Big Sandy, Texas, has a rich history that began shortly after the American Civil War. The settlement was first known as Big Sandy Switch due to the Texas and Pacific Railroad and the narrow-gauge Tyler Tap intersecting in the area. In the 1950s, the town became linked to a religious movement that influenced the community for decades. Local resident Buck Hammer donated land to the Radio Church of God, which later became the Worldwide Church of God. The church built a meeting hall and held annual conventions, attracting thousands of members and leading to the establishment of a second campus of Ambassador College. The college and the annual conventions influenced many church members to relocate to Big Sandy. In 2000, the campus was sold to the Green Family Trust and developed as the International ALERT Academy, a Christian program training young men in disaster relief and emergency services.

Big Sandy, TX RoadyGoat

In the late 1970s, Big Sandy became home to a successful mail-order business called Annie's Attic, founded by local residents Jerry Gentry and Annie Potter. The business grew rapidly into a multimillion-dollar enterprise, publishing magazines and catalogs for needlecraft enthusiasts. After the couple divorced, Annie continued to preside over Annie's Attic, while Jerry launched a near-replicate business called the Needlecraft Shop. By the 1990s, both businesses had been purchased by Dynamic Resource Group, a publishing company in Berne, Indiana. Before moving the operations to Indiana, DRG established a new company, Strategic Fulfillment Group, on the southwest edge of Big Sandy. SFG, which handles mailing and subscription fulfillment for DRG and other clients, is now Big Sandy and Upshur County's largest employer.

Big Sandy, TX RoadyGoat

Big Sandy, Texas, was established shortly after the American Civil War. The settlement was first known as Big Sandy Switch because a stretch of the Texas and Pacific Railroad was built through the area and eventually intersected with a narrow-gauge railroad called the Tyler Tap. This convergence of railroads drew people to the area, leading to the growth of the settlement. A post office was followed by a newspaper, stores, and churches, marking the beginning of the town's development.

Fowler, Homer Thomas Wilson [Wick]

1943

Homer T. (Wick) Fowler, reporter and producer of Wick Fowler's Two-Alarm Chili, was born in Big Sandy, Texas, in 1909, the son of Isaac Dudley and Lola Viola (Glass) Fowler. He was reared in Victoria, attended the University of Texas, and began his career in 1932 as a crime reporter for the Austin Statesman ( see AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN ). He worked as a Capitol correspondent for the International News Service and the Austin American before turning to employment as a city detective and highway patrolman. He also spent three years as an investigator for the Senate Committee on Un-American Activities. In 1943 Fowler joined the Dallas Morning News and became the first Texas reporter to go overseas in World War II . His assignment was to cover Texans, but his role extended to that of goodwill ambassador, and he was occasionally called in to give the troops a laugh. He traveled to Italy and France and followed Gen. George S. Patton into Germany. In Italy, Fowler worked with Ernie Pyle at Anzio and received a Purple Heart when the press building was bombed. He also followed the Pacific island fighting to Japan and was one of the first journalists to enter Hiroshima after the United States bombed that city. After he returned to the Dallas Morning News , his editor asked him for an expense account. Fowler reluctantly obliged after several months. On the back of an envelope, he wrote, `Covering war-$2,000.' The editor paid him. When the war ended, Fowler was in great demand as a speaker, making an estimated 282 speeches in one year. He loved to be in the public eye, a characteristic that served him well when he was leader of the Chili Appreciation Society International. During the decade after the war he worked as a roving correspondent for the News , as executive assistant to Governor Allan Shivers , as administrative assistant to Senator William Blakley, and as managing editor of the Midland Reporter Telegram . In 1954 Fowler started his own newspaper, called the State Journal , which reported legislative news. That year the masthead included the modest subheading, "Published at the State Capitol by Wick Fowler." The next year, the subhead read, "Published in the interest of sound, conservative government." The war in Vietnam brought Fowler back to wartime reporting. In 1965 he asked the editor of the Denton Record-Chronicle to send him to Vietnam, thus ending publication of his weekly News Digest , which had seen only forty-three issues. He came back from Vietnam feeling that too many Americans thought of the war as a false alarm. He dubbed himself the military-affairs editor of the Denton paper. On his next trip to Vietnam in 1969, he took with him several cases of chili mix, which put him in the position to start the Da Nang Branch of the Chili Appreciation Society International. During his second trip he syndicated his stories to fifteen newspapers to get greater circulation for his articles, but the motive was hardly financial. One daily offered him fifteen dollars per article, but Fowler said, "Based on your circulation, you have no business paying that much. Make it $10." In 1970 Fowler was back in Vietnam, this time with Texas businessman H. Ross Perot , to seek the release of American prisoners of war. In 1971 he ran for Place Five on the Austin City Council on a law-and-order platform and placed second in a run-off election. In 1964 Fowler started his chili company, called Wick Fowler's Two-Alarm Chili. The renowned chili competition at Terlingua began in 1967 when a humorist from Mount Kisco, New York, named H. Allen Smith, challenged Francis Tolbert of the Dallas Morning News to a cook-off. Smith claimed that no one in Texas could make proper chili. A reader suggested that Fowler answer the challenge, which he did. Two-hundred fifty persons attended the first contest, which ended in a tie. Fowler was in his element at an event like this; he arrived wearing a huge sombrero and carrying his chili secrets in a crumpled pap

Tsha Handbook →

Thomas, Henry [Ragtime Texas]

1874

Henry "Ragtime Texas" Thomas, an early exponent of country blues, was born in Big Sandy, Texas, in 1874, one of nine children of former slaves who sharecropped on a cotton plantation in the northeastern part of the state. Thomas learned to hate cotton farming at an early age and left home as soon as he could, around 1890, to pursue a career as an itinerant "songster." Derrick Stewart–Barker has commented that for his money Thomas was the best songster "that ever recorded." Thomas first taught himself to play the quills, a type of American panpipe made from cane reeds and similar to the Italian zampogna ; later, he picked up the guitar. On the twenty-three recordings he made from 1927 to 1929, he sings a variety of songs and accompanies himself on guitar and at times on the quills. His accompaniment work on guitar has been ranked "with the finest dance blues ever recorded." According to Stephen Calt, "its intricate simultaneous treble picking and drone bass would have posed a challenge to any blues guitarist of any era." The range of Thomas's work makes him something of a transitional figure between the early minstrel songs, spirituals, square dance tunes, hillbilly reels, waltzes, and rags and the rise of blues and jazz . Basically his repertoire, which mostly consists of dance pieces, was out of date by the turn of the century, when the blues began to grow in popularity. Thomas's nickname, "Ragtime Texas," is thought to have come to him because he played in fast tempos, which were synonymous for some musicians with ragtime. Five of Thomas's pieces have been characterized as "rag ditties," among them "Red River Blues," and such rag songs have been considered the immediate forerunners and early rivals of blues. Out of Thomas's twenty-three recorded pieces, only four are "bona fide blues," so that he has been looked upon as more of a predecessor rather than a blues singer as such. One commentator has claimed that Thomas's blues are original with him and that other musicians seem not to have performed his pieces. However, Thomas's "Bull Doze Blues" ends with the four bar "Take Me Back," a Texas standard of the World War I era, which Blind Lemon Jefferson had recorded around August 1926 as "Beggin' Back." It would seem, then, that Thomas's blues represent many traditional themes and vocal phrases. For example, Thomas's "Texas Easy Street Blues" contains the verse made famous by Jimmy Rushing and Joe Williams in their 1930s to 1950s versions of the Basie-Rushing tune, "Goin' to Chicago." Another well known phrase found in this same Thomas piece is "blue as I can be." But perhaps most indicative of Thomas's transitional position between the early black music and jazz is his "Cottonfield Blues," which contains several standard blues themes: field labor, the desire for escape, and the role of the railroad in providing a freer lifestyle. Thomas took to the rails to escape from a life of farm work and made a living by singing along the Texas and Pacific and Katy lines that ran from Fort Worth and Dallas to Texarkana. In "Railroadin' Some," he supplies his itinerary, which includes such Texas towns as Rockwall, Greenville (with its infamous sign, "Land of the Blackest Earth and the Whitest People"), Denison, Grand Saline, Silver Lake, Mineola, Tyler (where Thomas was last active in the 1950s), Longview, Jefferson, Marshall, Little Sandy, and his birthplace, Big Sandy. Texas communities are not the only ones cited in this song, for Thomas traveled into the Indian Territory, as he still called it, to Muskogee, over to Missouri and Scott Joplin 's stomping grounds of Sedalia, and on up to Kansas City, then into Illinois: Springfield, Bloomington, Joliet, and Chicago, where he attended the 1893 Columbian Exposition, as did Joplin. William Barlow calls this piece the most "vivid and intense recollection of railroading" in all the early blues recorded in the 1920s. The cadences in this early rural blues "depict the restless lifestyle of the va

Tsha Handbook →

Jarvis Christian College

1904

In 1904 the Texas Negro Disciples of Christ joined with the Christian Women's Board of Missions (CWBM) to establish a school for Black youth. A campus, consisting of a 456-acre tract donated by Ida and J. J. Jarvis of Fort Worth in 1910 and 182 adjoining acres purchased by the CWBM, was created here in 1912. Jarvis Christian Institute opened in 1913 with 12 elementary students. It added courses for high school in 1914, junior college in 1927, senior college in 1937, and gained full accreditation in 1950. It remains affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). (1993)

Historical Marker → · 4.2 mi away

Walters' Bluff Ferry

1849

Located at a noted early-day crossing on Sabine River, this pioneer ferry carried settlers traveling north or south into Upshur or Smith counties. It was begun before 1849 by Robt. Walters, a Texas revolutionary veteran, and used until a bridge was built, 1903. Town of Florence was once situated near ferry on south bank of the Sabine. Ferriage rates in 1860 were 50 cents for a wagon drawn by two horses or oxen; 75 cents for a wagon and more than two animals. A pleasure carriage was charged 40 cents; a man and horse, 10 cents; loose livestock, 5 cents per head.

Historical Marker →

Phelps Home, Ashley

1905

Big Sandy merchant J. B. Rowe and his wife Helen (Bray) built this home about 1905. In 1909 they sold it to Ashley W. and Ruth (Prothro) Phelps, who owned a local dry goods store. For many years after Ashley's death in 1922 Ruth operated it as a boardinghouse for area school teachers. She lived here until her death in 1961. A center of social activity during the Phelps' ownership, the house features influences of the Queen Anne and colonial revival styles. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1982

Historical Marker →

Things to Do in Big Sandy

food 18.1 mi away

LaCascio's Scratch Italian

Italian fine dining in tiny Lindale at 75 Miranda Lambert Way — named for the town's famous daughter. Scratch kitchen, fresh-baked bread, upscale-casual…

historical 19.2 mi away

Kilgore, Texas (c. 1939, Russell Lee)

Everything Near Big Sandy

319 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the nearest 200 are listed here — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

Big Sandy, TX
Big Sandy, Texas, has a rich history that began shortly after the American Civil War. The settlement was first known as Big Sandy Switch due to the Texas and Pacific Railroad and the narrow-gauge Tyler Tap intersecting…
Phelps Home, Ashley · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
Big Sandy merchant J. B. Rowe and his wife Helen (Bray) built this home about 1905. In 1909 they sold it to Ashley W. and Ruth (Prothro) Phelps, who owned a local dry goods store. For many years after Ashley's death in…
Fowler, Homer Thomas Wilson [Wick] · 0.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
Homer T. (Wick) Fowler, reporter and producer of Wick Fowler's Two-Alarm Chili, was born in Big Sandy, Texas, in 1909, the son of Isaac Dudley and Lola Viola (Glass) Fowler. He was reared in Victoria, attended the…
Thomas, Henry [Ragtime Texas] · 0.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
Henry "Ragtime Texas" Thomas, an early exponent of country blues, was born in Big Sandy, Texas, in 1874, one of nine children of former slaves who sharecropped on a cotton plantation in the northeastern part of the…
Big Sandy, TX · 0.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Big Sandy, a town that owes its very existence to the railroads. Back in the early 1870s, the Texas and Pacific Railway cut through this area. Then, around 1880, another line, the Tyler Tap,…
Walters' Bluff Ferry · 2.0 mi
You're cruising along near Big Sandy, and right here you're passing the site of Walters' Bluff Ferry. This crossing on the Sabine River was a vital link for settlers heading north or south into Upshur and Smith…
The College That Filled a Piney Woods Campus · 2.6 mi
As you pass through Big Sandy, it’s hard to miss the enormous, manicured campus just off the highway. For a generation, this was the home of Ambassador College. Evangelist Herbert W. Armstrong had been bringing his…
The Man Who Went 'Goin' Up the Country' · 2.6 mi
The railroad tracks cutting through Big Sandy carry more than just freight; they carry the ghost of a sound that shaped American music. Henry Thomas, known as 'Ragtime Texas,' was born in Big Sandy in 1874. A wandering…
The Engineering of the Crossroads · 2.6 mi
The town of Big Sandy is essentially a railroad's afterthought that grew into a crossroads. The Texas and Pacific pushed its east-west line through here in 1873, and a settlement gathered along it almost immediately — a…
Big Sandy, TX · 2.6 mi
Big Sandy's development was significantly influenced by its transportation infrastructure. The town was first known as Big Sandy Switch due to the Texas and Pacific Railroad that was built through the area, intersecting…
He Told His Men to Leave Him · 3.3 mi
U.S. Highway Eighty, from U.S. Highway Two Seventy One in Gregg County to the eastern edge of Big Sandy, is the Sergeant Travis E. Watkins Memorial Highway, named for a Medal of Honor recipient. Watkins was born in…
Jarvis Christian College · 4.2 mi · Historical Marker
In 1904 the Texas Negro Disciples of Christ joined with the Christian Women's Board of Missions (CWBM) to establish a school for Black youth. A campus, consisting of a 456-acre tract donated by Ida and J. J. Jarvis of…

Show all 200 nearby places

New Hope Missionary Baptist Church · 4.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church. Organized in 1855 with 15 members, meetings were initially held in a log schoolhouse. The church received its first building in 1872, and the…
Williams, Lillian Richard · 5.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Wood County, not far from Hawkins, Texas. Right here is where Lillian Richard Williams lived. Born in 1891, she grew up on a farm near Fouke. Though she had little formal schooling, she left East…
Hawkins, TX · 5.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Hawkins, Texas, a town that hit the jackpot back in 1940. Until then, it was a quiet community shipping lumber and cotton. But then, Bobby Manziel drilled a wildcat well just north of town,…
Jarvis Christian College · 5.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
Jarvis Christian College, a fully accredited four-year private liberal arts college offering associate's and bachelor's degrees, is at Hawkins, in southeastern Wood County. It was originally known as Jarvis Christian…
Sand Springs, TX (Wood County) · 5.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Wood County, near Hawkins, in a region once known as Sand Springs. Settlers arrived as early as 1848, drawn by fertile land. By 1852, a post office was established, and the community grew around a…
Hawkins, TX · 5.6 mi
Hawkins, Texas. It sits right where the piney woods start to roll westward, a little piece of Wood County history tucked away. For a long time, it was just farmland, cotton mostly, like so much of East Texas. But then,…
Kay House · 6.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Winona, and right here is the Kay House, built between 1856 and 1860. Francis Lemuel Kay, a planter from South Carolina, settled in Smith County and built this two-story home for his wife and…
Head of Navigation on the Sabine River: Belzora Landing · 6.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising past the site of Belzora Landing, once a bustling port on the Sabine River. From the 1850s until the railroads arrived in the 1870s, this was a vital hub for Tyler and East Texas. Despite the challenges…
First Baptist Church of Winona · 7.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Winona's First Baptist Church. It began in 1849 as Harris Creek Baptist Church with 15 members and Pastor William H. Ray. The congregation met in homes until a log building went up in…
Winona, TX · 7.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Winona, Texas, a town with roots stretching back to Delaware Indian settlements. But right here, in 1912, a sudden tragedy struck during a church service. Lightning hit the Winona Liberty Baptist…
Pritchett Normal Institute · 7.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Gilmer, and just off the road here is the site of the Pritchett Normal Institute. Opened in 1901 by the Maberry brothers, this place wasn't just a school; it was a teacher-training powerhouse. It…
The Boom of 1940 · 7.8 mi
Imagine driving through Hawkins in the fall of 1940. It's a sleepy farm town of about two hundred people. Now, imagine coming back a year later. The population has jumped to around twelve hundred. The quiet streets are…
A College Born from a Gift · 7.8 mi
Just outside town lies the reason Hawkins is more than an oil town. In 1910 a white Fort Worth attorney, Major J. J. Jarvis, and his wife, Ida Van Zandt Jarvis, deeded 456 acres here on one condition: that the land…
Engineering the Oil Field · 7.8 mi
The Hawkins Oil Field wasn't just a lucky strike, and its long life was a marvel of petroleum engineering. The oil was trapped thousands of feet down in a faulted anticline — a dome-shaped fold in the Woodbine sandstone…
The Man-Made Lake · 7.8 mi
If you head just northwest of town, about three miles out, you'll find one of Hawkins' most popular spots: Lake Hawkins. But this beautiful lake isn't a natural feature. It's a product of civic engineering from the…
Starrville Community · 7.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through the site of Starrville, a town that boomed and busted right here in Smith County. It all started in 1852 when Reverend Joshua Starr, a Methodist minister, bought land and laid out this town, even…
Starrville Community Center · 7.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Starrville, a town that was a stop on the Dallas-Shreveport Road as early as 1849. Reverend Joshua Starr bought the land in 1852 and began selling lots. By the late 1870s, residents started moving to…
Engineering a Town into Existence · 8.2 mi
Winona is a case study in what a rail survey does to human geography - just not the way you'd guess. There was already something here before the tracks: a settlement that dates itself to 1870, when the Winona Liberty…
Jobe Cemetery · 8.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through the Jobe community, founded by African American families who settled here in the late 1800s. Brothers Phelix and Sampson Jobe bought land starting in 1881, setting aside a portion for this…
Lott, Elisha Everett · 8.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Winona, Texas, where Elisha Everett Lott made his mark. Born in 1820, Lott moved to Texas in 1840, and quickly became a key figure. He served in the Republic of Texas Congress, helped organize…
Gladewater · 9.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're passing through Gladewater, a town that exploded overnight! Originally founded as St. Clair back in 1827, it moved to this spot on the railroad in 1872. But the real boom happened in 1931 with the discovery of…
Alex Earp · 9.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Gilmer, and you're passing the final resting place of Alex Earp. Now, this isn't that Earp, but he was a lawman in his own right. Born in Alabama in 1832, Alex moved to Texas with his family, who…
Burnett, Richard Wesley [Dick] · 9.8 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, and right here is Gladewater, the lifelong home of Dick Burnett. He wasn't just an oilman; he was a baseball entrepreneur! Burnett struck oil in the 1930s, becoming wealthy, but his…
Shepperd, John Ben · 9.8 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Gladewater, where John Ben Shepperd was born. He became a powerful figure in Texas politics, serving as Attorney General in the 1950s. He took on big fights, like tackling…
Lawrence, Harding Luther · 9.8 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through North Texas, and right here is the hometown of Harding Lawrence, the man who transformed Braniff Airways into an industry icon. Growing up in Gladewater, Lawrence went on to lead Braniff from 1965…
Gladewater, TX · 9.8 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Gladewater, a town that owes its boom to a gusher! Founded by the railroad in 1873, Gladewater grew slowly for decades. But on April 7, 1931, everything changed. Right near here, the first oil…
Little Mound Baptist Church and Cemetery · 9.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Little Mound Baptist Church and Cemetery, a place with roots stretching back to the 1860s. The oldest marked grave here belongs to E. Hoggue, who died in 1877. Just a year later, in 1878, the…
Unknown Soldier · 9.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Morris Cemetery in Gilmer, and right here, you're looking at the final resting place of an Unknown Soldier. This is the first grave in this cemetery, and it belongs to a Confederate soldier who died…
Rock Springs Schoolhouse · 9.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're passing the Rock Springs Schoolhouse, built way back in 1849. Imagine this one-room schoolhouse, powered by a single teacher, serving students until the 1930s. It wasn't just for lessons, though. This building…
Lillian Richard · 10.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Hawkins, Texas, a town that owes its 'Pancake Capital' title to Lillian Richard. Born in 1891, Lillian moved to Dallas and in 1925, began a 23-year career as 'Aunt Jemima' for Quaker Oats,…
A Traffic Stop Between Two Trucks · 10.1 mi
Interstate Twenty in Smith County, between mile marker five seventy one and mile marker five seventy five, is the Trooper Daniel Higdon Memorial Highway. Daniel Morrison Higdon Junior was a Texas Highway Patrol trooper…
First Franchised Motor Bus Line in Texas · 10.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising through Gladewater, and right here, you're passing the birthplace of Texas public bus travel! Back in March 1925, W. E. Nunnelee started the state's very first franchised motor bus line. Imagine this: a…
Bumpus House · 10.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Bumpus House in Gladewater. Believed to have been built around the turn of the 20th century, it's a local landmark showcasing Colonial Revival and Craftsman architectural styles. Area sawmill…
Gladewater Lodge No. 852, A.F. & A.M. · 10.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Gladewater, where Gladewater Lodge No. 852, part of the Freemasons, was established in 1901. For thirty years, members met in a general store that also housed the post office. They built their own…
First United Methodist Church of Gladewater · 10.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Gladewater, where a Methodist congregation formed in 1922. Twelve adults and two children met in a private home to organize the church, soon building a simple sanctuary. The church saw significant…
Foshee Family · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Foshee Family home, built in 1890. Imagine this: the lumber for this house was sawed at a famous local mill, and the chimney? It's made of unique, hand-hewn rock pulled from the stream running…
Dr. E. L. and Nannie Lewis Walker House · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the former home of Dr. E.L. and Nannie Walker, a remarkable couple who left their mark on early Gladewater. Dr. Walker, a physician and drugstore owner, bought this land in 1895. Their impressive…
Shepperd, John Ben · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving by the Gladewater birthplace of John Ben Shepperd, a prominent Texas lawyer and official. After serving in World War II and leading the national Jaycees, he served as Texas's Attorney General, tackling…
New Hope Missionary Baptist Church · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, founded in 1893 by former slaves seeking new opportunities. This congregation didn't just offer worship; it served as a vital center for the African…
Holly Lake Ranch, TX · 10.3 mi
Holly Lake in Holly Lake Ranch, Texas, is a man-made lake created by damming Holly Creek. Dams work by blocking the flow of water, raising the water level and creating a reservoir. This process is essential for water…
In the vicinity of Harris' place · 10.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Smith County, not far from where scouts for the Republic of Texas Army were dispatched. It was July 16, 1839, just after a major battle with Cherokee and allied tribes. In that fight, the…
Nicholas Wren · 10.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Winona, Texas, where Nicholas Wren made his home. <break time="400ms"/> Wren arrived in Texas way back in 1833, and by 1836, he was a soldier in the Texas Army. <break time="400ms"/> Sam Houston…
Harris Creek Cemetery · 10.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Harris Creek Cemetery, the final resting place for folks from the Mount Carmel and Winona communities. It began as a cemetery for the Harris Creek Baptist Church, organized back in 1849. The…
The Derrick-a-Day Boomtown · 10.5 mi
In 1930, Gladewater was a sleepy village of about five hundred people. Then, on April seventh, 1931, a well came in and everything changed. The discovery of the East Texas Oil Field turned this place into a real-life…
The Engineering of Oil Conservation · 10.5 mi
The 1930s oil boom that built Gladewater was also an engineering disaster in the making. With thousands of wells drilled side-by-side, operators pumped oil as fast as possible to beat their neighbors. This competitive…
Gladewater, TX · 10.5 mi
On April 7, 1931, Gladewater experienced a significant event with the blowing in of its first oil well, located just outside of town in the Sabine River bottom. This oil discovery led to a substantial population…
The King Before He Was King · 10.5 mi
In 1955, before he was a global icon, Elvis Presley was a regular around Gladewater. He was twenty years old and a rising star on the Louisiana Hayride, the country radio show broadcast out of Shreveport, and Hayride…
Kelsey Mormon Colony · 10.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Kelsey, a town with roots in faith and community building. Back in 1898, brothers John and Jim Edgar bought this timber land, paving the way for a Mormon settlement. By 1901, Sunday School and…
Union Grove Schools · 10.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Union Grove, a place that really grew up around its schools. Back in 1888, a public school kicked off here with J.H. Sheppard at the helm. Fast forward to 1907, and the Union Grove Common School…
Rosedale Cemetery · 11.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Rosedale Cemetery, a place with a story as rich as the oil that once flowed beneath it. Back in 1844, John Kettle Armstrong and his wife Sarah were early settlers here. When Sarah passed in 1856,…
Rosewood Cemetery · 11.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're passing Rosewood Cemetery, born from a railroad boom and a family's grief. When the Marshall and East Texas Railroad cut through here in 1907, the town of Rosewood was organized. A four-year-old boy, Denny Dell…
Rosewood Baptist Church · 11.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Rosewood Baptist Church, originally organized in 1872 as Double Springs Baptist Church. When the railroad came through and a town was platted, it was renamed Rosewood Baptist Church in…
West Mountain Cemetery · 11.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past West Mountain Cemetery, established in the mid-1850s by plantation owner Alpha Phillips. His father's grave, marked by a stone cairn, was the first here. Originally called Old Phillips Cemetery, it…
Camp Fannin · 11.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through East Texas, and right here is the site of Camp Fannin. During World War II, this was a massive Infantry Replacement Training Center, churning out thousands of soldiers every four months to fight…
Camp Fannin Internment Camp World War II P.O.W. Camp · 11.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Camp Fannin, which became a World War II prisoner of war camp. The first German POWs from the Afrika Korps arrived in October 1943. By early 1944, it was a POW base camp, even allowing…
Harmony I.S.D. · 11.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Enon, and right here is the site of Harmony Independent School District. Imagine the effort back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1929</say-as> to bring together rural schools from Wood…
Union Grove Cemetery · 12.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Union Grove Cemetery. UNION GROVE CEMETERY HADEN HARRISON EDWARDS (1812-1864), A SOLDIER, MERCHANT AND LEGISLATOR, PURCHASED THIS LAND FROM THE REPUBLIC OF MEXICO IN 1835. EDWARDS SERVED IN THE FIRST…
Antioch Baptist Church · 12.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Antioch Baptist Church, established by the Smith County Baptist Association back in 1851. Members met in homes and the schoolhouse until their first sanctuary was built in 1857. The…
Rhonesboro · 12.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Rhonesboro, a town that boomed and busted with the timber industry. Founded in 1902, it was named for W. M. Rhone, the sole sawmill operator here before the railroad arrived. Suddenly,…
A Star in the Window, a Marker by the Road · 12.4 mi
This road carries a Blue Star Memorial Highway designation, one of a string of them across Texas. The name comes from a family tradition. When someone in a household was serving in the armed forces, the family displayed…
The Great East Texas Yamboree · 12.6 mi
Every October, Gilmer transforms for a festival born out of desperation and sweet potatoes. By the 1930s, the cotton industry that built the town was collapsing. Looking for a new cash crop, farmers found that the…
Engineering the Oil Boom · 12.6 mi
The town you're in exists because of a monumental engineering achievement. Discovering the East Texas Oil Field was geology; getting the oil out was pure engineering grit. The field was so vast—43 miles long—and was…
The Texas Cannonball's Birthplace · 12.6 mi
Gilmer is the birthplace of a blues giant. In 1934, Freddie King was born here. Though his family moved to Chicago when he was a teenager, his East Texas roots were part of his story. In Chicago, King developed a…
The Science of the Yamboree · 12.6 mi
The reason Gilmer throws a party for the sweet potato every October comes down to soil science. The dirt here in the East Texas Piney Woods is mostly sandy loam. Pick some up and you will notice it is loose and does not…
Clarksville City, TX · 12.6 mi
Once known as 'Gilead', the area now known as Clarksville City has a rich history. It was first settled before 1845, and a stagecoach stop at William W. Walters' home later became a hub operated by Warren P. Victory.…
The Other Clarksville · 12.6 mi
If you told a Texan you were headed for Clarksville, they'd probably picture a different place — the original, up in Red River County, laid out by James Clark in 1833. That one's got deep roots: Charles DeMorse printing…
The Voice of Johnny Mathis · 12.6 mi
Gilmer's surprising musical heritage doesn't stop with rock and blues. In 1935, one of the most iconic voices of the 20th century entered the world here: Johnny Mathis. His father worked as a chauffeur and handyman, and…
When the Gusher Came to Town · 12.6 mi
As you drive along Highway 271, imagine this quiet, agricultural landscape suddenly turning into a chaotic boomtown. In 1930, the discovery of the massive East Texas Oil Field, just south of here, changed everything…
Suburb of the Oil Patch · 12.6 mi
Clarksville City might seem like just a quiet suburb, but its roots are soaked in oil, and they run deeper than that. People settled here before 1845, in a place called Gilead, and the post office that opened in 1852…
Gilmer · 12.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising through Gilmer, a town that got its start way back in 1846. It's named for Thomas W. Gilmer, a big deal in Washington D.C. who pushed hard for Texas to join the U.S. During the Civil War, Gilmer was a…
Point Pleasant · 12.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past what used to be Point Pleasant, a community that thrived from about 1850 to 1871. It started as Gilead, with a post office and a ferry crossing the Sabine River. In 1852, the name changed to Point…
Clarksville City, TX · 13.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving past Clarksville City, a community that owes its modern existence to the East Texas oil boom. Right here, in the 1930s, homes and businesses popped up so fast along U.S. Highway 80 that it was nicknamed…
Gilmer's SEAL and the Grave That Waited · 13.1 mi
The Farm to Market Road Eight Fifty Two bridge over Lake Gilmer is the Petty Officer Billy Machen Memorial Bridge. Billy Wayne Machen was born and raised in Gilmer. He enlisted in the Navy on July ninth, nineteen fifty…
Site of the Pioneer Dickson Orphanage · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of a truly unique Texas institution: the Pioneer Dickson Orphanage. For thirty years, from 1900 to 1929, this was the *only* home in Texas specifically for African American orphans. Founded…
Edwards Cemetery · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Edwards Cemetery, a graveyard for settlers as early as the mid-1850s. The earliest burial recorded here was infant Josephine Rucker in 1855. The cemetery is named for James William Cartwright…
Upshur County Discovery Well · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Upshur County Discovery Well, the J. D. Richardson No. 1. Completed on May 6th, 1931, this well kicked off a massive oil boom in the area. It was the very first of over 2,000 wells…
2023 UIL 4A Division 2 Football State Champions · 13.5 mi
Gilmer High School (Gilmer, TX): Most recent: 28-26 over Bellville · 2023 4A Division 2 final.
Warren-Futrell House · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past a beautiful example of early 20th-century architecture in Gilmer. This house, built in 1912, was inspired by the Prairie School and Arts and Crafts movements. Notice its overhanging eaves and the…
Indian Village · 13.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of an early Cherokee village, established right here at the start of the 1800s. This settlement was a home for these Native Americans and their associated tribes for decades. But by 1839,…
Gilgal Baptist Church · 13.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Gilgal Baptist Church, a place with roots stretching back to 1865. Led by the Rev. John Baptist, the founding members built a brush arbor and chose the name "Gilgal" – the Israelites' first…
Croley Funeral Home · 13.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Gilmer, passing a business that's served this community for over a century. Back in 1890, J.F. Croley bought a hardware store, and saw a need for more than just nails and hammers. He added…
Kelsey School · 13.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Enon, where Latter-Day Saint families from Alabama settled near Kelsey Creek in the late 1890s. By 1901, they established the area's first branch and school, with Manasseh J. Blackburn as teacher.…
First United Methodist Church of Gilmer · 13.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Gilmer's First United Methodist Church. Organized around 1852, this congregation established both a men's and a women's academy in the 1850s. The church has occupied this site since 1881,…
Enon Baptist Church · 13.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Enon Baptist Church, organized way back on May 13, 1848, in the home of M. S. Long. Charter members included the Davis and Knight families. The original log building was replaced by this…
Leather Factories, C.S.A. · 13.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Gilmer, Texas, right where the Confederacy was keeping its horses shod and its armies moving. During the Civil War, this area was home to vital leather factories. One plant churned out shoes for…
Macedonia School · 13.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Wood County, and just ahead is the site of the Macedonia School. Established in 1885, this was one of the very first one-teacher schools in the county. It served the community of Macedonia, later…
Brumley Crossroads Cemetery · 13.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Brumley Crossroads Cemetery, established by the Mt. Gilead Primitive Baptist Church back in 1848. It's the final resting place for pioneer settlers and local residents, with the oldest legible stone…
First Baptist Church of Gilmer · 13.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past First Baptist Church of Gilmer. First congregation was organized in a log cabin in 1846 as the Gilmer Missionary Baptist Church of Christ. In 1854 the congregation consisted of 22 members and the…
Gilmer, TX · 13.9 mi
Gilmer, Texas. It's a name that might not ring a bell for everyone, but around here, it's synonymous with Friday night lights and sweet potato pie. You can feel the small-town charm just driving in, past the piney woods…
Cherokee Trace · 13.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the area where one of the first major Texas trails was blazed, not by settlers, but by the Cherokee Nation. Around 1821, they needed a route from Nacogdoches to their reservation in Arkansas. To mark…
Houston, Sam · 13.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past a spot where Sam Houston, the legendary Texan, stood and spoke not once, but twice, against secession. Back on June 10th, 1857, as a U.S. Senator, he urged Texas to stay with the Union. Then, in…
Upshur County, C.S.A. · 13.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Gilmer, Texas, a town that was a vital hub for the Confederacy during the Civil War. While men and boys fought on distant battlefields, Upshur County became a powerhouse of production. Factories here…
Ragland Clinic-Hospital · 13.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the first full-time hospital in Upshur County, opened in 1933 by the Ragland family. For nearly fifty years, this clinic-hospital served Gilmer and the surrounding areas, even training…
Looney School · 13.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Gilmer, where the Looney School once stood just a few blocks north. From 1860 to 1870, this place was known for its high academic standards, drawing students from all over East Texas. Boys and…
Reagan's Name Across East Texas · 13.9 mi
Interstate Twenty, from the Dallas and Kaufman county line all the way east to the Louisiana border, is the Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway. The Legislature extended the name across East Texas in two thousand seven. An…
Gilmer Mirror · 13.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Gilmer, and right here is the home of the Gilmer Mirror, the oldest continuous business in Upshur County. It started way back on January 1st, 1877, as the 'Upshur County Democrat.' Over the years,…
1925 Gilmer Post Office · 13.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the old Gilmer Post Office, a handsome building designed by James A. Wetmore and completed in 1926. It served the town until 1991, then sat vacant until local groups saved it for use as a museum.…
King, Freddie · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, not far from Gilmer, the birthplace of blues legend Freddie King. Born Freddie Christian in 1934, he was playing guitar by age six. After moving to Chicago, he honed his raw,…
Camp, John Lafayette, Jr. · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Texas, maybe not far from Gilmer, where John Lafayette Camp, Jr. got his start. He became a judge, and in 1912, he made a decision that saved the Alamo. Governor Colquitt wanted to turn the shrine…
Pierson, William · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, and right here, in Gilmer, Texas, a life that would shape state law came to an end in a shocking tragedy. William Pierson, a future Texas Supreme Court Justice, was born in this town…
Roberts, Meshack · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Harrison County, near Gilmer, where a remarkable man named Meshack Roberts once lived. Born into slavery, Roberts was given land after the Civil War and built a home for his family. But in the…
Stamps Quartet · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're cruising through North Texas, maybe not too far from Gilmer, where a musical legacy began. Back in 1924, brothers Virgil and Frank Stamps founded the Stamps Quartet. They weren't just singers; they were…
Camp, John Lafayette · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Gilmer, where John Lafayette Camp made his home. When the Civil War broke out, Camp, already a lawyer and planter, answered the call. He rose to become colonel of the…
Dickson, William L. · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Gilmer. Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, this area was home to a remarkable institution: the Dickson Colored Orphan's Home. It was spearheaded by Reverend William…
Earp, Cullen Redwine · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Upshur County, not far from Gilmer, the home of Cullen Redwine Earp. He was a Confederate officer who fought in over twenty engagements, including Chickamauga and Atlanta. Earp was promoted to…
Looney School · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Upshur County, near Gilmer, the site of the Looney School. Established in 1861 by Morgan H. Looney, this wasn't just any school. It was a bustling academy, averaging 200 students annually. They…
State Colored Orphans' Home · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
Right here, south of Gilmer in Upshur County, you're passing the site of the State Colored Orphans' Home. It began in 1900, founded by African American Baptists who wanted to create a safe haven. Initially known as the…
Gilmer, TX · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
Gilmer, the county seat of Upshur County, is on U.S. Highway 271 and State highways 155 and 154 thirty-five miles northeast of Tyler and twenty-two northwest of Longview in the central part of the county. When the…
Glasco, Jesse Martin · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Upshur County, near Gilmer, where Jesse Martin Glasco made his mark. Born in Tennessee in 1818, Glasco arrived in Texas and became a key figure in this region. For decades, he served as Upshur…
Upshur Masonic College · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
Right here in Gilmer, you're driving past the site of a school that had a few names and a few owners! It started in 1851 as the Gilmer Masonic Female Institute, founded by the local Masons. When their lodge disbanded,…
Hat Factory, C.S.A. · 14.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Robert Potts Bros. hat factory, a crucial Confederate operation during the Civil War. In just one year, they churned out 600 hats for the army, using 300 pounds of wool and valued at…
Upshur County · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Upshur County, named for a Secretary of State under President John Tyler. This area has been home to people for thousands of years, from Paleo-Indians to Caddoan and Cherokee tribes. But it was…
Shamburger Cemetery · 14.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Shamburger Cemetery, a quiet resting place with a story rooted in East Texas agriculture. The Shamburger family arrived from Mississippi in 1847, settling near Starrville. By 1875, T. J.…
Abner, David, Jr. · 14.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Upshur County, Texas, where in 1881, David Abner Jr. made history. Right here, he became the very first African American to graduate from a Texas institution of higher learning, earning his degree…
Locke, Matthew F. · 14.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, not far from where Matthew F. Locke established the town of LaFayette back in 1850. Locke wasn't just a planter; he was a Confederate Colonel who raised the Tenth Texas Cavalry.…
Gilmer · 14.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of early Gilmer, right where the Cherokee Trace used to run. Imagine this spot in 1845 – an oak tree served as the very first Upshur County courthouse! Just a year later, in 1846, Judge O.…
Coffeeville, TX · 14.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
Coffeeville is south of State Highway 155 and five miles west of Lake O' the Pines in the pine country of northeastern Upshur County. One account of the origin of the community's name claims that an early traveler…
Kelsey, TX · 14.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
Kelsey, on Farm Road 1795 seven miles west of Gilmer in central Upshur County, was named for Dr. W. H. Kelsey, one of the earliest settlers in the county; a nearby creek also bears his name. During the antebellum period…
Lafayette, TX · 14.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
LaFayette (Lafayette), at the junction of Farm roads 993 and 1975, thirteen miles northeast of Gilmer in extreme northern Upshur County, was first settled in the late 1850s and was named for LaFayette Locke, the son of…
Bettie, TX · 14.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
Bettie, at the junction of U.S. Highway 271 and Farm Road 2088, six miles north of Gilmer in north central Upshur County, was established in the early 1880s as a stop on the newly constructed Texas and St. Louis…
Glenwood, TX · 14.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
Glenwood, at the junction of State Highway 300 and Farm Road 726, eight miles southeast of Gilmer in southeastern Upshur County, was established as a plantation before the organization of the county in 1846. The…
Grice, TX · 14.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
Grice, at the junction of Farm roads 852 and 1002, twelve miles west of Gilmer in western Upshur County, was established in the late 1880s or early 1890s near a heavily wooded area known as the Big Woods. The community…
Latch, TX · 14.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
Latch, on Farm Road 1795 eight miles west of Gilmer in western Upshur County, was established in the late 1880s and originally named Know. The name was changed to Latch when a post office opened in 1894, after L. A.…
Rosewood, TX · 14.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
Rosewood is on State Highway 154 eight miles west of Gilmer in western Upshur County. It was probably first settled in the late 1880s or early 1890s and was originally known as Double Springs. Its name was changed to…
Simpsonville, TX (Upshur County) · 14.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
Simpsonville, also known as Thomas, at the junction of Farm roads 2088 and 556, twelve miles northwest of Gilmer in northwestern Upshur County, was first settled in the late 1850s. The community was originally known as…
West Mountain, TX · 14.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
West Mountain, at the junction of U.S. Highway 271 and Farm Road 726, eight miles southeast of Gilmer in southeastern Upshur County, was founded by Isaac Moody, one of the earliest Anglo settlers in the county, and…
Ben Phillips Place · 14.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Upshur County, past the site of the Ben Phillips Place. Built in 1872, this home was a hub for political talk and news, with a reputation for welcoming strangers. Ben F. Phillips himself, a Church…
Shiloh Baptist Church · 14.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Shiloh Baptist Church in White Oak. It was founded in 1871 by former slave Butcher Christian and Reverend John Baptist. Services started in a log sanctuary on land donated by Christian. For years,…
Parson McClelland School · 14.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Parson McClelland School, built around 1869 by Reverend William Henry McClelland. He was a Baptist minister and educator who ran this private school, with both day and boarding…
East Mountain, TX · 14.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Mountain, a community that owes its boom times to a surprising discovery. Established in the 1870s near a rise called East Mountain, this town was a quiet farming community. But in the 1930s,…
Engineering an Oilfield's Second Life · 14.7 mi
The East Texas Oil Field made White Oak — the community had grown up around an 1887 schoolhouse, but it was the 1930s boom that filled it. And that field should have died in the 1940s. Here's the science of why it…
The Roughneck Identity · 14.7 mi
In most Texas towns, high school mascots are animals or historical figures—Eagles, Bulldogs, Warriors. Here in White Oak, it’s an oilfield worker: the Roughneck. And that’s not just a mascot; it’s a mission statement.…
A Billionaire From the Oil Patch · 14.7 mi
Every town has its success stories, but White Oak’s is a perfect reflection of its identity. Kelcy Warren, the billionaire founder and CEO of pipeline giant Energy Transfer Partners, is a graduate of White Oak High…
Varner, Martin · 14.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Wood County, and right here is the final resting place of Martin Varner. He came to Texas before 1820, a pioneer who partnered with Henry Jones to run a trading post. Varner was one of Stephen F.…
White Oak, TX · 14.7 mi
The area has been home to several notable athletes who made their mark in professional sports. Mike Barber, a tight end, played for the Houston Oilers and later became involved in prison ministry. Byron Hunt also played…
From Boomtown to Hometown · 14.7 mi
Most oil boomtowns follow the same arc. They explode, they burn bright, and they vanish when the easy money is gone. White Oak refused. There was a settlement here long before the derricks, farms and sawmills in the…
Varner, Martin · 14.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Wood County, heading towards Mineola. Keep an eye out for a marker honoring Martin Varner. He was a volunteer soldier who fought in the decisive Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, the fight that…
The Town the Oil Boom Built · 14.8 mi
In 1930 this was a quiet crossroads of farmland and pine forest — a school, a couple of churches, a cotton gin, and not much else. Then, about thirty miles south of here in Rusk County, a wildcat driller named Dad…
The Billion-Dollar Geological Trap · 14.8 mi
The reason East Mountain exists is because of a perfect geological accident that happened millions of years ago, right beneath your feet. The oil here is stored in a porous layer of rock called the Woodbine Sandstone.…
Bethesda Presbyterian Church and Cemetery · 14.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Bethesda Presbyterian Church. In 1879, the Henderson family arrived from Alabama and soon began holding worship services here. The congregation was officially recognized in 1881, later…
White Oak Baptist Church · 14.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of White Oak Baptist Church. It traces its history back to a congregation founded in 1889, formally organizing in 1910. The Satterwhite family donated land for a building in 1935, and church…
White Oak Independent School District · 14.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past White Oak, a community that grew up around a one-room schoolhouse back in the 1880s. After a fire destroyed the first building, locals rebuilt, using the new school for Sunday services too. By the…
Site of Shiloh School · 15.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through White Oak, near the site of the Shiloh School. This school was established by newly freed African Americans right after the Civil War. After a one-room building was demolished, classes moved to…
Cherokee Trace · 15.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through East Texas, right where history was carved into the landscape. Back in 1821, Cherokee Indians blazed this trail, slashing trees and clearing a path all the way from Nacogdoches to Arkansas. They…
Pine Springs Baptist Church · 15.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Pine Springs Baptist Church. It all started in 1881 when E.S. Cook and Perry Ray bought land for a schoolhouse. Soon after, the Pine Springs Baptist Church of Christ was organized…
Damascus Baptist Church · 15.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Damascus Baptist Church, organized in 1890 with 12 charter members. Services were held in a schoolhouse until 1895 when the congregation grew and began planning this building. The first…
White Oak, TX (Wood County) · 15.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Wood County, near Yantis. This area was once known by several names, including Singleton Crossing and Black Jack. But in 1893, a post office opened, and the community was temporarily called Mapes,…
Hebron Baptist Church · 15.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Hebron Baptist Church. The congregation petitioned to join the Cherokee Baptist Association back in 1859. Reverend William H. Ray, a key figure, helped organize several other Baptist…
Mt. Pleasant Cemetery · 15.7 mi · Historical Marker
As you drive through Kilgore, look for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. This burial ground tells the story of African Americans in East Texas after the Civil War. Newly freed, they formed the Mt. Pleasant Colored Methodist…
Camp Ford · 15.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Camp Ford, right here near Tyler. This wasn't just any Civil War camp; it was the biggest prisoner of war compound for Union troops west of the Mississippi. Originally a training camp in…
Camp Ford · 15.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Camp Ford. Camp Ford, stockade prison of federal soldiers during the Civil War
East Springfield Baptist Church · 15.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Upshur County, near Glenwood. Following the Civil War, freedmen and their families established communities like East Springfield. Though the congregation formed in the late 1800s, East Springfield…
Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church · 15.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving by the site of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, one of the oldest fellowships in Wood County. It began as Holly Springs Baptist Church of Christ, with its first meeting in 1853 at the home of pastor J. D. J.…
A Star in the Window, a Marker by the Road · 16.3 mi
This road carries a Blue Star Memorial Highway designation, one of a string of them across Texas. The name comes from a family tradition. When someone in a household was serving in the armed forces, the family displayed…
Sabine Methodist Church · 16.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Sabine Methodist Church, organized back in 1894 by the Rev. W. L. Pate and named for its proximity to the Sabine River. Land for the church, school, and cemetery was donated by Joe…
Sabine River Off Shore Wells · 16.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Sabine River, but you might not realize it's also a historic oilfield. The massive East Texas oilfield was discovered in 1930, and just two years later, drilling began right here in the riverbed.…
Smith Chapel United Methodist Church · 16.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Smith Chapel United Methodist Church. Organized around 1885 as Davis Chapel, it was renamed Democrat Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and finally Smith Chapel. The current sanctuary was…
John O'Byrne Home · 16.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past John O'Byrne Home. Social, cultural, political center. built 1888 in the O'Byrne's Mill settlement that included sawmill, planner, grist mill, cotton gin. O'Byrne, Irish emigrant, father of 13, built…
Little Hope Missionary Baptist Church · 16.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Little Hope Missionary Baptist Church, organized in 1881 by Elder Jacob Ziegler and Deacon P. M. Gunstream. Legend says the church got its name because folks doubted it would last, but it…
The Wartime Highway Name That Waited Sixty Years · 17.0 mi
The World War Two Veterans Memorial Highway is a name with an odd history. On August first, nineteen forty four, a Texas highway minute order named U S Highway Eighty the Veterans of World War Two Highway, all the way…
Lathrop A-1, Arkansas Fuel Oil Co. · 17.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Longview, the heart of the East Texas oil boom! Look around you, because this area was transformed by wells like the F. K. Lathrop A-1. After years of searching, B. A. Skipper, Sr. assembled a…
Soules Chapel Methodist Church · 17.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Soules Chapel Methodist Church, a name with a direct link to one of Methodism's founding figures. <break time="400ms"/> Bishop Joshua Soule, the first bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South,…
Hopewell Baptist Church · 17.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Hopewell Baptist Church, organized in 1858 with 30 members. Harvey Yarborough deeded land for the first structure, built in 1859. The congregation celebrated its 140th year of continuous…
Dillard, John Henry · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
John Henry Dillard, Alamo defender, son of William and Sarah (Brownlow) Dillard, was born in Smith County, Tennessee, in 1805. Before 1831, Dillard married Sarah Pate in Tennessee, and the couple produced three children…
Neches Saline, TX · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
Neches Saline, also known as Brooks Saline and Gardiner's Saline, was a small antebellum community north of the point of intersection of State Highway 155 and Farm Road 344 in extreme southwestern Smith County. The…
Starrville, TX · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
Starrville is three miles east of Winona and one mile northeast of Starrville Mountain at the intersection of Farm roads 757 and 16 in northern Smith County. Originally part of the I. W. Hall Survey, by 1849 it had…
Universe, TX · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
Universe is a community on State Highway 64 a mile east of Tyler Loop 323 and a mile west of Bascom in central Smith County. The area, originally part of the Polinio Chireno survey, was settled as early as 1861. During…
Gentry, Brady Preston · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving near Colfax, Texas, the birthplace of Brady Preston Gentry. He was a lawyer and legislator who became a giant in shaping Texas roads. Appointed chairman of the Texas Highway Commission in 1939, he was the…
Stevenson, James Porter · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, a land where faith sometimes had to be a whisper. Back in the early 1830s, Mexican law strictly prohibited Protestant services. But James Porter Stevenson, a young Methodist minister,…
Texas Agricultural Extension Service · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what is now Smith County, Texas, a place that holds a national 'first.' Back in 1906, William C. Stallings became the very first county agent in the entire United States. His job? To bring the…
Bascom, TX · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
Bascom is at the junction of State Highway 64 and Farm Road 848, a mile east of Tyler in central Smith County. The Texas State Quail Farm is located just to the south. The area was the site of a spring at the crossing…
Belzora, TX · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
Belzora was at a ferry crossing where Farm Road 14 now crosses the Sabine River in extreme northern Smith County. The site, originally part of the Juan Santos Coy survey, was settled in 1850 and named for Belle Ham of…
Flint, TX · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
Flint, at the junction of Farm roads 2868, 346, and 2493, four miles north of Bullard in Smith County, was originally part of the Tomás Quevedo survey. The site, named for local landowner Robert P. Flynt, became a stop…
Jamestown, TX (Smith County) · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
Jamestown, also known as Berrien, Jimtown, and Old Jamestown, was just south of Wilds Creek in eastern Smith County three miles north of Overton in Rusk County. The site, settled in 1846, was part of the Edward Pierce…
Omen, TX · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
Omen, also known at various times as Round Hill, Canton, Clopton, Troup, and Old Canton, is a rural community on State Highway 345 in southeastern Smith County about two miles west of Arp and just south of Omen Road…
Sinclair City, TX · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
Sinclair City is on Kickapoo Creek and State Highway 135, just north of Troup and south of Arp in the Good Omen oilfield in southeastern Smith County. It was originally on the line between the Benijah Lafferty and Maria…
Coleman, J. G. · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what was once Starrville in Smith County. Right here, in 1863, a farmer and slaveholder named J.G. Coleman helped organize the Texas First Cavalry Regiment. Though likely older, he was elected…
Duck Creek (Smith County) · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Smith County, and right here, the Duck Creek watershed became a national laboratory during the Great Depression. In 1929, a soil erosion project kicked off, studying how to stop the land from…
Joy, TX (Smith County) · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what used to be Joy, a small church community in eastern Smith County. It all started when farmers moved in after the Civil War, growing crops like corn and cotton. Joy got a post office in 1892,…
Mount Carmel, TX (Smith County) · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Smith County, heading toward Winona. Right here, you're passing through the spot where Mount Carmel used to be. Established in 1850 as a stop on the busy Dallas-Shreveport Road, it was once a…
Pine Springs, TX (Smith County) · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving north of Tyler, and right here is the area known as Pine Springs. Settlers arrived in the 1840s, drawn by a large spring nestled in the pines, giving the community its name. It was a hub for orchard…
Sand Flat, TX (Smith County) · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what used to be Sand Flat, a rural community in Smith County, just north of Tyler. It started taking shape in the late 1840s when pioneers gained access via the Brumley Crossing Road. By 1851, the…
Scarborough, George Moore · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Mount Carmel in Smith County, where playwright George Moore Scarborough was born back in 1875. He studied law, even practiced it with his father, but the pull of…
Watson, John Brown · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Smith County, Texas, the birthplace of John Brown Watson. Born in 1872, Watson wasn't just a teacher; he was a builder. After earning degrees from Colgate and Brown Universities and teaching at…
Browning, TX · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
Browning (Browning's) is on Farm Road 2767 and the eastern edge of the Chapel Hill oilfield nine miles southeast of Winona in eastern Smith County. The town was named for its earliest settlers. Around 1850 Isaiah…
Dixie, TX (Smith County) · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
Dixie is off State Highway 64 just west of Tyler in central Smith County. The settlement had been established by 1906, when William C. Stallings of Dixie became the first county agent in Texas. In 1923 the Dixie…
Garden Valley, TX · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
Garden Valley is at the intersection of State Highway 110 and Farm Road 16, seven miles west of Lindale in northwestern Smith County. It is on land that was originally part of the Edward B. Ragsdale survey. A post…
Hopewell, TX (Smith County) · 17.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
Hopewell is four miles north of Tyler and just north of Swan off U.S. Highway 69 in central Smith County. The settlement had been founded by 1887, when a post office was established there with Leonard N. Stell as…

Explore Big Sandy on the Map

All music from Texas → Find another town Vote on city songs

Big Sandy, Texas

Music in Big Sandy

Songs About Big Sandy

Artists From Big Sandy

Rivers & Roads in Song near Big Sandy

History of Big Sandy

Big Sandy, TX RoadyGoat

Big Sandy, TX RoadyGoat

Big Sandy, TX RoadyGoat

Fowler, Homer Thomas Wilson [Wick]

Thomas, Henry [Ragtime Texas]

Jarvis Christian College

Walters' Bluff Ferry

Phelps Home, Ashley

Things to Do in Big Sandy

Everything Near Big Sandy

Sign up for the free newsletter