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Autrey-Williams House The home of several leading Newton County businessmen, this house was constructed in 1912 by turpentine producer L. M. Autrey. In 1918 he sold it to N. A. Dawson, a road contractor. From 1923 to 1979 it was the home of lumberman and civic leader Thomas Williams and his family. Built of long-leaf pine lumber, it was modeled after the Malbis Plantation near Mobile, Alabama, and features characteristics of the classical and Victorian styles. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark 1980 |
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Belgrade Site of an early riverport. Founded in 1839 and laid out by William McFarland and Thomas McFarland. Texas Centennial Marker 1936 |
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Biloxi Community Settlement of this area began in the early 19th Century, as people moved into Texas from the Southern United States. A post office was established in 1849, and continued settlement resulted in the building of homes, businesses, schools, and churches. Many former slaves established homes here following the Civil War. Biloxi Colored Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E.) Church began meeting informally in 1870, and Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church began in 1921. Biloxi Evergreen Cemetery dates to the 1880s. Biloxi continues to be an important part of Newton County. Texas Historical Marker 1989 |
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Bleakwood Cemetery Pioneers who settled the Bleakwood community after the Civil War
established thriving mill and cotton gin businesses. Mill-owner Reuben
Bennington donated an acre of land for this cemetery to serve area residents.
The oldest marked grave, that of Doulie Lee, is dated Jan. 24, 1871. In 1940
J. K. Wilson gave an additional acre of land to the cemetery in memory of his
wife Minnie Lee. Veterans of wars from the Civil War to the Korean War are
buried here. The graves are given full care by the Bleakwood Cemetery
Association, incorporated in 1975. Incise on base: In memory of J. K. and
Sarah Minnie Wilson by their children. |
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William Blewett & Company Site (1830-1862) Georgia native William Blewett came to Texas with his family in 1849. They settled first in Jasper County, where he was district surveyor about 1853. He married a cousin, Nancy Adams; they later became the parents of 6 children. In 1858 they moved to Newton and William opened the Blewett & Company Mercantile near this site with his cousin Adam Adams. When the Civil War broke out, Blewett was a leader in organizing a company of local volunteers that became part of Company G, 13th Texas Cavalry. He served as a captain and died in Arkansas in 1862. (1997) Incise on base: Donated by Blewett Descendants Texas Historical Marker 1997 |
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Blum Male and Female College Chartered February 26, 1880, by 36 incorporators; named for Leon Blum, Galveston merchant, largest holder in $20,000 capital stock -- $5 per share. First directors were: R. J. Brailsford, H. J. Casey, W. W. Downs, W. A. Droddy, T. W. Ford, M. D. Hines; First president was Joseph Syler. Pupils ranged in age from 5 to 50 years; those under 12 met in downstairs of 2-story building; older pupils and adults met upstairs. Average enrollment per term was 100 resident and boarding pupils. School "took up" at 8 a.m.; closed at 4:30 p.m. Students entered and left school by lining up -- boys on one side and girls on the other -- a division which continued inside the school room. Lessons were recited on a recitation bench; all tests were oral, often an occasion for community gathering. Subjects offered besides the 3 R's were: philosophy, Latin, grammar, algebra, history, geometry, rhetoric, and geography. Friday afternoons were devoted to spelling matches, recitations. A well in school yard furnished water; most students brought lunch from home in a tin bucket which was covered with a lid ventilated by nail holes. Soon was called Burkeville School, and after expiration of College Charter on February 20, 1905, the building served that purpose until torn down in 1912. Texas Historical Marker 1967 |
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Bon Wier Community W. H. Stark settled here in 1836 and established a ferry and warehouse business on the Sabine River known as Stark's Landing. It served as a wharf for steamboats and a point from which large quantities of timber were rafted to sawmills down river. Development in this area began after T. J. Trotti established a company logging town nearby in 1898. The Trotti Sawmill gained access to the railroad when the Jasper and Eastern Railroad extended track through here in 1905. The Santa Fe Townsite Company platted a town here in 1906 named Bon Wier for Kirby Lumber Company officials B. F. Bonner and R. W. Wier. T. A. Campbell's General Store, established in 1905, served as an unofficial town center for decades. Bon Wier was granted a post office in 1907. About 1912 T. M. Hughes built a sizeable sawmill which began a Hughes family lumber business which continues today. Bon Wier's Sabine River Bridge was completed in 1931. A number of mills, established along the Sabine River in or near Bon Wier, helped to sustain the town's economy. Bon Wier boasted several stores and its own school system until 1956. Although lumber activity continues in the area, Bon Wier is supported by a thriving farm, market, and commercial river economy. Texas Historical Marker 1994 |
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Bonner Cemetery Thomas Bonner (1833-1891) moved from Mississippi to Texas in the early 1850s. He married Eliza Jane Rutledge (d.1910) in 1855 and settled on the banks of the Sabine River. They became the parents of 13 children. The first recorded burial in this family cemetery is that of infant Lenora J. Bonner in 1861. The site contains eight graves. The Temple Inland Company purchased land including this graveyard in 1926. The cemetery is maintained by descendants of the Bonner family. Texas Historical Marker 1997 |
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Colonel John R. Burke Home Site A few feet west of this marker was built, 1845, first home in Burkeville, by founder of the town, donor of land for Newton County Courthouse; friend of Andrew Jackson and Sam Houston; an 1853-55 member of Texas Legislature. Burke died in 1855. heart pine house, razed in 1947, was rebuilt elsewhere. Texas Historical Marker 1965 |
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Burkeville Church of God The Church of God reformation began in Indiana in 1881 as a Christian unity movement opposed to undue organization. This congregation, founded in 1901, is the oldest known Church of God fellowship in the state. Alice McAlfin, a teacher in the Pine Knot School (4 miles NE), brought information about the Church of God from Leesville, Louisiana. Several area residents, including John Cousins, Jim Smith, and Will Smith, began attending the services. With their leadership the Burkeville congregation was established. Services were first conducted in the Pine Knot Schoolhouse. Annual summer camp meetings, often lasting several weeks, were held in a tent on the banks of McGraw Creek (3.5 Miles NE). Since services were held three times each day, family camps were set up on the banks of the creek. A wooden house was constructed for use by the preachers. A nearby water mill regulated the level of the creek, allowing it to be used for baptisms year-round. Members built a wooden tabernacle on the creek site that was used until 1927 when the congregation moved to a new tabernacle in south Burkeville. A wooden sanctuary, constructed at the present site in 1944, was replaced by the current edifice in 1973. Texas Historical Marker 1980 |
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Original Site Burkeville Methodist Church In 1850 John R. and Mary W. Burke sold for one dollar to the local Methodist Episcopal Church, South, a tract of land at this site for a church building and cemetery. The oldest known grave here is that of Burke (d.1855), a Roman Catholic who founded Burkeville. In that era, circuit riders served the congregation, which included both black and white worshipers. A simple frame church with bell tower and steeple erected here doubled as a schoolhouse in the 1870s and served all faiths as a funeral chapel. The structure was removed from this site in 1948. Texas Historical Marker 1977 |
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Burr's Ferry Bridge U.S. Works Program Listed National Register |
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Burrs Ferry An important communications point between Texas and the United States, especially during settlement era of early 1800's. Named for Dr. Timothy Burr (1790-1852), second cousin of U. S. Vice President Aaron Burr. Dr. Burr is said to have come to the Sabine area in 1809, but moved his family down from Ohio in 1820's. He practiced medicine from home plantation on the Sabine. Family operated the ferry in the 1840's. Town of Burr's Ferry grew up on east side of the river. This crossing (earlier called Hickman's Ferry) gave pioneers the means to enter Texas with their stock, household goods, and other property. It was one of four main points of entry on Texas-Louisiana border. Besides the famous El Camino Real (King's Highway) from Natchitoches, other entry roads were the "Upper" route, from present-day Shreveport; "Lower" route, from Opelousas; and this one, called "The Old Beef Trail" because it was used to drive thousands of cattle from Texas to Alexandria for shipment to such cities as New Orleans, as early as the 1820's and 30's. This crossing was considered strategic in 1860's, during the Civil War. Breastworks were built on east bank, and timber cleared here on west bank, in effort to guard against Federal invasions. Texas Historical Marker 1968 |
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Cade Building To create jobs and bring county services nearer to residents of this area, Newton County officials provided materials and the U.S. Work Projects Administration (WPA) the funds to pay laborers to construct this building in 1940-41. Named for Harriet Trotti Cade who donated land for the project, it served as a sub-courthouse and Town Hall. The Cade building and rock wall were built with hand-shaped native sandstone and lumber milled in nearby Wiergate. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark 1993 |
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Call Church of God In Christ Site The Call Church of God in Christ was established in 1915 under the leadership of Elder W. G. Law. Land for a church building was deeded by A. C. and Coella Armstrong in 1935. The name of the church was changed to Call Community Center Church of God in Christ in 1948. Over time improvements have up-dated the sanctuary. In 1955-56 the congregation hosted a district meeting for its parent church organization. The congregation supports domestic and foreign missionary work, provides traditional spiritual programs for its members, and continues to serve the area. (1997) Incise on base: A group of dedicated women were the early workers. Texas Historical Marker 1997 |
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Call Community One of many lumber towns once prevalent in East Texas, the town of Call began in 1895-96 with the construction of a sawmill by George H. Adams and Dennis Call, Jr., for whom it was named. The town soon included a post office, company store, company housing, community hall, school, and church. Adams and Call leased the mill to the Industrial Lumber Company in 1898. An 1899 fire caused extensive damage, but the mill soon was rebuilt. It was purchased by the Kirby Lumber Company in 1901, and the subsequent expansion in operations brought more families to the mill town. After another fire in 1924 the mill was rebuilt as a hardwood plant. Call survived the Great Depression despite the closing of the mill. Families were allowed to remain in company housing, a local doctor supplied them with rice from his farm, and Federal works projects brought needed jobs to displaced mill workers. The mill eventually was reorganized and was declared an essential defense industry during World War II, employing women for the first time. After the war the Kirby Company consolidated its East Texas mills. The Call Mill closed in 1953, and The town's buildings were dismantled and moved. Texas Historical Marker 1995 |
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Deweyville Original site, called "Possum Bluff," was purchased with a team of oxen by Pierre Lavine from Bill Morrison, 1886. Town was renamed for Admiral George Dewey during Spanish-American War. Leading industry, sawmill, was built by Sabine Tram Co., 1897; and was owned 1919-1943 by Peavy-Moore Lumber Co. Texas Historical Marker 1967 |
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Farr’s Chapel Cemetery Located in the yard of a Methodist church founded in 1868 by Alfred Farr, this cemetery contains more than 150 tombstones placed since the 1850s and 1860s. The first grave, that of Mollie Westbrook, is marked by a rock that bears no date. Land for the cemetery was given in 1873 by Joshua and Matilda Westbrook and in 1892 by William and Mary Westbrook. War veterans, county officials, and early preachers, including the Rev. R. M. Stewart and B. Z. Powell, are buried here. The graveyard is maintained in the "scraped" style, in which all grass is removed from the graves. Texas Historical Marker 1984 |
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Farrsville Community In the 1830s, this area was part of the Lorenzo De Zavala land grant. One of the early settlers was American Revolutionary War veteran Thomas C. Holmes. Once called Farr's Mill, the community was named for Alfred Farr, who established nearby Farr's Chapel Methodist Church. Before the Civil War large plantations stood along the military and stagecoach road. A water mill, grist mill, cotton gin, sawmill and tannery made this a major trade center. Farrsville Post Office operated until 1948. After consolidation with the Burkeville District, the schoolhouse became a Union Church. Texas Historical Marker 1966 |
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First Baptist Church of Newton The earliest record of this congregation dates to 1861, when the Newton Baptist Church with a membership of about 35 was accepted into the Bethlehem Association. The first known pastor was the Rev. R. F. Fancher. Baptisms were held in Caney Creek. The fellowship built its first sanctuary about 1882 near the corner of Court and Rusk streets, but has worshiped at the present site since 1949. The name First Baptist Church was adopted in 1915. The congregation is a significant part of the religious heritage of Newton County. 1836-1986 Texas Sesquicentennial Marker 1986 |
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First Courthouse Site of Newton County County organized in 1846. Seat of Justice not established until two years later by public subscription. A building was erected here in 1848 on land donated by John R. Burke for whom the town received its name. Newton became the county seat in 1853. Texas Centennial Marker 1936 |
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Ford Chapel Cemetery and School The family of John H. and Margaret Ford came to Texas prior to 1880. Establishing farms and homes, the family helped settle this area of Newton County. A community cemetery was begun on the land of J. D. and Ida J. Ford. Although the cemetery contains some unmarked graves, the earliest documented burial is that of Promontory Inez Ford (1877-1880), daughter of J. D. and Ida Ford. Originally kept as a scraped earth cemetery, the graveyard was later planted with grass. Northwest of the cemetery is the site of the Ford Community School. Organized in 1893, the school was housed in a one-room log building. It became a part of the Newton Independent School District in 1929-30, and area students traveled to Newton for classes. A wooden frame structure was erected northeast of the cemetery in 1910 to serve as a place of worship for the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Although regular worship services were discontinued in the 1930s, the chapel remained on its original site. The Ford Chapel and Cemetery Association, organized in 1961, maintains the cemetery as well as the Chapel and School Site. Texas Historical Marker 1988 |
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W. H. Ford Male and Female College Formerly W. H. Ford Male & Female College (1889-1906). Named for secretary of the Southwest College Company. President Joseph Syler and his wife were the teachers. High-school level, as were many early Texas "colleges"; founded for the public good, by private donors. After the college closed, this heart pine building was for 2 years part of the Newton schools, then was moved to Courthouse Square. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark 1965 |
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Garlington Cemetery Laid to rest here are Benjamin Garlington (c. 1793-1870), his wife Caroline Cynthia (Vick) Garlington (c. 1804-1887), an unidentified laborer who worked for them, and three others whose identities are unknown. This site is East on 320 acres that Benjamin received in 1857 as a bounty for his service in the War of 1812 in which he was listed as a private and musician in the Mississippi Malitia. He later served this area and adjacent parishes in Louisiana Primitive Baptist Preacher. Concerned descendants have rallied to honor and preserve the memory of this pioneer family of Newton County. Historic Texas Cemetery Marker 2001 Hwy 87 North |
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Howell Cemetery The family of James William (1805-1876) and Louisa Cheshire (1816-1899) Howell came to this area from Alabama in 1872. Family members bought adjoining land, and the settlement, named Howell, was granted a post office in 1889. One Howell son, Marmaduke, introduced the concept of terrace farming to Texas in 1882. A one-acre plot of land was designated a cemetery in 1876. The oldest marked grave is that of a Howell grandson, Robert Lee Howell (1871-1875). The cemetery was deeded to Howell descendants by one of James and Louisa's sons in 1914. Texas Sesquicentennial Marker 1836-1986 |
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Josephus S. Irvine Gravestone Star and Wreath Josephus S. Irvine (Marked dedicated April 21, 1963 at the grave site) |
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McFarland-Wilson Cemetery According to McFarland Family Tradition, Colonel Thomas S. McFarland established this site as a family cemetery about 1840. Thomas and his father William McFarland held prominent military and political positions in the Republic of Texas. The earliest recorded burial here was that of Fabrina McFarland in 1890. Property containing this graveyard was conveyed by R. E. McFarland, Thomas' son, to Thomas S. Wilson in 1889. The first Wilson family member buried here was E. V. Wilson in 1891. The cemetery is maintained by descendants of persons buried here. Texas Historical Marker 1993 |
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Newton County Formed from Jasper County; created April 22,
1846, organized July 13, 1846. Named in honor of Sergeant John Newton,
1752-1807. Hero of the American Revolution. County seat, Newton, 1846;
Burkeville, 1848; Newton, since 1853. Texas Centennial Marker 1936 |
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Newton County Courthouse This Courthouse was preceded by one built in Burkeville in 1848, and another erected on this public square in 1853. It is a Second Empire style edifice, with an unusual truncated clock tower, mansard roof, and corner quoins, built in 1902-03 by contractors Martin & Moody of Comanche; from brick made on nearby Caney Creek. The interior was altered in 1910 and 1925, and the jail added in 1936. Restored in 1972-73. Almost destroyed by fire 8 Aug 2000. Restoration in progress 2001. Texas Historic Landmark - 1974 Listed National Register |
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Newton County C.S.A. Supply and military center in the Civil War. Target area for Federals trying to move up the Sabine or across Louisiana and take Texas. Confederates built breastworks and maintained arsenal at Burkeville. Major supply route, "The Old Beef Trail", begun 1823 through area later Newton County. Was a road taken by thousands of cattle being sent from Texas to feed armies and civilians as far eastward as Mobile, Ala. Sabine ferries were equipped with cattle pens: Also ferrymen kept oxen trained to lead herds swimming across the river. Some local beef went eastward, too. Farrsville, a town founded about 1850 on Cow Creek, had a military campground and corrals furnishing fresh stagecoach teams. Its tanning vats and shops made boots and shoes for the Confederacy. Its water mills ground corn for bread, sawed lumber, ginned cotton-- products used in supplying the South. The commissioners court made appropriations to outfit military units (buying horses for men unable to furnish their own), aid dependent families, and supply the people with cotton cards to turn the lint into batts for spinning, weaving and knitting. The county, which had voted 178 to 3 for secession, sent about 400 soldiers into the Confederate army. Texas Historical Marker 1965 |
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The Old Beef Road Early 19th century trade routes across the Sabine River were few, and served all travelers and traders. The Beef Road, which replaced earlier "Zavala Road", was an important route by 1840, crossing this area. Named for cattle trade, it began in Huntsville and Liberty regions, and ran through Zavala, Jasper, and into present Newton County, where it forked near this site, forming three routes. The northern fork, to Natchitoches, crossed the Sabine at Bevil's Ferry (later Haddon's); The middle route, to Alexandria, led to Hickman's Ferry (later Burr's): The southern branch, to Opelousas, crossed at New Columbia. The cattle were corraled at night in "beef pens", located at points along the trails, including Weeks' Chapel and Toledo. During the Civil War, the Beef Road was an important supply artery to the Confederate states, until the Federal army gained control of the Mississippi River in July 1863. This halted the eastern cattle drives. Sabine River crossings were fortified against attack, as the roads would be a necessity for an invading force, but the expected invasion never came. Railroad expansion into Kansas, in the late 1860s, diverted the cattle drives to the North, and led to decline of Beef Road as a major cattle trade route. Texas Historical Marker 1973 |
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Old Union Church and Cemetery This Baptist Church was organized formally in 1855 with 54 charter members, although records indicate a congregation was in existence as early as 1851. An early 1900s fire burned their log sanctuary, which was replaced by the present structure. Monthly services and summer camp meetings were held here until 1928, when the church moved to Cline's Ferry Road. The congregation's first pastor, Enoch S. S. Phelps, is buried in this cemetery, as are descendants of John Newton, for whom the county is named. Land for the "scraped style" cemetery was given in 1876 by W. A. Droddy. Texas Historical Marker 1984 |
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Pine Grove Missionary Baptist Church This rural area of northwest Newton County has been known as "Scrappin' Valley" since the early 1900s. In 1907, one year after the Gilmer Lumber Company came to the region, community members founded the Pine Grove Missionary Baptist Church. Early church leaders were Tom and Emma Frisby Lowe, Man Lowe, and Levi and Ethel Williams Hopson, with J.C. Brooks as the first preacher on record. Pine Grove was admitted to the Bethlehem Baptist Association in 1911. In 1950, after the closing of the Hickory Hill School District, the church was given this land and the former schoolhouse as a place of worship. Here they continue their traditions of worship, Bible classes, community reunions and revivals. Texas Historical Marker 2001 |
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Round Table Inn On this site stood Harrell House, built in 1865 by Confederate veteran David F. Harrell to serve stagecoaches and others traveling military road. Renamed for its food-laden, hand-made lazy Susan table, seating 12 to 15 quests. Burned, 1927. Rebuilt and still run by granddaughter Helen Duncan. Texas Historical Marker 1965 |
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Salem Before Seth Swift (1789-1869) founded the settlement of Salem, he and his
partner, Paul Gardner. operated a whaling business in Massachusetts. After
Gardner's death in 1835, Swift, his wife lydia and five children immigrated
to Texas. They brought household goods and material for a frame house up the
Sabine River to this location on the Big Cow Creek. The road to Opelousas,
Louisiana, over which cattle were driven to New Orleans, crossed here. Swift
named the trading post for Salem, Massachusetts. Texas Historical Marker 1979 |
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Shankleville Community Named for Jim and Winnie Shankle, known as first Newton County blacks to buy land and become local leaders after gaining freedom by emancipation. Both were born in slavery: Jim in 1811, Winnie in 1814. After Winnie and her three children were sold to a Texan, Jim ran away from his Mississippi owner. He traveled by night, foraged for food, swam streams (including the Mississippi River), walking out of sight the 400 miles to East Texas. At dusk one day he found Winnie beside her master's spring (800 ft. W). After slipping out food for several days, Winnie told her master, who arranged to buy Jim. The couple worked side by side, bringing up Winnie's children and six of their own: Wash Rollins, Tobe Perkins, Mary McBride, George, Henry, Houston, John, Harriet (Odom), B. M. (Lewis). In 1867, they began buying land, and with associate, Steve McBride, eventually owned over 4,000 acres. In their neighborhood were prosperous farms, churches, a cotton gin, grist mills, sawmills, schools-- including McBride College (1883-1909), built by Steve McBride. Jim and Winnie Shankle are buried in Jim Shankle Cemetery (600 Ft. SW). A great-grandson, A. T. Odom, has been guardian of this heritage. Annual homecomings have been held since 1941. Texas Historical Marker 1973 |
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The Spears Chapel Methodist Church Organized 1839 by the Rev. Moses Spear, for whom it was named. First church, a log building, was erected on a 1.7-acre site owned by William McMahon. The leading charter member was the man who had founded first permanent Methodist church in Texas (McMahan Chapel, Sabine County, 1834), the Rev. Henry Stephenson. Charter membership came mostly from his family: Including his wife, Ruth Cox Stephenson [Ruth Ann Grisham]; His son John and wife, Luvicy Beard Stephenson; son Felix and wife, Sarah Hyler Stephenson; and son Ira and wife, Harriet Goode Stephenson; also his daughter Mary and husband, William McMahon; his daughter Betty Ann and husband, A. F. Allbright; granddaughter Lunetta and her husband, John C. Hall; and granddaughter Margaret and husband, Thomas Booker. The other charter members were John Byerly, Amos and Tobitha Dubose, and Sarah Rutledge. Original church (About 25 feet North) burned in 1883. It was replaced by a rough "box" structure. Cemetery was started when James H. Kerr died on Nov. 2, 1890. The present church building was erected in 1905. Site, then owned by J. P. McMahon, Senior, and Thomas Booker, was deeded to the church in 1906. Except for a few years just prior to 1920, services were held here continuously until 1939. Texas Historical Marker 1968 |
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Rev. Henry Stephenson Monument Father and founder of Protestant Missions in Texas. Established the first permanent Methodist Church in Texas (McMahon Chapel) in 1834. Texas Centennial Marker 1936 Henry Stephenson's Gravestone "He giveth his beloved sleep" The stone slab was replaced by a Texas Centennial Gravestone 1936 |
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Stringtown School Built in 1908, this one-room wood-frame schoolhouse
served the students of Stringtown for nearly 40 years. Joe S. Griggs, a
community resident and later a school trustee, used his own money to hire
John Pepper to construct the building. A later addition, used to house the
teacher overnight when necessary, was removed after it burned. Until 1940,
the schoolhouse also served as a meeting place for the Primitive Baptist
Church. After the Stringtown School consolidated with Newton schools after
the 1942-43 school year, the Stringtown schoolhouse became a gathering place
for community activities and reunions. The building stands as a reminder of
20th-century rural education in Texas. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark 2000 |
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The Survey Community William Williams, an early 1800s Sabine
Valley pioneer, obtained a large land grant in 1834 from the Republic of
Mexico. His surveyed land attracted settlers, who called the location
"The Survey". In 1847, Wade H. Mattox (1800-1863) built the first
frame house in the settlement, using lumber hauled from Alexandria, LA., by a
neighbor, Ezekiel Cobb (1825-1864). By the 1850s, the survey had settlers
named Booker, Bush, Dade, Clark, Collins, Conner, Droddy, Garlington, Hardy,
Joiner, Jones, McGee, Mitchell, Smith, Trotti, and Weeks. The economy was
based on farming and (later) lumbering. At least 16 survey community
residents fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War (1861-65). In 1889, the
Methodists built a church on land given by Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Mattox. The
building was also used for school purposes. Surveyville Post Office, opened
in 1903, was soon renamed "Mayflower". Population shifts starting
in the 1940s caused the school to consolidate with Burkeville (1949), the
post office to close (1951), and the church to disband (1961). Public
facilities, including the church building, Mattox Cemetery, and several other
burial grounds, are now maintained by the Survey Cemetery Association. Texas Historical Marker 1975 |
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Swift Cemetery The trading village of Salem was founded in 1835 by Seth Swift. A Quaker and whaling merchant, Swift had moved to this area from Massachusetts with his wife, Lydia, and six children. When Lydia died about 1852, Swift set aside an acre of land for a cemetery. Upon his death in 1869, Swift was buried beside his wife in a pink marble casket he had brought from Massachusetts. Several other members of the community are believed to be interred in the cemetery, as well. Lost to forest overgrowth for many years, the graveyard has been restored. Texas Historical Marker 1988 |
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Sycamore Cemetery An 1845 land grant brought pioneers to this area and it is believed that at least some of the graves here marked with only a rock or a post are from those early years of settlement. The oldest dated gravestone is that of a 13-year old boy, J. I. Jones (1872-1885). Honored in this burial ground are veterans of the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam, alongside the citizens that settled this area and have contributed to its history and development. The Sycamore Cemetery continues to serve the community and is maintained and cared for by an association through the donations of descendants. Historic Texas Cemetery 2000 |
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Tanner Cemetery Thomas and Charlotte Guthrie Tanner moved to Mexican Texas in 1827 or 1828. They purchased six hundred acres on McGraw Creek from J. R. Williams for six hundred dollars in 1849. When Thomas Tanner died in 1862, he was buried on a hill overlooking the property where he and Charlotte reared twelve children. Though several unmarked graves cannot be dated, Thomas Tanner's was probably the first burial in the Tanner Cemetery. The site soon became a community burial ground. In 1872 the Reverend Marcus Miller was buried on this site; he was followed in 1875 by Charlotte Guthrie Tanner. Other 19th and early 20th century burials include those of J. C. Miller, who died in 1890, Bettie Tanner, whose grave is dated 1897, and Lucinda Abbott, who died in 1909. In 1944 and 1972, neighbors deeded adjoining acreage to cemetery trustees. Veterans buried in the cemetery include Thomas Tanner, who served in the army of the Republic of Texas in 1837, and his sons Nathan T. and James L. Tanner who, along with four of their five brothers, served in the Confederate Army. Several World War I and World War II veterans are interred here. Other burials of interest include several local ministers and county officials. More than fifty family names grace the headstones of Tanner Cemetery. Cared for by an association of settlers' descendants, the Tanner Cemetery remains a chronicle of the pioneers of Newton County. Texas Historical Marker 1998 |
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Toledo Bend The Sabine River's Toledo Bend has played a major role in the history of East Texas. An area initially inhabited by Indians and buffalo, it was a landmark for Spanish explorers and missionaries. The latter possibly named it for a similar bend in the River Tagus at Toledo, Spain. It might also have been named for Gen. Jose Alvarez de Toledo, who camped here after his defeat in the 1813 Battle of the Medina. Toledo Bend was located on the western edge of the Neutral Territory, the border area disputed by the United States and Spain during the early 1800s. Situated a few miles south of El Camino Real, the King's Highway, it became a major route of trade and migration. It was also the site of steamboat landings and a crossing of the Old Beef Trail. Anglo-Americans arrived before 1820 and the bend became known as Bevil's Crossing and later Hadden's Ferry. It developed under such leaders as W. C. Lenahan, farmer, merchant, ferry operator and postmaster. The area became a center of the southeast Texas pecan Industry through the work of Mrs. W. A. Steele, who planted the first trees, and R. L. Odom, who patented several varieties of pecans. A region rich in history, Toledo Bend is now a major resort area of Texas. Texas Historical Marker 1982 |
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Town of Newton Located in the easternmost county of Texas, this town was little more than a forest of oaks and beeches when laid out in 1853. Due to its central location, it was elected county seat the same year, winning over Burkeville, the former county seat. Maj. John Moore, an early settler, built the first house in Newton and also the first courthouse-- a two-story frame structure. It was finished in 1856. The second (present) courthouse was finished in 1903. With the arrival of the Orange and Northwestern Railroad in 1905, Newton began to grow. Buildings increased from four in 1859 (two homes, a store, and a saloon) to 15 in 1913. The town was incorporated (1935) and is the county's only incorporated town. A formal education system began with the W. H. Ford Male and Female College in 1889. It became part of the public school system in 1906. The first bank-- Newton County Bank-- was established in 1906. The "Newton News" was printed prior to 1920. Over the years forest products have been the basis of town's chief industries. Sawmills provided employment, as did plants for manufacturing baskets, turpentine, tool handles, and furniture. The town is now the county's main trade center. Texas Historical Marker 1970 |
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Trout Creek Cemetery Originally a part of the James West Survey, this cemetery dates to the early 1860s. The land was later owned by Mrs. Frances Ann Dyer (d.1890), and upon her death was inherited by her daughter Udora Dyer Ratcliff (1862-1898) and son-in-law K. R. Ratcliff (1857-1946). Although local oral tradition holds that the earliest burials here were those of area Indians or slaves from the Salem community, the oldest documented graves are those of John G. Barnett (1799-1861) and his wife Christina (1817-1863). Also interred in this cemetery are Frances Ann Dyer, although her grave is not marked, and K. R. and Udora Dyer Ratcliff. Six Civil War veterans (Andrew Jackson Herrin, Stephen B. Herrin, William Henry Jarvis Holmes, Thomas Harrison Holmes, Jeremiah Patrick O' Brien, and J. R. Sise) are buried here, as are veterans of World War I, World War II, and Korea. The Trout Creek Cemetery Association, whose members have cared for the historic graveyard since the turn of the century, was officially chartered in 1973. An important part of Newton County history, the Trout Creek Cemetery stands as a reminder of the area's pioneer heritage. Texas Historical Marker 1989 |
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Watson Chapel Cemetery Prominent early settler George Adams and his wife, Orinda Hester Scott, donated land for this cemetery in 1883. Although the gravestone of Tilman Scott Ingram, who was reinterred here from another cemetery, bears an earlier death dated (1880), the first recorded burials were those of John Edwards in 1883 and Oringa Adams' parents, Hester Ann Scott in 1885 and James M. Scott in 1887. Many people who worked in the area's lumber industry are interred here. Watson Chapel Cemetery is maintained by an association of descendants of persons buried here. Texas Historical Marker 1994 |
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Watson Chapel Methodist Church On 5-acre site given by George Adams (1842-1906), this church has been in continuous use since its construction in 1883 by men of community. According to tradition, a man named Watson financed the project. Square nails were used. Heart pine lumber for structure was shipped by steamboat on the Sabine River from Orange to town of Salem, then hauled by ox-teams to this site. Belfry and Sunday School rooms were added later. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark 1972 |
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Weeks Chapel Cemetery This land was part of an 1838 grant to James Weeks (d.1863) in Jasper County, becoming part of Newton County in 1846. Weeks built a home about one-half mile south of this site, and married Catherine Hardy (b.1831) in 1847. They are presumed buried in the nearby Hardy Cemetery, about one-half mile east. In 1887 Weeks' son James Robert (1850-1936) and his wife, Melvina Robinson (1840-1919) Weeks, granted one acre at this site to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. A crude building was erected to serve as a church and school for area settlers. When a native of the area, Jim Eudaley (1866-1893), was killed in a logging accident near Kirbyville (26 miles S), J. R. Weeks, by then a Methodist minister, suggested a burial behind Weeks' Chapel. The cemetery subsequently served surrounding communities, including Brookland (16 miles NW), Farrsville (5 miles SE), Harrisburg (2 miles SW), and Weeks (2 miles N), and now contains some 300 burials. In 1904 a new church and school building was erected, and the congregation changed its denomination by organizing the Missionary Baptist Church. The school later consolidated with Farrsville, but the church and cemetery remain the focus of an annual homecoming. 1836-1986 Texas Sesquicentennial Marker 1986 |
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Wiergate Community A deal, struck in 1917 between Houston lumberman Robert W. Wier and the Lutcher and Moore Lumber Company, owners of vast tracts of virgin yellow pine in this region, led to the construction here of one of East Texas' largest sawmill complexes. The Wier Long Leaf Lumber Company built a mill capable of producing 40 million board feet of lumber annually, and a town consisting of about 550 residences, several church buildings, schoolhouses, a hotel, railroad depot, post office, movie theater, drugstore, commissary, and various other shops by 1922. Housing in the town, named Wiergate after founder Robert Wier, was segregated by race and ethnicity. A central hill was restricted to Anglos, another to African Americans, and the third to Hispanics. Lumber of different sizes including beams as large as 40-50 feet in length and 30 X 30 inches square were shipped to market daily on the Gulf and Northern Railroad. After 25 years of continuous operation the mill was closed on Dec. 31. 1942, and the town was sold to an Arkansas salvage company. Nevertheless, the original mill was replaced by a new electric mill and Wiergate, unlike most East Texas lumber "company towns" of its era, continued to exist as a community. Texas Historical Marker 1993 |
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Francis Wilson (1790-1867) A central figure in the early days of Texas Methodism, Virginia native Francis Wilson was the son of a Scot-Irish immigrant and a native Marylander. After a brief period of military service in the War of 1812, he became a Methodist minister, preaching his first sermon on Dec. 25, 1815. He rode the circuits in West Virginia and Ohio until 1839, when he moved to the Republic of Texas over the objections of family, friends, and his bishop. Stationed first at Shelbyville and then at San Augustine, Wilson traveled over all of East Texas, holding camp meetings and organizing churches. Noted for his lectures and stirring sermons, he was respected throughout the area. In 1846 Wilson was appointed as a delegate to the first convention of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. He was instrumental in the establishment of Wesleyan Male and Female College in San Augustine. In 1847 Wilson and wife Elizabeth settled near Belgrade on the Sabine River. Francis Wilson's last official service was in 1851 as a missionary to the black communities on the Austin circuit. Shortly after, he retired in poor health to his home in Newton County, but continued to preach locally until 1864. He died three years later and is buried in the Old Belgrade Cemetery (2 miles SE). Texas Historical Marker 1983 |
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Woods Cemetery Brothers Sebern (1809-1865), Allen (1814-1887) and John Woods and their families were living in Yalobusha County, Mississippi, in 1840. They traveled to the Republic of Texas with their parents, John (1785-1863) and Mary (b. 1790) Woods, in the fall, settling in what was then Jasper County. Sebern and Allen received land grants from the Republic of Texas in about 1842. They worked to build a community and in 1844 organized a Baptist Church in the home of Sebern and Nancy (Marshall) (1819-1893) Woods. The area became part of the newly formed Newton County in 1846. John Woods moved to Louisiana; Allen and his wife Mathilda Ann soon followed. She died in 1856, and Allen returned to Texas with his second wife, Eliza, in 1857. According to family history, Sebern set aside a tract of land for a cemetery. His grandson, T. R. Woods (1879-1945), later gave another tract, bringing the cemetery to 1½ acres. According to oral history, the earliest grave is that of John Woods, Sr. (1785-1863). The earliest legible historic gravestones are those of three of Allen and Eliza Woods' children. More than 20 marked graves date from 1900 or earlier. The almost 50 marked graves of children dating from before 1930 are a testament to the difficult conditions of pioneer life. Woods cemetery is the final resting place of more than 368 people. Many of these men and women were pioneer residents of Newton County, including ministers, public officials, farmers, educators, medical doctors, musicians, lawyers and laborers. The 42 veterans buried here before the dawn of the 21st century included one who fought in the U.S. wars with American Indians, eight veterans of the Civil War, and several who saw conflict in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam. Texas Historical Marker 2000 |
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Copyright ©Carolyn Sue Owens 1997-2001 All Rights Reserved