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Marker Title: Jonathan Hamilton Baker
City: Palo Pinto
Year Marker Erected: 1983
Marker Location: US 180, Courthouse Square, Palo Pinto.
Marker Text: Virginia native Jonathan Hamilton "Ham" Baker
came to Texas in 1858 with his brother G.W. Baker and his uncle Eli
Young. Stricken by malaria while a teacher in Fort Worth, he later moved
to Palo Pinto County where his Uncle Frank Baker was homesteading. Here
he opened a school, believed to be the first regularly organized school
in Palo Pinto, and soon after helped establish the town's first Methodist
church. In 1859 Baker was chosen to lead a company of local men organized
to defend the area against Indian attacks. He first served under Capt.
J.R. Baylor and later participated with Capt. Lawrence Sullivan Ross
in the recovery of Cynthia Ann Parker, the white woman seized by Comanches
in 1836. During the Civil War he served as the leader of the home guard.
Baker was also an open range cattleman, and in 1869 he began driving
his herds to Kansas railheads. Active in local government, he served
as deputy sheriff, justice of peace, deputy postmaster and clerk of
the county and district. In 1890 he moved to Granbury, where he became
a successful nurseryman. For over 60 years Baker kept a detailed diary,
which now provides a thorough account of his distinguished life and
the frontier of Texas.
Marker Title: George Rice Bevers Homesite
City: Graford
Year Marker Erected: 1971
Marker Location: from Graford, take SH 254 2 miles east.
Marker Text: On the Fort Worth-Fort Belknap Road, near Flat Rock crossing
of Keechi Creek. Occupied 1854 when such travelers as Indian agent Robert
S. Neighbors were fed or housed overnight by Bevers. First Palo Pinto
County school opened in vicinity in 1856, on a path smoothed by oxen
pulling a log. In Bevers Cemetery lies a victim of 1860s Indian raids
that sent settlers to refuges as remote as the courthouse in Fort Worth.
Bevers (1825-1904), his wife Lucinda Jane Tacker (1825-73), and children
lived near Curetons, Goodnights, Slaughters, other noted pioneers.
Marker Title: Black Springs
City: Oran
Year Marker Erected: 1982
Marker Location: SH 52, Oran.
Marker Text: Settled before the Civil War and named for the area's early
water source, located nearby, the Black Springs community played a significant
role in the growth of Palo Pinto County. Prominent individuals associated
with the town included early cattlemen and trail drivers Oliver Loving
and Charles Goodnight and J.J. "Jack" Cureton, a noted military
veteran and pioneer. In 1886 the community was renamed Oran in honor
of Texas Governor Oran M. Roberts. Once the county's leading town and
the site of stores, churches, a school and railroad, it declined in
the 1930s and 1940s. (1982)
Marker Title: Black Springs Cemetery
Year Marker Erected: 1982
Marker Location: SH 52, Oran.
Marker Text: Originally known as the Black Springs Cemetery, the nearby
burial ground was established to serve pioneer settlers of the Keechi
Valley and the settlement of Black Springs. The earliest marked grave
is that of Mary A. Lasater (1841-1871). Land for the cemetery was deeded
by Silas Adam Sheek, stepfather of the noted Texas cattleman Charles
Goodnight. Renamed Oran Cemetery when a new community name was selected
in 1886, it includes the graves of Goodnight's mother Charlotte Sheek
(1810-1882), Civil War veterans, pioneer settlers and early community
leaders. (1982)
We received the following e-mail regarding the above historical marker:
On the page at: http://www.forttours.com/pages/hmpalopinto.asp you state for Black Springs Cemetery:
"Land for the cemetery was deeded by Silas Adam Sheek, stepfather of the noted Texas cattleman Charles Goodnight. Renamed Oran Cemetery when a new community name was selected in 1886,..."
Adam SHEEK, step-father of Charles GOODNIGHT had only the one name, Adam. He had no "first name" Silas. If it was he who donated the land, then it should just state "Adam Sheek, stepfather....." If you have a record that shows the land was donated by a Silas Adam SHEEK, then he is the half-brother (not step-father) of Charles GOODNIGHT. After Adam SHEEK married Charlotte (the widow GOODNIGHT) they had one child, Silas Adam SHEEK, usually known as Silas A. SHEEK.
Rick Saunders
We have received more information regarding the Sheek name from another visitor to our site.
Oran/Black Springs Ranch: Concerning Adam Sheek's name:
My gr gr gr grandfather's name was JOHANN ADAM SHEEK, JR. Adam was his middle name. After moving west, evidently, he only used the name Adam Sheek. His father, Johann Adam Sheek, Sr. lived in North Carolina. He died in June of 1832 not long after his grandson, John (for Johann) Wesley Sheek, was born in Tennessee.
John Wesley Sheek was my gr gr grandfather.
Thank you, Charla Duke Perry
Marker Title: Old Camp Wolters
Address: 3801 Ram Blvd.
City: Mineral Wells
Year Marker Erected: 1997
Marker Text: Established in 1925, Camp Wolters was named for Brigadier
General Jacob F. Wolters, commander of the 56th Brigade for the National
Guard, and designated a summer training site for horse-mounted cavalry
units. The city of Mineral Wells donated fifty acres of land, and later
thousands of acres were leased for the camp. By 1927 one thousand officers
and men and the same number of horses were encamped here. In 1933 a
Civilian Conservation Corps company set up camp at the National Guard
barracks and made improvements at the camp and to the city park. In
1940 Camp Wolters was selected as a major training base for the National
Military Draft. During World War II, the camp became an important infantry
replacement training center on 7,500 acres of leased land with a troop
capacity that reached a peak of 24,973. The internationally famous "F:
Troop of World War II was one of the mounted units that trained here.
German prisoners of war also were housed at the camp. After the war's
end, the camp was deactivated by the army. The original Old Camp Wolters
site was returned to the National Guard and used for local purposes
until 1965. (1997)
Marker Title: Simpson Crawford
Year Marker Erected: 1980
Marker Location: from Graford, take Highway 254 east about 3 miles.
Marker Text: A native of Kentucky, Simpson Crawford (1824-1908) served
in the Mexican war (1846-48) at Vera Cruz and Mexico City. Following
the war he returned to Kentucky and married Elizabeth Evans. In 1852
they moved to Texas, settling first in Titus County. In 1854 they came
to Palo Pinto County and built a home (3/4 mile northwest) in the Keechi
Valley area of Peters Colony. A successful rancher owning 3100 acres,
Crawford also served in the Texas Rangers. His first wife died in 1858
and he married Mary Brown four years later. He is buried in Crawford
Cemetery (1.5 miles north). (1980)
Marker Title: Charles Goodnight
City: Oran
Year Marker Erected: 1982
Marker Location: SH 52, Oran.
Marker Text: Here at Black Springs in the Keechi Valley in 1857, the
celebrated pioneer open range cowman and trail driver Charles Goodnight
(1836-1929) located his first ranch on the extreme Indian frontier of
Texas. From here he took part in the 1860 Pease River fight when Cynthia
Ann Parker was recaptured from Comanches, he served as scout and guide
for the Texas Rangers during the Civil War and in 1866 he laid out the
Goodnight-Loving cattle trail, over which thousands of longhorns were
driven to market in New Mexico. In 1867 at Fort Sumner, New Mexico,
his partner Oliver Loving died from wounds suffered in an Indian attack.
Without the aid of an undertaker, Goodnight carried the body by wagon
through hostile Indian territory for burial at Weatherford (24 miles
southeast). Goodnight extended his cattle trails to Wyoming and to Colorado,
where he started a ranch near Pueblo. In 1876 he established the first
cattle ranch in the vast Texas Panhandle, which became the internationally
known JA Ranch. Involved in the preservation of the area's native buffalo,
he also bred the first herd of cattalo by crossing buffalo with range
cattle. Goodnight's pioneer efforts led to the development of the frontier
and the Texas cattle industry. (1982)
Marker Title: Hittson Cemetery
City: Palo Pinto
Year Marker Erected: 1982
Marker Location: from Palo Pinto, take Highway 180 east about 3 miles
to Pleasant Valley Road and follow about 6 miles to Hittson Cemetery.
Marker Text: This burial ground (.2 miles north) first served the family
of pioneer settler Jesse Hittson (1801-61). A native of Virginia, Hittson
moved to this area in 1855 and began raising cattle. His land, located
on an important early Brazos River crossing, became known as Hittson
Bend. In 1857 he actively participated in the formation of Palo Pinto
County. His grave is the earliest marked at this site. Five generations
of Hittsons are buried here. Graves include those of family members
who also became prominent leaders of the cattle industry and who led
in the development of the area. (1982)
Marker Title: Alfred Lane
City: Graford
Year Marker Erected: 1997
Marker Location: SH 254, 2 miles east of Graford.
Marker Text: Called "A splendid brave man" by his brother-in-law,
cattleman Charles Goodnight, Tennessee native Alfred Lane moved to Texas
with his family in 1836 and settled in Robertson's colony on the Brazos
River. He moved to the Black Springs area of Palo Pinto County in 1856,
following his marriage to Elizabeth Goodnight, and raised horses on
the open range. He scouted with the Texas Rangers during the Civil War.
After helping Goodnight drive cattle west of Ft. Belknap, Lane was killed
by Indians as he returned home. He is buried nearby in Crawford Cemetery
(2 miles northeast). (1997)
Marker Title: Site of the Home of Oliver Loving in 1855
City: Mineral Wells
Year Marker Erected: 1936
Marker Location: from Mineral Wells, take US 281 north about 7.5 miles
and go west on Loving Road, follow about .25 miles to marker (north
side of road).
Marker Title: Morris Sheppard Dam and Possum Kingdom Lake - A Project
of the Brazos River Authority
Marker Location: From Graford, take SH 254 west about 8 miles, then
take SH 16 southwest about 2 miles to PR 36, follow southwest about
2.5 miles to FM 2353 follow FM 2353 south about 1 mile to Observation
Point Road, go west about .5 mile to observation area.
Marker Text: Built in response to disastrous Brazos River flooding,
Morris Sheppard Dam and Possum Kingdom Reservoir were early attempts
at water conservation and flood control in Texas. The U.S. government
funded $4,500,000 of the three-year, $8,500,000 project through the
Works Progress Administration, a Depression era recovery agency. Named
for U.S. Senator Morris Sheppard and completed in 1941, the dam is 2,740
feet long and 190 feet high. Nine spillway gates allow for the passage
of flood waters and drift material. Power generating facilities consist
of two 11,250-killowatt units which serve much of the surrounding area.
The creation of Possum Kingdom Lake from the impounded waters of Morris
Sheppard Dam sent bridges, roads and an entire town underwater. Recovery
was initially slow, but quickly picked up after World War II with the
establishment of major fishing lodges, camping areas and other recreational
facilities. The growth and success of the area is a tribute to the spirit
of the surrounding communities which continue to benefit from the project's
original purposes of water conservation and supply, and hydroelectric
power generation.
Marker Title: Mount Marion Cemetery
City: Strawn
Year Marker Erected: 1995
Marker Location: 701 Grant Avenue, Strawn.
Marker Text: Located on land once owned by William W. Johnson, whose
coal mining operations spurred major development in nearby Thurber,
this cemetery was named for Johnson's daughter, Marion, who died at
age three. It later became the primary burial ground for the town of
Strawn. The earliest documented burial dates to 1883. Interred here
are many area pioneers, including town founder Stephen B. Strawn, former
Texas Rangers, veterans of wars from the Civil War to World War II,
and victims of the devastating 1918-19 influenza epidemic. It is a reflection
of the area's heritage. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845-1995.
Marker Title: Old County Jail
City: Palo Pinto
Year Marker Erected: 1976
Marker Location: 1 block south of Courthouse Square, Palo Pinto.
Marker Text: Built to replace a log jail, this native sandstone structure
was erected by contractors Martin, Byrne and Johnston of Comanche. J.C. McQuerry was sheriff when it was finished (1880). The first floor
was used for county offices until a new courthouse was finished. It
then housed the jailer's family, while the top floor held killers, cattle
rustlers, rowdy cowboys, and other prisoners. A steel trap door was
installed for hangings in 1907 but never used. Vacated in 1941, the
building was acquired by the Palo Pinto County Historical Association
in 1968 and restored as its headquarters and museum. (1976)
Marker Title: Palo Pinto Cemetery
City: Palo Pinto
Year Marker Erected: 1992
Marker Location: FM 4, south city limits, Palo Pinto.
Marker Text: This cemetery traces its history to 1857 when a 320-acre
tract of land was surveyed for the original Palo Pinto townsite. The
town was platted in 1858 and one block was laid around an existing cemetery.
In 1880 Palo Pinto citizens purchased the graveyard from the county.
The oldest legible grave marker is that of George W. Slaughter (May
6, 1843-June 15, 1860). Those interred here include area pioneers, military
veterans, Texas Rangers, and prominent Palo Pinto citizens. The Palo
Pinto Cemetery Association was organized in 1974 to provide maintenance
for the cemetery. (1992)
Marker Title: Palo Pinto County
City: Palo Pinto
Year Marker Erected: 1936
Marker Location: 1.25 miles west of Palo Pinto on Highway 180.
Marker Text: Created August 27, 1856, from Navarro and Bosque counties;
organized in 1857. Spanish name Palo Pinto refers to spotted oak, a
common regional tree having bark with a mottled appearance. Good hunting
and abundant water made area a favored indian locality. The first anglo
american settlers arrived in 1850's, including Texas cattlemen and trail-blazers
Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving. The discovery, in 1880, of mineral
water and arrival of Texas and Pacific railroad brought an influx of
settlers and helped establish a strong economy. The county seat, first
named Golconda in 1856, was renamed Palo Pinto in 1858. Erected by the
State of Texas -1973
Marker Title: Courthouse of Palo Pinto County
City: Palo Pinto
Year Marker Erected: 1986
Marker Location: Palo Pinto, Highway 180.
Marker Text: Palo Pinto County was created in 1856 and named for a Creek
south of here that was perhaps named by Spanish explorers of the Brazos
River Valley. The county seat of 320 acres was surveyed at its geographical
center and was originally named Golconda. A court session in 1857 called
for the first courthouse to be built of wood frame construction, with
two doors and three windows. The contract was awarded to a bid of $300.
Shortly after, in 1859, the town name was changed to Palo Pinto. In
1882, just after the Texas Legislature allowed counties to issue bonds
for new courthouses, a large sandstone structure was built. It cost
$35,000 and exhibited Second Empire styling with a central clock tower.
A two story sandstone annex was added in 1906 and connected to the courthouse
by an iron bridge. Sandstone for the buildings was quarried south of
the city. In 1940 these buildings were demolished and a new courthouse
was erected by Work Projects Administration workers. The reinforced-concrete
structure featured subtle classical detail and was clad with some of
the sandstone from the old buildings. It was completed in 1942 at a
cost of $250,000. (1986)
Marker Title: Pickwick-McAdams Cemetery
City: Graford
Year Marker Erected: 1979
Marker Location: from Graford take Highway 254 west about 8 miles to
P 36 and follow P 36 west about 3 miles.
Marker Text: Tennessee native Capt. William Carroll McAdams (1825-1906)
came to Texas in the 1840s, served as a Texas Ranger, and fought in
the Mexican war (1846-1848). McAdams and his wife Ann (Alexander) acquired
this land in 1854 and began cattle raising. The cemetery opened after
the death of Mrs. McAdams. The first marked grave is that of Mary M.
Couger in 1889. McAdams Cemetery served the Pickwick Community (now
under the lake). In 1940 graves were moved here from Carter Bend Cemetery
which was on the proposed Possum Kingdom Lake site. (1979)
This was sent to us by a visitor to our site: I haven't got out to see the Picwick-McAdams marker. I hope to in the coming year. William Carroll McAdams would be my 3rd Great Uncle. It appears the marker calls him a Tennessee native. Although he had older siblings born there, William was born in Missouri. The family, including his father William Rainey McAdams and mother Sarah (Sally)-Patterson McAdams did indeed enter Texas around the time stated in the marker. William Rainey McAdams was in Red River County in 1836 and by December 11 1839 had been issued certificate # 50 for a class 3 headright in Harrison County. The family had been in Illinois prior to coming to Texas.
Marker Title: Sam Savage, Captive of the Comanches
City: Mineral Wells
Year Marker Erected: 1986
Marker Location: from Mineral Wells, take FM 1821 north about 3 miles
(at Staggs Prairie Cemetery).
Marker Text: Buried in the nearby Staggs Prairie Cemetery, Sam Savage
(1861-1951) was a rancher, farmer, and champion fiddler. At the age
of five, he survived a Comanche Indian raid on his father's farm in
Parker County and lived in captivity with the Comanches for a time.
The attack on Bolin Savage's homestead occurred on March 2, 1866, and
was followed by a raid on his brother's farm. Both Bolin and James Savage
were killed. Sam Savage, his brother, and a cousin were taken captive
by the Indians. A posse headed by Parker County Judge A.J. Hunter failed
to overtake the Comanches. The children were discovered by trader John
Fields in November 1866 and were ransomed for the sum of $414 at Fort
Arbuckle, Oklahoma. Sam Savage lived until the age of 90 to relate his
experiences of life with the Indians. After a time, he and the other
children adapted to their situation, learning the language and the use
of a bow and arrow. In 1911, Sam Savage and the trader, John Fields,
held a reunion during which many of the old tales were recounted. Sam
Savage married Arizona Pierce in 1881, and they lived in Palo Pinto
County until their deaths. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986
Marker Title: George Webb Slaughter
City: Palo Pinto
Marker Location: from Palo Pinto, take FM 4 5 miles north.
Marker Text: (May 10, 1811-March 11, 1895) Born in Lawrence County,
Miss. Came to Texas with his parents in 1830, settled in Sabine County,
and began a freighting business. He participated in the Texas War for
Independence, serving as a courier for Gen. Sam Houston, and on one
occasion took a dispatch to Col. William B. Travis at the Alamo in San
Antonio. Slaughter married Sarah Mason on October 12, 1836, the first
marriage sanctioned under laws of the Republic of Texas. The couple
had 11 children, including the prominent cattlemen Christopher C. (1837-1919)
and John B. Slaughter (1848-1928). George W. Slaughter in 1844 was ordained
a Baptist minister. He began raising cattle in Freestone County in 1852,
and moved in 1857 to his Palo Pinto County homestead (1/4 miles east).
He organized (1861) a Baptist church near his home, and rode a circuit
in the area, preaching and practicing "saddlebag" medicine.
He and his family survived several Indian attacks. From 1868 to 1875,
thousands of his cattle went up the trail to Kansas railheads. Slaughter
moved (1870) to Emporia, Kan., but returned here in 1875. In 1882, he
founded the First Baptist Church in Mineral Wells. He ceased ranching
in 1884. He was moderator (1886) when Slaughter Valley Baptist Church
merged with the church in Palo Pinto, where he was later buried. Incise
on base: Marker Sponsor: D.C. Harris, grandson
Marker Title: Site of Snake Saloon
City: Thurber
Year Marker Erected: 1995
Marker Location: from Thurber, .25 mile north of town off FM 108 at south
county line.
Marker Text: Saloons were prominent in the life and history of Thurber
and were often settings for union organizational efforts. The first
Snake Saloon, located between the drugstore and the livery stable in
the center of town, was famous for its massive horseshoe-shaped mahogany
bar. After liquor sales were outlawed in Erath County in 1904, the Snake
Saloon relocated just inside Palo Pinto County, 150 yards west of this
site. The 40' x 120' building featured a bar as long as two train cars.
The saloon closed in 1920 after passage of the federal prohibition law.
(1995)
Marker Title: Bethel Strawn
City: Strawn
Year Marker Erected: 1965
Marker Location: In front of City Hall 118 East Howsley Street, Strawn.
Marker Text: An 1858 settler and leading citizen of Palo Pinto County.
Enlisted 1864 in Co. B. 1st Frontier District, Texas State Troops, in
Maj. Wm. Quayle's command. Saw service mainly in keeping down Indian
depredations and protecting settlments that were furnishing food salt,
hides, leather and other goods to aid the Confederate cause during the
Civil War. In 1880, when Texas and Pacific Railroad built through western
Palo Pinto County, a stop was named for Bethel Strawn, who owned land
at that point. By 1885, Strawn settlement had grown into a town drawing
off people from old Palo Pinto. During 20th century oil developments,
the name Strawn is used for petroleum bearing formations of rock that
underlie this county and other areas. Strawn minerals include coal,
once mined locally. 36 Texas counties were named for men prominent in
the Confederacy during the Civil War. One county, Val Verde, was named
for a Civil War battlefield on which Texas troops were victorious during
the New Mexico-Arizona campaign of 1861-1862. 41 Texas towns were named
for men who figured in the Civil War. Strawn, however, is the one geological
name commemorating a Texan in the Civil War. (1965)
Marker Title: Stephen Bethel Strawn
City: Strawn
Year Marker Erected: 1973
Marker Location: Corner of Binney and Hinkson.
Marker Text: Born in Giles County, Tennessee. Came to Palo Pinto County,
1859, among first settlers in region. Married Jane Allen, July 18, 1860.
Served in Co. B, State Troops, during Civil War, protecting frontier.
Built this house in mid-1870s. Founded city of Strawn, 1880, to encourage
Texas and Pacific Railway company to build through area. He was landowner,
rancher, and banker, with interests in local coal mining activities.
(1973)
Marker Title: Reuben Vaughan, First Permanent Settler of Palo Pinto
County
City: Graford
Year Marker Erected: 1979
Marker Location: from Graford, take SH 4 north about 2 miles.
Marker Text: Alabama-born Reuben Vaughan (1819-1900) migrated to Texas
in 1852. He and his wife Margaret (Truelove) and their three children
moved to this area in 1854 and became the first permanent settlers in
present Palo Pinto County. They erected a cabin of cedar and stone near
this site. A farmer and stock raiser, Vaughan maintained friendly relations
with the Indian tribes that roamed this region. During the Civil War,
he served in a frontier battalion to protect pioneer settlements. Vaughan
is buried in this family cemetery. (1979)
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