Everything Rockdale is known for
Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Rockdale.
Rockdale's a place where the past feels close, a living thing. Drive around, and you’ll see the post oak savanna stretching out, much like it did when the Tonkawa called this land home. But the real story, for me anyway, is the people who left their mark here. We’re not talking about sprawling cities with endless lists of famous names, but a few folks who carried a piece of Rockdale with them.
Rockdale's always been a town tied to industry and the land. For decades, the Alcoa plant dominated the landscape, both physically and economically. You could see it for miles, those towering structures a testament to the jobs it provided. But when Alcoa closed in 2008, it left a hole bigger than any mine pit. Folks worried about the future, about how a town of around 5,300 could possibly recover from such a blow. It was a tough time, no doubt, but Rockdale's got a resilience you can't deny. Now, you see a different kind of energy, a cautious optimism. The old Alcoa land is being repurposed, attracting new kinds of businesses. Agriculture, of course, remains a constant, just like the post oak savanna that surrounds us. But there's a renewed focus on small business, on creating a future that isn't dependent on one single giant. And you still hear the echoes of the past, too. It’s a slow climb, but there's a feeling that Rockdale's finding its footing again, building on its history while looking ahead.
Rockdale's story is etched in the land itself, from the post oak savanna that blankets the area to the very rocks that gave the town its name. Before the railroad arrived and the town sprang up in 1874, the Tonkawa people knew this land intimately. Though their presence faded with the arrival of European settlers, the echo of their connection to the land remains, a reminder of a life lived in harmony with the rolling hills and natural springs. The arrival of the railroad brought not just commerce but also a wave of settlers, many drawn by the promise of agricultural opportunity. They came from various backgrounds, weaving together a tapestry of traditions. While no specific ethnic group dominated, the spirit of the South, with its blend of Anglo and African American influences, took root. The town's history is also tied to industry, as the aluminum plant once hummed with activity, employing many and shaping the town's identity. Though the plant is gone, the legacy of those who worked there remains a part of Rockdale's story, a testament to its ever-evolving character.
Juan José de Ganzabal, a missionary priest in Spanish Texas , was assigned to the College of Santa Cruz de Querétaro , a Franciscan institution in Mexico. He and Father Mariano Francisco de los Dolores y Viana were staunch advocates of the San Xavier missions , on the San Gabriel River near the site of present Rockdale, Texas. It fell to Father Ganzabal to make special pleadings with the auditor de guerra for crown support of the missions and a presidio to guard them. That task occupied him in Mexico City for eight months in 1748. Despite opposition in Texas from Governor Pedro del Barrio Junco y Espriella , by July 1749 three missions had been established on the San Gabriel River. Ganzabal was the first regular missionary at San Ildefonso Mission, where he directed his initial efforts toward the recruitment of several bands of Orcoquiza Indians. In May 1750 a horrible smallpox epidemic spread through neophytes of the mission, and Father Ganzabal could do little other than minister to the needs of the dying. After the establishment of San Francisco Xavier de Gigedo Presidio in 1751 and appointment of Capt. Felipe de Rábago y Terán as its commander, the status of the missions deteriorated rapidly under the influence of the roguish captain. When matters came to a head over an adulterous affair between Rábago and the wife of soldier Juan José Ceballos and the immoral conduct of the garrison, Ganzabal delivered Father Miguel de Pinilla 's decree of excommunication and posted it at the gate of the presidio. But within a few days, Ganzabal granted absolution and penance to the repentant soldiers. Matters, however, continued to worsen at the San Gabriel outposts. On May 11, 1752, Ceballos and Ganzabal died, respectively, of gunshot and arrow wounds at Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria Mission. The attack was almost certainly instigated by Rábago but was blamed on Coco Indians. Ganzabal was one of only a few Franciscans to suffer violent death in Texas. His murder stands alone as the extreme expression of marred relations between the missionary clergy and presidial soldiers on the frontier of Spain in America.
Felipe de Rábago y Terán, Spanish soldier, was likely born in New Spain during the third decade of the eighteenth century. A contemporary, Texas Governor Jacinto de Barrios y Jáuregui in remarking about Rábago's early life, noted that he had acquired a good deal of wealth from the mines of Zacatecas and that he possessed more money than judgment. Rábago first appears in the written record at the exact mid-point of the 1700s. On March 6, 1750, King Ferdinand VI designated him as commander of a proposed presidio in Central Texas, soon to be named San Francisco Xavier de Gigedo. En route to his post, which he reached in December 1751, Rábago, then a young man in his early thirties, scandalized the Franciscans in his party by engaging in licentious relations with Indian and Hispanic women, whether married or single. After conducting a brief survey of three San Xavier missions in January 1752, Rábago urged their removal from the San Gabriel River near modern Rockdale, Texas, to a more favorable site on the San Marcos River, but the missionaries adamantly rejected his request. This disagreement, which forced Rábago to build the presidio where he did not wish it to be, as well as his salacious relationship with the wife of Juan José Ceballos, a tailor from San Antonio, prompted heated quarrels with the Franciscans. Those differences and other disputes between presidials and clerics led to the temporary excommunication of Rábago and the entire San Xavier garrison in late February 1752. On May 11, 1752, Ceballos and Father Juan José de Ganzabal were murdered at Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria Mission, and Rábago was suspiciously linked to their deaths. He was removed from command and sent to Presidio Santa Rosa del Sacramento in Monclova, where he languished for eight years while charges against him were investigated. Following the destruction of Santa Cruz de San Sabá Mission in 1758 and the subsequent removal of Diego Ortiz Parrilla as commander of San Luis de las Amarillas Presidio, Rábago, on June 7, 1760, was exonerated in the double murder case and selected as Parrilla's replacement. He reached the San Saba River on September 30, and took charge of the presidio on the following day. Among his most important accomplishments there was the replacement of the wooden presidio with an impressive rectangular fortress of mortar and stone, which he completed in late 1761. During his long confinement at Monclova, Rábago appears to have experienced a remarkable transformation that has puzzled his most harsh critics. He demonstrated "a great change of heart" by committing himself to the conversion and missionizing of the Lipan Apaches. To this end he recruited Father Diego Jiménez , president of missions on the Rio Grande, to assist him in founding two new missions on the upper Nueces River in present-day Uvalde and Real Counties. Known collectively as the El Cañón missions, these religious outposts enjoyed modest success in the 1760s. At the same time, the presidio at San Sabá came under relentless attacks from Comanches, mortal enemies of the Lipan Apaches. To defend the garrison and the two missions, Rábago expended more than 12,000 pesos of his own money. In the spring of 1768, under almost constant threats by the Comanches, soldiers and their families dared not plant fresh vegetables and other crops beyond the presidio's protective walls. Limited in diet, the residents and Rábago himself suffered horribly from scurvy. In desperation, Rábago abandoned his post and relocated the garrison near one of the missions. When the viceroy learned of the unauthorized move, he ordered Rábago back to San Sabá, but Rábago refused to comply. Leaving the upper Nueces, he traveled to Coahuila seeking supplies for his troops and the mission residents. There in April 1769 he learned of his replacement at San Sabá by Manuel Antonio de Oca y Alemán . From Coahuila, Rábago set out for Mexico City, where he hoped to obtain recompense for expenditures of his ow
Fiddler and band leader Benjamin Theodore Christian was born on a farm near Rockdale, Texas, on June 1, 1885, the fifth of nine children of Charles S. and Anne E. (Murray) Christian. Affectionately known as "Uncle Ben" to a later generation of country music fans, Christian probably learned to play the fiddle from an older brother. Although most of his siblings played instruments, only his younger brother Elwood (Elmer) also established a musical career. Before entering the music field, Christian engaged in a number of business activities, including bookkeeping and sales. While performing with a traveling medicine show , he met and married Rose Lee Franklin in Port Neches in 1928. They remained married until his death in 1956. This and a previous marriage produced three sons. Christian entered the Houston music scene in the early 1930s, when Fort Worth-based western swing was attracting growing audiences over the radio waves. For a time he teamed with guitarists Dave Melton and Lynn Henderson at house parties. Ben and Henderson organized the Bar X Cowboys, named by radio announcer Harry Greer, with Ben as business manager and lead fiddler and Elwood on fiddle and bass. Although offering no pay for the band, the live programs, variously on KTRH, KPRC, and KXYZ, provided free advertising for dances within the approximately 200-mile range of the radio stations. Performing cowboy and country songs in addition to western swing, the Bar X Cowboys became one of the most popular aggregations in the vibrant coastal region, competing with such major talents as Pappy Selph , Cliff Bruner , Moon Mullican , and Shelly Lee Alley . Ted Daffan , a pioneer in the electrification of instruments and charter member of the Nashville Song Writers Association Hall of Fame for compositions "Born To Lose," "Truck Driver's Blues," and a host of other hits, played steel guitar for the band before organizing his Texans in 1940. Although primarily a dance band, the Bar X Cowboys made a number of records with Decca, including Christian's "Rockdale Rag," in Dallas studios. Some of the selections have been reproduced recently in country music albums. In 1940 Christian turned over the Bar X Cowboys to Elwood to form the Texas Cowboys, which he managed until his retirement. The new band continued the success of its predecessor, with Richard "Jerry" Jericho, a later performer on Shreveport's Louisiana Hayride , as principal vocalist. Christian broadcast on KNUZ and KLEE until disk jockeys replaced the local live bands in the late forties. During that decade the Texas Cowboys performed at leading Houston venues, such as Cook's Hoedown, Eagles' Hall, and Polish Hall (later known as Fitzgerald's), in addition to rural communities. Hank Thompson , Hank Locklin, Floyd Tillman , Hank Snow, and Elton Britt made guest appearances with the band. The Texas Cowboys shared the bandstand in "battle dances" with Bob Wills , Adolf Hofner , and Jesse James. Christian and the band provided instrumentation for Hank Williams on one of his last area tours and permitted a young Elvis Presley to gain experience with them before an audience at Magnolia Gardens. Declining health and lessening opportunities for local bands persuaded Christian to transfer the Texas Cowboys to Jericho in 1954. Ben Christian's death, at his Houston residence on March 27, 1956, closed a musical career that had spanned the golden age of string dance bands on the Texas Gulf Coast. He was buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Houston.
In 1947, E. L. Bryan and the Foy Arrington family bought a surplus Quonset Hut, one of thousands of the all-purpose metal buildings made during World War II. The hut was moved to Rockdale to become the core of the second movie theater in town. Local carpenter Jack Kyle, Sr. Directed several Rockdale high school students to build the sloping concrete floor and façade for the streamline moderne-style Kay Theater, named for the Arringtons’ daughter, Katherine. A half-cylinder of corrugated steel sheets forms the walls and roof. The entry includes a stepped plaster wall outlined in neon, an entry drum of plaster and glass blocks, paired double doors, a central sign and large letters spelling K-A-Y on each side of the rotunda. The owners, Mr. and Mrs. Foy Arrington, said the Quonset Hut architecture “lends itself naturally to excellent acoustics and a pleasing interior appearance.” Construction of the Kay Theater was completed in time for a Thanksgiving 1947 opening. At a dedication ceremony the next night, postmaster Clyde Franklin was master of ceremonies and mayor J. B. Newton introduced “rolling home,” starring Russell Hayden, Jean Parker and Raymond Hatton. Large box fans made the theater one of few air conditioned locations in town. Mr. Arrington manned the ticket booth and was the projectionist, and his wife managed the concessions. As with similar facilities at the time, African American patrons walked upstairs to separate balcony seating. The kay theater closed in 1962 and was vacant for many years before restoration began in 2004 through the Kay Theater foundation. Today, the last remaining theater in Milam County recalls a time when going to the movies was a cultural event and central to the social life of many young people. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2013
The Mundine Hotel stood on this site from its construction in 1880 until its destruction by fire in 1888. Completed six years after Rockdale incorporated along the International & Great Northern rail line, the hotel was built near the depot to accommodate rail travelers. John Mundine of Lexington, Texas, built the inn, and it opened in 1881 under the management of Dr. and Mrs. W. A. Brooks. The fire that destroyed the three-story structure also killed 11 of its 13 occupants. Never rebuilt, the Mundine Hotel remains a part of Rockdale's history and its significant association with the railroad. (2001)
The son of Andrew and Laura Perry, George Sessions Perry was born May 5, 1910, in Rockdale. In 1933, he married Claire Hodges of Beaumont. Four years later, he published the first in a long line of fiction and non-fiction stories and novels, many of which were based on people and events from his growing-up years in Rockdale. As a World War II correspondent, he brought first-hand accounts of the war to readers of "The New Yorker" and "The Saturday Evening Post." Perry won several major awards, including the 1941 National Book Award, before his death in 1956-57.
Texas Monthly's #1 BBQ. Only open Saturday mornings in tiny Lexington.
The original 1974 filming location is now a BBQ restaurant. Life imitates art.
Taylor's legendary BBQ since 1949. The soot-blackened walls tell the story.
Most recent: 45-29 over Brock · 2017 3A Division 1 final
The Rockdale Tigers, representing Rockdale High School in Class 3A football, have established a notable presence in Texas high school sports. Their program is a source of pride for the community, reflecting the dedication and spirit found in this part of Central Texas. The Tigers compete with intensity and have shown their ability to perform at the highest levels of UIL competition.
Rockdale High School's football team has achieved the ultimate goal in Texas high school football, bringing home a state championship. This accomplishment highlights the consistent effort and teamwork fostered within the program. The Tigers continue to be a focal point for local sports enthusiasts.
The Rockdale Tigers secured the 2017 3A Division 1 state championship by defeating Brock with a score of 45-29.
199 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.
Rockdale's a place where the past feels close, a living thing. Drive around, and you’ll see the post oak savanna stretching out, much like it did when the Tonkawa called this land home. But the real story, for me…
Juan José de Ganzabal, a missionary priest in Spanish Texas , was assigned to the College of Santa Cruz de Querétaro , a Franciscan institution in Mexico. He and Father Mariano Francisco de los Dolores y Viana were…
Felipe de Rábago y Terán, Spanish soldier, was likely born in New Spain during the third decade of the eighteenth century. A contemporary, Texas Governor Jacinto de Barrios y Jáuregui in remarking about Rábago's early…
Fiddler and band leader Benjamin Theodore Christian was born on a farm near Rockdale, Texas, on June 1, 1885, the fifth of nine children of Charles S. and Anne E. (Murray) Christian. Affectionately known as "Uncle Ben"…
You're driving past Rockdale, Texas, the birthplace of Connie Curtis "Pee Wee" Crayton. Born in 1914, this blues guitarist was a true shaper of the West Coast blues sound. He started young, building his own guitar from…
You're driving through Rockdale, Texas, a town born from a railroad and named for a rock. In 1873, the International-Great Northern Railroad was laying track, and a local rancher's wife, Mrs. B. F. Ackerman, named this…
You're driving through Milam County, and right here is Rockdale, the birthplace of Euwart Gladstone Boykins. Born in 1898, Boykins became a prominent undertaker and philanthropist in Waco. He started in the funeral…
You're driving through Milam County, and right here is the story of a railroad that began as a six-mile industrial line, hauling lignite coal. Chartered in 1923, the Rockdale, Sandow, and Southern Railroad connected a…
You're driving through Rockdale, a town that sprung up in 1874 when the International & Great Northern railroad laid its tracks here. It boomed as a shipping point, quickly adding churches, schools, and businesses. The…
You're driving through what is now Milam County, near Rockdale. Back in the mid-1700s, this area was home to the Deadose Indians. They were part of the Atakapan language family, and for a short time, between 1749 and…
You're driving through Rockdale, Texas, the birthplace of Claire Myers Owens. Born in 1896, Owens was a writer and lecturer who broke from her traditional Southern upbringing to explore avant-garde ideas like free love…
You're passing the First Christian Church of Rockdale, organized way back in 1887. Its first minister was Reverend A. J. Bush, Senior, a Civil War veteran who helped start Christian churches all over Texas. The original…
As you pass Rockdale, you're near the site of one of the most fascinating industrial pivots in America. For fifty years, this area was home to Alcoa's giant aluminum smelter, which consumed enormous amounts of…
Rockdale owes its name to a rock. In 1873 landowners George Green, B. F. Ackerman, and Frank Smith sold 400 acres to the International-Great Northern Railroad, then laying track from Hearne toward Austin. A sale of town…
In 1947, E. L. Bryan and the Foy Arrington family bought a surplus Quonset Hut, one of thousands of the all-purpose metal buildings made during World War II. The hut was moved to Rockdale to become the core of the…
The Mundine Hotel stood on this site from its construction in 1880 until its destruction by fire in 1888. Completed six years after Rockdale incorporated along the International & Great Northern rail line, the hotel was…
The son of Andrew and Laura Perry, George Sessions Perry was born May 5, 1910, in Rockdale. In 1933, he married Claire Hodges of Beaumont. Four years later, he published the first in a long line of fiction and…
You're driving through Rockdale, a town built by the railroad. Back in 1873, the International & Great Northern line laid out this town, giving local farmers a direct route to market. Then, in 1891, another railroad…
You're driving past the former International & Great Northern Railroad Passenger Depot here in Rockdale. Opened in 1906, this building served passengers for over sixty years, with the last train departing in 1970. After…
You're driving through Rockdale, a town that owes its start to the railroad back in 1873. Just a year later, in 1874, Reverend B. B. Baxter arrived and started the First Baptist Church with 18 members. Imagine services…
You're driving through Rockdale, and right here is where the Matinee Musical Club got its start back in January 1909. Organized on a front porch, this club met to study and perform music, focusing on everything from…
You're driving past the Jewish Cemetery in Rockdale, a testament to the town's diverse early settlers. When Arthur Lowenstein died in 1877, his family needed a place to bury him. This led to the Hebrew Benevolent…
Rockdale High School (Rockdale, TX): Most recent: 45-29 over Brock · 2017 3A Division 1 final.
Rockdale (Rockdale, TX) placed on the 3A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Brody Willard (0.462 avg, 1 HR).
You're driving past the site of Springfield Missionary Baptist Church, founded back in 1872 by Reverend Riley Williams. Though the buildings have changed over the years, this congregation still gathers on the same land…
You're driving past the Coffield House, a unique Rockdale rental property built in the 1930s. It's clad entirely in petrified wood, a construction material that became popular in Texas during that era, earning homes…
You're driving past the site of the Rainbow Tourist Camp and Courts, a pioneer in Texas roadside lodging. Opened in 1918 by N.M. Bullock, it started as a campsite with amenities, evolving into cottage-style courts by…
You're driving through Rockdale, where a story of coal, community, and survival unfolds. In 1833, Jose Leal got land here, but it wasn't until 1867 that coal was discovered. By 1874, the railroad arrived, and by 1890,…
You're driving through Milam County, passing the site of what was once a bustling German immigrant community called Bushdale. Founded in the 1870s, it quickly grew into a thriving farming area. Imagine this: a…
As you drive through Rockdale, you're passing Murray Cemetery, the final resting place for generations of Milam County settlers. Its earliest marked grave dates back to 1856, belonging to Nancy Phillips. The cemetery…
You're driving past Mount Zion Baptist Church, a testament to faith and community that's been serving Rockdale for over a century. It all started in 1872 with Pleasant Grove Baptist, and then Fellowship Baptist formed a…
You're driving through San Gabriel, Milam County, where Spanish Franciscans planted a mission in 1749. Mission San Ildefonso was meant to bring Christianity to local tribes like the Coco and Karankawa. But things went…
When Alcoa's smelter closed in 2008, Rockdale kept something valuable: the massive electrical infrastructure built to feed an aluminum plant. A decade later, that grid connection drew a new industry that also runs on…
Rockdale's smelter ran on a chemistry trick from 1886. Aluminum bonds so tightly to oxygen that you cannot melt the metal out of its ore; you have to tear the two apart with electricity. The Hall-Heroult process,…
Before aluminum, Rockdale ran on coal. Miners were shipping 7,000 railcars of lignite a week by 1914, and mining at Sandow, southwest of town, began in 1924. That cheap local fuel is why the Aluminum Company of America…
You're driving through Milam County, and right around here, Daniel and Precilla Gilleland settled down. They were part of Stephen F. Austin's legendary Old Three Hundred, arriving way back in December of 1821. Imagine…
You're driving past the site of Mission San Francisco Xavier de Los Dolores, established back in 1749. Franciscan missionaries hoped to civilize and Christianize local Indian tribes, including the Coco and Karankawa.…
Just east of Thorndale, the ground holds a fossil fuel that started as a swamp. The lignite mined at Sandow comes from the Wilcox Group's Calvert Bluff Formation, peat laid down in freshwater swamps roughly 50 to 60…
The lignite town of Sandow, just east of Thorndale, is named for a bodybuilder. The site was first called Freezeout by mule drivers, then renamed Millerton in 1873. When the McAlester Fuel Company took over the mine in…
You're driving through Milam County, near the San Gabriel River. Look around – you're passing the site of Mission Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria. Franciscan missionaries founded this place way back in 1749, hoping to…
You're driving past the Moss Ragsdale Cemetery, a final resting place for some of Milam County's earliest settlers. The land was first used for burials in the 1850s, but wasn't officially deeded as a burying ground…
You're driving past Apache Pass, a spot used as a river crossing for thousands of years. Here's what's easy to forget: a river only lets you cross where it lets you. A safe ford, shallow and firm-bottomed, was rare and…
You're driving past the Mt. Homer Baptist Church Cemetery, a place with a deep history. Originally the Watson Cemetery, it transferred to the Mt. Homer Baptist Church in 1866. The earliest marked grave here belongs to…
You're driving through the historic Salty community, settled back in the 1860s and named for the mineral licks along Salty Creek. By 1871, a Methodist Church was established here, and the earliest burial in the cemetery…
You're driving through Milam County, not far from Rockdale, where back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1749</say-as>, a Spanish mission called Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria was founded. It was meant to serve…
You're driving through Milam County, maybe near Nashville, where Lewis Washington's family once lived. But Washington himself was a man of action and words, fighting in the Texas Revolution at the Siege of Bexar. He was…
You're driving through what was once the wild frontier of Texas, near the Brazos River, not far from the Nashville settlement. Right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1835</say-as>, Calvin Boales and his…
You're driving through Milam County, and right here near Davilla is where Henry Petty Cayce, a man who fought in FIVE wars over THIRTY years, met his end. Born in Tennessee, he came to Texas as a boy and was fighting…
You're driving through Texas, but the story of the Fifth Texas Infantry actually begins hundreds of miles away in Richmond, Virginia, back in October of 1861. These soldiers, recruited from towns across Texas like…
You're driving through Milam County, near Rockdale, where a Spanish military outpost once stood. San Francisco Xavier de Gigedo Presidio was founded in 1751, not just to protect missions, but to deal with a host of…
You're driving through Milam County, not far from Rockdale. Right here, in the mid-1700s, was the site of San Francisco Xavier de Horcasitas Mission. It was one of three Spanish missions established in the area, founded…
You're driving through Central Texas, and right here is the San Gabriel River. It’s a place with a history stretching back centuries. Spanish explorers first charted it in <say-as interpret-as="date"…
You're driving near Rockdale, deep in Milam County, where one of the first Spanish missions in this part of Texas was established. This was San Ildefonso Mission, founded back in 1748. It was part of a chain of three…
You're driving through Milam County, near Rockdale, where back in the mid-1700s, three Spanish missions tried to serve the Native Americans of Central Texas. These missions – San Francisco Xavier de Horcasitas, San…
You're driving through Milam County, maybe near Old Nashville, and right here is where William Dowsing Thomson helped pioneer this land. He first came to Texas with his father in the early 1830s, surveying for Sterling…
Port Sullivan was on a low bluff just downstream from a shoal of giant limestone boulders in the Brazos River, one mile northeast of Farm Road 485 in eastern Milam County. A stone marker erected at the site in 1936,…
Sandow is a mining community on Farm Road 1786 eight miles southwest of Rockdale in southern Milam County. At one time the site was a stop for mule drivers hauling freight from Matagorda. Freezeout, as the drivers named…
You're driving through Texas, and right here in Milam County, back in 1912, a new kind of education began for rural girls. It was called Home Demonstration work, and it started with Edna Westbrook Trigg teaching tomato…
You're driving through Milam County, and right here, in what is now this area, Daniel McKay was fighting for Texas independence. Born in Maine in 1814, he came to Texas in 1834. Just two years later, in March of 1836,…
You're driving through what is now Milam County, Texas, but way back in 1716, this was home to about 2,000 Pamaya Indians. They were part of a larger group displaced from their homelands, living in a rancheria and…
You're driving through Milam County, where William Henry Walker settled in the early 1830s. Life on the Texas frontier was tough, and for Walker, it meant facing down an Indian attack in 1836. He and three other…
San Gabriel is on Farm Road 486 seventeen miles southwest of Cameron in western Milam County. In the 1730s and 1740s several Spanish missions were established near the site in an effort to Christianize the Indian tribes…
You're driving through Milam County, not far from where Charles Marion Lesuer raised a company of Confederate cavalry. He called them the 'San Andres Light Horse Company,' named after the town where he lived. Lesuer, a…
You're driving through what is now Milam County, Texas, an area that was once home to the Mesquite Indians. The Spanish gave this name to several different groups across Texas, but the ones in this region were part of…
You're driving through South Texas, maybe near the Nueces River, and you might be passing through the ancient territory of the Pastia Indians. These weren't a famous tribe, and their name even caused confusion for early…
You're driving through the heart of Texas, perhaps near Milam County, and you're passing through a place that once held a name that meant 'great settlement' to Spanish explorers. Ranchería Grande wasn't one specific…
You're driving through Central Texas, perhaps near the future Milam County. Right here, in 1716, the Sijame people were encamped with both Tonkawan and Coahuiltecan bands at a place called Ranchería Grande. Their name…
Davilla is on Farm Road 487 eighteen miles west of Cameron in western Milam County. It was settled in the 1860s and named for Miguel Davila, who had received the original grant for the land in 1833. A surveyor named…
Maysfield is on Farm Road 485 eight miles northeast of Cameron in northeastern Milam County. It was originally called Old Graball, but its name was later changed to Maysfield in honor of Thomas Newton Mayes, who moved…
You're driving through Milano, Texas, a town with a name that might have been a happy accident. The original settlement, laid out by the railroad in 1874, was first called Milano. But here's the twist: one story says…
You're driving through Milam County, near Milano, where James Oscar Newton was born in 1875. He grew up to become the Texas Adjutant General, a brigadier general, in 1907. He organized rifle teams and established rifle…
You're driving past the Sharp Cemetery, established around the grave of Susan Dilworth, who died in 1880. The land was deeded to Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church in 1882, and though the church later moved and fell into…
You're driving through Milam County, passing the final home of William Persky. Born in Germany in 1844, he came to America as a boy and later served the Confederacy in the Civil War, even surviving time as a prisoner of…
You're driving past the site of Black Jack Baptist Church near Caldwell. Organized in May of 1885 with just 17 members, this congregation was sponsored by its neighbor, Liberty Baptist Church. For nine years, they met…
You're driving past the site of a vital action in the Texas War for Independence. John Garner was here, helping to destroy Vince's Bridge on April 21st, 1836. This act cut off Santa Anna's retreat and was crucial to the…
You're driving past Westbrook-Walker Cemetery. (One-fourth miles southeast) Georgia native Ervin Westbrook and his wife Rachel McCorra Walker left their Mississippi farm for Texas in 1858. They were joined by Rachel's…
You're driving past the old Sharp General Store in San Gabriel. Built in two stages in 1895 and 1896 by Civil War veteran Daniel G. Davis, Sr., this was the area's largest mercantile facility for nearly a century. For…
You're driving past Locklin Cemetery, a place that's been serving this community since the earliest days of Texas. It all started back in 1835 when Abigale McLennan Fokes grabbed a Mexican land grant right here. Then,…
You're driving through Sharp, a community born right after the Civil War. Settlers were drawn here by the rich black soil, perfect for farming and ranching. The first business, a store, opened its doors in 1892,…
You're driving through Milam County, and right here is the Urban Cemetery. It's named for Julius Paul Urban, a Wendish immigrant who deeded this land for burials back in the late 1890s. The oldest grave here is Madalena…
You're driving past Sharp Presbyterian Church, built in 1902. Its history traces back to 1872 with the Mt. Herman Cumberland Presbyterian Church, which later split into two congregations. The Leachville church was…
You're driving through San Gabriel, Texas, a place with a history as rich as its soil. Look around, and imagine a community gathering for worship, not in a grand building, but in private homes, starting in the 1840s.…
Thorndale did not get a pretty name. A railroad employee reportedly christened it for the thorny brush that covered this stretch of Milam County: mesquite thorn, prickly pear, and sagebrush. The International and Great…
You're driving through Milam County, near Thorndale. It was the evening of June 19, 1911. A fourteen-year-old boy, Antonio Gómez, was lynched by a mob, less than three hours after he stabbed and killed a local man named…
You're driving through Thorndale, a town that owes its name to the very landscape you see around you. Back in 1878, when the railroad first came through, a railroad worker looked at the thorny mesquite and prickly pear,…
You're driving past the St. John Lutheran Church Cemetery, a quiet reminder of a community called Detmold. German immigrants settled this area around the turn of the last century. Back in 1900, three men deeded this…
When August Polnick moved his family from Lee County to Thorndale in 1881, they became the first recorded Germans and the first Lutherans in the area. They were part of a wave of German and Wendish immigrants who…
You're driving past the site of Thorndale's first German settlers and the founding of St. Paul's Lutheran Church. August Polnick and his family arrived here in 1881, the very first Lutherans in the area. For five years,…
You're driving past the site of St. John Lutheran Church, which formally organized in 1903. The congregation built a sanctuary in Detmold in 1915, later enlarging it and building a parsonage. They moved to this site and…
You're driving past the spot where the Steamboat Washington made history on the Little River. It was the winter of 1850-1851 when Captain Basil M. Hatfield steered this vessel right here, bringing a shipment of goods…
You're driving past Wilson-Ledbetter Park, a gift to Cameron from Lizzie Batey Ledbetter Wilson in 1914. She wanted to provide a playground for Milam County, fueled by love and affection. Her generosity, coupled with…
You're driving past Cameron, and right here is the marker for George Green. He fought in the Battle of San Jacinto, the fight that won Texas its independence! But Green wasn't done with Texas. He served as a Ranger,…
Ever seen a house shaped like a stop sign? Well, get ready to feast your eyes on one of Texas's rarest architectural gems! This unique octagon-shaped house stands as a testament to a prominent local doctor's vision. Dr.…
You're driving past the site of Massillon Farley, a soldier who served in the Texas army during the decisive Battle of San Jacinto in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1836</say-as>. But his service didn't end…
You're driving past the site of a Cameron institution that served this community for nearly a century! Albert Matocha, who came to Texas from Austria-Hungary as a boy, opened his hardware store right here in 1898. It…
You're driving through Milam County, passing the site of a community once known as Oak Point. That changed in 1883, when Dr. John H. Graves, who'd settled here with his family back in 1858, helped establish a post…
You're driving past Lilac Cemetery, a resting place that's chronicled Milam County history for over a century. The earliest marked grave here belongs to Calvin McCormick, who died in 1870. The cemetery also honors…
You're driving past the site where 'Old Ben' Milam met his end. Born in Kentucky in 1788, Milam was a veteran of the War of 1812. He traded with the Comanche, led an expedition into Texas in 1820, and became an…
You're driving past where Texas history was canned and cultivated! Back in 1912, right here in Milam County, the very first Girl's Tomato Clubs in the state got their start. Local principal Edna Westbrook Trigg…
You're driving through Milam County, passing the birthplace of a true pioneer in Texas women's history. Edna Westbrook Trigg, born right here, became a leader in rural club work. In 1911, she was tapped by the U.S.…
You're driving past the Milam County Jail, built in 1895 by the Pauly Jail Building and Manufacturing Company. This Romanesque Revival structure featured a unique 'hanging tower' that was never used for executions, as…
You're driving through Cameron, and right here is the site of St. Monica's Catholic Church. This congregation started way back in 1883. But lightning struck – literally – and a fire wiped out their first church. So,…
You're driving past the Milam County Courthouse in Cameron. This is the fourth courthouse for the county, with its cornerstone laid by the local Masons way back on July 4th, 1891. <break time="400ms"/> Designed by…
You're driving through Cameron, the heart of Milam County. Look around – you're passing the site of the First National Bank, which opened its doors way back in 1889. It started with $50,000 capital, weathering economic…
You're driving through Cameron, and right here is the site of the First Baptist Church, organized way back in 1853. It started with just itinerant ministers, but by 1867, Reverend T. M. Anderson became its first…
You're driving through Cameron, and right here is All Saints Episcopal Church. Services started way back in 1860, but the church officially organized as a mission in 1901. The Diocese of Texas bought this land in 1906,…
You're driving through Cameron, and right here is the First United Methodist Church, a landmark that's been serving this community for over a century and a half. It all started way back in <say-as interpret-as="date"…
Cameron, Texas, a place where the quiet hum of small-town life still resonates, owes its name to a soldier, a Scot named Ewen Cameron. Back in 1846, when the town was just finding its footing, the settlers chose to…
You're driving past the boyhood home of L. S. "Sul" Ross, a Texas Governor, Confederate general, and president of Texas A&M. His father, Shapley Ross, a Ranger and Indian agent, built this house around 1841, choosing…
You're driving past the Green-Batte House in Cameron. Imagine this place starting as a simple log and brick cabin built way back in 1847 by George Green. Green was a surveyor and even fought in the Battle of San…
You're driving past the B.J. and Sue Dollar Baskin Home in Cameron. Benajah Baskin arrived here way back in 1883 from Alabama, starting a mercantile business and venturing into farming and ranching. After his first wife…
You're driving past the Dr. Nathan Cass House, built in 1895. This place was home to Dr. Cass, a prominent Cameron physician and community leader, who lived from 1849 to 1906. Take a look at the architecture – it's a…
You're driving past the R.F. and Minta Pool House in Cameron. This Queen Anne beauty was built in 1902 by developer Jefferson Hefley, but the Pools bought it the same year. R.F. Pool arrived in Cameron in 1881 and…
Ovilla, Texas. It’s easy to drive through and think it’s just another quiet suburb south of Dallas. And it is, in a way. A place where folks can find a little peace and quiet after a long day working in the city. But…
You're driving past the site of O.J. Thomas High School here in Cameron. Before this school, African American students in the area learned at 'Little Rocky' Church. That all changed in 1923 when Oscar John Thomas…
You're driving through Milam County, right where Edna Westbrook Trigg began her groundbreaking work. Back in 1911, she was asked to help start home demonstration work for girls, focusing on tomato clubs. Imagine this:…
You're driving through Milam County, and right here near Cameron is where George Green lived out his days. He arrived in Texas in 1835, just in time to join the fight for independence. Green fought at the Battle of San…
You're driving through Milam County, and right here in Cameron, Virgil Lewis Johnson was born in 1935. He'd go on to front the doo-wop group, The Velvets. Inspired by local singers and groups he heard growing up,…
You're driving through Milam County, and right here is where Charles William Macune, a doctor and a farmer, became a major player in a national movement. In 1886, Macune helped form the Texas Farmers' Alliance. By 1887,…
You're driving through Cameron, the county seat of Milam County. This town owes its existence to a legislative act back in 1846, when Texas lawmakers decided it was time for a permanent home for county records. A…
You're driving through what was once the Milam and Williamson district, near Cameron, Texas, where George E. Burney settled in 1847. Burney wasn't just any settler; he was a key player in shaping early Texas. In 1849,…
You're driving through Milam County, the birthplace of Lee Lewis Campbell. Born in the mid-1860s, Campbell rose from these rural roots to become a towering figure in the Black Baptist community. After studying at Bishop…
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Shelby County, and you might be passing the very spot where a promising lawyer had a life-altering accident. Marcus de Lafayette Herring, a man who had already practiced law…
You're driving through Milam County, a place that was once the heart of a massive Spanish land grant and later a huge chunk of early Texas. Imagine this: back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1716</say-as>,…
You're driving through Milam County, not far from Cameron. This area is home to William Wilson Oxsheer, a man who wore many hats. He came to Texas in 1839, eventually settling here in 1842. Oxsheer became a prominent…
You're driving through Milam County, Texas, where Jefferson Carroll Rogers led men into the thick of the Civil War. Right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1863</say-as>, Rogers commanded the Fifth Texas…
You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near Cameron, where John Hamilton Bickett, Jr. was born in 1892. He was a man of many hats: lawyer, World War I sergeant major, chief justice of the Fourth Court of Civil…
You're driving through Milam County, and right here in Cameron, you're passing the town where Thomas Stalworth Henderson practiced law for an incredible fifty-eight years. He started his legal career here in 1879, but…
You're driving through Milam County, and right here in Cameron, Sam Brooks McLane was born in 1891. He didn't just stay put, though. Starting in 1914, he dedicated his life to the Texas Mexican Industrial Institute,…
Drive a few miles out of Caldwell and you'll cross paths with the name Chriesman, stamped on a road, a cemetery, and a tiny crossroads community. It traces to Horatio Chriesman, a Virginia-born surveyor who came to…
You're driving through Burleson County, passing the spot where Alexander Thomson, Jr. once surveyed this land. Born in South Carolina in 1785, Thomson came to Texas in 1830, partnering with Sterling C. Robertson to…
You're driving past the site of the former town of Chriesman, though its story really begins as Yellow Prairie. Settled by Alexander Thomson, Jr., a patriot and partner of Sterling C. Robertson, this community thrived…
You're driving past the Lewis Family Cemetery, a final resting place with deep roots in early Texas. This burial ground traces its origins back to Sterling C. Robertson's colonies in the 1830s. Thomas Curry, a South…
You're driving past the site of a true Texas pioneer! Horatio Chriesman arrived in 1822, long before Texas was even a republic. He served as a surveyor for Austin's Colony, fought in Indian conflicts, and even marched…
You're driving through Davilla, and right here is Friendship Methodist Church. Methodist pioneers in this area gathered for services as early as the 1870s, meeting in a simple schoolhouse just a quarter mile west. In…
You're driving past the Friendship United Methodist Church Cemetery near Davilla. William T. Walker, an early settler, established a Methodist church here in 1872 and was the first to be buried in this cemetery. Today,…
You're driving through Milam County, a place that's been on the map since 1834, when it was part of Robertson's Colony. Two years later, it was named for Benjamin Rush Milam, the hero who fell at San Antonio. The county…
Driving through Lexington, you're passing the final resting place for many of this area's early German immigrants. The German Methodist Church, organized here in 1882, purchased this land for a cemetery in 1898. The…
You're driving past the resting place of John Hobson, a man who arrived in Texas in 1835 and immediately jumped into the fight for independence. He fought with Captain Jesse Billingsley at the Battle of San Jacinto, the…
You're driving past the Buckholts SPJST Lodge Hall, a place that's been the heart of Czech-Texan community life for over a century! Lodge No. 15, called Svornost Jihu or 'Southern Unity,' was founded right here in 1907.…
You're driving past the site of Shiloh Baptist Church, a congregation founded way back on November 2nd, 1854. Imagine, 18 charter members gathered under brush arbors for services and revivals. They moved between two…
Texas Monthly's #1 BBQ. Only open Saturday mornings in tiny Lexington.
You're driving past the Early Chapel Cemetery near Lexington, a resting place for some real Texas history. This land was bought by the Methodist Episcopal Church South back in 1850, but burials were happening here even…
The two creeks that frame this town, East Yegua and Middle Yegua, gave their name to something geologists worldwide still use. In 1918, geologist Edwin Dumble named the Yegua Formation, a layer of rock from the middle…
You're driving past the site where William W. Hawkins lived, a soldier who fought in the pivotal Battle of San Jacinto in 1836. That was the decisive battle that won Texas its independence. After the revolution, Hawkins…
You're driving past the resting place of James Shaw, a true veteran of Texas history. Born in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1808</say-as>, Shaw fought for Texas independence and stood on the battlefield at San…
You're driving through Texas, and right here, you might be near where the "Ladies' Legion" of Lexington was organized back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1836</say-as>. Instigated by Mary Austin Holley,…
You're driving through Burleson County, and right here in Lexington, Titus Howard Mundine was a man who made history in more ways than one. In 1868, this legislator, a staunch Unionist, proposed something truly radical…
You're driving through what was once Moab, a predominantly African-American community that sprang up after the Civil War. Farmers here worked the land, but often traveled for 'cotton picks' to supplement their income.…
Cotton built early Lexington. Farmers on the prairie east of town raised it, and the settlement grew as new hands arrived to work the land. In 1869, twenty-one families rolled in by wagon train from Mississippi, most…
You're driving through Lexington, Texas, a town with roots stretching back to 1837. Originally part of Burleson County, this area was first home to the Tonkawa Indians. The first white settler, James Shaw, arrived that…
You're driving past Lexington, Texas, where education took root way back in 1849. The very first classes were held in the log home of Captain James Shaw, the town's founder. Later, a local Masonic lodge, Andrew Neill…
You're driving through what is now Lee County, near Lexington, where Charles Rogan settled with his family back in 1862. Rogan went on to be one of the first graduates of Texas A&M. But his biggest impact came later, as…
You're driving through Lexington, Texas, a town with roots stretching back to 1837. That's when James Shaw rode into this area, looking for land granted for his service in the Republic of Texas army. A few years later,…
You're driving near Hillsboro, and right here is the site of old Lexington, later known as Union Bluff. This settlement began in the winter of 1851-52 when the Wornell family arrived, looking to set up shop. Young D.C.…
You're driving through Central Texas, and right here in Lexington, Texas, is where Francis Marion Mundine made his home. Mundine was a merchant, farmer, and postmaster who also served in the Texas Legislature. In 1897,…
You're driving past the site of the First Baptist Church of Lexington. It all started back in January of 1855, when nine charter members, inspired by a reverend from Prospect Church, decided to form their own…
You're driving through Lexington, site of the Masonic Lodge No. 138. Chartered in 1854, it was first named for Texas War for Independence veteran Andrew Neill. Members helped build a lodge and school in 1854, which…
On Main Street here sits a barbecue joint that Texas Monthly twice crowned the best in the entire state, once in 2008 and again in 2017. Snow's BBQ opened on March 1, 2003, founded by Kerry Bexley, whose childhood…
This town started out with a humbler name. James Shaw, an Ohio-born surveyor, teacher, and Republic of Texas veteran, rode into the area in 1837 to claim land granted for his military service. In 1848 a post office…
You're driving past the site of Hope Lutheran Church, the oldest church still standing in Buckholts. It all started back in 1890 with just twelve members and a German missionary named Julius Schroeder. For a decade,…
You're cruising through Lexington, and right here is the United Methodist Church. Its roots go way back to 1850, starting as the Lexington Methodist Episcopal Church, South. This church has a unique history of absorbing…
You're driving through Buckholts, Texas, a community that owes its existence to the railroad. <break time="400ms"/> Established in 1881 when the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway pushed through, it was named for John…
You're driving past the Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery near Thrall. This resting place was established back in 1882 by German, Austrian, Swiss, and French settlers who formed the community of Sandoval. The church itself…
You're driving through Buckholts, where Czech immigrants founded a Brethren congregation. In 1894, they held their first services here, using the Czech language. The congregation built this sanctuary in 1913, later…
You're driving past the site of the Washington Bower, built in 1853. This was the very first frame house in the Taylor area. The land itself was granted by the Republic of Texas way back in 1838. The builder, Henry Inlo…
You're driving past Indian Camp Branch, a spot that was a favorite camping place for Indian hunting parties long before Texas was a state. In 1837, a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto, James Shaw, encountered a band…
You're driving near the Pin Oak Cemetery, established in 1896 but with burials dating back to 1861. This ground served the Pin Oak Settlement and surrounding communities, many of whom were farmers who arrived by the…
You're driving past Hope Lutheran Memorial Park. The German Evangelical Lutheran Hoffnung Church bought this land in 1902 for a burial ground. Early graves here include Josef Neuman, who died in 1903, and J.C. Richter,…
In September 1921, Thrall was nearly wiped off the map. A remnant of a hurricane stalled over Williamson County and unleashed a torrent of water unlike anything seen before or since. In a single 24-hour period, an…
You're driving through Milam County, heading past the site of the S. S. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church. Back in the 1880s, Czech immigrants were settling this area, and their faith was strong. The very first…
You're driving past Thrall, Texas, a town that started as a railroad siding called Stiles Switch back in 1876. It quickly became a shipping point for Swiss and German immigrants who settled this fertile land. By 1901, a…
Thrall (Thrall, TX) placed on the 3A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Gus Navejas (5 HR).
You're driving through the quiet countryside near Thrall, but back in the 1870s, this was a bustling little place. The Wilder family kicked things off with a cotton gin, grist mill, general store, and blacksmith shop.…
You're driving past Lawrence Chapel Cemetery, the final resting place of Adam Lawrence, a man who truly earned his peace. Born in Kentucky, Lawrence arrived in Texas early, receiving a land grant in 1822 and fighting in…
You're driving through Williamson County, near the town of Thrall. This community started in 1876 as Stiles Switch, named after a ranching family. It grew slowly as a farming and cattle center, even getting a post…
You're driving past the site of St. John Lutheran Church in Thrall. Area Lutherans organized this congregation in 1917, meeting in homes and schools before building here in 1921. They even sent clothing to the needy in…
You're driving through Davilla, Texas, where a congregation has been serving this community for well over a century. It all started back in 1866, when a Presbytery met near Mumford Springs to organize the Bethlehem…
You're driving through Milam County, passing the site of New Providence Primitive Baptist Church. Constituted in 1866 with just eight charter members, this church has served this rural community for over a century.…
You're driving past the Walkers Creek Cemetery, established in 1884 by the Cage family. The burial ground was already in use by 1880, and today, an association still cares for this active cemetery.
You're driving past the birthplace of William Carroll Sypert, a man who wore many hats in early Texas. Born in Tennessee in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1815</say-as>, Sypert came to Texas at just 20 years…
You're driving past the Adina Cemetery, originally deeded by Civil War veteran R.L. Cain in 1867. It became known as Adina when the post office arrived. The earliest known burials predate the deed, including Martha Cane…
You're driving past the Williams-Atkinson Homestead, built in 1893. Thomas Williams planned this Folk Victorian home, but died before it was finished. His wife, Emma, completed the house and ran the farm, while their…
You're driving past the site of Gause, a town that owes its existence to a handshake and a promise. In 1872, William J. Gause bought lumber for his new settlement. He gave half of it to his friend Dan Fowler, in…
You're driving through Maysfield, Texas, and right here is the site of the First Presbyterian Church, organized way back in August of 1873. It started with just nine members, including T.N. Mayes, who donated the land…
You're driving past Maysfield, where Methodists have been gathering for over a century and a half. They officially organized way back in 1854, meeting in a local schoolhouse. The first sanctuary was built in 1897, but…
You're driving past the Maysfield area, home to Reverend Joseph P. Sneed. Born in 1804, Sneed was licensed as a Methodist minister in Tennessee way back in 1828. He first visited Texas in 1834, and by 1838, he was…
You're driving through the area where Swiss and German immigrants settled in the early 1890s, naming their new home New Bern. In 1892, they built a sanctuary for St. John Lutheran Church, which also served as their…
You're driving through Gause, Texas, a town born from a handshake and a promise. Back in 1872, William J. Gause moved here and, a year later, donated land for the International-Great Northern Railroad. Right here, a…
You're driving through Williamson County, passing over the waters of Granger Lake. But beneath the surface, this was once the heart of a thriving community called Allison, later Friendship. Brothers Elihu and James…
You're driving through Milam County, and right here is North Elm Cemetery. While many settlers arrived from Alabama starting in 1867, this resting place holds a unique military history. Look closely, and you'll find the…
Caldwell's story is rooted in the land itself. Situated in the rolling hills of the Brazos River watershed, it was always good country for agriculture and ranching, a natural draw for settlers. But what set it apart…
You're driving past Sugarloaf Mountain, a landmark capped with red sandstone. This was once home to the Ervipiame people, a dominant group within the Rancheria Grande. Later, settlers and Native American tribes alike…
You're driving past a key junction on the Chisholm Trail, folks! Developed after the Civil War, this famous route brought Texas cattle north to Kansas railheads for shipment east. An arm of that celebrated trail,…
You're driving past the site of Waugh Campground, a place that saw more than just Sunday sermons. Originally given to the Methodist church by the Isaac S. Addison family, this spot was named for Bishop Beverly Waugh,…
You're driving past the site of Christ Lutheran Church, originally founded by Wendish Lutheran families in the mid-1880s near Hochkirk. Pastor Gotthilf Birkmann officiated early services, and Peter Zieschang donated…
You're driving through Caldwell, and right here is the site of St. Mary's Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. It all started in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1893</say-as>, when priests from nearby towns began…
You're driving past St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Caldwell. Early priests served the Catholic community here, meeting in homes before a church was built in 1895. Four years later, this land was purchased for the…
You're driving past Caldwell, a town with roots stretching back to 1840. Lewis L. Chiles, a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto, founded this place. It was named for Mathew 'Old Paint' Caldwell, a tough Indian fighter…