Jasper County Historical Markers

 

Marker Number: 10432
Marker Title: Antioch Primitive Baptist Church
Index Entry: Antioch Primitive Baptist Church
Address:  
City: Buna
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 403677
UTM Northing: 3372372
Subject Codes: Baptist denomination; churches
Year Marker Erected: 1972
Designations: na
Marker Location: Antioch Rd. about 4 mi. NW of Buna off FM 1004, behind cemetery
Marker Size: 18" x 28"
Marker Text: Organized 1841 in the home of John and Mary Richardson. Nancy Laird, James and John Richardson, and Elders Levi A. Durham, Edward Parsons, and Josiah Wheat acted as Presbytery. Charter members: Elijah Allen, Mary Bolin, Martha Crockett, Jeremiah Day, Hilliard and Sarah Durdin, Olive Hart, Joseph and Nancy Laird; Benjamin, Eliza, James, John, Mary (1), Mary (2), Rebecca and Robert Richardson. Services have been held here regularly since first house of worship (made of logs) was built at this site in 1842. Antioch Cemetery was established 1850.

 

Marker Number: 10434
Marker Title: Beech Grove Baptist Church
Index Entry: Beech Grove Baptist Church
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 392791
UTM Northing: 3414686
Subject Codes: Baptist denomination; churches
Year Marker Erected: 1986
Designations: na
Marker Location: FM 777 .5 mi. south of US 190 and Science Hall, 8 mi. west of Jasper
Marker Size: 18" x 28"
Marker Text: Baptist worship services were held as early as the 1850s in a building known as Allen's Chapel on the homestead of early pioneer George W. Smyth (1803-1866). The Beech Grove community grew up northwest of Smyth's land, and a school and church building was erected in 1875, the year this church was formally organized. The building burned in 1893, and the Allen's Chapel building was moved and used until 1901, when a new sanctuary was completed at this site. Two later structures were built, in 1950 and 1968. Baptisms were held in Sandy Creek until 1957. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986

 

Marker Number: 11941
Marker Title: Belle-Jim Hotel
Index Entry: Belle-Jim Hotel
Address: 160 N. Austin Street
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting:  
UTM Northing:  
Subject Codes: inns, hotels, motels
Year Marker Erected:  
Designations: Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Marker Location:  
Marker Size: Medallion & Plate
Marker Text: This hotel was built in 1910 by Mamie Cornellia Neyland Patten (1868-1936) and named for her daughters Belle and "Miss Jim". Mrs. Patten and her four children were active in Jasper civic and social activities. After her mother died, Miss Jim took over operations. The establishment was frequented by traveling salesmen and housed the local Western Union Telegraph Office from the 1930s until Miss Jim's death in 1974. The structure remains a well-preserved example of vernacular residential form typical of the period with modest classical revival ornamentation. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1998

 

Marker Number: 10435
Marker Title: Bevilport
Index Entry: Bevilport
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 397708
UTM Northing: 3421634
Subject Codes: ports; water topics
Year Marker Erected: 1967
Designations: na
Marker Location: NW corner of junction FM 2799 W and SH 63 W, Curtis, 4 mi. west of Jasper
Marker Size: 18" x 28"
Marker Text: Important river shipping and trading point; was made seat of Bevil municipality, 1834. Named for John Bevil, Texas Ranger, a delegate (1835) to Consultation on Texas Independence, Chief Justice of Jasper County (1839), farmer. On Angelina River, Bevilport shipped cotton, hides and other East Texas products to markets in New Orleans. Its docks were busy with flatboats, keelboats-- its stores packed with travelers. Texas rivers flowing to Gulf of Mexico were favorite areas for settlement; Bevil and others prospered on rich "bottom" lands, using river as road to market.

 

Marker Number: 10433
Marker Title: Beaty-Orton House
Index Entry: Beaty-Orton House
Address: 206 S. Main
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 404357
UTM Northing: 3421123
Subject Codes: houses, residential buildings; state official; Victorian (architectural term); pioneers
Year Marker Erected: 1976
Designations: Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Marker Location:  
Marker Size: 18" x 28"
Marker Text: Twice the property of Beaty family members, this lot was purchased by Thomas Beaty in 1843 and sold in 1851. His grandson, John T. Beaty (1855-1937), acquired the site again in 1888 and erected this 2-story Victorian residence of native pine. A lawyer and a former Jasper County sheriff, Beaty served three terms as state senator from the 14th District, 1901-1906. After Beaty's death, his daughter, Marguerite, and her husband, local druggist J. M. Orton (d. 1942), occupied the house. In 1971 Mrs. Orton (d. 1973) sold it to the city of Jasper, which later restored it. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1976

 

Marker Number: 10436
Marker Title: Bridges House
Index Entry: Bridges House
Address:  
City: Roganville
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 412821
UTM Northing: 3408621
Subject Codes: houses, residential buildings; lumber topics
Year Marker Erected: 1966
Designations: Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Marker Location: take FM 2254 W to Rockhill Rd. N about 1 mi.
Marker Size: Medallion & Plate
Marker Text: Built 1838-40 by a settler from North Carolina, Ruffin C. Turner. Lumber throughout was pit-sawn, hand-planed. Frontier design, with hall enclosed. Original glass in fanlight and entry panels. Largest red cedar tree in U. S. stands in the yard. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966

 

Marker Number: 10437
Marker Title: Byerlys Camp Ground Cemetery
Index Entry: Byerlys Camp Ground Cemetery
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 397271
UTM Northing: 3420034
Subject Codes: graveyards; Methodist (Methodist Episcopal and United Methodist) denomination; camp meetings
Year Marker Erected: 1977
Designations: na
Marker Location: on CR 139 off FM 777 1.5 mi. S of Curtis, 5 mi. W of Jasper
Marker Size: 27" x 42"
Marker Text: Adam Byerly migrated to Texas from South Carolina in 1833 with his father and two younger brothers. He received a Mexican land grant of one-quarter league in 1835. Shortly afterward, he invited the Rev. Henry Stephenson, early Methodist missionary, to preach under a brush arbor on his property and initiated the first of many camp meetings at this site. Pioneer families traveled by wagon and camped here for a week or longer to worship and socialize. At one meeting about 1837, the Rev. Stephenson's daughter Edith (1814-1858) married Adam Byerly's brother William (1805-1884). In 1843 Adam and his wife Nancy deeded 10 acres, including the camp ground site, to the Methodist Episcopal Church. About 1850 the Methodists erected a frame church building and opened this cemetery for community use. Earliest known grave is that of Edith Stephenson Byerly. Several faiths shared use of the church building, from 1898 to 1937, the structure also housed the community school. Camp meetings ended in the 1930s. The Methodist congregation erected a new church in 1948 on land donated by William Byerly's grandson Adam, and the old building was razed. A cemetery association, formed in 1970, maintains the burial ground.

 

Marker Number: 10438
Marker Title: Davis Cemetery
Index Entry: Davis Cemetery
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 408167
UTM Northing: 3402913
Subject Codes: graveyards
Year Marker Erected: 1991
Designations: na
Marker Location: take US 96 S 11 mi. to Beulah Springs Rd., then E 2.6 mi., left on dirt road and left again to Beulah Springs Community Center and Davis Cemetery
Marker Size: 27" x 42"
Marker Text: This cemetery was established within the original 1280-acre land grant conveyed to Elizabeth Davis in 1841. Elizabeth, believed to be of Indian heritage, brought her family of three children, James R., Malinda C., and Martha, from Georgia and settled in this area of Jasper County in 1836. Although local tradition claims that a sick Indian child taken in by Elizabeth Davis is the first person buried here, the earliest marked gravesite is that of elizabeth Davis Kelly (1808-1873). Initially used exclusively for family members, the Davis Cemetery became the burial site for other members of the community following the introduction of sawmill and logging operations into the area prior to 1900. The cemetery was legally set aside within an 80-acre deed transferred from Elizabeth Davis' son, James R., to his daughter Elizabeth Morgan in 1906. The North Antioch Primitive Baptist Church structure was later erected on the cemetery grounds. Still active as a community graveyard, the Davis Cemetery contains more than 370 marked graves, including interments of citizens of the Republic of Texas and veterans of the American Civil War.

 

Marker Number: 10439
Marker Title: Dewitt Clinton Lodge No. 29 A.F. & A.M.
Index Entry: Dewitt Clinton Lodge No. 29 A.F. & A.M.
Address: 1272 S. Peachtree St.
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone:  
UTM Easting:  
UTM Northing:  
Subject Codes: fraternal organizations
Year Marker Erected: 1997
Designations: na
Marker Location:  
Marker Size: 18" x 28"
Marker Text: Named for a former New York governor and Mason, this Lodge dates to the Republic of Texas. Meetings began in 1845-46, and a formal charter was granted in 1848. The first worshipful master was Z. Williams Eddy. The Lodge established Jasper Collegiate Institute in 1850 and supported it until the school closed in 1857. The Lodge has sponsored scholarships for local students. Many prominent Jasper citizens have been members of this Lodge. The Lodge was located on the Courthouse Square until this building was completed in 1986. (1997)

 

Marker Number: 10440
Marker Title: Dixie Baptist Church
Index Entry: Dixie Baptist Church
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 392351
UTM Northing: 3421985
Subject Codes: African American topics; eccesiastical buildings; churches
Year Marker Erected: 1966
Designations: Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Marker Location: take FM 2799 W 9 mi. to Indian Creek Rd. (across from FM 1747 S) then 1 mi. N to church
Marker Size: Medallion & Plate
Marker Text: Founded about 1850 under beech trees at this site, by a Negro slave, Rev. Richard ("Uncle Dick") Seale (1798-1875), a respected, beloved leader of his people. Church built 1853 by his master, Joshua Seale, veteran of American Revolution, early settler. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966

 

Marker Number: 10441
Marker Title: R. C. Doom House
Index Entry: Doom, R. C.
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 392585
UTM Northing: 3421698
Subject Codes: houses, residential buildings
Year Marker Erected: 1965
Designations: Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Marker Location: on FM 2799 about 9 mi. W of Jasper near junction of FM 2799 and FM 1747
Marker Size: Medallion & Plate
Marker Text: Built 1856 by R. C. Doom, earlier a Republic of Texas customs agent. Ante-bellum style; 10' x 50' verandah. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965

 

Marker Number: 10442
Marker Title: Ebenezer Cemetery
Index Entry: Ebenezer Cemetery
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 390034
UTM Northing: 3435383
Subject Codes: graveyards; Methodist (Methodist Episcopal and United Methodist) denomination; churches
Year Marker Erected: 1987
Designations: na
Marker Location: 20 mi. NW of Jasper via SH 63 to E. R 255, then .7 mi. to CR 062, 1 mi. to church and cemetery (junction CR 062 and CR 066)
Marker Size: 18" x 28"
Marker Text: Begun in 1860 as a family graveyard, the earliest burial in this cemetery is that of Martin H. Dean, infant son of William P. M. and Mary Ann Dean. Land for the cemetery and Ebenezer Methodist Church was given by the Deans to the community in 1861. Among those interred here, in marked and unmarked graves, are citizens of the Republic of Texas, a veteran of the Texas Revolution, two unknown cowboys who died while traveling through the area, and members of the Dean and other pioneer families. An additional acre was acquired for the cemetery in 1962.

 

Marker Number: 10443
Marker Title: Ebenezer Methodist Church
Index Entry: Ebenezer Methodist Church
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 389872
UTM Northing: 3435187
Subject Codes: churches; Methodist (Methodist Episcopal and United Methodist) denomination
Year Marker Erected: 1986
Designations: na
Marker Location: 20 mi. NW of Jasper via SH 63 to E. R 255, then 1 mi. to CR 062 and CR 066 junction
Marker Size: 18" x 28"
Marker Text: Area pioneers organized a church in 1861 which was served by circuit-riding ministers of the Methodist Episcopal church, South. A small log building, used by Methodist and Baptist congregations, was erected on land given by William P. M. and Mary Ann Dean. Destroyed by fire in the early 1890s, it was replaced by another wooden structure which also burned. A third building was erected which served as a church and school. It was razed in 1943, and in 1944 a new frame building was built. After serving the area for over 100 years, the Methodist Church was deactivated in 1965. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986

 

Marker Number: 14466
Marker Title: Everett, Dr. Stephen, Home of
Index Entry: Everett, Dr. Stephen, Home of
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone:  
UTM Easting:  
UTM Northing:  
Subject Codes:  
Year Marker Erected: 1936
Designations: na
Marker Location:  
Marker Size: C
Marker Text:  
Marker Photo   Image One     Image Two

 

Marker Number: 10445
Marker Title: First Baptist Church of Jaspser
Index Entry: First Baptist Church of Jasper
Address: 314 N. Main
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 404402
UTM Northing: 3421676
Subject Codes: Baptist denomination; churches
Year Marker Erected: 1980
Designations: na
Marker Location: NE corner of N. Main and Milam
Marker Size: 27" x 42"
Marker Text: This church was organized on December 23, 1855, with 15 members. The establishment of the fellowship was directed by a Presbytery consisting of ministers John Bean, William Blackshear, E. S. Phelps, and W. W. Maund. The first service was conducted on Christmas Day by the Rev. Blackshear. Another church organizer, the Rev. Maund, served as the initial pastor. In 1856 the church elected the first deacon, Fabian Adams, a local merchant who served as a trustee for the Jasper Collegiate Institute. The fellowship, which included slaves as early as 1859, worshiped at this site in a small wooden sanctuary. Despite a decline in membership during the 1870s, the church later outgrew the facility. A larger wooden building was constructed here in 1893, following a year of exceptional growth for the congregation. With minor additions, the structure served the members until the present sanctuary was completed in 1943, during the second pastorate of Dr. E. A. Ingram. The First Baptist Church has been instrumental in the development of area missions. Congregations sponsored by the church include Adams Chapel, North Baptist, Hillcrest Mission,and Tanglewood Mission.

 

Marker Number: 10447
Marker Title: First United Methodist Church of Jasper
Index Entry: First United Methodist Church of Jasper
Address: 329 N. Bowie
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 404259
UTM Northing: 3421546
Subject Codes: churches; Methodist (Methodist Episcopal and United Methodist) denomination; women, women's history topics
Year Marker Erected: 1984
Designations: na
Marker Location:  
Marker Size: 27" x 42"
Marker Text: During the late 1830s, the Rev. Moses Spear came to Texas and organized a Methodist circuit that included the town of Jasper. A congregation soon was established. In 1839, the Rev. Daniel Carl became first pastor. Jasper Methodists held worship services in private homes, in the County Courthouse, and in the Masonic Lodge building until 1859, when their first sanctuary was constructed. Men were allowed to enter the building from the front door, while women came in through the back entrance, and slaves climbed an outside staircase to enter their balcony. The women's Foreign Missionary Society, formed in 1882, began a fund-raising drive in 1903 that resulted in the erection of a new sanctuary. Completed in 1906, during the pastorate of the Rev. M. L. Lindsey, "the church the women built" served the congregation for twenty years. New facilities were added over the years as membership grew. Pastors who have served the First United Methodist Church of Jasper have included noted East Texas circuit rider Francis Wilson; James T. Irvine, a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto; and E. L. Armstrong, who also taught school in Jasper County. Descendants of many of the early members still worship here.

 

Marker Number: 10448
Marker Title: Friendship Cemetery
Index Entry: Friendship Cemetery
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 416628
UTM Northing: 3406038
Subject Codes: graveyards
Year Marker Erected: 1991
Designations: na
Marker Location: from Jasper take US 96 S 11 mi. to FM 2245, E for 8 mi., then right after tracks on dirt road for about 2.25 mi.
Marker Size: 27" x 42"
Marker Text: Joseph Andrew Jackson Sheffield (1837-1920), his wife Rebecca (1844-1922), and their fourteen children came to this area of Jasper County from Georgia in 1885. They settled near here in an area known as Thickey community and established a large family farm. In 1899 they donated 1.5 acres of land to the community for church and school purposes. the church was named Friendship, and the community also took the new name. The first interment in the Friendship Cemetery occurred in 1899, when the Sheffields' ten-year-old granddaughter, Quebeck Mock, died and was buried on family land. About ten more people were buried in the graveyard prior to its official designation as a cemetery in deed records in 1906. In addition to Sheffield family members, those interred here include early Jasper County settlers, Texas Rangers, and veterans of the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Throughout its history, this pioneer cemetery has served citizens from a large area of the county. Containing hundreds of graves, it remains in use and stands as a reminder of the area's early heritage.

 

Marker Number: 10461
Marker Title: Hardy Pace Home
Index Entry: Hardy Pace Home
Address:  
City:  
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting:  
UTM Northing:  
Subject Codes: houses, residential buildings; cabins, log houses
Year Marker Erected: 1965
Designations: Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Marker Location:  
Marker Size: Medallion & Place
Marker Text: Originally of hand-hewn logs. Moss and clay chimney. Built about 1840. Annex and siding added 1930. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965

 

Marker Number: 10449
Marker Title: Thomas Holmes
Index Entry: Holmes, Thomas
Address:  
City: Call Junction
County: Jasper
UTM Zone:  
UTM Easting:  
UTM Northing:  
Subject Codes: pioneers; oil/petroleum topics
Year Marker Erected: 1972
Designations: na
Marker Location:  
Marker Size: 12" x 6" Grave Marker
Marker Text: (1800-1869?) Delegate for Bevil municipality in Texas Consultation of 1835. First chief justice of Newton County, 1846.

 

Marker Number: 10450
Marker Title: Homer Community Cemetery
Index Entry: Homer Community Cemetery
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 384622
UTM Northing: 3427812
Subject Codes: graveyards; settlements
Year Marker Erected: 1991
Designations: na
Marker Location: 20 mi. NW of Jasper on SH 6H, then R 255 W 4 mi. (CR 023)
Marker Size: 18" x 28"
Marker Text: Settlement of this area of Jasper County began in the 1830s. This cemetery, which served citizens in the Homer community, dates to 1865. The oldest documented grave is that of Jane Wilson Williams (1823-1865), one of ten citizens of the Republic of Texas known to be buried here. Also interred here are veterans of the Texas Revolution and the Civil War, as well as a number of early Jasper County pioneers. One of the few physical reminders of the Homer community, the graveyard stands as a reflection of pioneer life in East Texas.

 

Marker Number: 10451
Marker Title: Homer Methodist Church
Index Entry: Homer Methodist Church
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 384942
UTM Northing: 3427275
Subject Codes: Methodist (Methodist Episcopal and United Methodist) denomination; churches
Year Marker Erected: 1985
Designations: na
Marker Location: 20 mi. NW of Jasper via SH 63, then R 255 4 mi. to CR 023, then 1.5 mi.
Marker Size: 18" x 28"
Marker Text: This congregation began in 1860, with the Rev. E. P. Rogers serving as its first circuit minister. Worship services were first held in a tent. In 1893, Virginia and James W. Yeates deeded property to the Homer church, and a sanctuary was completed on this site by Christmas 1896. Constructed by members of the Homer community, the building also served many years as a schoolhouse. The congregation has had numerous circuit ministers, including the Rev. John A. Henderson (1858-1946), who served the Homer Methodist Church for many years of his ministry.

 

Marker Number: 15707
Marker Title: Ivory Joe Hunter
Index Entry: Hunter, Ivory Joe
Address: South of Magnolia Springs on FM 1005 (east side) before intersection of FM 1005 with County Road 520
City: Magnolia Springs
County: Jasper
UTM Zone:  
UTM Easting:  
UTM Northing:  
Subject Codes:  
Year Marker Erected: 2009
Designations: na
Marker Location:  
Marker Size: 27" x 42"
Marker Text:  

 

Marker Number: 13067
Marker Title: Site of J.H. Rowe School
Index Entry: Rowe, J. H., School, Site of
Address: Hall St, Hursey St
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 405506
UTM Northing: 3420818
Subject Codes: educational topics; African American topics
Year Marker Erected: 2004
Designations: na
Marker Location: Hursey at Hall streets
Marker Size: 18" x 28"
Marker Text: Formal public education for African American students in the Jasper area dates to 1875 and the formation of a school at nearby Cold Springs. It moved to a new campus in Jasper in 1924, the same year James Hoff Rowe came as administrator. Born in Panola County in 1876, Rowe attended Prairie View Normal and Industrial College (Prairie View A&M University) and Hampton Institute in Virginia. He served as dean at Prairie View before coming to Jasper. The education programs increased in scope and significance during his leadership, and he remained principal until his death in 1943. The school was later named in his honor, and it remained open until integration in 1968. (2004)

 

Marker Number: 14177
Marker Title: Jasper County
Index Entry: Jasper County
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone:  
UTM Easting:  
UTM Northing:  
Subject Codes: counties
Year Marker Erected: 1936
Designations: na
Marker Location:  
Marker Size: C
Marker Text:  

 

Marker Number: 10453
Marker Title: Jasper County Courthouse
Index Entry: Jasper County Courthouse
Address: Main and Houston St.
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 404437
UTM Northing: 3421264
Subject Codes: courthouses
Year Marker Erected: 1988
Designations: na
Marker Location: Courthouse Square
Marker Size: 27" x 42"
Marker Text: Jasper County was one of the original twenty-three counties created when the Republic of Texas was established in 1836 following the Texas Revolution. Bevil settlement, established by pioneer John Bevil about 1824, became the seat of government and was renamed Jasper in 1835 in honor of American Revolutionary War hero William Jasper. The first county courthouse on this site, a two-room log structure, was destroyed by fire in 1849. It was replaced by a two-story building, completed about 1854. The present courthouse, constructed of locally made red brick, was completed in 1889. One year later a tower with a four-sided clock and bell was added. Additional wings were built onto the east and west sides of the structure in 1931, and the entire courthouse was covered with stucco. An adjacent office building was erected by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1940, and the courthouse clock tower was removed in a 1957 remodeling project. The Courthouse Square, with its official buildings and landscaped grounds, continues to be a focal point of Jasper County activities.

 

Marker Number: 10452
Marker Title: Jasper County, C. S. A.
Index Entry: Jasper County, C. S. A.
Address: Houston and Main St.
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 404437
UTM Northing: 3421264
Subject Codes: counties; Civil War
Year Marker Erected: 1964
Designations: na
Marker Location: Courthouse lawn
Marker Size: 27" x 42"
Marker Text: Communication, transportation, supply and military center in Civil War Texas. Voted 315 to 25 in favor of secession. Crossed by Texas troops in the 1862-64 Louisiana campaigns to prevent split of the South and invasion of Texas. Confederate Army ran Houston-to-Alexandria, La., military horseback courier route through here. In last years of the war, Abel Adams, a local 14-year-old, rode this in a high lope, for Gen. John B. Magruder, commander of the Department of Texas. Beef was driven to troops in the Old South by way of 1823 trail across the county. Had a Confederate Quartermaster Depot and 9-county headquarters, 2nd Brigade, Texas State Troops, under Gen. W. M. Neyland, local citizen. County men in service on various war fronts of the South included Co. G, 13th Texas Cavalry; Co. C, 25th Texas Cavalry, Dismounted; Co. E, 27th Texas Cavalry, in Whitfield's Legion. In 1865, as survivors were returning home, Union occupation troops bivouacked in the Jasper Town Square. Commander was Gen. George Custer, later to go down in history for his "last stand" at the Little Big Horn, 1876. Driving her beautiful horse and carriage, his young bride called on the Jasper ladies.

 

Marker Number: 10454
Marker Title: Jasper "News-Boy"
Index Entry: Jasper "News-Boy"
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone:  
UTM Easting:  
UTM Northing:  
Subject Codes: newspapers
Year Marker Erected: 1966
Designations: na
Marker Location:  
Marker Size: 18" x 28"
Marker Text: (Published continuously since July 1865) Founded by Capt. Edward Irwin Kellie (1845-1928), a New Orleans newsboy who came to Texas 1859, and worked in a printshop in Galveston. After fighting in the Civil War, he set up shop here with old hand press of pre-war "East Texas Clarion" and "East Texian." Staff associates were Wallace Blake and T. H. Good. Style was blunt, homespun. "We bend our knee to none but God" was the editorial slogan. Kellie sold his interest in 1880, but the "News-Boy" editors and publishers since his time have maintained the original policies of service to Jasper.

 

Marker Number: 10455
Marker Title: Jasper Public Schools
Index Entry: Jasper Public Schools
Address: 2nd St. (NW corner of Houston and 2nd)
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 403503
UTM Northing: 3421414
Subject Codes: educational topics
Year Marker Erected: 1968
Designations: na
Marker Location:  
Marker Size: 18" x 28"
Marker Text: Jasper Collegiate Institute, first local center for higher leaning, opened 1851; partially tax-supported, coeducational. First president was noted East Texas educator Marcus Montrose, graduate, Edinburgh University. After losses caused by Civil War (1861-1865), it was succeeded 1878 by Southeast Texas Male and Female College, which attained enviable status, and enjoyed the financial support of citizens of Jasper before closing in 1910. College properties, including a new building erected 1900, were deeded to the elementary and high schools of Jasper.

 

Marker Number: 10456
Marker Title: Kirbyville, Town of, Site of Town Lot Auction
Index Entry: Kirbyville
Address: Main and Kay See St.
City: Kirbyville
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 414684
UTM Northing: 3392271
Subject Codes: cities and towns
Year Marker Erected: 1968
Designations: na
Marker Location: Intersection fo Main and Kay See Sts., Kirbyville; near railroad tracks
Marker Size: 18" x 28"
Marker Text: (May 1, 1895) Named for John Henry Kirby, attorney, railroad builder, and timber, lumber, and oil king. With R. P. Allen, Kirby founded the town when their railroad-- Gulf, Beaumont, & Kansas City-- reached this point. Since 1904 city has also been terminus of the Jasper & Eastern Railroad. A major business, Kirby Lumber Co. Sawmill (acquired in 1903), burned in 1917. City has been an area of timber conservation work since 1926; State Forest No. 1 is located 3 miles east. Today city is a trade center for Jasper and Newton counties and has electric power concerns.

 

Marker Number: 10446
Marker Title: Site of the First Kirbyville Church
Index Entry: First Kirbyville Church, Site of
Address: 107 N. Elizabeth Ave.
City: Kirbyville
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 414417
UTM Northing: 3392287
Subject Codes: Methodist (Methodist Episcopal and United Methodist) denomination; Church of Christ denomination; Baptist denomination; churches
Year Marker Erected: 1974
Designations: na
Marker Location:  
Marker Size: 18" x 28"
Marker Text: This site became the center of spiritual and cultural activity in the Kirbyville area in 1898, when John Henry Kirby gave two town lots to the Baptist church for the erection of a sanctuary. the building was shared with the Methodist congregation until 1905, when the Methodists built their own structure. In 1916, the Baptist moved to other locations and a group of Free Methodists occupied the site. The property was sold in 1925 to private enterprise and used for secular purposes until 1962, when it was purchased by the Church of Christ.

 

Marker Number: 10457
Marker Title: Little Hope Cemetery
Index Entry: Little Hope Cemetery
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 393691
UTM Northing: 3419391
Subject Codes: graveyards
Year Marker Erected: 1990
Designations: na
Marker Location: on CR 142, 7 mi. W of Jasper via SH 63 W; FM 777 S from Curtis
Marker Size: 18" x 28"
Marker Text: Located on land granted to pioneer settler Samuel Goode in 1838, this community graveyard began as a family cemetery following the death of Goode's wife Frances in 1844. Samuel was buried next to his wife in 1865, and theirs are among the unmarked graves here. the earliest marked graves, those of Annie Bell Walker and C. J. Wilson, date to 1884. Many early settlers are interred here, as well as victims of influenza and diphtheria epidemics in the early 1900s. This cemetery serves as a visible reminder of the area's pioneer heritage.

 

Marker Number: 10458
Marker Title: Little Hope Primitive Baptist Church
Index Entry: Little Hope Primitive Baptist Church
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 394021
UTM Northing: 3419294
Subject Codes: Baptist denomination; churches
Year Marker Erected: 1990
Designations: na
Marker Location: on CR 142 7 mi. W of Jasper via SH 63 W, then S on FM 777 from Curtis
Marker Size: 18" x 28"
Marker Text: Anglo settlement of this area began in the late 1830s. Traveling Methodist and Baptist missionaries occasionally conducted worship services for pioneer families in a building that served as the community's church and school. A new structure was erected in 1890, and the Little Hope Primitive Baptist Church was officially organized in 1893. Elder Durham Richardson served as first pastor. The church, school, and cemetery here have also been referred to by the name "Seed Tick," a popular term coined by area residents.

 

Marker Number: 13835
Marker Title: Magnolia Springs "Spring Hill" Community Cemetery
Index Entry: Magnolia Springs "Spring Hill" Community Cemetery
Address: FM 1005
City: Kirbyville
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 401331
UTM Northing: 3399932
Subject Codes: graveyards
Year Marker Erected: 2007
Designations: na
Marker Location: 0.5 mi. S of Magnolia Springs, 11 mi. NW of Kirbyville
Marker Size: Historic Texas Cemetery
Marker Text: Magnolia Springs "Spring Hill" Community Cemetery Established 1868 Historic Texas Cemetery - 2006

 

Marker Number: 10459
Marker Title: Magnolia Springs Cemetery
Index Entry: Magnolia Springs Cemetery
Address:  
City: Kirbyville
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 401208
UTM Northing: 3399751
Subject Codes: graveyards
Year Marker Erected: 1978
Designations: na
Marker Location: from Kirbyville take FM 1013 W 9 mi.; then 2 mi. N on FM 1005
Marker Size: 27" x 42"
Marker Text: Originally known as Pinetucky, this community was first settled by Alexander and Sherod Wright, two brothers who arrived about 1824. The settlement was renamed Magnolia Springs when the post office opened in 1850. The earliest known interment in this community burial ground is that of Sherod Wright's wife Anna, who died on July 25, 1858, at the age of 60. In 1860 Fellowship Baptist Church purchased 12 acres of land for a church and cemetery. For a number of years, the local Baptist and Methodist congregations shared a frame church building located north of the cemetery property. The graveyard was enlarged in 1902, when the black congregation of Springhill Church bought 4.2 acres adjoining the south side for burial purposes. Many early leaders of the community are buried here, including the Rev. John Bean (1792-1871), a Baptist preacher; Nathan Corley (d. 1871), one of the founders of the Masonic Lodge that bears his name; Aurin G. Horn (1793-1858), a wealthy plantation owner; and Dr. Ransom P. Sholars (b. 1812), the area's first physician. Magnolia Springs Cemetery contains over 900 marked and unmarked graves.

 

Marker Number: 10460
Marker Title: Norsworthy-Kellie Homestead, "Glorianna"
Index Entry: Norsworthy-Kellie Homestead, "Glorianna"
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 402228
UTM Northing: 3413655
Subject Codes: farms; pioneers
Year Marker Erected: 1989
Designations: na
Marker Location: FM 252 about 4 mi. S of Jasper
Marker Size: 18" x 28"
Marker Text: Jasper County pioneer Ehud Norsworthy purchased 405 acres of land at this site in 1859. With his wife, Sara, and children, he established a homestead which included a house, barn, smokehouse, well, tool shed, and outhouse. After Norsworthy's death in 1864, Sara married Confederate veteran Edwin Irwin Kellie, and they continued to live on the homestead with their family. Kellie founded the "Jasper News-Boy" newspaper and later became a riverboat captain. the homestead, named "Glorianna" by Kellie, was abandoned by the family about 1900.

 

Marker Number: 12904
Marker Title: Peachtree Baptist Church
Index Entry: Peachtree Baptist Church
Address: 216 FM 254
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 394685
UTM Northing: 3424697
Subject Codes: Baptist denomination; churches
Year Marker Erected: 2002
Designations: na
Marker Location: 216 FM 254 (7 mi. W of Jasper on SH 63, then 0.3 mi. N on FM 254)
Marker Size: S
Marker Text: Peachtree Baptist Church As the community of Bevilport (2 mi. Sw) declined with the decrease of commerce on the Angelina River, some residents moved to Peachtree. Baptists who had belonged to the Indian Creek Church in Bevilport worshiped in the Peachtree Methodist Church and formally established themselves as the Peachtree Missionary Baptist Church in January 1910. Originally part of the Bethlehem Baptist Association, the church joined the Sabine Valley Association in 1935. The congregation held services twice a month until 1951, when they completed their own sanctuary and called a full-time pastor. Steady growth since World War II has resulted in additional facilities and programs for the church. (2002)

 

Marker Number: 10462
Marker Title: Pinetucky
Index Entry: Pinetucky
Address:  
City: Kirbyville
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 401282
UTM Northing: 3398552
Subject Codes: cities and towns; settlements
Year Marker Erected: 1973
Designations: na
Marker Location: from Kirbyville take FM 1013 W 9 mi.; then N on FM 1005 1.4 mi.
Marker Size: 18" x 28"
Marker Text: Name originally applied to widely scattered settlement astride Wiess Bluff-Jasper Road. First settlers, Alexander and Sherod Wright, came into area about 1824. Magnolia Springs Post Office opened at this site in 1850; within a few years the community had a store, church, and grist mill on Wright's (later Mill) Creek; a mill and tannery were on nearby Tanyard Branch. Texas Tram & Lumber Co. had extensive logging operation in area in 1880s-90s. Decline began with arrival of the railroad in Kirbyville, 1895. Post office was moved to present site in 1905.

 

Marker Number: 10463
Marker Title: Site of Former Settlement of Richardson's Bluff
Index Entry: Richardson's Bluff
Address:  
City: Evadale
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 396387
UTM Northing: 3357968
Subject Codes: settlements; ghost towns
Year Marker Erected: 1972
Designations: na
Marker Location: FM 105 and CR 866 on E side of FM 105, Evadale
Marker Size: 18" x 28"
Marker Text: Homesite of Benjamin Richardson (1775?-1848?), an 1830 de Zavala colony settler. With his sons, Richardson operated a ferry that was of great service, especially in 1836 Runaway Scrape, aiding civilians as they fled toward the U. S. in fear of Santa Anna. Place later was renamed Ford's Bluff, for family with millsite here in 1852. In 1894 Mannie Cox opened a local shingle mill that was sold in 1902 to Kirby Lumber Company. When Kirby built sawmill in 1904, the site was renamed in honor of Miss Eva Dale, a teacher at the Southeast Texas Male and Female College in Jasper.

 

Marker Number: 10464
Marker Title: Andrew F. Smyth Home
Index Entry: Smyth, Andrew F.
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone:  
UTM Easting:  
UTM Northing:  
Subject Codes: houses, residential buildings
Year Marker Erected: 1965
Designations: Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Marker Location: 8 mi. W Jasper SH63 to FM 1747 to Bevilport Rd. Turn at first road. .9 mi to "Smyth's Landing"
Marker Size: Medallion & Plate
Marker Text: Built 1849 by Andrew F. Smyth, riverman and farmer. Lumber milled on site. Glass and hardware from Galveston. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965

 

Marker Number: 14504
Marker Title: Smyth, George W., Home of
Index Entry: Smyth, George W., Home of
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone:  
UTM Easting:  
UTM Northing:  
Subject Codes:  
Year Marker Erected: 1936
Designations: na
Marker Location:  
Marker Size: C
Marker Text:  

 

Marker Number: 10465
Marker Title: Tavern Oak
Index Entry: Tavern Oak
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting:  
UTM Northing:  
Subject Codes: lumber topics
Year Marker Erected: 1973
Designations: na
Marker Location:  
Marker Size: Tree Marker
Marker Text: Linked with history of Parker & Pruett's Tavern, an 1839 inn-stagecoach stop. Then and since, oak shaded community events. Supplemental plate (Job # 17197): The stately Tavern Oak was destroyed in an August 9, 1996 windstorm. The 275-year-old landmark is succeeded by a new oak planted in its place.

 

Marker Number: 11944
Marker Title: Tavern Oak
Index Entry: Tavern Oak
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting:  
UTM Northing:  
Subject Codes:  
Year Marker Erected: 1997
Designations: na
Marker Location: Houston Street, Jasper
Marker Size: 12" x 6"
Marker Text: The stately Tavern Oak was destroyed in an August 9, 1996, windstorm. The 275-year-old landmark is succeeded by a new oak planted in it's place.

 

Marker Number: 15070
Marker Title: Tavern Oak
Index Entry: Tavern Oak
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone:  
UTM Easting:  
UTM Northing:  
Subject Codes:  
Year Marker Erected: 1997
Designations: na
Marker Location:  
Marker Size: L
Marker Text:  

 

Marker Number: 10466
Marker Title: Waggoner-Scarborough Home
Index Entry: Waggoner-Scarborough Home
Address: 731 N. Main St.
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 404417
UTM Northing: 3421960
Subject Codes: Colonial Revival; houses, residential buildings
Year Marker Erected: 1986
Designations: Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Marker Location:  
Marker Size: Medallion & Plate
Marker Text: Salesman J. T. Waggoner, Jr. (1860-1942) and his wife Sadie (Scarborough) (1870-1955) built this residence in 1927. It is closely associated with Mrs. Waggoner, a civic leader and longtime Jasper County school teacher affectionately known as "Miss Sadie." It was later owned by her brother, local businessman Philip Edgar Scarborough (1883-1965). The house reflects influences of colonial revival and bungalow styling and features fanlights, bracketed eaves, and elliptical arches. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1986

 

Marker Number: 10467
Marker Title: Wiess Bluff
Index Entry: Wiess Bluff
Address:  
City: Evadale
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 394910
UTM Northing: 3347876
Subject Codes: settlements
Year Marker Erected: 1973
Designations: na
Marker Location: about 6.5 mi. S of Evadale on FM 1131
Marker Size: 18" x 28"
Marker Text: End of tidewater navigation of Neches River; called Grant's Bluff in 1840, when Niles F. Smith laid out town and Simon Wiess (1800-68) built wharf and warehouses to ship area products downriver. Post office, established in 1847 at Pattillo's, in Jefferson County, was moved here July 21, 1853. Area flourished about 1885, when J. G. Smyth & Co. built tram roads into forest and began to cut timber. Beaumont Lumber Co. bought out Smyth in 1888. As good timberland dwindled after 1900, local population declined. The Wiess Bluff Post Office closed Sept. 15, 1908.

 

Marker Number: 10468
Marker Title: Stephen Williams
Index Entry: Williams, Stephen
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 406421
UTM Northing: 3415203
Subject Codes: artists; Texas Revolution, Republic of Texas
Year Marker Erected: 1991
Designations: na
Marker Location: US 96 and Brewsters Rd., 1 mi. N of Zion Hill; MARKER MISSING 5/2010
Marker Size: 27" x 42"
Marker Text: (May 9, 1760- ca. 1839) was born in 1760 in North Carolina. In 1778, he enlisted in the first of what would be many times in the armed forces. Enlisting three times in the Revolutionary War army, Williams fought in battles including Briar Creek, Camden, and Eutaw Springs. Following the Revolutionary War, he moved to St. Helena parish, Louisiana. When the War of 1812 broke out, he volunteered for service and at age fifty-two served as a sentry. About 1830, shortly after the death of his wife, Williams relocated to Bevil's settlement in Jasper County, Texas and received a Mexican land grant. In November 1835 as the Siege of Bexar began, the 75-year-old veteran went armed with his rifle to participate. He served with four grandsons and one son-in-law in Captain Cheshire's Company and became first sergeant, ultimately receiving a Republic of Texas land grant for his service. Williams returned to Bevil's settlement, where he died about 1839. He was buried on his homesite, and his grave was marked with a Texas Centennial Marker in 1936. Williams' body was later reburied in the State Cemetery in Austin, and the Centennial marker was relocated to this site.

 

Marker Number: 10470
Marker Title: William J. Withers Home
Index Entry: Withers, William J.
Address:  
City: Buna
County: Jasper
UTM Zone:  
UTM Easting:  
UTM Northing:  
Subject Codes: houses, residential buildings; pioneers
Year Marker Erected: 1983
Designations: na
Marker Location:  
Marker Size: 27" x 42"
Marker Text: The Withers family first came to Jasper County in 1861. Five years later, Valentine J. Withers purchased 1,000 acres of land, including this site. With one of the boundaries of his land bordering on the Neches River, Withers established a ferry service that provided public transportation for a three-county area. In 1875 Withers' son William married Margaret L. Richardson, who was a descendant of pioneer area settlers. They built their home at this site, on land given to them by Valentine Withers, in the community that became known as Cairo Springs. The house was designed and constructed by William, who also built some of its furnishings. William Withers, who at one time had assisted his father with the ferry operation, was a successful farmer and merchant. In 1894 he was elected Jasper County Commissioner and served for four years. He died in 1917, a victim of the influenza epidemic. The Withers homestead, which has remained continuously in the family, serves as a reminder of Jasper County's early history. Its close link to the settlement of Cairo Springs is an important element in the area's rich heritage.

 

Marker Number: 10472
Marker Title: Original Town Site of Zavala
Index Entry: Zavala
Address:  
City: Jasper
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting:  
UTM Northing:  
Subject Codes: land surveys, land companies, promotional towns; ghost towns
Year Marker Erected: 1936
Designations: na
Marker Location: 18 mi. NW of Jasper via SH 63, then east on CR 074, then north on CR 073 1 mi.
Marker Size: 1936 Centennial Marker
Marker Text: --

 

Marker Number: 10471
Marker Title: Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church and Cemetery
Index Entry: Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church and Cemetery
Address:  
City: Zion Hill
County: Jasper
UTM Zone: 15
UTM Easting: 407165
UTM Northing: 3411920
Subject Codes: graveyards; Baptist denomination; churches
Year Marker Erected: 1997
Designations: na
Marker Location: US 96 about 7 mi. S of Jasper in Zion Hill
Marker Size: 27" x 42"
Marker Text: Local tradition and Baptist church records indicate that the Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church was organized in 1852 with the Rev. John Bean as first pastor. The first church building on this site is thought to have been a small log house. On August 15, 1853, Aurin Goodgame Horn donated 3 acres including the graveyard to the Zion Hill Baptist Church. The oldest marked grave is that of Joseph Wood, who was born in 1792 in North Carolina and died in Jasper County on September 16, 1854. The original church building was quickly replaced by a board-and-batten structure and in the 1880s, a large frame building. This still until 1967, when it was demolished and replaced by a modern brick edifice outside the cemetery's north fence. Of over 1,186 graves in Zion Hill Cemetery, 36 are unmarked or unknown. Several were citizens of the Republic of Texas; 75 war veterans are interred on this site. The graves of 102 young children bear witness to the high infant mortality rate among pioneers. Another notable grave is that of the Rev. A. C. Sims (1845-1920), who was born in the Republic of Texas, served in the Confederate Army, and was a pastor of Zion Hill Baptist Church. (1998)

 

 

 

 

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