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Bangs, Texas

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Music in Bangs

Songs About Bangs

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Artists From Bangs

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Coffey Anderson
country

Rivers & Roads in Song near Bangs

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Bangs.

Texas Colorado River 6 songs San Saba River 2 songs Texas State Highway 71 2 songs

History of Bangs

Texas's First Printing Press RoadyGoat

You're rolling through Bangs, Texas, and the name on that sign traces back to a single man, so here is his story. Samuel Bangs was born around seventeen ninety-eight, probably in Boston, and trained as a printer's apprentice. In September of eighteen sixteen he sailed from Baltimore as the printer for Francisco Xavier Mina, a Spanish revolutionary raising a filibuster expedition against Spanish rule in Mexico. On February twenty-second of eighteen seventeen, on Galveston Island, Bangs and a partner named John McLaren ran off a manifesto for Mina on a small portable press hauled all the way from England. Historians call that single sheet the first documented printing ever done on Texas soil. The expedition itself ended in disaster. Royalist forces captured Bangs, and the story goes that they spared his life for one plain reason: he knew how to work the press, and they needed a printer. He spent years afterward printing official documents for the Mexican government, then came back to Galveston and helped found the Galveston News. That is the man whose name got stamped on the survey out here in Bangs, hundreds of miles inland from any of it.

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A Town Named For A Survey RoadyGoat

Here in Bangs, Texas, the name comes not from a founder who built the place but from a line on a surveyor's map. The town sits inside a block of land recorded as the Samuel Bangs survey, and Samuel Bangs was one of the more remarkable men in early Texas, a printer granted land for his service around the era of the Texas Revolution. By most accounts he never once set foot on the acreage that would carry his name. There is a competing story, that the town honors a man named Bangs who sat on the board of the railroad that came through in the eighteen eighties, but the county land records come down on the side of the printer, because the survey wore his name long before any rail was laid. So pull on this one short name and you already get two men, one press, and one railroad. Let's start with the printer, because his story is the strangest of the three.

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Between Two Great Rivers RoadyGoat

Look at where you are actually standing. Bangs sits in Brown County in west central Texas, up around one thousand six hundred feet above sea level, in country drained by Pecan Bayou and by a stream with one of the best names in Texas, Jim Ned Creek. That creek rises near Tuscola and runs southeast about seventy miles before it reaches Pecan Bayou at Lake Brownwood, just east of here. Jim Ned was a real person, a Delaware Indian scout who rode for the Texas militia in the Republic and early statehood years, and his name got stamped on the water and stuck. This whole region rides a kind of hydrological fence line. The Brazos River system drains the country to the north, and the Colorado River system, which Pecan Bayou feeds, drains the south. Rain that falls just a few miles apart out here can end up in two different rivers and reach the Gulf coast in two different places. The name on the town is human history. The shape of the land underneath it is a great deal older.

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Bangs, TX

1886

Bangs is on U.S. highways 67 and 84 and the Santa Fe Railroad six miles west of Brownwood in west central Brown County. The town was named for its location in the Samuel Bangs survey. In 1886 a post office was established there, and in 1892 Bangs had eight businesses and a population of fifty. A school was begun that year. In 1900 the population was 136. By 1915, when the town incorporated, Bangs had 600 residents and twenty-one businesses, including four churches, a bank, and a weekly newspaper. The following year a water system was installed, and natural gas was piped into the community in 1920. The Bangs Independent School District, formed in 1927, eventually consolidated nine other school districts. Highway 67 was built through the town in 1932. After World War II several additions added new housing units to Bangs. Brownwood began supplying Bangs with filtered water in 1946. In 1963 a new high school was built, and passenger train service ended for the community in 1965. In 1973 Bangs became home to the controversial New Testament Holiness Church, led by David Heze Terrell, who also ran World Ministries, Incorporated, of Dallas. Bangs slowly grew to a population of 1,214 in 1970 and 1,716 in 1980, then declined to 1,555 inhabitants in 1990. In 2000 the population grew to 1,620.

Tsha Handbook →

Bangs Public Schools

1892

The town of Bangs was established on the route of the Santa Fe Railroad, which deeded land to the city for a school. The first school building, a two-room frame structure on the south side of the railroad tracks, was completed in 1892. Miss Clemie King was the first teacher; enrollment totaled 35 pupils. A new 2-story stone structure, built on the north side of the tracks in 1903, replaced the first building. Over the years the school system has grown and built additional facilities. Nine other area schools have consolidated with the Bangs school system since its founding. (1992)

Historical Marker →

First Baptist Church of Bangs

1883

This congregation traces its history to 1883, when the Rev. A R. Watson and a small group of worshipers formed a Baptist congregation in the community of Mukewater. The church moved to the new town of Bangs on the Santa Fe Railroad Line in 1890 and became known as First Baptist Church. By 1891 a sanctuary was built on land granted to the church by the railroad. It was replaced by a larger structure in 1923. Throughout its history, First Baptist Church has served the community with a variety of worship, educational, and outreach programs. (1991)

Historical Marker →

Rocky Creek Baptist Church

1877

Eighteen people gathered under a brush arbor near Rocky Creek in Brown County on August 18, 1877, to organize a Baptist congregation. They called the Rev. R. L. Baker as their first pastor, and by November began construction of a one-room church building. It was replaced by a larger structure in 1889, and in 1919 that building was destroyed in a storm. The congregation ceased meeting for two years, but in 1921 came together to once again build a new house of worship. The church grew in the ensuing decades, offering a variety of worship, educational and outreach programs. New structures were completed at this site in 1952 and 1983. The congregation continues to serve the community. 	(2001)

Historical Marker → · 4.4 mi away

Chandler, Welcome Williams

1854

Welcome Chandler, the first settler, farmer, county judge, postmaster, and store owner in Brown County, was born in North Carolina to William Hugh and Tebitha Elizabeth (Hodges) Chandler in January 1813. The family moved to Copiah County, Mississippi, where Chandler married Sarah Brown in 1834; they moved to Texas in 1854. That summer, Chandler, Samuel R. Coggin, and J. H. Fowler visited the Brown County area and resolved to settle there permanently. In July 1856 Chandler arrived with his wife, their eight children, J. H. Fowler (who became the first bridegroom in Brown County by marrying Chandler's daughter Mary Ann the following year, and who also brought the first herd of cattle to Brown County in December 1856), and seven slaves. On Pecan Bayou, just east of the site of Brownwood, they built the first dwelling in Brown County, a large log cabin. Chandler also operated the county's first store, a settlers' supply house, in his home. Although local mail service may have existed earlier, the first official post office in Brownwood was apparently established on February 20, 1860, and located in Chandler's house. Chandler was named postmaster, a position he held till January 23, 1867, when the post office was temporarily discontinued by the United States government. On March 21, 1857, the first election in the county took place in the Chandler home, and Chandler was elected county commissioner; however, because of a mistake about county boundaries made by the state legislature, none of the officers elected in 1857 ever served. Instead they asked the legislature to correct its mistake, and it did so on February 8, 1858. The second election, on August 2, 1858, was also held in the Chandler home, and Chandler was elected chief justice (county judge). The first courthouse in the county, a log structure, was built on Chandler's farm in October 1858. Chandler was elected county treasurer on August 4, 1862. After the defeat of the Confederacy and the invalidation of county elections of the Civil War years, a new election of county officers was held on August 25, 1865, and Welcome Chandler rode with the results in less than a day to have them validated in Austin (140 miles from Brownwood), so that the county would not be without the rule of law. He was elected judge of the county board of appeals in 1869. The Chandlers had five more children after arriving in Brown County. Their daughters Melissa and Laura Caldora were the first twins born in the county, and their daughter Ella was the second White child born there. The first Confederate flag in the county was made by Mrs. Chandler, her daughter Jane, and Mrs. Brooks W. Lee. It was first flown on February 23, 1861, when the residents of Brown County met in the Chandler home and voted to ratify the ordinance of secession . Chandler died in Williamson County, Texas, in May 1870 and was buried in Florence, Texas.

Tsha Handbook → · 8.5 mi away

Sand Creek (Brown County)

1873

Sand Creek rises two miles northwest of Bangs and just north of U.S. highways 67 and 84 in western Brown County (at 31°45' N, 99°10' W) and runs northeast for five miles to its juncture with the East Fork of Sand Creek, then another two miles to its mouth on Jim Ned Creek, just north of Thrifty (at 31°49' N, 99°08' W). It crosses an area of rolling hills to flat terrain surfaced by clay and sandy loams that support scrub brush, mesquite, cacti, live oak, juniper, grasses, water-tolerant hardwoods, and conifers. Sand Creek was the site where the last victims of Indian torture in Brown County were murdered and where a company of Texas Rangers subsequently set up camp to watch over some eight counties. On a December morning in 1873, Bill Williams and his son left their home on Sand Creek to cut rails along Jim Ned Creek; after Williams left, his wife took her infant to their cow lot to do the milking. While building a fire to keep the baby warm, Mrs. Williams was attacked by the Kiowa renegade Big Foot and his band. The band dragged the baby through the fire, plundered the Williams house, and kidnapped a twelve-year-old daughter hiding inside. Riddled with arrows, Mrs. Williams regained consciousness, took her baby to the house, and treated its burns. The Williams boy returned to the house on an errand to find his mother dead and the baby dying. After a quickly formed posse trailed the band northwestward, they discovered the twelve-year-old girl hanging from a cottonwood tree. This and other such incidents prompted the formation of Company E of the Frontier Battalion of the Texas Rangers. The company's commander, Capt. William Jeff Maltby , recruited Mr. Williams and during the following summer camped several weeks along the banks of Sand Creek, from where he and his company patrolled neighboring counties. Eventually, Maltby, Williams and others trailed Big Foot and destroyed him and his band.

Tsha Handbook → · 8.5 mi away

Things to Do in Bangs

quirky 22.6 mi away
Geographic Center of Texas Marker

A 1963 highway-department roadside marker on US Highway 377 northeast of Brady noting the geographic center of Texas which actually lies about five miles away…

Everything Near Bangs

167 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

  • Texas's First Printing Press

    You're rolling through Bangs, Texas, and the name on that sign traces back to a single man, so here is his story. Samuel Bangs was born around seventeen ninety-eight, probably in Boston, and trained as a printer's…

  • A Town Named For A Survey

    Here in Bangs, Texas, the name comes not from a founder who built the place but from a line on a surveyor's map. The town sits inside a block of land recorded as the Samuel Bangs survey, and Samuel Bangs was one of the…

  • Between Two Great Rivers

    Look at where you are actually standing. Bangs sits in Brown County in west central Texas, up around one thousand six hundred feet above sea level, in country drained by Pecan Bayou and by a stream with one of the best…

  • The Batting Champ From Bangs

    For a small town, Bangs has thrown a long shadow into American culture. Start with baseball. A man named Debs Garms was born here, and in nineteen forty, his first season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he won the National…

  • Bangs, TX

    In the late 19th century, Bangs, Texas, came into its own. Named after Samuel Bangs, who was awarded the land for his service as a printer in the Texas Revolution, the city began to take shape in 1886. That year,…

  • Two Men, One Surname

    Here's a puzzle worth untangling. Ask around town and you will hear that Bangs is named for the printer, and you will also hear it is named for a railroad man, and both answers get delivered with total confidence. The…

  • How A Survey Became A Town

    Standing here in Bangs, Texas, it is worth stopping on the part people skip right over, the word survey itself. In early Texas a survey was not a clipboard and a questionnaire. It was a measured block of ground, and the…

  • The Railroad That Made It, Then Left

    Bangs is a railroad town in the purest sense. It exists because a line came through. When the Santa Fe pushed track across this part of Brown County in the middle eighteen eighties, a depot went up, and a general store…

  • Pull On The Name

    So think about how much a five-letter town name can hold out here. Bangs starts as ink, the name of Samuel Bangs, the first man to run a printing press on Texas soil, who earned his land grant for that service and then…

  • Bangs, TX · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Bangs is on U.S. highways 67 and 84 and the Santa Fe Railroad six miles west of Brownwood in west central Brown County. The town was named for its location in the Samuel Bangs survey. In 1886 a post office was…

  • Bangs Public Schools · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker

    The town of Bangs was established on the route of the Santa Fe Railroad, which deeded land to the city for a school. The first school building, a two-room frame structure on the south side of the railroad tracks, was…

  • First Baptist Church of Bangs · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker

    This congregation traces its history to 1883, when the Rev. A R. Watson and a small group of worshipers formed a Baptist congregation in the community of Mukewater. The church moved to the new town of Bangs on the Santa…

Show all 167 nearby places
  • Bangs Cemetery · 0.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Bangs, Texas. The Bangs Cemetery was established in 1905 and was designated a Historic Texas Cemetery in 2002.

  • The Adventurous Printer of Bangs · 3.8 mi

    The man this town's name comes from, Samuel Bangs, was a real-life adventurer who probably never laid eyes on the place. Born around 1798, most likely in Boston, he sailed from Baltimore in 1816 as the printer for…

  • The Engineering of a Speed Trap · 3.8 mi

    You'll hear drivers on Interstate 45 call Angus a speed trap. What's actually on the record is stranger. The community goes back to 1871, founded by a man named A. Angus after the rails came through. It had the first…

  • A survey line named the town · 3.8 mi

    The tracks that slice through Bangs did make this town, but the name on the depot came off a piece of paper, not a locomotive. Long before there was any rail out here, Texas was carved into land grants and surveys, each…

  • Rocky Creek Baptist Church · 4.4 mi · Historical Marker

    Eighteen people gathered under a brush arbor near Rocky Creek in Brown County on August 18, 1877, to organize a Baptist congregation. They called the Rev. R. L. Baker as their first pastor, and by November began…

  • Thrifty · 6.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through the historic heart of Brown County, near where the community of Thrifty once thrived. It all started in 1857 when the U.S. Army established Camp Colorado nearby to defend the frontier. The Mullins…

  • Route of Old Military Road · 6.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving along a route that was vital to Texas's frontier defense in the 1850s. This was the Old Military Road, connecting a chain of U.S. forts from Belknap on the Brazos River all the way down to Fort Clark near…

  • Lake Brownwood, TX · 7.6 mi

    Nestled in the heart of central Texas, Lake Brownwood is a census-designated place in Brown County, known for its serene waters. The area is defined by its proximity to the western arm of Lake Brownwood, a reservoir…

  • Howard, Robert E. · 7.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Brownwood, and just a few miles away is the world that Robert E. Howard created. Born in 1906, Howard grew up right here in Brown County, writing poetry and short stories for magazines. His true…

  • Charlie Webb and John Wesley Hardin · 7.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving near where Brown County Sheriff's Deputy Charlie Webb met his end. On May 26, 1874, Webb was in Comanche, confronting the notorious outlaw John Wesley Hardin. Witnesses say Hardin drew first, and shot and…

  • Mullins Heritage Park · 7.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Mullins Heritage Park, a place that's been a gathering spot for over a century. Back in 1894, Brown County commissioners needed a public road connecting Bangs and Cross Cut. The key crossing point on…

  • Greenleaf Cemetery · 8.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Greenleaf Cemetery, the main city cemetery of Brownwood. Pioneer Greenleaf Fisk gave five acres for this burial ground back in 1868. It's now the final resting place for notable Texans like Dr.…

  • Henry Ford · 8.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Brownwood, a city that owes a lot of its growth to one man: Henry Ford. No, not *that* Henry Ford, but a Texas pioneer who arrived in 1869 and became a legendary cowboy. He settled here in 1876,…

  • Mud Creek Cemetery · 8.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Mud Creek Cemetery, a burial ground that's seen over a century of life and loss in the Thrifty and Fry communities. The first known burial here was little Martha Blackwell, who died in 1864, though…

  • Adams-Shaw House · 8.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Adams-Shaw House, built around 1876 for George H. Adams, a rancher and former Texas Ranger. His cattle brand is literally carved into the front step – a lasting signature of his life on the…

  • Brownwood, TX · 8.3 mi

    Brownwood's history is marked by a significant event during the Second World War when it became the location of U.S. Army Camp Bowie. At its peak, the camp was home to over 80,000 soldiers. Today, Camp Bowie continues…

  • Lee Chapel A.M.E. Church · 8.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Brownwood, and right here is the site of Lee Chapel A.M.E. Church. Named for Bishop Benjamin Franklin Lee, who served until 1926, this church was organized way back in 1888. The Reverend George E.…

  • Rufus F. Hardin High School · 8.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the former Rufus F. Hardin High School, a crucial part of Brownwood's African-American history. It began in 1885 as the town's first school for Black children, established by George…

  • Chandler, Welcome Williams · 8.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Welcome Chandler, the first settler, farmer, county judge, postmaster, and store owner in Brown County, was born in North Carolina to William Hugh and Tebitha Elizabeth (Hodges) Chandler in January 1813. The family…

  • Sand Creek (Brown County) · 8.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Sand Creek rises two miles northwest of Bangs and just north of U.S. highways 67 and 84 in western Brown County (at 31°45' N, 99°10' W) and runs northeast for five miles to its juncture with the East Fork of Sand Creek,…

  • Thirty-Sixth Infantry Division · 8.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through what is now Brown County, the home of Camp Bowie, where the legendary Texas Division, the Thirty-sixth Infantry Division, mobilized for World War II. Nicknamed the 'T-Patchers,' these…

  • Salt Gap (Brown County) · 8.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through northeastern Brown County, near the pass known as Salt Gap. Back in 1858, this was a crucial Indian passage. On this very trail, settlers intercepted a band of Native Americans returning from a…

  • Hodge, Veda Wells · 8.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Brownwood, and right here is the site of a truly remarkable Texan. Veda Wells Hodge was more than just the wife of an oil magnate; she was a force in her own right. Born to a pioneer preacher, she…

  • Camp Collier · 8.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brown County, and right here, you're passing the approximate site of Camp Collier. <break time="400ms"/> Established in March of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1862</say-as>, it was one of…

  • Lake Brownwood · 8.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brown County, and right here is Lake Brownwood, a massive reservoir created to supply water to nearby communities. But its creation wasn't exactly smooth sailing. Authorized in 1929 after a big…

  • Thrifty, TX · 8.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Thrifty is on Farm Road 2492 six miles north of Bangs in northwestern Brown County. In 1858 the sons of Republic of Texas pioneer Isaac Mullins-Isaac, Jr., John C., and William-established the I C Ranch headquarters on…

  • Winchell, TX · 8.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Winchell is located twenty-one miles southwest of Brownwood on U.S. Highway 377 near the McCulloch county line in southwestern Brown County. First named either Broadtown for E. J. Broad who built a store there, or Brown…

  • The Rev. Noah Turner Byars · 8.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the resting place of Noah Turner Byars, a true pioneer of faith in Texas. Born in South Carolina, Byars arrived in Texas in the early 1830s, just in time to witness the birth of the Republic. He even…

  • "Hey Paula" · 8.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Brownwood, the birthplace of a song that became a global phenomenon! In the fall of 1962, right here at Howard Payne College, two Texas natives, Raymond Hildebrand and Jill Jackson, met. They'd…

  • Camp Bowie · 8.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Camp Bowie, a massive World War II training ground right here near Brownwood. Opened in September 1940, this place could hold up to 45,000 soldiers! It was home to the famed "Texas" 36th…

  • The Rev. Dr. John David Robnett · 8.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Brownwood, and right here is the story of the Rev. Dr. John David Robnett. Born in Missouri, Robnett was a Baptist minister who came to Brownwood in 1883 to lead the First Baptist Church. He met…

  • Howard Payne University · 8.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Brownwood, home to Howard Payne University. It began in 1876 as the Pecan Valley Baptist Association, which decided to found a college. Named for a major donor, Edward Howard Payne, the school…

  • Porter, Katherine Anne · 8.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Brownwood, home of a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Katherine Anne Porter. Born Callie Russell Porter in Indian Creek, she moved to Hays County as a child. After leaving Texas in 1915, she lived a…

  • Prisoners of War at Camp Bowie · 8.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Camp Bowie, a World War II prisoner of war camp right here near Brownwood. In 1943, thousands of German POWs arrived, some directly from General Rommel's North African campaigns. The U.S.…

  • Walker, J. A., House · 8.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Brownwood, and to your right, you might catch a glimpse of the J.A. Walker House. Built in 1901 by a prominent businessman and civic leader, this home showcases classic Colonial Revival style.…

  • Rogers, R. B., House · 8.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the R. B. Rogers House in Brownwood, a snapshot of early 20th-century prosperity. Built between 1904 and 1905 by R. B. Rogers, a major local merchant and civic leader, this home showcases stunning…

  • 5049011769 · 8.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past 5049011769. In 1875, Robert Morrison English (1837-1910), his wife, Clarabelle Louisa (Stratham) English (1847-1914), and their children moved from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to Brown County. They…

  • Welcome William Chandler · 8.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Brownwood, Texas, the heart of Brown County. Look around – this was all wilderness until Welcome William Chandler arrived in 1856. He’s credited as the very first permanent settler and farmer…

  • Fisk, Greenleaf · 8.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the area where Greenleaf Fisk, known as the 'Father of Brownwood,' settled. He abandoned plans for the ministry to brave the Texas frontier, fought at the Battle of San Jacinto, and served the…

  • Brooke Smith · 8.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Brownwood, where Brooke Smith arrived in 1876 and saw an opportunity. This town was a frontier settlement with no banks, so Smith and his partners placed a big safe in their general store. They…

  • Old Gray Mare Band · 8.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Brownwood, and you might be wondering what the 'Old Gray Mare Band' has to do with Texas history. Well, this wasn't just any band. Formed from the 142nd Infantry Band of the 36th Division after…

  • Brown County Jail · 8.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the old Brown County Jail, completed in 1903. Designed to look like an ancient fortress, its castle-like appearance with stone, turrets, and arches made it a standout. The English stonemasons who…

  • Coggin and Parks Building · 8.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Brownwood, and right here is the Coggin and Parks Building, a commercial hub from way back in 1876. Brothers Samuel and Mody Coggin, big-time ranchers and philanthropists, teamed up with…

  • Lovell-Dobbs House · 8.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Lovell-Dobbs House, built around 1889 by Scottish contractor Tom Lovell. Lovell was a busy builder, working on structures like the Arizona state capitol and several Texas courthouses. Later, the…

  • Jenkins Springs Cemetery · 8.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Jenkins Springs Cemetery, a place with deep roots in Brown County history. The earliest known graves here belong to four army surveyors ambushed and killed nearby, buried on the Jenkins farm.…

  • Dr. Mollie W. Armstrong · 9.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Brownwood location of Dr. Mollie W. Armstrong, a true pioneer in Texas optometry. Born in 1875, she became the first woman optometrist in the state after studying on her own and earning her…

  • Camp Collier C.S.A. · 9.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Brown County, heading southwest from here, past the site of Camp Collier. This wasn't a camp for glory, but a vital frontier post during the Civil War. Think of a chain of forts, a day's ride…

  • Brownwood Harvey House · 9.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Brownwood Harvey House, a place that served up more than just food. Built in 1914 right next to the Santa Fe Railroad Depot, this was part of Fred Harvey's brilliant idea to offer…

  • Brownwood Santa Fe Passenger Depot · 9.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the old Brownwood Santa Fe Passenger Depot, built in 1909. Designed by Jarvis Hunt, this Romanesque beauty was a hub between California and Texas, fueling regional growth. Passenger traffic peaked…

  • Armstrong, Mollie Wright · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brownwood, and right here is where Mollie Wright Armstrong set up shop in 1899. She wasn't just any optometrist; she was the very first woman optometrist in all of Texas, and only the second in…

  • Byrd, David Harold · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brown County, and right here is where D. Harold Byrd earned his nickname, 'Dry Hole' Byrd. He drilled fifty-six dry holes before finally hitting it big on May 5th, 1928, with two successful wells…

  • Fisk, Greenleaf · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brown County, and right here is the heart of what Greenleaf Fisk built. He fought at the Battle of San Jacinto, served in the Republic of Texas Congress, and was a key figure in founding towns…

  • Ford, Henry · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brownwood, Texas, a town that once held a man rumored to be the legendary outlaw Jesse James. Henry Ford, a respected banker and businessman here, arrived in Texas at seventeen. He became a…

  • Wood, Gordon · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brownwood, the heart of Texas football country, and right here is where Gordon Wood cemented his legacy as one of the greatest high school football coaches in American history. For over forty…

  • Brown County · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brown County, right in the heart of Texas. This land, named for Captain Henry Stevenson Brown, was settled in 1856. But life on this frontier wasn't easy. For twenty years after its formation,…

  • Camp Bowie · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brownwood, and right here is the site of Camp Bowie, a massive World War II training center established in September 1940. It was the first major defense construction project in Texas for the war,…

  • Coggin Brothers · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brown County, the heart of a vast cattle empire built by two brothers, Moses and Samuel Coggin. Arriving in Texas in 1851, they started hauling freight, but by 1854, they were buying their first…

  • Lake Brownwood State Park · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Central Texas, near Brownwood. Right here is Lake Brownwood State Park, a testament to the Great Depression's Civilian Conservation Corps. Back in the early 1930s, the local water district dammed…

  • Brownwood, TX · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brownwood, a town with roots stretching back to the frontier days of Texas. It was named for Henry Stevenson Brown and chosen as the county seat way back in 1857. But this wasn't just a sleepy…

  • Hardin, Rufus Forley · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brownwood, and right here is a place that bears the name of a man who devoted his life to educating the community. Rufus Forley Hardin, born into slavery in Kaufman County, came to Brownwood in…

  • Howard Payne University · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brownwood right now, and if you look around, you might just see the campus of Howard Payne University. But did you know this Baptist-affiliated school started out down the road at Indian Creek? It…

  • Jenkins, Charles H. · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brownwood, Texas, a town that owes a lot to Charles H. Jenkins. He arrived here in 1879 and immediately became mayor, serving multiple terms. But Jenkins wasn't just a politician; he was a…

  • Mayes, William Harding · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brownwood, Texas, the county seat of Brown County. Right here, in the late 1800s, William Harding Mayes was building a Texas legacy. He arrived in Brownwood in 1882, already admitted to the bar in…

  • Texas Federation of Music Clubs · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Central Texas, and right here in Brownwood, back in 1915, a statewide music organization was born. The Texas Federation of Music Clubs formed to help Texas musicians connect and promote music…

  • Nabers, Joseph Lynn · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brownwood, Texas, the hometown of Lynn Nabers. He wasn't just any local politician; Nabers served fourteen years in the Texas House of Representatives, representing this area from 1969 to 1983. He…

  • Andrews, Matthew Thomas · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near Brownwood. Right here, you're passing through the legacy of Matthew Thomas Andrews, a Baptist preacher who left his mark across the Lone Star State. Andrews wasn't just a…

  • Armstrong, Robert Wright · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brownwood, the birthplace of Robert Wright Armstrong. Born in 1892, Armstrong's life was a symphony of railways and music. He played in bands, directed orchestras, and even performed with…

  • Brownwood North and South Railway · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brownwood, the county seat of Brown County. Back in 1910, local citizens here dreamed big, chartering the Brownwood North and South Railway. Their goal? To build eighteen miles of track north to…

  • Gillespie, Julian Edgeworth · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brownwood, the birthplace of Julian Edgeworth Gillespie. Born in 1893, Gillespie wasn't your average Texan. After studying law and serving as a captain in World War I, he embarked on a remarkable…

  • McClelland, Brainard Taylor · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brownwood, Texas, where Brainard Taylor McClelland arrived in 1876. A Presbyterian minister, he didn't just preach; he organized churches across a hundred-square-mile area. It was his…

  • Taylor, Thomas Hendricks · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Brownwood, the heart of Texas, where a remarkable educator named Thomas Hendricks Taylor dedicated nearly fifty years of his life to Howard Payne College. He started teaching in 1907 and…

  • Daniel Baker College · 9.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of old Daniel Baker College, a place that tried to serve multiple faiths before finding its final home. Named for a famous circuit-riding minister, this school was founded in 1888 by…

  • The Town That Went to War: Camp Bowie · 9.3 mi

    In 1940, Brownwood was a quiet town of about thirteen thousand people. Two years later, it was the temporary home of sixty thousand soldiers. The reason was Camp Bowie, one of America's largest infantry training centers…

  • The Creator of Conan · 9.3 mi

    As you travel through this part of Texas, you're in the heart of 'Howard Country.' Just up the road in Cross Plains lived Robert E. Howard, the prolific writer who fathered the whole 'sword and sorcery' genre and its…

  • Engineering a Lifeline: The Lake Brownwood Dam · 9.3 mi

    The key to Brownwood's survival and growth isn't in town, but eight miles north: Lake Brownwood. And that lake only exists because of a feat of engineering that straddled the start of the Great Depression. By the 1920s…

  • The University on the Hill · 9.3 mi

    In many ways Howard Payne University is the anchor that has kept Brownwood steady. The Pecan Valley Baptist Association founded it on June 20, 1889, out at Indian Creek, and named it for Edward Howard Payne, the…

  • Malone, John Wesley, Home · 9.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the former home of John Wesley Malone, a key figure in early Brownwood. This house started as a rancher's home after 1874, built by the Coggin family. Malone bought it in 1888 and later added the…

  • Brownwood · 9.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Brownwood, a town with a story that's been bubbling for over a century! It all started back in 1857, and by 1858, it had its own post office. But here’s a twist: in the 1860s, an oil vein actually…

  • Brown County · 9.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Brownwood, the county seat of Brown County. This area was officially created way back in August of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1856</say-as>, and organized the following March. It's…

  • Trickham · 10.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past where Trickham used to be, the oldest town in Coleman County. It started around 1855 as a cowboy trading post, serving cattle barons like John Chisum. From the 1860s to the 1890s, this was a wild…

  • Williams, Mr. and Mrs. W.P. · 10.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Trickham, Coleman County. Look for the site of the W.P. Williams homestead. William and Elizabeth Williams arrived here from Mississippi during the Civil War, part of a wagon train. Their land…

  • Santa Anna Cemetery · 10.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Santa Anna Cemetery, a resting place with roots stretching back even before the Santa Fe Railroad arrived in 1886. Oral history tells us W.C. Brooks was the first to be buried here, though his…

  • Banister, John R. · 10.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Santa Anna, where John Banister spent much of his life. He arrived in Texas way back in 1867, learning the cowboy trade and driving cattle north. But Banister wasn't just a rancher; he served as a…

  • Banister, Emma Daugherty · 10.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Santa Anna area, home of Emma Daugherty Banister. Born in 1871, she was just 14 when she left home to become a teacher. In 1894, she married John R. Banister, a lawman who would later become…

  • Trickham Cemetery · 10.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Trickham Cemetery, established in the 1870s. It was recognized as a Historic Texas Cemetery in 2004.

  • The Science in the Sand · 11.1 mi

    The ground beneath Santa Anna held a remarkable scientific and industrial treasure. It wasn't oil or gold, but sand — Cretaceous sand, laid down more than a hundred million years ago and left in the peaks just north of…

  • The Town That Fought to Exist · 11.1 mi

    Early might look like a quiet neighbour of Brownwood, but it's a town that had to decide to exist. There was no railroad here, no courthouse square. What there was, was a school. In 1928 a new district was formed on…

  • The Engineered Junction · 11.1 mi

    The road you're on, Early Boulevard, carries U.S. Highways 67 and 84 together, and 183 and 377 run through here with them. That's a remarkable amount of federal highway for a town this size, and it's the reason for…

  • The Factory in the Forest · 11.1 mi

    As you drive near Leary, you’re just a few miles from one of the largest and most significant industrial and engineering projects in Texas history: the Red River Army Depot and the adjacent Lone Star Army Ammunition…

  • The Mountain and the Chief · 11.1 mi

    That prominent hill on the horizon, Santa Anna Mountain, is the town’s namesake and its oldest story. Long before the town existed, this was Comanche territory, and the mountain was named for a respected 19th-century…

  • Santa Anna, TX · 11.1 mi

    Santa Anna's history is deeply rooted in its geographical features and the early settlers. The town was named after the Comanche war chief Santanna, or Santa Anna, and the twin mesas in central Coleman County, known as…

  • The Schoolhouse That Became a City · 11.1 mi

    Before there was a City of Early, there was the Early School. In the 1920s this stretch of Brown County was farms and ranches with no town center at all — settlement here goes back to Welcome W. Chandler in the early…

  • The Fight to Stay Small · 11.1 mi

    Leary sits ten miles west of Texarkana, between Interstate 30 and the St. Louis Southwestern tracks, and it very nearly didn't make it. The town carries the name of an early settler, Daniel T. Leary. A post office…

  • The Iron Horse Arrives · 11.1 mi

    You can't tell the story of Santa Anna without the railroad, but the town was here first. Duke Jackson drove cattle in and built the first cabin at this spot in 1860, and the place was called Gap, for the pass through…

  • Early, TX · 11.1 mi

    The city of Early is named in honor of Walter U. Early, who generously donated land for the establishment of local schools. This act of philanthropy has left a lasting impact on the community.

  • When the School Bell Fell Silent · 11.1 mi

    For most of the twentieth century, the heart of community life in Leary was its school. The Leary Independent School District served generations of local children, and the schoolhouse was the center for everything —…

  • Early, Walter U. · 11.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through the town of Early, named for Walter Urie Early. He arrived in Brownwood back in 1893, a Kentucky native who quickly became a respected attorney. He served as city attorney, then county attorney,…

  • Fairview Cemetery · 11.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Fairview Cemetery, serving rural Brown County for over a century. James Jackson Martin and Daniel Hulse donated land for this burial ground before 1878. The first person interred here was Mrs. M. C.…

  • First Christian Church of Santa Anna · 11.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the First Christian Church of Santa Anna. Founded in 1894, the congregation built this frame church, dedicated in April 1901. It still features its original beaded ceiling and…

  • Not That Santa Anna · 11.4 mi

    Here is the twist a lot of folks miss. This town of Santa Anna, out in Coleman County, was not named for Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, the Mexican general who stormed the Alamo and lost at San Jacinto back in eighteen…

  • The Chief Who Went To Washington · 11.4 mi

    The Comanche chief this town is ultimately named for lived a life that took a remarkable turn. Santa Anna was a Penateka Comanche leader in the eighteen forties, and folks who met him described him as a large,…

  • Layne, Robert Lawrence · 11.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through North Texas, maybe near Santa Anna, where a legend was born. Bobby Layne, born in 1926, became a football icon. He led the University of Texas Longhorns to a Cotton Bowl victory in 1946,…

  • The Council House Fight · 11.4 mi

    To understand the Comanche chief who gave this town its name, you have to know about a bloody day in San Antonio. On the nineteenth of March, eighteen forty, a group of Penateka Comanche chiefs came into San Antonio…

  • How Those Twin Peaks Got There · 11.4 mi

    Those twin peaks just north of town are more than a pretty skyline. They are the whole reason this place has its name, and how they formed is a neat little lesson in geology. They are what geologists call mesas, from…

  • Two Men, One Name · 11.4 mi

    Here is a fun one for the road. The name Santa Anna belonged to two very different men who lived at almost the same time, and Texas remembers them in opposite ways. First there is Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, the…

  • The Hall Of Famer From Santa Anna · 11.4 mi

    For a small town, Santa Anna produced one giant of American football. Bobby Layne was born right here on the nineteenth of December, nineteen twenty-six. He grew up to become one of the toughest, most fearless…

  • It Started As The Gap · 11.4 mi

    Before this place was ever called Santa Anna, people just called it Gap. Simple as that. If you look north of town, you will see why. Two flat-topped peaks rise up, and between them the land opens into a natural pass, a…

  • Beard, Dean · 11.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Santa Anna, Texas, the hometown of Dean Beard, a rockabilly pioneer sometimes called the 'West Texas Wild Man.' He was known for his frantic piano playing and stage presence. In 1955, Beard shared…

  • Santa Anna, TX (Coleman County) · 11.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Coleman County, and right here is Santa Anna. This town owes its name to twin mountains just north of here, named for a Comanche chief. These peaks were a vital landmark for early surveyors and…

  • Santa Anna, TX (Colorado County) · 11.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through northwestern Colorado County, right near the Fayette line, on what used to be a vital Spanish road. Back in 1824, Joseph Duty and Jesse Burnam, two of Stephen F. Austin's original colonists,…

  • Santa Anna, C.S.A. · 11.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the town of Santa Anna, named for a Comanche chief who was friendly to Texans back in the 1840s. This mountain and the surrounding area were important for centuries. Comanches used Santa Anna peaks…

  • Connell Cemetery · 11.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Connell Cemetery, likely one of the oldest in Brown County. It was probably in use before 1861, but the first headstone was erected in 1866 for William Archibald Connell. The last burial here was in…

  • Early, TX · 11.6 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Early, Texas, a community with roots stretching back to the 1850s. Right here, in 1858, Brown County's very first post office opened its doors, not in a town hall, but in the home of farmer…

  • Turner House · 11.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Turner House in Santa Anna, built in 1886. Originally constructed by an attorney, this home showcases classic colonial architecture. It saw a major expansion after 1903 when it was purchased by…

  • Old Rock House · 12.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Old Rock House, a testament to early Texas resilience. Claimed in 1857, the land was eventually bought by John J. Brestow in 1869. He built this one-room cabin in the 1870s, using local stone…

  • Brown, William Franklin · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Early, Texas, the namesake of this county. Look for the marker dedicated to William Franklin Brown. A Georgia native, Brown arrived here in 1857, becoming a pioneer cotton farmer. The very next…

  • Camp Colorado, Ruins of · 13.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Camp Colorado, a frontier fort established by the U.S. Army to protect settlers from Native American raids. <break time="400ms"/> The fort was originally on the Colorado River, but moved…

  • Windham Cemetery · 14.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Windham Cemetery. Named for early settler and cattle rancher S. R. Windham, this cemetery dates to 1879. The earliest documented grave is that of J.

  • Elkins Cemetery · 17.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Elkins Cemetery, a resting place for folks who shaped this part of Texas. It all started back in 1876, the same year Civil War veteran Silas H. Wood moved his family here. He donated land for a…

  • Heflin Cemetery · 17.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Brown County, near where William W. and Pency Heflin settled back in 1875. Local stories say the first soul laid to rest here was a child who died tragically in 1876, after eating wild berries…

  • Smith Cemetery · 17.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Smith Cemetery, established way back in 1879. It was recognized as a Historic Texas Cemetery in 2010.

  • The move from Old Blanket · 18.4 mi

    The Blanket you see today exists because of a decision made in 1891. Before that, the town was a mile and a half away, a small community called 'Old Blanket' near the creek. But when the Fort Worth and Rio Grande…

  • Engineering a Railroad Town · 18.4 mi

    Blanket got its name in 1852. Surveyors came over a rise and found a band of Tonkawa caught out in a downpour, blankets spread over the sumac bushes along the creek for shelter. The creek took the name, and then the…

  • Blanket, TX · 18.4 mi

    U.S. Routes 67 and 377 pass along the southeastern edge of Blanket, providing key transportation links for the town. These routes lead southwest 14 miles to Brownwood, the county seat, and northeast 12 miles to…

  • Lost Creek Cemetery · 18.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Lost Creek Cemetery, but its story started a bit rocky... literally. The original Hog Creek Cemetery, established in the 1870s, was moved after only two burials because the soil was too tough. The…

  • Childress, Hugh Martin, Jr. · 18.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through country that was once the wild frontier for cattlemen like Hugh Martin Childress. Born in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="M y">May 1835</say-as> in Bastrop County, Childress became one of the…

  • Flat Top, TX · 18.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Flat Top was on Elm Creek and Farm Road 2134 four miles southwest of Voss and twenty miles southwest of Coleman in southwestern Coleman County. It was founded about 1862 when Richard Coffey , one of the earliest White…

  • Trickham, TX · 18.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Trickham, the oldest community in Coleman County, is located on Mukewater Creek and Ranch Road 1176 in the southeastern part of the county, twelve miles southeast of Santa Anna. The settlement acquired a post office in…

  • Rockwood, TX · 18.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Rockwood is on U.S. Highway 283 and Camp Creek, four miles north of the Colorado River and twenty-three miles south of Coleman in southern Coleman County. Although the area was reportedly known as the Camp Creek…

  • Rock Crusher, TX · 18.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Rock Crusher was on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway near the Bachelor Prong of Hords Creek, eight miles northwest of Coleman in northwestern Coleman County. The community began in 1909, when the Santa Fe…

  • Whon, TX · 18.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Whon is at the junction of Farm Road 2633 and county road LR, in far southeastern Coleman County. Its name is an Anglicized version of Juan, the name of a Mexican cowboy who once lived on the McCain Ranch. Sam H. McCain…

  • Banister, Emma Daugherty · 18.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Coleman County, Texas, and right here is a story that made national headlines back in 1918. When Sheriff John Banister died suddenly, the county commissioners made a shocking appointment: they…

  • Banister, John Riley · 18.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Coleman County, the heart of cattle country, where John Riley Banister spent much of his life. Born in Missouri in 1854, Banister came to Texas as a teenager, working ranches and cowboying on…

  • O'Hair, Mary McClellan · 18.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Texas, and right here, you're passing through the life of Mary McClellan O'Hair, a true Texas trailblazer. Born near Burton in 1869, she grew up in Washington County and eventually made her home…

  • Sikes, James Richard · 18.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Coleman, Texas, the hometown of musician Rick Sikes. He was a talented singer, songwriter, and artist who played with the best, even backing up Bob Wills and touring with legends like Loretta Lynn…

  • Coleman County Jail · 18.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Coleman County Jail, a building that's seen its share of history since it was built in 1890. This impressive structure is a prime example of Victorian jail architecture, with some distinct…

  • Coleman, TX · 18.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Coleman, a town born in 1876 when R.J. Clow donated land for a county seat. Right here, on the old Western Trail, Coleman boomed as a supply stop for cowboys heading to Kansas. Imagine this: the…

  • Arnold, Robert Sterling · 18.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Coleman, Texas, the hometown of Robert Sterling Arnold. Born in 1905, Arnold dedicated his life to Southern Gospel music, not just as a songwriter, but as a teacher and publisher. He started…

  • Coleman County · 18.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Coleman County, an area that saw significant military activity during the frontier era. Right here, in what is now Coleman County, stood Camp Colorado. Established in 1856, it was a crucial U.S.…

  • McGregor, Stuart Malcolm · 18.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through North Texas, and right here, in Coleman, a journalism pioneer got his start. Stuart Malcolm McGregor was born in 1892, and by 1915, he earned the very first Master of Journalism degree from the…

  • Central Colorado River Authority · 18.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Coleman, Texas, home to the Central Colorado River Authority. Established back in 1935 by the state legislature, this authority was tasked with controlling floods and managing water resources…

  • The Ghost Fort of Camp Colorado · 18.9 mi

    Before Coleman was a town, this land was the edge of the American frontier, and its story starts with a fort. About twelve miles northeast of here, out on Jim Ned Creek, stood Camp Colorado — a U.S. Army post first set…

  • Coleman, Robert M. · 18.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Coleman County, and just ahead is the site of a true Texas patriot: Robert M. Coleman. Born in Kentucky in 1799, Coleman arrived in Texas in 1832. He commanded volunteers at the Siege of Bexar in…

  • Black Gold and Brick Buildings · 18.9 mi

    As you look at the buildings in downtown Coleman, you might notice that many of them seem a bit grand for a small Texas town. You're looking at the legacy of oil. For the first few decades of its life, Coleman was a…

  • Engineering Survival with Water · 18.9 mi

    In this part of Texas, water is the whole ballgame. Coleman got its start in 1876 on Hords Creek, when R.J. Clow donated the land for a county seat — but a creek alone won't carry a town through a West Texas drought.…

  • Miller Public Library Building · 18.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Coleman, and right here is the Miller Public Library Building. It started in 1909, financed by local women's clubs like the Self-Culture Club, serving as both a meeting hall and the city library.…

  • Western Trail · 18.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Coleman, and right here, this marker tells the tale of the Western Trail. From 1867 to 1895, this was a major cattle highway, stretching all the way from Texas to Kansas. Imagine hundreds of…

  • Coleman, TX · 18.9 mi

    Coleman sits nestled in the rolling plains where the Texas Hill Country begins to fade westward. At 1,700 feet above sea level, the air is crisp and dry, a far cry from the humidity closer to the coast. This land,…

  • Blair House · 19.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Coleman, and just ahead is the Blair House, a beautiful Classical Revival home built in 1914. It was constructed by J.T. Blair, who came to Texas from Georgia back in 1897. Blair managed both his…

  • Shields Cemetery · 19.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Shields Cemetery, the final resting place for the people of the former community of Double Gates. Founded as a Baptist church settlement in 1900, the community was renamed for L. L. Shield, who built…

  • Eureka Cemetery · 19.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Eureka Cemetery, a resting place for some of the earliest settlers in the Blanket area. The oldest marked grave here belongs to Luperda Cox, who died in 1876. This cemetery also holds the remains of…

  • Camp Colorado, C.S.A. · 19.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Coleman County, and just 12 miles northeast of here lies the site of Camp Colorado. This wasn't just any outpost; it was a key part of the Texas frontier defense line during the Civil War. From…

  • McCord, Colonel James E. · 19.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Coleman County, passing the resting place of Colonel James E. McCord. A South Carolinian by birth, McCord came to Texas in 1853, becoming a surveyor and a Texas Ranger. When the Civil War began,…

  • Zephyr Presbyterian Church · 19.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Zephyr, where the Presbyterian Church congregation got its start way back in 1890. They built this stone church in 1909, holding services twice a month and sponsoring community events. The church…

  • First Baptist Church of Zephyr · 19.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the First Baptist Church of Zephyr. Its organizational meeting was held in 1886, and the fellowship erected its first sanctuary in 1892. Members rebuilt their church home after a…

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