Huntsville, Texas

Everything Huntsville is known for

28 songs mention this city 2 artists from here

RoadyGoat plays music like this when you drive through Huntsville. It's free on iPhone, and full songs play through Apple Music.

Music in Huntsville

Songs About Huntsville

Walls Of Huntsville

Cross Canadian Ragweed

96%

"Now the walls of Huntsville keep me under lock and chain"

Huntsville

Merle Haggard

95%

"They're taking me down to Huntsville, I'm bringing in a load of time"

Pot in Huntsville

Carson Jeffrey

95%

"I sell that pot in Huntsville, there's a prison cross the road"

Huntsville

Scooter Brown Band

95%

"And now I'm sittin' here in Huntsville, shackled, chained, and charged"

Ellis Unit One (Acoustic)

Parker McCollum

94%

"But then they transferred me to Ellis Unit One"

The Story Of Bonnie And Clyde

Flatt & Scruggs

93%

"In a Huntsville prison, where he got his parole"

Hills of Old Juarez

Tom Russell

92%

"I'm in Huntsville Prison"

pot in huntsville

carson jefferey

90%

huntsville

merle haggard & the strangers

85%

Gen. Sam Houston

Ray Wylie Hubbard

85%

Huntsville Prison Rodeo

Jesse Dayton

83%

"Huntsville Prison Rodeo"

Christmas in Huntsville

Jason Boland & The Stragglers

81%

"Christmas in Huntsville"

Up In Texas

Midland

75%

"Sam Houston star-spangled it"

Down South

Chalie Boy & Tite

57%

"From Houston to Huntsville"

Walls Of Hunstville

Cross Canadian Ragweed

53%

"Now the walls of Huntsville keep me under lock and chain"

Weed with Willie

Toby Keith

52%

"The party was Huntsville, it was after the show"

Charmin’ Betsy

Henry Thomas

50%

"I went down to Huntsville town"

Ellis Unit One

Steve Earle

50%

Hardin Wouldn’t Run

Johnny Cash

50%

Back Home in Huntsville Again

Bobby Bare

50%

Showing top 20 of 28 songs · Hear more in the free iPhone app

Artists From Huntsville

Rivers & Roads in Song near Huntsville

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

Interstate 45 8 songs Trinity River 11 songs Kickapoo Creek 4 songs U.S. Route 59 9 songs Brazos River 43 songs

Musical Heritage

The Goree Girls on the Radio RoadyGoat

1848

The Goree Girls were women incarcerated at the Goree State Farm who formed a country string band in the nineteen forties. They performed on a prison radio program carried by station WBAP and appeared at the Texas Prison Rodeo, reaching listeners far beyond the walls. Their polished public image offered the prison system a story of talent and rehabilitation, but every performance occurred under confinement and official control. The group complicates the usual male image of Texas prison history: women prisoners were musicians, broadcasters, workers, and public performers, even as the state decided where they lived and when they could be heard.

Where the Man in Black Started Playing Prisons RoadyGoat

1957

Long before the famous live album recorded behind bars in California, the man in black played his very first concert for prisoners right here in Huntsville. Texas Public Radio identifies a 1957 performance for inmates at the Huntsville prison as that first show, more than a decade before the 1968 record that made playing prisons a defining part of his legend. The response from the men inside stayed with him and shaped the rest of his career. It is a quiet, important footnote that this East Texas prison town owns a real early chapter in one of the biggest stories in American music. (Source: Texas Public Radio, Texas Matters.)

Live, From Inside the Walls RoadyGoat

1938

Starting in 1938, listeners across Texas tuned in every week to something genuinely strange and wonderful: a variety show broadcast live from inside the Huntsville prison. It was called Thirty Minutes Behind the Walls, carried on the powerful Fort Worth station WBAP, and it featured inmate country bands, gospel quartets, comedy, jazz, dancing, and actors. At its peak it reached millions of listeners and won broadcasting's Peabody Award in 1940. What makes it more than a feel-good music story is the tension underneath: the prison promoted the show partly to rehabilitate inmates, and partly to soften its own reputation against public reports of brutality. Either way, for a decade, the most famous thing on the air some nights was the sound of men and women singing from behind bars. (Sources: Texas Highways; Texas Standard; The Marshall Project.)

The Goree Girls: Country Stars Behind Bars RoadyGoat

1940

In the 1940s, a group of women locked up at Huntsville's Goree Unit did something almost unheard of: they became radio stars. Eight of them formed the Goree All-Girl String Band. Most had little musical background, but they taught themselves guitar, fiddle, banjo, and steel guitar while working their prison jobs by day. They performed on the radio program Thirty Minutes Behind the Walls and at the Texas Prison Rodeo, and listeners across the country wrote in with fan letters, money, and even marriage proposals. They became one of the earliest all-female country bands in America. The bittersweet part came later: after release, most of the women hid their connection to the band, because admitting the fame meant admitting where they had been. (Sources: Goree All Girl String Band, Wikipedia; Texas Standard; Texas Monthly.)

History of Huntsville

Old Sparky and Centralized Execution RoadyGoat

1848

Before nineteen twenty three, Texas counties carried out their own executions, commonly by hanging. The legislature then centralized state executions at Huntsville and selected electrocution. Prison workers built the chair later nicknamed Old Sparky. From nineteen twenty four through nineteen sixty four, Texas executed three hundred sixty one men by electrocution. After court challenges halted the old system, Texas adopted a revised law and resumed executions in nineteen eighty two using lethal injection. Old Sparky is now an artifact at the Texas Prison Museum, a physical reminder of how punishment moved from county courthouses into one state-run chamber.

Eleven Days in Hell RoadyGoat

1848

In the summer of nineteen seventy four, prisoner Fred Gómez Carrasco and two accomplices seized hostages inside the Walls Unit education building. The siege lasted eleven days, earning the later name Eleven Days in Hell. Negotiations, improvised weapons, escape plans, and intense media attention kept Huntsville waiting. On August third, the captors attempted to leave behind a rolling shield made with hostages and materials from the prison. Gunfire ended the breakout; Carrasco, another prisoner, and two hostages died. The event exposed failures inside a supposedly controlled fortress and became one of the most documented, rather than merely legendary, crises in Texas prison history.

From Convict Leasing to Prison Industry RoadyGoat

1848

Texas prisons long treated labor as punishment and revenue. After the Civil War, convict leasing placed prisoners under private contractors in conditions notorious for violence and death. The state later shifted toward state-owned farms and industries, using incarcerated labor in cotton fields, livestock operations, textile shops, canneries, and factories. Prison-made goods have included clothing, furniture, license plates, and supplies for public agencies. Texas Correctional Industries continues prison manufacturing today. The system's language changed from leasing to state production and job training, but Huntsville's history requires asking who benefits from compulsory labor, how workers are protected, and what preparation genuinely helps after release.

Sam Houston

1793

Born March 2, 1793, in Rockbridge County, Va.; son of Samuel and Elizabeth Houston. Moved to Tennessee in 1807 with widowed mother and her family. In 1813 joined U.S. Army under Gen. Andrew Jackson, with whom he formed lifetime friendship and political ties. In Tennessee, taught school, kept a store, served in U.S. Congress, was state governor. In 1829, after his young bride left him, resigned as governor and went westward. Settling in 1833 in Nacogdoches, became a leader in cause of Texas independence from Mexico. Elected March 4, 1836, to command the Army of the Republic, engineered retrograde movement that led to victory of San Jacinto, which won Texas independence. President of the Republic, 1836-1838 and 1841-1844, he was senator after annexation. In 1859 he was elected governor, and served until secession. In 1861 he declined to take oath of office in Confederacy, retiring instead after a quarter-century of service to his state. However, he did not oppose Confederate army enlistment of his young son, Sam Houston, Jr. While the Civil War continued, he died on July 26, 1863, at his home, "Steamboat House," Huntsville. With him was his family, to hear his last words to his wife: "Texas--, Margaret, Texas--".

Historical Marker →

Houston, Sam

1847

General of the army which won the war for Texas Independence, 1836, and first President of the Republic, 1836-1838, Sam Houston was one of the most controversial and colorful figures in Texas history. In his eventful career, Houston had resided in Nacogdoches, Liberty, Houston, and Austin. He and his wife Margaret (Lea) built this house, "Woodland", in 1847 to provide themselves with a town place. With enthusiasm, he wrote to a friend that the new home was a "bang up place!" and that the climate was "said to be healthy". Houston and his wife lived at Woodland while he was a U.S. Senator, 1846-1859, perhaps the happiest and most prosperous years of his life. Four of their eight children were born here. The house was built in a style common to the South at the time: squared logs covered with hand-hewn, whitewashed boards. The detached kitchen and law office were built of unfinished, squared logs. In 1859 Houston was elected governor but, although opposed to secession, he could not keep Texas from joining the Confederacy in 1861. Deposed from office, he returned to his second Huntsville home, called the "Steamboat House", where he died in 1863.

Historical Marker →

Kittrell, Pleasant Williams

1858

Pleasant Williams Kittrell, author of the bill to establish the University of Texas, son of Bryant and Mary (Norman) Kittrell, was born at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on April 13, 1805. At age thirteen he entered the University of North Carolina, from which he graduated at age seventeen. His great-grandfather, Judge John Williams, had helped establish the university. Kittrell then studied at the medical college of the University of Pennsylvania but left without a degree in 1824 and returned to North Carolina to practice medicine. He served later as a trustee of the university and was also twice elected to the state legislature. In 1837 he moved to Alabama, where he was elected to the state legislature three times, though he continued his practice of medicine. While he was serving in the Alabama legislature the University of Alabama conferred on him an honorary master of arts degree. In 1847 he was married to Mary Frances Goree, his second wife. He served also as trustee of the Judson Institute, a school for girls that his father-in-law, Dr. Langston Goree, had served as regent. In 1850 the Kittrells, along with the Goree family and their slaves, moved to Madison County, Texas. They later moved to Huntsville, where Kittrell's acquaintance with Sam Houston began. In Huntsville Kittrell continued his medical practice. He and Mrs. Kittrell had five children. Kittrell was twice elected to the Texas legislature. While serving as chairman of the Education Committee, he introduced and successfully fought for the bill to establish the University of Texas. The bill, signed by Governor E. M. Pease on February 11, 1858, appropriated every tenth acre of state land for the university and $200,000 in cash, a portion of the $10 million received by Texas for relinquishing claim to parts of Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, and Wyoming. In 1866 Governor James W. Throckmorton appointed Kittrell chairman of the board of administrators of the still nonexistent university. After Houston died in 1863 Kittrell bought Houston's residence, the Steamboat House , and moved his family there. When the yellow fever epidemic struck Huntsville in 1867 he cared for fever patients until he too succumbed to the disease. He died at the Steamboat House, probably on September 29, 1867.

Tsha Handbook →

Texas Prison Rodeo Arena - Huntsville

1931

From 1931 to 1986, the Texas Prison Rodeo drew up to 40,000 spectators every October to watch inmates ride bulls and broncs. It was one of the most popular sporting events in the state.

Ellis, Oscar Byron

1948

Oscar Byron Ellis, prison administrator, was born in Oneonta, Alabama, on August 27, 1902, the son of school superintendent John Wesley Ellis. He lived at Cleveland, Alabama, during his youth and graduated from Birmingham Southern College with a B.S. degree in chemistry in 1924, the year he married Gertrude Tidwell. After graduating, Ellis worked as manager of a Florsheim shoe store in Memphis, Tennessee, for a brief period and later taught science and coached football at a high school there. By 1928 he was business manager of the Memphis schools. He was elected a commissioner of Shelby County, Tennessee, in 1937 and served as commission secretary and commissioner of the Shelby County Penal Farm and of county roads and bridges. He attracted national attention for his supervision of prisoners and his efficient management of the demonstration farm, designed to promote better agricultural practices for farmers in the region. Ellis served in Texas as general manager of the prison system from January 1, 1948, until November 12, 1961. The Texas legislature enacted a law in 1957 that changed his title to director and the name of the state penal institution to Texas Department of Corrections. The Texas Prison Board recruited Ellis to reform an agency plagued by mismanagement, brutal disciplinary practices, harsh working conditions, poor living standards, and large numbers of escapes during World War II and afterward. From 1949 through 1961 Ellis, in cooperation with governors Beauford H. Jester, Allan Shivers, and Price Daniel, Sr. , persuaded the legislature to appropriate $19 million for capital improvements. Using those funds, as well as revenues derived from the sale of prison agricultural and industrial products, the "Ellis Plan" resulted in new building projects at the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville and on the more than 73,000 acres of prison lands. During Ellis's administration the state constructed cell blocks to replace many of the prisoners' dormitories or "tanks" and built fences, picket towers, workshops, and other facilities at the eleven units of the prison system. Ellis reduced prison food and clothing purchases through reorganized agricultural and industrial methods that enabled prisoners to produce most of the food they consumed and most of the clothing they wore. Under the direction of Byron W. Frierson, assistant general manager for agriculture, the Ellis administration consolidated the various prison farms into a single unit, adopted modern drainage techniques for low-lying properties, placed thousands of acres in soil-conservation districts, improved the prison beef and dairy herds, and mechanized farming operations by replacing mules with tractors. With a labor force that increased from slightly fewer than 6,000 to nearly 12,000 prisoners between 1948 and 1961, Ellis held operating expenses well below the national average, as inmates performed agricultural, construction, and some industrial work. He expanded educational, recreational, and religious programs and revamped prisoner-classification procedures in order to segregate individuals according to such factors as age, offense, and rehabilitation potential. His administration saw a sharp decline in escapes. Ellis virtually ended the practice of self-mutilation among inmates by refusing to transfer prisoners from the farms to hospitals when they intentionally injured themselves to avoid labor. He raised living standards through his building program and placed televisions in dormitories as a means of enhancing morale. He fired many brutal and corrupt prison employees and persuaded the legislature to raise guards' salaries. He also worked with members of the press to win support for his administration and avoid unfavorable publicity. His monthly automobile travel to prison facilities often totaled as much as 4,600 miles; "you can't run the prison system from a desk," he observed. Austin MacCormick, perhaps the most renowned penal expert in the United State

Tsha Handbook →

Houston, Joshua

1840

Joshua Houston, a servant of Sam Houston and an officeholder after the Civil War , was raised as a slave on Temple Lea's plantation in Marion, Perry County, Alabama. At his death in 1834 Lea left Joshua and his family to his daughter, Margaret Lea, who took them to Texas in 1840, when she married Sam Houston. During the Republic of Texas Joshua traveled with Houston and became a skilled blacksmith, wheelwright, and stage driver. He helped build the Houston home at Raven Hill. The Houstons taught him to read and write, though teaching slaves literacy skills was discouraged in Texas at the time. Joshua supervised the Houston household when the general was away and accompanied the family when the general went to Tennessee to see ailing former president Andrew Jackson. While living in the Governor's Mansion in Austin with the Houstons, Joshua met most of the prominent men in the state. Beginning in the 1850s Houston allowed Joshua to work for a stagecoach company and keep part of his earnings. In the fall of 1862 Houston freed his slaves, even though it was illegal to do so, and Joshua and most of the others asked to stay with the Houstons. After Houston's death in July 1863, Margaret Lea Houston moved to Independence, where she soon faced hard times, since her wealth was tied up in land and Confederate scrip. Joshua reportedly offered Mrs. Houston his life savings, $2,000 in gold, but she told him to use the money to educate his children. After the Civil War, Joshua Houston became a successful businessman, church leader, supporter of education, and officeholder. On January 15, 1866, he purchased land in Huntsville, where he opened a blacksmith shop and built a two-story house. In 1867 he was a trustee of the Union Church, the first Black church in Huntsville, which also served as a school. He was a deacon in the First Baptist Church, established in 1869. He was appointed a city alderman in 1867 and 1870 and was elected a county commissioner in 1878 and 1882. He promoted Bishop Ward College, founded in Huntsville in 1883. In 1888 he was a member of the Texas delegation to the Republican National Convention. Successively, Joshua Houston married women named Anneliza, Mary Green, and Sylvester Baker; he had eight children, many of whom had distinguished careers. He died on January 8, 1902, and was buried beside his wife, Sylvester, in Oakwood Cemetery, Huntsville, only a few yards from the grave of Sam Houston.

Tsha Handbook →

Things to Do in Huntsville

spooky 4.0 mi away

Demon's Road & Martha Chapel Cemetery

Texas's most haunted road. An 1830s cemetery on Bowden Road near Huntsville where cars rock on their own and handprints appear on windows.

quirky 0.9 mi away

Cowboy Boot House

A 35-foot-tall house shaped like a cowboy boot built from salvaged materials by artist Dan Phillips and completed in 2017. He added a matching…

day trip

Day Trip to Huntsville 🤿 (FULL EPISODE) S3 E2

Featured on The Daytripper — a full-episode local travel guide.

Everything Near Huntsville

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

Old Sparky and Centralized Execution
Before nineteen twenty three, Texas counties carried out their own executions, commonly by hanging. The legislature then centralized state executions at Huntsville and selected electrocution. Prison workers built the…
Eleven Days in Hell
In the summer of nineteen seventy four, prisoner Fred Gómez Carrasco and two accomplices seized hostages inside the Walls Unit education building. The siege lasted eleven days, earning the later name Eleven Days in…
From Convict Leasing to Prison Industry
Texas prisons long treated labor as punishment and revenue. After the Civil War, convict leasing placed prisoners under private contractors in conditions notorious for violence and death. The state later shifted toward…
The Prison Beside Downtown
Huntsville became Texas's prison capital because the state placed its first permanent penitentiary here. Construction began in eighteen forty eight, and prisoners arrived in eighteen forty nine. The Huntsville Unit,…
Death Row Is Not the Death Chamber
Texas death row and the Texas execution chamber are not the same place. Men sentenced to death are generally housed at the Polunsky Unit near Livingston, not at the Walls. Before a scheduled execution, the prisoner is…
The Goree Girls on the Radio
The Goree Girls were women incarcerated at the Goree State Farm who formed a country string band in the nineteen forties. They performed on a prison radio program carried by station WBAP and appeared at the Texas Prison…
The Cemetery Called Peckerwood Hill
Near Huntsville lies Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery, the prison burial ground sometimes known by an older local nickname, Peckerwood Hill. Thousands of people who died in Texas custody have been buried there, especially when…
The Other Huntsville
Huntsville carries two public identities side by side. It is the home of Sam Houston, historic houses, and a university; it is also a headquarters town of guard towers, prison units, and execution history. Correctional…
Confinement turned into public spectacle
From nineteen thirty one through nineteen eighty six, Huntsville hosted the Texas Prison Rodeo. Incarcerated contestants rode bulls, broncs, and other stock before crowds so large the event became nationally famous as…
Cafe Texan: A 1936 Diner Turned Museum
The Cafe Texan has anchored downtown Huntsville since 1936, and it proudly claims the title of oldest cafe in Texas. After serving Walker County for the better part of a century, it closed during the pandemic, and that…
From Bondage to the County Courthouse
One of the most remarkable lives in Huntsville's history belongs to Joshua Houston. Born into slavery around 1822, he was enslaved by the family of Sam Houston's wife and came to Texas with the household. A gifted…
A Museum of Confinement
The Texas Prison Museum collects the material culture of the system: uniforms, inmate crafts, improvised weapons, restraint and escape equipment, reconstructed cells, rodeo objects, and Old Sparky. Such artifacts are…

Show all 200 nearby places

The Trading Post That Started Huntsville
The first building ever raised in Huntsville is thought to have been a log trading post put up near this corner about 1835 or '36 by the town's founder, Pleasant Gray. It was a small cabin in a grove of oak trees, sited…
Texas Prison Rodeo Arena - Huntsville · Historical Marker
From 1931 to 1986, the Texas Prison Rodeo drew up to 40,000 spectators every October to watch inmates ride bulls and broncs. It was one of the most popular sporting events in the state.
The Hometown Singer Huntsville Still Remembers
Here in Huntsville, folks still remember Micah Sims. Born here in 1984, he started piano lessons at seven and was writing his own Texas country songs by his sophomore year of high school. At Texas A&M he became a…
Henry Opera House · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the old Henry Opera House, built back in 1880. It started as a lodge hall, but soon the second floor became a theater where traveling troupes performed. Famous magician Hermann the Great…
Sam Houston Statue · Historical Marker
A 67-foot concrete statue of Sam Houston stands alongside Interstate 45 in Huntsville, visible from miles away, pointing vaguely south.
Site of the Home of Henderson Yoakum · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site where Henderson Yoakum lived and worked on his monumental "History of Texas." Published in 1855, this book chronicled the sacrifices, glory, and great men of Texas, all the way from its…
The Five Courthouses of Walker County · Historical Marker
You're driving through Huntsville, and right here, the history of Walker County's courthouses is a story of constant rebuilding. The first one was ready for meetings in July of 1848, but it was already replaced by 1853…
Walker County · Historical Marker
You're driving through Walker County, Texas. This county was formed back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1846</say-as>, named for Robert James Walker, a big supporter of Texas annexation. But then, in <say-as…
Pine Prairie Free Will Baptist Church and Cemetery · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Pine Prairie Free Will Baptist Church and its cemetery. Community members, tired of long journeys for worship, organized here in 1912 with 13 charter members. The cemetery here holds…
Sallie E. Gibbs · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of a grand home built in 1895 by Sallie E. Gibbs and her son. After her husband died in 1886, Sallie took over his company and transformed it into a leading timber and land enterprise. She…
A.F.&A.M. Forrest Lodge No. 19 · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Huntsville, home to Forrest Lodge No. 19, one of the oldest Masonic lodges in Texas, chartered way back in 1844. Early members included Sam Houston and Henderson Yoakum. The lodge's work brought…
Eastham-Thomason House · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past one of the oldest homes in Walker County, the Eastham-Thomason House. James H. Thomason built this place between 1859 and 1862, right before the Civil War. It's a Georgian-style home, and you can…
Walker County · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Walker County. Created, 1846, from Montgomery County. First named for Robert J. Walker, U.S. Senator; in Civil War, Samuel H.
The Gunfighter Who Left a Lawyer · 0.2 mi
One of the deadliest gunfighters of the Old West walked into the Huntsville prison as a convicted killer, and walked out a lawyer. Hardin entered in 1878 under a twenty-five-year sentence for killing a deputy sheriff.…
Where the Man in Black Started Playing Prisons · 0.2 mi
Long before the famous live album recorded behind bars in California, the man in black played his very first concert for prisoners right here in Huntsville. Texas Public Radio identifies a 1957 performance for inmates…
Eleven Days: The 1974 Prison Siege · 0.2 mi
For eleven days in the summer of 1974, the red-brick prison in downtown Huntsville became the scene of one of the longest hostage sieges in American history. A South Texas heroin kingpin named Fred Carrasco and two…
Live, From Inside the Walls · 0.2 mi
Starting in 1938, listeners across Texas tuned in every week to something genuinely strange and wonderful: a variety show broadcast live from inside the Huntsville prison. It was called Thirty Minutes Behind the Walls,…
Huntsville "Walls" Unit · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Huntsville 'Walls' Unit, the heart of Texas's prison system for over a century. The Republic of Texas wanted a prison back in 1842, but it took until 1848 for the state legislature to act.…
Gibbs Store · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Gibbs Store in Huntsville, Texas. Established way back in 1841, this place is the oldest business in Texas still owned by the same family and on its original site! The building you see, or at…
St. James United Methodist Church of Huntsville · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past a true cornerstone of Huntsville's history. Right here, shortly after the Civil War, this congregation organized to serve newly freed slaves. In 1868, worship began in the Union Church building on…
State Penitentiary C.S.A. and Texas Civil War Manufacturing · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Huntsville, where during the Civil War, this penitentiary wasn't just a prison. It was a factory! Inmates, slaves, and free men worked tirelessly in the textile mill, churning out millions of yards…
Huntsville Branch Railway, "Tilley's Tap" · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Huntsville Branch Railway, "Tilley's Tap". The Huntsville Branch Railway was a “Tap” rail line which was chartered as the Huntsville Branch Railway Company in 1871. Support of a…
Huntsville Spring · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
Hey road trippers, look to your right as you pass through Huntsville. This town owes its start to a natural spring discovered by Pleasant Gray back in 1835. Gray, who came from Kentucky, settled here on land granted by…
Site of Cumberland Presbyterian Church · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Huntsville, and right here is the site of the first church building ever constructed in town. In 1849, trustees bought this land for the Cumberland Presbyterian congregation. The sanctuary they…
Huntsville Item · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Huntsville, and right here is the birthplace of a Texas institution: the Huntsville Item newspaper. Founded back on August 20th, 1850, by English immigrant George Robinson, this paper has seen it…
Sam Houston · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
Born March 2, 1793, in Rockbridge County, Va.; son of Samuel and Elizabeth Houston. Moved to Tennessee in 1807 with widowed mother and her family. In 1813 joined U.S. Army under Gen. Andrew Jackson, with whom he formed…
Mr. Hamburger: The First Taste of Freedom · 0.3 mi
Mr. Hamburger has been flipping burgers in Huntsville since 1959, and what makes it more than just another long-running burger stand is where it sits: right across from the downtown Walls Unit, the state's oldest…
The Orator of the Plains' Last Window · 0.3 mi
Satanta was a towering Kiowa leader, so gifted a speaker that he was called the Orator of the Plains. After the long wars between the Kiowa and Texas settlers, he was imprisoned here at Huntsville. By 1878, after years…
The Lifer Who Owned the Rodeo · 0.3 mi
The Texas Prison Rodeo ran from 1931 to 1986 and drew enormous crowds to Huntsville for events so rough that some had been banned at ordinary rodeos. Its most dominant cowboy was an inmate named O'Neal Browning, who was…
John William Thomason Jr. · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Huntsville birthplace of John William Thomason Jr., a local kid who became a decorated Marine hero and a famous author. He fought in World War I, earning the Navy Cross for bravery at the Battle…
Oakwood Cemetery · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Oakwood Cemetery, a place that's been part of Huntsville since before Texas was even a state. As early as 1846, graves were being dug here. The town's founder, Pleasant Gray, officially deeded this…
The Huntsville Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1867 · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Huntsville, a town that faced a terrifying yellow fever epidemic in 1867. Arriving via a sick stagecoach passenger, the disease swept through, claiming about 10 percent of the town's population in…
Branch, Anthony Martin · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Walker County, passing the site where Anthony Martin Branch lived. Born in Virginia, he arrived in Texas in 1847, settling in Huntsville and practicing law. He served in the 8th Texas Legislature,…
Henderson Yoakum · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Huntsville home of Henderson Yoakum, a man who wore many hats. A West Point grad, he served on the frontier and fought in the Mexican War. After practicing law and serving in the Tennessee…
Andrew Female College · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Huntsville, and right here is the site of a pioneering institution for women's education in Texas: Andrew Female College. Established and chartered in 1853 by the Methodist Church, this college…
Wynne House · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Wynne House in Huntsville. Built in 1883 by Gustavus Adair and Samuella Gibbs Wynne, it started as a Queen Anne style home. By 1917, they'd transformed it into a classical revival structure with…
The Wildest Show Behind Bars · 0.4 mi
Launched in 1931 by prison general manager Marshall Lee Simmons as the nation's first prison rodeo, the Texas Prison Rodeo drew about 15,000 outsiders within two years, so officials built stands and charged admission.…
Joshua Houston · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of a remarkable life lived, right here in Huntsville. Joshua Houston was born into slavery around <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1822</say-as>, brought to Texas by Sam and Margaret…
Rogersville · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Rogersville, Huntsville's oldest African-American neighborhood. After the Civil War, Micajah Rogers sold land here, starting in 1866, to former slaves like Joshua Houston, Sam Houston's body servant.…
FarmHouse Cafe: Rolls, Chicken-Fry, and Pie · 0.4 mi
FarmHouse Cafe is the local comfort-food institution in Huntsville, a place people have leaned on for well over twenty years. The reputation rests on three things: the warm rolls and broccoli cornbread that hit the…
Site of Andrew Female College · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Huntsville, and right here is the site of the Andrew Female College. Founded in 1852, this was a vital place for women's education at a time when opportunities were scarce. It started in an old…
Pleasant Williams Kittrell · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the final resting place of Dr. Pleasant Williams Kittrell, a man who left a huge mark on Texas education. Born in North Carolina, he arrived in Texas in 1850 and quickly became a statesman. While…
Powell Sanctuary · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Powell Sanctuary. Benjamin Harrison Powell (1881-1960) was a successful lawyer in the area for fifteen years until he was appointed in 1918 by Governor Hobby as Judge of the 12th District Court and…
Besser, John Slater, General · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Walker County, passing the spot where General John Slater Besser made his Texas home. A Pennsylvanian by birth, Besser was already a brigadier general, legislator, and judge in Missouri before…
Ball, Thomas H. · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Andrew Female College in Huntsville, founded in 1852 by the Methodist Church. <break time="400ms"/> Its president and professor, Thomas Henry Ball, followed in his father's footsteps as a…
Pritchett House · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Pritchett House, a beautiful example of Folk Victorian architecture right here in Huntsville. Joseph Pritchett, a math professor at Sam Houston Normal Institute, and his wife Lenora moved here in…
First Missionary Baptist Church · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Huntsville's First Missionary Baptist Church. Organized in 1869 by Rev. J.J. Rhinehardt and 'Mother' Sarah Rolling, this congregation has deep roots in the community. It's said that this…
The Sons of Africa: Black Union Sailors Sent to the Walls · 0.5 mi
Huntsville's old state penitentiary, the Walls, holds a little-told Civil War chapter. Black sailors serving in the U.S. Navy, captured at the battles of Galveston and Sabine Pass, were separated from their white…
Original Site of The Steamboat House · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the original site of a house nicknamed 'The Steamboat House' in Huntsville. Built by Dr. Rufus Bailey in 1855, its double-decker design looked like a steamboat. Oddly, his own family never lived…
Steamboat House · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Steamboat House, built in 1858 as a wedding gift by Dr. Rufus Bailey. His son and his new wife hated it so much they refused to live here! But this unusual house became famous in 1863 as the…
First Baptist Church of Huntsville · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Huntsville, and right here is the First Baptist Church, organized way back in 1844. This church has some serious Texas history baked into its foundation. Think about it – it was organized by…
Parker, Jesse · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the final resting place of Jesse Parker, a man who arrived in Mexican Texas way back in 1822. A veteran of the War of 1812, Parker was active in early Texas politics, representing the Sabine District…
Peabody Library Building · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the old Peabody Library Building in Huntsville. Built in 1902, this was the very first campus structure in Texas dedicated solely to library use. Funded partly by George Peabody's post-Civil War…
"Old" Main Building · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of "Old" Main, the very first permanent building constructed by the state of Texas for teacher training. Its cornerstone was laid way back in 1889, with Governor L.S. Ross and former…
Sam Houston Memorial Museum · 0.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Huntsville, Texas, and right here is a place where history lives: the Sam Houston Memorial Museum. This historic site sits on land once owned by General Sam Houston himself, including his Woodland…
Steamboat House · 0.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Huntsville, Texas, where you can still see the Steamboat House, a place with a famous, and tragic, final chapter. Built in 1858, it got its nickname because it looked like a riverboat. But its…
Woodland (Huntsville, Texas) · 0.6 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Ever wanted to live like a president? For a little while, anyway? Drive by Woodland, where Sam Houston lived for over a decade. Sam Houston, the former president of the Republic of Texas, moved his family into Woodland…
Bishop Ward Normal and Collegiate Institute · 0.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Huntsville, where after slavery, African Americans fought for education. In 1883, Bishops Richard H. Cain and Thomas M.D. Ward, along with Reverend Charles W. Porter, founded the Bishop Ward…
Austin College Building · 0.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the oldest academic building in Texas still in use! This Greek Revival structure was built in 1851-52 as part of Austin College, founded by the Presbyterians in Huntsville back in 1849. Austin…
First Christian Church of Huntsville · 0.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Huntsville, and right here is the site of the First Christian Church. This congregation kicked off back in January of 1854, started by Joseph Addison Clark. He and his brother, Randolph, would go…
Austin Hall · 0.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Austin Hall. Austin Hall, the original building of Austin College, erected in 1851 and used continuously for educational purposes by Austin College to 1876, by a private academy from 1876 to 1879, by…
First United Methodist Church of Huntsville · 0.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Huntsville's First United Methodist Church. Methodists here were first served by traveling preachers way back in the 1840s. The first official pastor arrived in 1842, but it took until…
Emancipation Park · 0.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Emancipation Park in Huntsville, the site of one of the earliest Juneteenth celebrations in Texas. Juneteenth, marking the emancipation of Texas slaves on June 19, 1865, was first celebrated in homes…
Houston, Margaret Moffette Lea · 0.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Houston, Margaret Moffette Lea. (April 11, 1819 - December 3, 1867)Margaret Moffette Lea was born on her family's farm in Pleasant Valley, near Marion, Alabama. She graduated from Judson Female…
Boettcher House · 0.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Boettcher House in Huntsville, a beautiful example of Tudor bungalow architecture. Edward Boettcher, known as "Mr. Ed," arrived here in 1928 to start new logging operations in the East Texas…
First Presbyterian Church of Huntsville · 0.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Huntsville, and right here is the First Presbyterian Church, founded way back in June of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1848</say-as>. It started small, with just ten members and one…
Cowboy Boot House · 0.9 mi · Things to Do
A 35-foot-tall house shaped like a cowboy boot built from salvaged materials by artist Dan Phillips and completed in 2017. He added a matching…
Sam Houston Statue · 0.9 mi · Historical Marker
A 67-foot tall white concrete statue of Sam Houston along Interstate 45 in Huntsville, titled 'A Tribute to Courage.' It is the tallest statue of an American hero.
Houston, Sam · 1.0 mi · Historical Marker
General of the army which won the war for Texas Independence, 1836, and first President of the Republic, 1836-1838, Sam Houston was one of the most controversial and colorful figures in Texas history. In his eventful…
Site of Boettcher's Mill · 1.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Boettcher's Mill, a true lumber empire that shaped Huntsville. German immigrant Baldwin Boettcher started this operation in 1898, churning out 15,000 board feet of lumber daily from…
Josey Boy Scout Lodge · 1.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising through Huntsville, and you might just miss this historic spot. Look for the Josey Boy Scout Lodge, a sturdy log structure built back in 1933. It was a real community effort, with oilman Robert A. Josey…
The Goree Girls: Country Stars Behind Bars · 1.1 mi
In the 1940s, a group of women locked up at Huntsville's Goree Unit did something almost unheard of: they became radio stars. Eight of them formed the Goree All-Girl String Band. Most had little musical background, but…
The Letter That Corrected History · 1.2 mi
Up in Huntsville stands the Sam Houston Memorial Museum, where a historical interpreter named Richard Rice settled a question that had been wrong in the history books for over a century: which ankle Sam Houston…
Sam Houston's Last Stand · 1.2 mi
Sam Houston's story ends right here in Huntsville, and it ends on principle. In March of 1861, as Texas joined the Confederacy, the old hero who had won the state's independence refused to swear loyalty to the new…
The Cemetery for the Unclaimed · 1.2 mi
About a mile from the Walls Unit lies one of the most quietly moving places in Huntsville: Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery, the burial ground for prisoners whose bodies were never claimed by family. More than three thousand…
Southend Cemetery · 1.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Southend Cemetery, the last historic link to Huntsville's Flat neighborhood. In 1920, community leaders bought five acres to establish this African American burial ground, then called Pine Grove. It…
Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery · 1.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery, the final resting place for over 3,000 inmates who died in the Texas Prison System. The first inmate was buried here in the 1850s, and for a century, burials were…
George Washington Grant and Grant's Colony · 1.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Walker County, passing the site of Grant's Colony. George Washington Grant, a successful entrepreneur, founded this community in the late 1800s. He donated land for farmhouses, a meeting house,…
Baker, James Addison · 1.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Baker, James Addison. James Addison Baker was born to Jane Saxton and Elijah Adam Baker on March 3, 1821 near Huntsville, Alabama. He was admitted to the Bar in 1843 and wed Caroline Hightower in…
Kittrell, Pleasant Williams · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Pleasant Williams Kittrell, author of the bill to establish the University of Texas, son of Bryant and Mary (Norman) Kittrell, was born at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on April 13, 1805. At age thirteen he entered the…
Ellis, Oscar Byron · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Oscar Byron Ellis, prison administrator, was born in Oneonta, Alabama, on August 27, 1902, the son of school superintendent John Wesley Ellis. He lived at Cleveland, Alabama, during his youth and graduated from…
Houston, Joshua · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Joshua Houston, a servant of Sam Houston and an officeholder after the Civil War , was raised as a slave on Temple Lea's plantation in Marion, Perry County, Alabama. At his death in 1834 Lea left Joshua and his family…
Houston, Samuel Walker · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Walker County, near Huntsville, where Samuel Walker Houston, born into slavery right here in 1864, dedicated his life to education. After studying at top universities, he returned to Texas and…
Texas State Penitentiary At Huntsville · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Huntsville, the home of the Texas State Penitentiary, known back then as the Walls unit. Right here, back in 1848, lawmakers decided Texas needed its first enclosed prison for convicted felons.…
Sam Houston Memorial Museum · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
The Sam Houston Memorial Museum historic site is within the city limits of Huntsville, Texas. It occupies eighteen acres of the original farm of over 200 acres owned by Gen. Sam Houston and his family from 1847 until…
Steamboat House · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
The Steamboat House was built in Huntsville by Rufus W. Bailey , a professor of languages at Austin College. In 1855 Bailey bought from the college five acres located northeast of town and described in the deed records…
Harrelson, Charles Voyde · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
Charles Voyde Harrelson, convicted hit man, was born on July 23, 1938, in Huntsville, Texas, (other sources claim Lovelady in Houston County) to Voyd and Alma Lee (Sparks) Harrelson. His father was a farmer and later…
Abercrombie, James Smither · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through the heart of Texas oil country, and right here is where a legend got his start. James Smither Abercrombie, born in Huntsville, Texas, in 1891, was a true oilman and innovator. He began his career…
Baker, Daniel · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Liberty County, and you might be passing by the legacy of Daniel Baker. This Presbyterian minister arrived in Texas in 1840, hoping to claim land, but found himself swept up…
Baker, James Addison, Jr. · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Huntsville, the birthplace of James Addison Baker, Jr., a man who played a pivotal role in shaping Houston's early industry and a famous legal battle. Born here in 1857, Baker went on to become a…
Baker, James Addison, Sr. · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Huntsville, Texas, a town with a significant legal legacy. Right here, back in 1855, James Addison Baker was instrumental in establishing the very first law school in the entire state of Texas. He…
Ball, Thomas Henry · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, and right here in Huntsville, Texas, a man named Thomas Henry Ball got his start. He was a lawyer, a politician, and a big believer in the idea of a public port for Houston. Ball…
Crabb, Hillary Mercer · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Walker County, and right here is where a community got its start thanks to Hillary Mercer Crabb. Back in 1835, Crabb received title to over 4,000 acres near Huntsville. Almost immediately, a…
Gibbs, Sarah Elizabeth Smith · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Walker County, Texas, near Huntsville, and you might be passing by land once controlled by Sarah "Sallie" Gibbs. When her husband died in 1886, Sallie took over a fortune of over a quarter-million…
Goddin, Mortimer H. · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Walker County, maybe near Huntsville, and right here, Mortimer Goddin was a lightning rod during Reconstruction. A Radical Republican politician, he arrived in Polk County in 1856, but it was…
Goree, Elizabeth Thomas Nolley · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Huntsville, and right here is a place with a remarkable woman at its heart. Elizabeth Nolley Goree arrived in Huntsville in 1866, taking over as head of Andrew Female College after her sister died…
McGary, Austin · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Huntsville, the hometown of Austin McGary. He was a lawman, a minister, and a journalist, born right here in 1846. McGary served as sheriff of Madison County for nearly two terms, starting in…
Prison System · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving near Huntsville, the birthplace of Texas's state penitentiary system. Back in the late 1840s, Texas lawmakers finally decided on a central prison, after years of debate. They chose this spot, and…
Walker County Rebellion · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Walker County, near Huntsville, where in 1870, the murder of a freedman named Sam Jenkins ignited a rebellion against Reconstruction-era law enforcement. Jenkins had testified against several…
Williams, Richard · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Walker County, not far from Huntsville, where a remarkable man named Richard Williams once lived. Born into slavery in South Carolina around 1822, Williams arrived in Texas in 1856. He worked as a…
Yoakum, Henderson King · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Walker County, Texas, and right here is Huntsville, the town that Henderson King Yoakum called home. A lawyer, politician, and historian, Yoakum arrived in Texas in 1845, and quickly became a key…
Bush, Leonard Holmes · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Huntsville, a town with a long history tied to its state penitentiary. Right here, Dr. Leonard Holmes Bush served as the chief surgeon for the Texas Prison System for over two decades, starting in…
Huntsville, TX · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Huntsville, a city with roots stretching back to 1835. It all started as a trading post founded by brothers Pleasant and Ephraim Gray, who named it after their former home in Huntsville, Alabama.…
Gillaspie, James · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
James Gillaspie, prison superintendent and army officer in the Texas Revolution, the Mexican War, and the Civil War , son of William and Elizabeth Gillaspie, was born in Virginia on January 5, 1805. He traveled to Texas…
Abercrombie, Leonard Anderson · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Walker County, near Huntsville, where Leonard Anderson Abercrombie made his home. Abercrombie was a lawyer and a delegate to the Texas Secession Convention in 1861. When the Civil War broke out,…
Andrews, Carver Dana · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, maybe not far from where a Hollywood legend got his start. Carver Dana Andrews, known to movie fans as Dana Andrews, was born in Mississippi but his family settled here in Huntsville.…
Besser, John Slater · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Huntsville, Texas, a town that was home to John Slater Besser, a man who ran the Texas State Penitentiary here from 1852 to 1863. He's credited with drafting the rules for the prison and even…
Burr's Ferry · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Newton County, near the Sabine River, and right here is the site of Burr's Ferry. It was a vital crossing, especially on the Old Beef Trail running from Huntsville to Louisiana. But during the…
Carothers, Thomas · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Walker County, and right here in Huntsville, Thomas Carothers once ran the State Prison. <break time="400ms"/> He was the first master of the San Jacinto Masonic Lodge, served in the Second Texas…
Creath, Joseph Warner Dossey · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Milam County, Texas, near Cameron. Right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1846</say-as>, Joseph Warner Dossey Creath arrived as one of the very first missionaries commissioned by…
Goree, Thomas Jewett · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Huntsville, Texas, a place that saw Thomas Jewett Goree, a Confederate officer who served as aide-de-camp to General James Longstreet throughout the Civil War. He was in the thick of it, riding…
Grant, George W. · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Walker County, and right here is where George W. Grant had a big idea. Grant was a businessman and former soldier, but his real passion was education. Back in 1873, he wrote to the Texas…
Hume, Francis Charles · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Walker County right now, a place that was home to Francis Charles Hume. Born here in 1843, Hume answered the call to arms when the Civil War broke out, heading east to join the Confederate Army.…
Parker, Jesse · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what was once the wild Texas frontier, a land of opportunity and hardship. Right here, Jesse Parker, a veteran of the War of 1812, settled his family in 1822, farming a Spanish land grant near…
Randall, Edward, Sr. · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Huntsville, Texas, the birthplace of Dr. Edward Randall, Sr. Born in 1860, Randall's path to becoming a leading physician and educator was shaped by his uncle, also a doctor in Galveston. After…
Robinson, William · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what was once Robinson's Settlement, eight miles south of Huntsville. This was home to William 'Old William' Robinson, an early Texas pioneer who arrived in the 1820s. He was a delegate at the…
Rountree, Leonidas C. [Lee] · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Walker County, and right here in Huntsville, you're passing by the legacy of Leonidas C. Rountree, known as Lee. He wasn't just a tavern owner who inherited the Keenan House here in 1850; he was a…
Smither, Robert Goodloe · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Walker County, not far from Huntsville, where you can imagine Robert Goodloe Smither setting up his mercantile business in the early 1830s. But when the Texas Revolution heated up, Smither traded…
Walker County · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Walker County, a place with a name that almost wasn't. It was first named for Robert J. Walker, a key figure in Texas annexation. But during the Civil War, his Unionist stance made him unpopular,…
Wiley, Andrew P. · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Walker County, and right here in Huntsville, you were passing through the life of Andrew P. Wiley. He arrived in Texas in 1845, a lawyer from Georgia, and quickly became a prominent figure. Wiley…
Angier, Eugene Luther · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Huntsville, home of Dr. Eugene Luther Angier. He practiced medicine here for over twenty years, earning a reputation for accurate diagnoses and for staying by his patients' bedside until the very…
Baines, George Washington, Sr. · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
George Washington Baines, Baptist pastor, teacher, and editor, was born near Raleigh, North Carolina, on December 29, 1809, the eldest son of Thomas and Mary (McCoy) Baines. He was third in a line of four generations of…
Boynton, Edwin Curtis · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Huntsville, a town that was home to Edwin Curtis Boynton, a prominent minister of the Christian Church. He first came to Huntsville in March of 1899, taking the pulpit at the First Christian…
Estill, Mary Sexton · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Huntsville, Texas, a town that remembers Mary Sexton Estill. Born here in 1901, she became a teacher and author who championed a vital cause: integration. Estill founded the first…
Henry, John Lane · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, maybe not far from where John Lane Henry built a significant career. Born in Virginia in 1831, Henry came to Huntsville in 1852, read law, and was admitted to the bar just three years…
McKinney, Andrew Todd · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Huntsville, Texas, a town that owes much of its educational legacy to Andrew Todd McKinney. He returned here after serving in the Confederate Army, and by 1866, he was practicing law. But McKinney…
Randolph, Jeremiah · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Walker County, near Huntsville. Right here, Jeremiah Randolph was a craftsman and businessman who also served in the Ninth Texas Legislature. He moved his family from Alabama in 1852, settling…
Wilson, Logan · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving past Huntsville, Texas, the hometown of Logan Wilson. He was born here in 1907 and went on to become a prominent educator. His most impactful years were spent as president of the University of Texas in…
Wilson, Samuel Calhoun · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Walker County, near Huntsville, where Samuel Calhoun Wilson spent his life. Born in 1877, he became a key figure at Sam Houston Normal Institute, dedicating 29 years to its agriculture department.…
Bush, Leonard Ewing · 1.6 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Huntsville, the hometown of Dr. Leonard Ewing Bush. Born here in 1902, he followed in his physician father's footsteps, earning his medical degree from Tulane. After practicing in Houston, Dr.…
Cincinnati, TX · 1.8 mi · Tsha Handbook
Cincinnati, on the Trinity River in northern Walker County, was a riverport and an important ferry crossing during much of the nineteenth century. The settlement was founded in 1837 by James C. DeWitt and surveyed in…
Country Campus, TX · 1.8 mi · Tsha Handbook
Country Campus, on State Highway 19 some twelve miles northeast of Huntsville in northeastern Walker County, was established during World War II . The community was begun in 1942 as a German prisoners of war camp with a…
Grant's Colony, TX · 1.8 mi · Tsha Handbook
Grant's Colony was five miles east of Huntsville in central Walker County. It was named for its benefactor, George Washington Grant of Walker County, who planned a model farming community at the site. During the Civil…
Waverly, TX · 1.8 mi · Tsha Handbook
Waverly, also known as Old Waverly, was originally located in southeastern Walker County. James W. Winters, the first settler, came from Alabama in 1835 and cleared farmland and built a home. He was joined by the…
Dodge, TX (Walker County) · 1.8 mi · Tsha Handbook
Dodge, on Farm Road 405 a mile north of U.S. Highway 190 and ten miles east of Huntsville in eastern Walker County, was founded in 1872 on land granted to the Houston and Great Northern Railroad by William H. Parmer…
Elmina, TX · 1.8 mi · Tsha Handbook
Elmina was on U.S. Highway 75 some twelve miles southeast of Huntsville in Walker County. It is believed that the town was named for the El Mina Masonic Temple in Galveston. The settlement started out in 1870 as a…
Martha's Chapel, TX · 1.8 mi · Tsha Handbook
Martha's Chapel, a church community also known as Johnson's Chapel, Trinity Church, and Robinson's Settlement, was seven miles southwest of Huntsville in south central Walker County. The site is on an unimproved road…
Caney Creek (Walker County) · 1.8 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Walker County, near the headwaters of Caney Creek. This stream, rising just northwest of New Waverly, has seen settlements pop up along its banks for over a century. In the late 1860s, what is now…
Carolina Creek · 1.8 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Walker County, near the Sam Houston National Forest. Right here, the waters of Carolina Creek once flowed. This spring-fed stream was the heart of several early Texas communities, starting with…
The Woods Could Not Hold Him · 2.0 mi
The Wynne Unit north of Huntsville is where the story of Frank Digges ends. In 1986 Digges was a paroled killer who led lawmen from three counties on a manhunt through the pines south of here, and it finished with…
William Luther Dean · 3.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Huntsville home of William Luther Dean, a powerful Texas politician. He served in the Texas House and Senate, and even presided over the impeachment trial of Governor James E. Ferguson. Dean also…
Jasper Missionary Baptist Church · 3.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Jasper Missionary Baptist Church, founded in 1870. It was one of the first African American churches in Walker County, starting under a brush arbor. The church quickly became a center for…
Clapp Cemetery · 3.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Clapp Cemetery, established in 1853. Local tradition says this place was created specifically to ensure people of mixed Native American and pioneer heritage had a final resting place, preventing them…
The Body Farm: Where Death Becomes Data · 3.7 mi
Here is the science angle that fits Huntsville perfectly. Sam Houston State University runs an outdoor forensic research facility, the kind researchers call a body farm. On a wooded tract northwest of town, scientists…
Demon's Road & Martha Chapel Cemetery · 4.0 mi
You're approaching Bowden Road — locals call it Demon's Road, arguably the most haunted stretch of pavement in Texas. Methodist settlers established this area in the 1830s under Reverend Littleton Fowler. In 1854,…
Crabb, Hillary Mercer · 4.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Crabb's Prairie, named for Hillary Mercer Crabb. He came to Texas from Georgia in 1830, serving in the Texas militia and fighting in the 1832 Battle of Nacogdoches. By 1835, he owned land…
The Hometown Kid Who Built the Giant · 4.8 mi
'A Tribute to Courage,' the 67-foot Sam Houston on a 10-foot sunset-granite base beside I-45 at Huntsville (77 feet total, dedicated October 22, 1994), is built from five layers of concrete over steel mesh on a welded…
Sam Houston Statue · 4.9 mi · Historical Marker
The sixty-seven-foot figure rising above the pine trees ahead of you is Sam Houston, cast in concrete and steel by sculptor David Adickes and unveiled in 1994. It is the tallest statue of an American hero in the United…
Sam Houston Statue · 4.9 mi · Historical Marker
If you are driving north on Interstate 45 toward Dallas, somewhere around Huntsville a 67-foot white concrete Sam Houston materializes above the tree line, leaning on his cane. It is the tallest statue of an American…
Behind the 'Walls' · 5.0 mi
As you near downtown Huntsville, you can't miss the imposing red brick structure of the Huntsville Unit, known universally as 'The Walls.' Opened in 1849, it is the oldest prison in Texas and the very heart of the…
Texas Prison Rodeo · 5.0 mi
Every Sunday in October, for fifty-five years, the toughest ticket in East Texas was outside the walls of the Huntsville Unit. The Texas Prison Rodeo started in 1931 — a prison manager's idea to fix the system's…
The House That Looks Like a Boat · 5.0 mi
One of the strangest houses in Texas sits right here in Huntsville. It's called the Steamboat House, and you'll find it on the grounds of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum. Dr. Rufus W. Bailey built it in 1858 — not a…
Peckerwood Hill: The Prison Cemetery · 5.0 mi
Tucked into the east side of Huntsville, about a mile southeast of the Walls Unit on Bowers Boulevard, lies one of the most somber places in Texas: the Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery. For generations, inmates called it…
The Science of a Working Forest · 5.0 mi
As you drive through the tall pines surrounding Huntsville, you’re in the Sam Houston National Forest, but this isn't an untouched wilderness—it’s a massive, ongoing science project. By the early 1900s, commercial…
Huntsville, TX · 5.0 mi
Huntsville's history is deeply intertwined with the life of Sam Houston, a prominent figure in American history. Houston, who served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas, Governor of Texas, and U.S.…
Harmony Grove Missionary Baptist Church · 5.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Harmony Grove Missionary Baptist Church, a pillar of the Pine Prairie community near Huntsville for over a century. Founded in 1871 when local businessman William Koehl donated land, this…
Sam Houston Industrial and Training School · 5.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Sam Houston Industrial and Training School, a testament to the power of education for African Americans in post-Civil War Texas. Following the Civil War, Texas promised a public…
Near Gravesite of_Mark Manning · 6.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Crabbs Prairie area, home to a remarkable Texan who lived a long, full life. Mark Manning served in the American Revolution, fighting for independence from North Carolina. After living in South…
Jardine-Browne House · 6.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Jardine-Browne House, a home that grew with a Texas family. The story starts back in 1849 when Robert and Jane Jardine Browne built their first cabin here. This land was part of a…
Martha's Chapel · 7.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Walker County, near where Methodism took root in Southeast Texas way back in the early 1830s. This spot, Robinson's settlement, became a hub with a campground, church, and school by 1839. It was…
Henderson Yoakum Homesite · 7.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the homesite of Henderson Yoakum, a soldier and politician who arrived in Texas in 1845. In 1847, he bought land near Huntsville and built his home right here. While practicing law and teaching,…
Cook Springs Baptist Church · 7.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Walker County, and right here is the site of Cook Springs Baptist Church. Baptists first gathered here in 1901, holding services a couple miles northwest. Brother Elisha E. Day, pastor of the…
Black Jack Methodist Church · 7.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising through Walker County, and right here is the site of the historic Black Jack Methodist Church. Organized way back in 1871, this congregation built its first sanctuary about four miles west of here. They…
Ebenezer Cemetery · 7.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Ebenezer Cemetery, organized in 1854 on land donated by the McGary family along an old stagecoach road. Richard Pace, the first pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, is buried here, and the earliest…
Akin Hill · 7.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Akin Hill, a landmark on the old Colony Road. Thomas Akin, a horse trader and singing teacher, settled here in 1854 with his wife Ruth. While Thomas served as a courier for Confederate General John…
East Fork of the San Jacinto River · 9.1 mi
The East Fork of the San Jacinto River runs sixty-nine miles southeast out of the piney woods near Dodge, in Walker County, down to Lake Houston, where it meets the West Fork. The San Jacinto name honors Saint Hyacinth,…
Dodge · 9.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Dodge, a town born from the railroad. Back in 1872, the Houston and Great Northern Railroad laid tracks right here. W.J. Johnson donated land, but only if they built a station. So, a new…
Camp Huntsville, World War II Prisoner of War Camp · 9.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Camp Huntsville, a World War II prisoner of war camp completed right here in 1942. It was one of the very first POW camps built in the United States during the war. Designed for 3,000…
Union Hill Church · 9.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Walker County, and you might be passing the site of Union Hill Church, though it's better known by its quirky local nickname: Possum Walk. Back in 1872, this community got its start when W.L.…
Bath Cemetery · 9.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Bath Cemetery, also known as Possum Walk. Established in the 1870s, it's the final resting place for generations of this community. The earliest marked grave belongs to William Arnold, who died in…
East Sandy Community · 9.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the former heart of the East Sandy community, settled by the Sandel and Powell families in the 1850s. They came from Mississippi, bringing their Methodist faith with them. Reverend Peter Sandel…
Cunningham, Minnie Fisher · 11.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Walker County, and right here is the story of Minnie Fisher Cunningham, a true Texas trailblazer. Born in 1882, she earned her pharmacy degree way back in 1901. But Minnie's real passion was…
Elijah Collard · 12.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the resting place of Elijah Collard, a man who saw action in two wars and helped shape early Texas. Born in Virginia in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1778</say-as>, Collard fought in the War…
Ebenezer Baptist Church · 12.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Ebenezer Baptist Church, a congregation with roots going all the way back to 1854. Organized by pastors from Huntsville, its first minister was Richard Pace, a true pioneer preacher.…
Bethea Creek · 12.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Walker County, and that creek you just crossed? It's named Bethea Creek. The Bethea family, John and Elizabeth, were early settlers here, arriving in the 1830s. John was more than just a farmer;…
When the River Became a Lake · 12.5 mi
Look around Riverside, and you’ll feel the presence of water. But for the town’s first century, that water was just the flowing Trinity River. Everything changed in the 1960s. Downstream, the Trinity River Authority…
A floodplain forest becomes an aquatic habitat · 12.5 mi
The massive body of water just south of Riverside, Lake Livingston, isn’t a natural feature. It’s a feat of civil engineering designed to solve one of Texas’s biggest problems: water supply. Built between 1966 and 1969,…
The Town the Train Built · 12.5 mi
As you cross the railroad tracks in Riverside, take a second to realize you're crossing the town's whole reason for being. Before 1872 this was undeveloped land on the west bank of the Trinity River, thirteen miles…
Riverside, TX · 12.5 mi
Riverside has always been a place shaped by the Trinity River. It gave the town its name, and it’s always been both a blessing and a challenge. We're all aware of the old stories of the big flood way back when, but just…
From Ferry to Freeway · 12.5 mi
The bridge you cross over the Trinity near Riverside is the newest chapter in a long story of connection. Riverside itself was put here by transportation: the Houston and Great Northern Railroad founded the town on the…
Barker, Eugene Campbell · 12.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Walker County, just outside Riverside, where Eugene Campbell Barker was born in 1874. He wasn't born into wealth, starting his career as a blacksmith after his father died. But Barker's real…
Riverside, TX (Walker County) · 12.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Riverside, a town born from the railroad and the river. Back in 1872, the Houston and Great Northern Railroad laid tracks and founded this spot right on the west bank of the Trinity River. Its…
Riverside · 12.8 mi · Historical Marker
Hey road trippers! You're cruising through Walker County, passing the spot where the town of Riverside sprang to life. Back in 1872, landowners here donated land, timber, and rock to get the Houston & Great Northern…
Broyles Chapel Missionary Baptist Church · 12.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving near Riverside, and look to your right for the site of Broyles Chapel. Following the Civil War, James Broyles, a local businessman, donated land for an African American church. It was named Broyles…
Boswell Baptist Church · 12.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Boswell Baptist Church, organized right here in the rural Boswell community back on November 26th, 1881. Nine folks gathered in a log schoolhouse to start the church, with Reverend T.E.…
Riverside Swinging Bridge · 13.0 mi · Scraped Hmdb
You're near a real piece of Texas railroad history: the Riverside Swinging Bridge. Back in 1904, the International and Great Northern Railroad built this bridge to carry trains across the Trinity River, connecting…
Samuel Calhoun Cemetery · 13.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the resting place of Samuel Calhoun, a man who saw a century of American history unfold. Born in South Carolina in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1788</say-as>, Calhoun served as a Captain of…
Site of Cincinnati · 13.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Cincinnati, a town that once thrived on the Trinity River. Founded in 1838 by James C. De Witt, this was an important shipping point, bustling with activity. But by 1853, Cincinnati was…

Explore Huntsville on the Map

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Huntsville, Texas

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Rivers & Roads in Song near Huntsville

Musical Heritage

The Goree Girls on the Radio RoadyGoat

Where the Man in Black Started Playing Prisons RoadyGoat

Live, From Inside the Walls RoadyGoat

The Goree Girls: Country Stars Behind Bars RoadyGoat

History of Huntsville

Old Sparky and Centralized Execution RoadyGoat

Eleven Days in Hell RoadyGoat

From Convict Leasing to Prison Industry RoadyGoat

Sam Houston

Houston, Sam

Kittrell, Pleasant Williams

Texas Prison Rodeo Arena - Huntsville

Ellis, Oscar Byron

Houston, Joshua

Things to Do in Huntsville

Everything Near Huntsville

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