here in 1873, and a settlement gathered along it almost immediately — a…