DENTON COUNTY HISTORICAL MARKERS Contributed by: Joan Renfrow ******************************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES(tm) NOTICE All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information is included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net ******************************************************************************** DENTON COUNTY HISTORICAL MARKERS The Texas Historical Commission http://www.thc.state.tx.us/index.html OLD ALTON CEMETERY Marker # 12601 Location: 5720 Teasley Lane City: Denton Marker Erected: 2002 Marker Text: With burials dating to 1852, this graveyard is associated with some of the earliest settlement in Denton County. In that year, Rebecca Daugherty, daughter of one of the pioneer families, died and was buried on family property. Over time, burials of neighbors and relatives continued on the site, and in 1909 the land was donated and dedicated as a private cemetery. Alton was the county seat of Denton County from 1851 until 1856. Located on Hickory Creek, the community flourished with stores, a hotel, post office, school and other businesses. Nearby is the Hickory Creek Baptist Church, organized in the Alton community in 1855. When the county seat was moved to Denton in 1856, Alton began to decline, but many families continued to bury their dead in this cemetery. The graveyard contains more than 600 burials, including 20 graves that are unmarked and 55 burials that are marked only with rocks or sandstone. Pioneers, veterans and others with ties to the old Alton community rest here. The Old Alton Memorial Cemetery Association cares for the graves and gathers annually in the spring for Decoration Day. As the area becomes more urban, the Old Alton Cemetery stands as a reminder of the region's rural past. (2002) Incising on back: In appreciation of Wayne Stuart Ryan, the organizer for this historical marker and a lifetime supporter of the Old Alton Cemetery. ARGYLE Marker # 195 Location: 506 North US 377 in front of Argyle City Hall City: Argyle Marker Erected: 1981 Marker Text: This area was first settled in the 1850s by members of the Peters Colony. In 1881 the town of Argyle was started by Galveston developer James Morrill, when a rail line was built through the area. Early residents came from neighboring settlements. Schools consolidated with Argyle included Beulah, Pilot Knob, Stoney Ridge, Lane, and parts of the Prairie Mound and Litsey Districts. An 1895 fire destroyed the business area, but it was soon rebuilt. The growth of nearby urban areas, which led to a decline before World War II, has resulted in recent population increases. (1981) ARGYLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Marker # 196 Location: Between Mesquite and Walnut Streets City: Argyle Marker Erected: 1981 Marker Text: Organized thirteen years after the town of Argyle was founded, this church was chartered in 1894 with twenty-seven members. The first pastor was the Rev. Blueford Henry Webster, a Methodist circuit rider from Mississippi. Early worship services for the congregation were conducted in the Argyle Schoolhouse. In 1898 church trustees purchased land at this location from the Texas and Pacific railway and W. H. Abrams, company trustee. The first sanctuary, a frame structure, was built here soon afterward during the pastorate of the Rev. J. R. Atchley, who completed much of the carpentry work with the assistance of a Mr. Rhodes and several church members. Adjoining property was acquired by church trustees in 1947. A brick sanctuary was constructed here in 1969, east of the original structure, and an educational building was added in 1972. Part of a circuit for seventy-eight years, the Argyle United Methodist Church has played a significant role in the development of the town. Membership has included many prominent community leaders, and church facilities have been used for a variety of civic group meetings and public functions. (1981) WILLIAM EDMUNDS BATES Marker # 5826 Location: Oak Grove Cemetery on FM 720, S of SH 380, 10 miles E of Denton City: Denton Marker Erected: 1973 Marker Text: Born in Amherst County, VA.; licensed in Kentucky (1843) as a Methodist minister. Came to Texas 1851; settled in Denton County. He was appointed (1853) to 300-square-mile Dallas circuit, and traveled it once a month. Admitted 1854 to East Texas Conference, he founded churches at Montague, Pilot Point, Denton, Jacksboro, Gainesville. He was very influential in planting Methodism in North Texas. He married Susan Wright. They had ten children. Recorded - 1973 NOAH C. BATIS Marker # 3598 Location: 1 mile W of Sanger on FM 455 (across from elementary school) City: Sanger Marker Erected: 1986 Marker Text: A native of Illinois, Noah C. Batis (1860-1950) came to Texas at an early age. In 1881 and 1882, he worked as a cowboy driving cattle up the Chisholm Trail to Kansas. He came to Sanger in 1889 and ten years later, at this site, established the Sanger Stock Farm, which became known for its fine horses, mules, and other livestock. Although he lacked the formal training, Batis provided veterinary care for his animals and for those of nearby farms. A county commissioner from 1919 to 1923, he lived here with his wife Laura (b. 1864). They died in 1950. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986 BETHEL COMMUNITY Marker # 389 Location: 2100 Kirkpatrick Lane, just E of its intersection with Morris Road City: Flower Mound Marker Erected: 1990 Marker Text: Settlement of this area began in the 1850s. Among the pioneer families were those of Samuel K. Smith, Anderson Nowlin, William Crawford, and Sam Lusk. As family farms were established, a loosely organized rural community was formed. By the 1870s more people had moved to the area, including the F. M. Frie family. The Frie and Nowlin families both set aside land for school and church purposes. A one-room schoolhouse built on the Nowlin land about 1871 became known as Frie School. It also served as a Union church and community center. A church building was erected on Frie land in 1882. After Bethel Presbyterian Church was organized in 1883, the school and community took the Bethel name At its height in the early 20th century, Bethel community included about one hundred families. After it was bypassed by the railroad in 1875, Bethel began to decline in favor of Lewisville. The Bethel School consolidated with the Lewisville School system in 1940, and the area once encompassed by farms of the Bethel Community eventually became parts of several towns, including Flower Mound, Lewisville, Highland Village, and Copper Canyon. (1990) BOLIVAR CEMETERY Marker # 11843 Location: FM 455, 3.7 miles W of IH 35 City: Sanger Marker Erected: 1998 Marker Text: The town of Bolivar was laid out by Dr. Hiram Daily in 1852 with a burial plot on high ground nearby. Though the site had probably been used as a burial ground for many years, the earliest marked grave is that of 4-month-old Zolly Cofer Waide, who was born and died in 1863. G. A. Grissom, a prominent Bolivar Masonic leader, died in 1876. After his interment, Bolivar Lodge No. 418, A. F. & A. M. and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge No. 221 set aside five newly purchased acres, including the graveyard, for community burials. A decorative fence was installed across the front of the cemetery in that year. Many monuments were erected by the Woodmen of the World organization. Many of the nine adults and eight infants buried in 1892 were victims of a nationwide influenza epidemic. Another influenza epidemic in 1918 claimed more lives. Bolivar citizens of all walks of life were buried here. Some were members of farming and ranching families; others were business people, educators, physicians, and ministers. They include veterans of the Mexican War, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Operated by the board of trustees of the Bolivar Cemetery Association, the graveyard continues to serve area residents, many of whom are descendants of those who shaped the history of Bolivar and Denton County. The burial ground remains a record of the pioneer settlers of the area. (1998) TOWNSITE OF BOLIVAR Marker # 6957 Location: SE corner of the intersection of FM 2450 and 455 City: Denton Marker Erected: 1970 Marker Text: Named indirectly for Simon Bolivar, South American statesman, general and patriot. It might have been called "New Prospect," but for a mug of rum. When town was founded in 1852, a man who had settled here from Bolivar, Tenn., wanted to name the community in honor of his hometown. But a preacher-doctor insisted that it be named New Prospect. An election was called to settle the matter and the Tennessean exchanged mugs of rum for votes, Bolivar won. During the 1800s, Bolivar was the westernmost fort in Denton County and the first settlement west of Collin County. Two stagecoach lines changed horses here. The town thrived and could count three hotels, several stores, a gin, a flour mill, a sawmill, a blacksmith shop, a saloon, a church and a school. It was here that the Texas cattle trail joined the Jesse Chisholm Trail, but it was John Chisum, Texas cattle baron, who had herds here and furnished beef to the Confederacy during the Civil War. Bolivar and the surrounding area were havens for Sam Bass and his men. Two Bolivar men were jailed in 1890 for harboring notorious marauders. Many early settlers (whose descendants still live here) played important roles in development of county. BRIDGES CEMETERY Marker # 508 Location: Take South Colony Blvd., until it ends, the cemetery is located in the middle of a field City: The Colony Marker Erected: 1986 Marker Text: Bridges settlement, named for the W. A. Bridges family and reportedly the oldest in Denton county, began in 1843 and was a center of activity of the Peters Colony. This cemetery, on land granted to Bridges in 1850, dates to 1855, although illegible stones may be slightly older. Site of the burials of the Bridges and other early immigrant families, stones here document graves of many children and Civil War soldiers. Deeded to the county by F. M. and Sallie Bridges in 1889, the cemetery contains over one hundred sandstone and granite markers. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986 CHINN'S CHAPEL CEMETERY Marker # 833 Location: IH 35, exit FM 407/Justin Road, W about 3 miles on FM 407, then approx. 1 mile N on Chinn Chapel Road City: Copper Canyon Marker Erected: 1996 Marker Text: Elisha and Mary Stowe Chinn purchased this site in 1853 and donated 10 acres atop the hill north of Lockhart Spring. As deaths occurred among the early settlers to this area, services were held in the log cabin chapel, and graves were placed nearby. Travel to the cemetery was difficult, especially for those living outside the community. The wagon trail through the valley connected Denton with Lewisville, but a westerly road leading to the nearby commercial center at Waketon was needed. In 1885 a road connecting Chinn's Chapel community to Waketon was built, incorporating the old wagon trail. It was named Chinn Chapel Road. This cemetery features a variety of grave markers. Among the oldest markers are those of limestone, while other early graves were marked simply with rocks. Often a larger stone was placed at the head and a smaller one at the foot of the grave. Some family plots display mounds of earth outlined with shells, a folk tradition brought to America by African slaves. Many tombstones are carved from native sandstone, while later monuments display ornate decorations, such as columns, urns, pediments and round-topped finials. This cemetery continues to serve the community. (1996) CHINN'S CHAPEL METHODIST CHURCH Marker # 834 Location: IH 35 E, exit FM 407/Justin Road W about 3 miles, on FM 401, go approx. 1 mile N on Chinn Chapel Road City: Copper Canyon Marker Erected: 1996 Marker Text: This church began as a nondenominational congregation organized by pioneer settlers of the Peters Colony in 1846. Itinerant preachers were invited to hold services in a log church/school building located about one quarter mile northwest of here. The log chapel was on 10 acres called Antioch donated by North Carolina immigrants Mary Stowe Chinn (1808-1871) and Elisha Chinn (1802- 1876) for church and cemetery purposes. The church was admitted to the North Texas Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1872, as Chinn's Chapel Methodist Church. Sunday School classes began that year. In 1877 the church purchased 4 acres here at the site of freshwater springs and early camp meetings. A sanctuary was erected and a tabernacle built for summer revivals. The property also included a combination Woodmen of the World Lodge Hall/public school from 1884 to 1921. Chinn's Chapel served as the main gathering place for the area. Though membership declined sharply after World War II, the church endured. Through denominational merger it became Chinn's Chapel United Methodist Church in 1968. Local efforts to revive the institution began in the late 1980s, and an active membership was reestablished. The building was renovated in 1996. (1996) JOHN SIMPSON CHISUM Marker # 6960 Location: From the intersection of FM 455 and 2450, go north on FM 2450 3 mi. to Chisum Rd., go west on Chisum .6 mi. (sharp curve), then go west on private road 1 mi. across dam City: Bolivar Marker Erected: 1936 Marker Text: Here stood the home from 1856 to 1862 of John Simpson Chisum, cattle king. Born, August 16, 1824; Died, September 22, 1884 at Paris, Texas. (3 mi. N of Bolivar, Denton County) CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL Marker # 1026 Location: Courthouse lawn, corner of Elm and Hickory City: Denton Marker Erected: 1964 Marker Text: Erected by Daughters of the Confederacy in memory of our soldiers in heroic self-sacrifice and devoted loyalty gave their manhood and their lives to the South in her hour of need. (Inscription on front of monument) In Memoriam "Their names graved on memorial columns are a song heard far in the future; and their examples reach a hand through all the years to meet and kindle generous purposes and mold it into acts as pure as theirs." DENTON COUNTY Marker # 1207 Location: Courthouse lawn, corner of Elm and Oak City: Denton Marker Erected: 1936 Marker Text: Created April 11, 1846 from Fannin County; organized July 13, 1846 with Denton as county seat. Both town and county are named in honor of John B. Denton 1806- 1841. Pioneer preacher, lawyer and Indian fighter. First county seat designated as Pinckneyville, 1846. Site selected in 1848 called Alton permanently located at Denton in 1857. DENTON COUNTY COURTHOUSE Marker # 1208 Location: Corner of Elm and Hickory City: Denton Marker Erected: 1970 Marker Text: Built 1896-97. Fifth courthouse for Denton County. First was at Alton, second at Pinckneyville. Third (in Denton) was burned in crime charged to a member of the Sam Bass Gang of outlaws. Walls are native limestone; columns, Burnet County marble. Architecture is free combination of Victorian styles, with French second empire pavilions, fanciful ogival domes. Architect was W. C. Dodson; contractor Tom Lovell is said to have built Utah Capitol. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1970 CITY OF DENTON Marker # 5309 Location: Courthouse lawn, corner of Elm and Hickory City: Denton Marker Erected: 1977 Marker Text: Pioneers settled this locality in the 1840's. In 1846 the Texas Legislature created Denton county -- one of several carved from the Peters Colony grant. After trying other sites, the voters in 1856 accepted for county seat this tract donated by Hiram Cisco, William Loving, and William Woodruff. The city and county were named for John B. Denton (1806-41), a minister killed while defending frontier settlers. Woodruff, fellow surveyor C. C. Lacy, and attorney Otis Welch platted the townsite. In 1857 city lots were auctioned, the post office opened, and a church was founded. J. M. Blount, Joseph A. Carroll, W. F. Egan, and I. D. Ferguson were pioneer leaders. A cotton gin and plants for making bricks, corn meal, flour and ice soon developed. The "Monitor," a newspaper, began its career in 1868. Sam Bass (1851-78), legendary western outlaw, trained and raced "The Denton Mare" while living and working as a local farm hand. North Texas State University originated here as Texas Normal College in 1890, and Texas Woman's University opened in 1903 as the College of Industrial Arts. Agriculture-related businesses, education, and small factories sustain the economy. The city grew from 1,194 in its first census (1880) to 39,874 by 1970. (1977) JOHN B. DENTON Marker # 2767 Location: Courthouse Square, corner of Elm and Hickory City: Denton Marker Erected: 1936 Marker Text: Born in Tennessee July 26, 1806, came to Texas in January, 1836. As a Methodist circuit rider killed in the Village Creek Indian fight May 24, 1841 in what is now Tarrant County. Named for Gen. Edward H. Tarrant who commanded the volunteers. Denton city and county were named for the pioneer lawyer, preacher, soldier of that name. EAKINS CEMETERY Marker # 1331 Location: 3 miles south of Ponder on FM 156, the West on Eakins Cemetery Road, and north on Wakefield (Cemetery s on West side of road) City: Ponder Marker Erected: 1995 Marker Text: Noah (1810-1868) and Susan (1816-1878) Eakins and their family came to this part of Denton County from Kentucky in 1855. This cemetery was established on their land about 1855-58 when a neighbor, Angelina Rayburn, was fatally burned while cooking on an open fire. Lula Q. Porter, infant child of another pioneer family, was buried in the graveyard in 1861, and the site became a community burial ground known as Eakins Cemetery. It is the final resting place of the Eakins family and many other area pioneers and their descendants. It continues to serve the rural community. (1995) ELIZABETH CEMETERY Marker # 1456 Location: 1/2 mile south of SH 114 and IH-35 west, via Litsey and Elizabeth Cemetery Roads, 3 miles west of Roanoke City: Roanoke Marker Erected: 1978 Marker Text: Elizabeth town, settled between 1860 and 1862, became a trade center with businesses, churches, a school and a Masonic lodge. Family tradition says William Perry Harmonson (1836-1907) donated land for the 1.5-acre community graveyard upon the death of his mother Anna (1796-1867). The town began to decline in 1881 after being bypassed by the Texas and Pacific Railroad. In 1949 former school lands were used to enlarge the cemetery to two acres. Still in use, this burial ground contains almost 400 graves and is all that remains of the once thriving village. (1978) JACOB FREDERICK ELSASSER Marker # 2709 Location: 603 North 7th (corner of 7th and Peach) City: Sanger Marker Erected: 1976 Marker Text: Born in Germany in 1834, Jacob Frederick Elsasser migrated to this country with his father and brothers. They operated a cigar factory in Chicago until it was destroyed in the great Chicago fire of 1871. Elsasser moved to Texas with his Swiss-born wife, Catharine (1832-1903), and built a 2-story farm house east of Sanger. After it burned, they erected this residence in 1901. One of Elsasser's daughters, Mrs. J. M. Peery, and her family occupied the house until 1939. It was purchased in 1952 by Mr. and Mrs. Willard Bounds. (1976) FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF DENTON Marker # 11844 Location: 1100 Malone City: Denton Marker Erected: 1997 Marker Text: Twelve men and women met in 1858 in the log cabin Denton County Courthouse to organize the Union Baptist Church. In its first decade, the church doubled its membership. By 1876 the congregation had been renamed the Denton Baptist Church. About 1880 the name was changed to the First Baptist Church of Denton. For nearly twenty years the congregation met in the Masonic Hall and the Cumberland Presbyterian building. The first structure owned by the church, a white frame one topped by a steeple, was completed in 1876. As the membership grew, a new building completed in 1897 served the congregation until a fire destroyed it in 1917. A brick church building fronted by Greek columns was completed in 1918. A larger worship center was constructed here in 1967. For several generations, the congregation has offered many religious, social, and educational ministries for its members and the community. The church also has provided leadership in local, state, and nationwide organizations; has established many missions and new churches; and has supported missionaries at home and abroad. Throughout its history, the First Baptist Church of Denton has been an integral part of the community. (1997) FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, HEBRON Marker # 1687 Location: Corner of FM 544 and Hebron Parkway in Hebron, 10 miles East of Lewisville City: Lewisville Marker Erected: 1984 Marker Text: Organized in 1883 at the Willow Springs School, this congregation was known as Big Valley Baptist Church during the early years of its existence. A Sunday School, Willow Springs Union Sabbath School, was begun in 1886. E. C. Bramblett served as the first pastor. He was replaced by the Rev. John Turner, who was succeeded after one year by the Rev. R. G. M. Eiland. During Eiland's pastorate, toward the latter part of the nineteenth century, the congregation and Sunday School united with a nearby fellowship to become the Cemetery Hill Church and Union Sabbath School. In the early 1900s, during the pastorate of the Rev. D. B. Allen, the congregation relocated to the new town of Hebron and adopted the name Hebron Baptist Church. Their first sanctuary was completed in 1920. Over the years the fellowship has been active in missionary work and has produced several ministers from its membership. Now known as First Baptist Church, Hebron, the historic congregation has contributed much to the heritage of the area and has provided significant service and leadership to the residents of this part of Denton County. (1984) FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF DENTON Marker # 11845 Location: 1203 N. Fulton City: Denton Marker Erected: 1997 Marker Text: This congregation, established in 1868 and led by Elder Terrell Jasper, initially met in the local Masonic Hall until a frame church building was erected in 1876. A state charter was issued to First Christian Church of Denton in 1902. By 1904 a brick building was constructed at Hickory and Piner streets, the first of three structures to house the congregation at that location. The current facility at 1203 Fulton Street was designed by O'Neil Ford and was completed in 1959. The church continues to provide spiritual leadership in the community. (1997) FIRST METHODIST CHURCH OF DENTON Marker # 1752 Location: 201 S. Locust Street City: Denton Marker Erected: 1996 Marker Text: The Rev. William E. Bates organized the First Methodist Church of Denton in 1857, the same year the town of Denton was formed. Services were conducted in the log courthouse until the Masonic lodge of Denton constructed a 2-story building in 1859. It served as a school and meeting hall and was used by all the area churches. In 1873 the Methodist congregation built their first meeting house, which was a white frame church with a steeple and bell. Funds for a red brick sanctuary built in 1899 were raised in part at a revival conducted by evangelist Abe Mulkey. By 1907 the congregation of more than 600 members had outgrown its sanctuary, but another building was not constructed until 1925 when a new church building with a seating capacity of 2,400 was completed. An education building was added in 1951, and other renovations have taken place over the years. Many prominent citizens of Denton have been members of this church which has provided a variety of programs for the congregation and has supported local and foreign missions. It has served the community through several social outreach activities and continues to be an integral part of the Denton area. (1996) FLOWER MOUND Marker # 1926 Location: On Flower Mound Road (FM 3040) just east of intersection with Long Prairie Road (FM 2499) City: Flower Mound Marker Erected: 1984 Marker Text: Settlers of the Peters Colony named this smooth, dome-shaped hill for the abundant wild flowers that grow on it. Rising fifty feet above the surrounding prairie, Flower Mound, long has been a point of interest in the area. According to local legends, no structure was ever constructed on top of the mound, nor has any tree grown here. Before W. S. Peters began bringing settlers to the land issued him by the Republic of Texas Congress, Wichita Indians inhabited the area. During the 1840s, Peters colonists began moving to the prairie in search of good farmland. In 1844, John R. Wizwell was granted 640 acres of land that included the mound. His widow, Edy, later remarried and sold this land to George L. Beavers. Flower Mound remained in the Beavers family well into the twentieth century. Although the hill has remained in private ownership, it historically has been identified with the community that grew up around it. Flower Mound Presbyterian Church was the first to officially use the name in 1854. Once a sprawling agricultural community, Flower Mound has begun to expand with the urban growth of nearby Dallas and Fort Worth, leaving this formation as a historic reminder of its pioneer days. (1984) FLOWER MOUND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Marker # 1927 Location: 1501 Flower Mound Road (FM 3040) City: Flower Mound Marker Erected: 1967 Marker Text: First Presbyterian Church in county. Organized 1854 by the Rev. Matthew B. Donald, who is buried in church cemetery. Worship was in homes before a log church was built, 1857-58. A frame building erected later; present one built 1901. (1967) FORESTER RANCH Marker # 1944 Location: 7.5 miles W of Sanger on FM 455, at entrance to ranch City: Sanger Marker Erected: 1987 Marker Text: William S. Forester brought his family to Denton County from Tennessee in the early 1850s, and established a ranch about 1852. He was assisted in his ranching operation by his sons, one of whom, Sol, was killed by Indians at the age of sixteen while herding cattle on the ranch. Following William Forester's death the ranch was operated by his son, Lock S. Forester (1844-1913). A Confederate veteran, Lock Forester increased the size of the ranch to over 6,000 acres. Under his management the ranch's "Two I Jinglebob" brand became well known. He supervised the ranch interests until 1890, when he moved to Denton. Ed W. Forester, son of Lock Forester, assumed management of the ranch in 1890. In 1913 the ranch was divided into sections, with Lock S. Forester's three children each receiving one-third of the ranch property. Ed Forester became a successful rancher in his own right, raising champion shorthorn cattle as well as quarter horses, sheep, and other livestock. He served two terms as Denton County Commissioner. The Forester Ranch has been an important part of the history of Denton County for over a century. (1987) FURNEAUX CEMETERY Marker # 2085 Location: On Cemetery Hill Road, 1/2 block S from it's intersection with Rosemead Parkway City: Carrollton Marker Erected: 1984 Marker Text: William Furneaux, a native of England, came to Texas in 1857 and married Fanny Jackson (d. 1917), whose family had come to Texas in 1848 as part of the Peters Colony. This cemetery was established in 1884, when Furneaux died and was buried on a section of his farm he had indicated should become a public graveyard. Seven-year-old Peter Husky died soon after and was buried near Furneaux. Although three graves bear earlier dates, they were moved here from other cemeteries. With establishment of the cemetery, Peter Husky's father, William, donated part of his land for use as a church site. A public meeting was then held to discuss plans for laying out plots and building a sanctuary. A cemetery association was chartered in 1888, and the graveyard officially became known as Furneaux Cemetery. Charter directors chosen were Joseph Morgan, W. R. Dudley, John Jackson, V. S. Dudley, and J. H. Furneaux. Originally surrounded by extensive farmland, the church and cemetery sites became known as Cemetery Hill. When a 1924 tornado destroyed the frame church building, the cemetery association acquired the land. The Furneaux Cemetery is the burial place for many area pioneers and their descendants. (1984) GOOD HOPE CEMETERY Marker # 2223 Location: 15 miles E of Denton N of US 380 E of intersection of Good Hope and Prosper Roads between FM 1385 and Collin County line City: Denton Marker Erected: 1986 Marker Text: Attracted to the area by its fertile soil, good water supply, and abundant building materials, pioneers from Tennessee, Missouri, Georgia, Arkansas, and Wisconsin settled here in the 1850s. Their colony, located on the Ben Rue Survey, was first known as the Rue Settlement. Members of the Rue family were probably the first to be buried on the acreage that now makes up this cemetery, but the earliest legible grave marker, that of John Phillips, is dated 1870. More than 80 burials took place in the 19th century, reflecting the hardship of pioneer life. The name Good Hope was taken after the Good Hope Baptist Church organized in 1875. The settlement also became known as Good Hope, although at times it has been called Parvin as well. In 1903, a cemetery association was formed to care for the graveyard. One year later Ben Rue (then a resident of Fannin County) formally transferred the four acres he had set aside for community purposes to the cemetery association. After area churches disbanded and the school closed in 1949, the community population declined. The Good Hope Cemetery thus stands as one of the few physical reminders of the early area pioneers and of the community that once thrived here. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986 GRAHAM-ARGYLE CEMETERY Marker # 2241 Location: On County Club Road about 1/2 mile east of US 377, on North side of Road, 1/2 mile North of Argyle City: Argyle Marker Erected: 1976 Marker Text: This burial ground served the farming community of Graham which grew up here after the Civil War. First known interment was that of an infant, George Isbell, on December 10, 1865. An adjacent structure housed a school and Graham Baptist Church. After 1881, most of the settlers moved to the nearby town of Argyle on the Texas and Pacific Railroad. The school and church were moved in 1887 after their meeting place burned. In 1888 this property was deeded for cemetery use by C. N. Jarrell. In 1974 volunteers began restoration of the plot, which has about 238 marked graves. (1976) GREEN VALLEY SCHOOLS Marker # 12534 Location: 4 miles W of Aubrey on FM 428, then 0.25 mile N on FM 2153 City: Aubrey vicinity Marker Erected: 2001 Marker Text: Fertile farmland and plentiful timber attracted settlers to this part of Denton County about 1870. The community that developed originally was called Toll Town because of two roads that intersected at this point. Schoolteacher Henry Clay Wilmoth suggested the name change to Green Valley. The post office opened in 1874, and there were several stores and a blacksmith shop in the community when the first recorded subscription school for Green Valley children began in a vacant farmhouse in 1878. Although the community lost a number of residents and businesses when the Texas and Pacific Railroad bypassed it in 1881, the Green Valley public school district was organized as District No. 20 in 1884. Local carpenters Sam Gross and James Mays built a one-room schoolhouse, in which Lutie Whayne was the first teacher. That building burned in 1894, and it was replaced that year at a site about one-half mile north of the first schoolhouse. Green Valley's third school, a new, four-room building, greeted students in 1919. In 1935 Green Valley School District offered only first through ninth grades, so students traveled to Denton to complete their education. By the time Green Valley School closed in 1949, with Florence Habern as the last teacher, it had provided fine academic and athletic opportunities for several generations of students in this rural area. The 1919 school building continues in use as a community center. (2001) GREGG RANCH Marker # 2279 Location: From IH-35 in Denton, go west on US 380 about 8.6 miles, turn North on Ripy Road (at Muslim Cemetery) proceed about 1.7 miles to entrance of Ranch on west side of road City: Denton Marker Erected: 1973 Marker Text: Darius Gregg (1804-70), who came to Texas from Tennessee in 1827, and fought in the Texas War for Independence, accumulated about 20,000 acres in this area in the early 1850s. Gregg, a surveyor and Houston Realtor, spent several summers here before his death. His son, William Bowen Gregg (1849-89), moved from Houston and operated the ranch in 1870s and early 1880s. Notorious outlaw Sam Bass worked on the ranch, and a frequent summer visitor was Robert Swift, of the well known meat packing family. Of the original ranch, 750 acres are still owned by a Gregg heir. (1973) OLD HALL CEMETERY Marker # 3739 Location: 1200 block of McGee Lane, at it's intersection with Quaker Lane City: Lewisville Marker Erected: 1986 Marker Text: In the 1840's the Republic of Texas government granted colonization contracts to people who would advertise and bring new settlers to Texas. The Peters Colony, led by W. S. Peters, was located in North Texas and included the area later known as Denton County. In 1844 families began arriving in this area, including those of John and James Holford of Missouri. The place where the Holford families settled, on the prairie west of Big Spring Creek (Big Elm), became known as Holford Prairie. By 1855 a two-story building was constructed for use as a community meeting place. Referred to as Holford Prairie Hall, it housed a Masonic Lodge on the second floor, and the first floor was used for school and church purposes. This cemetery, situated next to the lodge building, became known as Old Hall Cemetery. The earliest graves date to the 1850s and include many infants and children. According to local oral tradition, the first burial may have been that of a man who died as his family was traveling through the area. The cemetery contains over one hundred twenty-five burials from the nineteenth century. A cemetery association, organized in 1972, maintains the historic graveyard. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986 HEDGCOXE WAR Marker # 5351 Location: At the southeast corner of the intersection of Blair Oaks and South Colony Drive City: The Colony Marker Erected: 1975 Marker Text: Distribution of land in the Peters Colony of North Texas triggered a dispute known as the Hedgcoxe War. The Texas Emigration and Land Co. organized the colony under an 1841 Republic of Texas law which allowed it to keep one-half of a settler's grant. After protests, this right was repealed, but in Feb. 1852 the company was compensated with 1,088,000 acres of vacant land within the colony. This action angered settlers and speculators with land certificates, who feared that the large grant would lower land values. At that time, the company's unpopular agent, English-born Henry O. Hedgcoxe, operated a land office on nearby Office Creek. On July 12 and 13, 1852, a group of Dallas men broke in and examined the land records. They reported to a meeting in Dallas on July 15 that the company was defrauding the colonists. John J. Good (1827-82), later mayor of Dallas, then led a band of armed men to Hedgcoxe's office. Hedgcoxe escaped, but most of his files were seized and the office burned. After the raid, tensions quickly cooled. The law was amended so that settlers obtained their grants from the state rather than from the company agent. The company kept its land grant, however, and Hedgcoxe returned to help survey the tract. (1975) I.O.O.F. CEMETERY Marker # 2611 Location: Carroll Blvd. and Eagle Drive City: Denton Marker Erected: 1996 Marker Text: Denton Lodge No. 82 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) was chartered in 1859 by a number of the area's most prominent settlers, including John S. Chisum of the Chisum Trail fame. That year I.O.O.F. charter member and Denton merchant James M. Smoot (1822-1862) donated land here for graveyard purposes. The lodge subdivided the cemetery into four sections, each of which contained 350 burial plots. The first recorded burial was that of Anne Isabella Carroll, infant daughter of Joseph and Celia Carroll, in 1860. The site served as Denton's main graveyard and by the early 1880s space had become scarce. In 1883 the lodge enlarged the cemetery by 7.5 acres acquired from adjacent landowners John and Ann McMurray; 6.5 acres acquired from the McMurrays in 1916 further enlarged the cemetery. By the early 1920s burial space was again limited, and in 1924 the cemetery was enlarged by four acres. After maintaining the cemetery for more than 60 years the lodge deeded the 22-acre site to the city of Denton in 1933. Among the approximately 5,800 people buried here are pioneer Denton County settlers, local and state elected officials, and veterans of wars ranging from the Texas Revolution to World War II. (1996) IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHOLIC CHURCH Marker # 2618 Location: 1215 North Elm Street City: Denton Marker Erected: 1994 Marker Text: This church began as a mission of the Dallas Diocese about 1890; the Rev. F. X. Meilinger served as mission priest. The congregation held services on the second floor of a local barn until a church building was erected in 1893-94. A Catholic student society was organized in the 1930s. The original building was razed and replaced with a new brick structure here in 1956. The church built a parish center nearby in 1966 and established a hospital ministry and outreach program to provide for the needy in 1970. The congregation continues to provide a variety of programs for the community. (1994) JOHNS' WELL AND CAMPGROUNDS Marker # 2827 Location: Intersection of Old Justin Road and C. Taylor Road (just east of I- 35 west), 2 miles west of Argyle via Old Justin Road City: Argyle Marker Erected: 1982 Marker Text: In 1884 this site was designated as a religious campground by the members of the Prairie Mound Methodist Church. Johns' well, named for former owner Hardin Johns, provided the steady water supply needed by campers, area settlers and travelers. During annual ten-day camp meetings, families camped around the brush arbor where services were held. As nearby communities erected church buildings the campgrounds began to decline and the land was sold in 1913. John's well continued to serve the area residents until 1963. (1982) LACY HOTEL Marker # 6966 Location: 102 W. Oak City: Denton Marker Erected: 1973 Marker Text: Charles Christian Lacy (1816 - 70) moved with wife Sarah (Brown) from Kentucky to Texas, 1854; platted Denton townsite, 1855; had what is thought to have been city's first hotel, existent 1858-82, at this site. Before he gained fame as bandit, Sam Bass worked here briefly as a livery stable boy. LANE CHAPEL C.M.E. CHURCH Marker # 12323 Location: 615 Hembry Street City: Lewisville Marker Erected: 2000 Marker Text: Anthony Hembry and six charter members, all former slaves, organized Lewisville Colored Methodist Episcopal (C. M. E.) Church in 1882. Lewisville had the largest African American population in Denton County and this church, called Lane Chapel after 1902 for Bishop Isaac Lane, was a significant social center. Other C. M. E. churches formed with the encouragement of this congregation. As rural Americans migrated to larger cities in the 1920s-1940s, the black population of Lewisville diminished and church membership dwindled. The church survived the late 20th century through donations and funds from other C. M. E. churches and the devotion of Lane Chapel members. A strong ministry in the 1990s led to a revival for Lane Chapel, and by the beginning of the 21st century membership had increased. (2000) LEWISVILLE PREHISTORIC SITE Marker # 3080 Location: In Sailboard Point off Trotline Road, near the dam, in Lewisville Lake Park, off Lake Park Road City: Lewisville Marker Erected: 1980 Marker Text: During the construction of Lewisville Dam in 1950, a number of aboriginal artifacts were unearthed; archeologists conducted several excavations (1952-57) before the waters of Garza-Little Elm Reservoir covered the site. The excavations revealed 21 hearths, vegetable matter, animal bone fragments and lignite (coal) which was used for fuel. Scientific radiocarbon dating techniques indicate the organic material is approximately 12,000 years old. The Lewisville discoveries are similar in age and content to findings at the Clovis site in New Mexico. (1980) COMMUNITY OF LITTLE ELM Marker # 6967 Location: Sources indicate this marker has been removed and placed in Baird Park on FM 720 near City Hall City: Little Elm Marker Erected: 1975 Marker Text: This community is located on land that was part of the original Peters Colony Impresario Grant awarded by the Republic of Texas in 1841. Among the earliest colonists in the vicinity to receive land under the Peters grant were John (d. 1846) and Delilah (1806 - 84) King, who moved from North Carolina in 1844 to settle a 640 acre tract about one mile southwest of this site. Their son, C. C. "Kit" King (1823 - 80), helped organize the first mail service in this area about 1845. When Little Elm Post Office was established in 1852, he was appointed postmaster. Another pioneer resident, William Dickson, was the first elected judge of Denton County, 1848-52. Named for a nearby creek, the community of Little Elm was formed by the consolidation of several small settlements, including Lloyd, Hackberry, Dickson, and Hilltown. As it grew, the town acquired a school, churches, a cotton gin, grocery and drug stores. Further growth accompanied the development of recreational facilities following the creation of Lake Dallas in 1926-26 and Garza-Little Elm Reservoir in the mid-1950s. Construction of the reservoir prompted relocation of many historic structures, roads, and cemeteries, threatened by rising water. The city of Little Elm was incorporated in 1966. McCOMBS CEMETERY Marker # 11846 Location: Near the intersection of Wager Rd., Bellaire Blvd., and Garden Ridge Rd. City: Flower Mound Marker Erected: 1997 Marker Text: The history of this small community cemetery dates to the 1850s, before Denton was selected as county seat. The site contains graves of early pioneers of the Lewisville-Flower Mound area. Settlers included Nehemiah Wade Boyd (1823-1856), his wife Susan McCombs Boyd (1824-1917), their six children, family matriarch Mary Nowlin McCombs (1803-1867), and members of Nowlin, Sigler and Rivers families who arrived in 1855 from Tennessee. Nehemiah Boyd died suddenly of pneumonia after being chilled by a blue northern while building a log cabin for his family, and was buried on land donated by his brother-in-law, John Mathis McCombs. Susan Boyd later gave birth to their seventh child and first Texan, George Taylor Boyd (1856-1933). Although Nehemiah Boyd's burial was long believed to be the first, archeological evidence suggests as many as 100 individuals may have been buried here and that the site was a community cemetery in use between the 1850s and 1890s. Typically graves were marked with native sandstone or brick. Boyd descendants formed the McCombs Cemetery Association in 1990 to protect the burial site from encroaching development. (1997) McCURLEY CEMETERY Marker # 3288 Location: Northeast corner of Grandy's Lane and McGee Lane City: Lewisville Marker Erected: 1984 Marker Text: The McCurley family of Illinois settled in Denton County in 1852. George Collins McCurley set aside land for a burial ground, church, and school. A traveling stranger may have been the first burial, but George's brother, Abraham, who died in 1871, was the first family member buried at the site. The first marked graves date from 1877, when the plot began to be used by neighbors. In 1951 the 106 graves which then comprised the cemetery had to be relocated because of the construction of Lewisville Lake. They were moved here, adjoining Old Hall Cemetery, burial place of George C. McCurley. (1984) MEDLIN CEMETERY Marker # 3318 Location: 1.5 miles east of Roanoke on SH 114, go north on Trophy Club Drive about 7/10 of a mile to cemetery (on west side of road) City: Roanoke Marker Erected: 1977 Marker Text: In 1847 Charles Medlin (1807-1864) and his wife Matilda (Allen) migrated from Missouri with their household and 20 other families to take up land grants on Denton Creek. Also in the wagon train and colony were Charles Medlin's widowed mother and his brother Lewis. Floods broke up the first Medlin settlement, at times called "Garden Valley." Moving to higher grounds in this vicinity, the settlers formed a new neighborhood that was to grow into the town of Roanoke (1.5 miles west). Charles Medlin's daughter Mittie Ann (Born 1828) admired the beauty of this hill, saying she would like to be buried here. The cemetery was opened at her death in April 1850. Her parents, 13 brothers and sisters, and many other close relatives also rest here along with neighbors and others from the locality. This is one of the oldest cemeteries in Denton County. In 1900 James W. Medlin, son of the original land donors, Charles and Matilda Medlin, enlarged the area to more than ten acres, and began selling lots to bring in maintenance funds. Medlin Cemetery Association was formed in 1947. A new access boulevard and other improvements were provided for this cemetery in the 1970s. (1977) MILIKEN HOUSE Marker # 3385 Location: 231 West Walters Street City: Lewisville Marker Erected: 1969 Marker Text: Built by William Dickerson Milliken, born in Paducah, Ky., Nov. 1, 1848; married Margaret Crockett Young. Children: W. D., Jr.; Samuel Ramsey, M.D.; Thomas Gillespie; Martin Horace; Maggie Bell (Mrs. Edens); Charles Young; Elizabeth Angelina; John Barnes. After going into mercantile business in Lewisville in 1877, Milliken built this house, 1878. Framing is native oak. Siding was freighted from Port City of Jefferson, in East Texas. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1969 OAK GROVE METHODIST CHURCH Marker # 3644 Location: On FM 720, S of SH 380, 10 miles E of Denton City: Denton Marker Erected: 1973 OAKWOOD CEMETERY Marker # 3656 Location: Between East Prairie and East Sycamore Streets City: Denton Marker Erected: 1982 Marker Text: This cemetery was established soon after Denton was settled as the new seat of government for Denton County in 1857. Land for the community burial ground was donated by pioneer settler Hiram Cisco, who had earlier conveyed property for the townsite. The earliest grave is that of a Mrs. Wilson, who died during childbirth while traveling through the area in a covered wagon. Her newborn infant daughter died several days later and was also buried here. Other interments at this site include those of Jesse M. Blount, who helped plat the town of Denton and later served as county treasurer, county judge and state senator; Col. Thomas Gynn Cosbey Davis, a cousin of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and a friend of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln; and many prominent early leaders of the town and county. Two interesting graves are those of Andrew and George Brown. On a change of venue from Montague County in 1879, they were convicted of murder and hanged in Denton. Their tombstones bear the inscription "Executed." Officially named Oakwood Cemetery in 1931, this burial ground now serves as a historic reminder of the pioneers who first settled here and who led in the development of the area. (1982) WILLIAM E. PARTLOW, FIRST MAYOR OF SANGER Marker # 1738 Location: 611 West Plum City: Sanger Marker Erected: 1976 Marker Text: A Virginian and a soldier who surrendered at Appomattox with Gen. Robert E. Lee, W. E. Partlow moved to Texas after the Civil War (1861-65). He married Nancy Jane Sullivan (1860-1922), daughter of Denton County pioneers, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Sullivan. Partlow, a merchant, was elected first mayor when Sanger was incorporated in 1892. He built this house for his family in 1904. From 1907 to 1913, they lived in New Mexico, where Partlow was commissioner of U.S. Circuit and district courts. After returning to Sanger, he served as Justice of the Peace and died here. (1976) PETERS COLONY Marker # 3998 Location: 1197 West Main Street (FM 1171) in front of Municipal Building and City Hall City: Lewisville Marker Erected: 1970 Marker Text: (Within area encompassed by) A reservation of land made under an Empresario contract by the Republic of Texas, 1841. Its purpose was to introduce colonists into this area. Under the first of four contracts, W. S. Peters and 19 partners agreed to introduce 600 families in three years, to furnish each with seed, shot, and a cabin, and also to survey the land. Each family was to receive 640 acres of land free and each single man, 320 acres. Of this, the company could take half for its services. Three later contracts altered terms somewhat, and although the land company underwent several internal upheavals, by 1848 there were approximately 1,800 colonists and their families in the area. Resentment over the company's share of land climaxed in 1852 when settlers drove out the unpopular agent, Henry O. Hedgcoxe, in the so-called "Hedgcoxe War." Because of its success in opening a large area of the frontier and its later effect on Texas land and immigration policy, the law establishing this colony was one of the most important in the Republic. In spite of unusual tumult and hardship, the final Peters Colony area today extends over five counties and encompasses one-fourth of the state's population, including its largest combined metropolitan area. (1970) PILOT POINT Marker # 890 Location: Town Square City: Pilot Point Marker Erected: 1978 Marker Text: Attracted by fertile land and abundant water and game, pioneers began to settle at this site near the edge of the Cross Timbers region in the late 1840s. The village, first known as Pilot's Point, was named for a high point of timber that served travelers as a landmark. Near an early immigrant trail, Pilot Point was also a stop on the Butterfield State Route. A townsite was platted in 1854 on land originally granted to Charles Smith. Dr. R. W. Edleman (1825-1904) of Missouri came here to launch a medical practice and open a drugstore. James D. Walcott ran the earliest general store and became the first postmaster in 1855. Alphius Knight, a settler from New York, built and conducted the first school in the town. Established by three local residents in 1872, Pilot Point Seminary was later renamed Franklin College and operated here for almost 30 years. In 1878 the town's first newspaper was published and in 1884 a bank opened. A marketing center for farmers and stock raisers, Pilot Point had a grist mill and a cotton gin. The arrival of two railroads, the Texas and Pacific and the Missouri, Kansas and Texas, boosted the local economy in the 1880s. Agriculture and light industry form the base of the town's economy in the 1970s. (1978) Incise on back: Marker sponsored by Chamber of Commerce Researched by: Mavis Burton, Norma Cole, Clifton Irick, Judy Lewellen, Estelle Whitley PILOT POINT CHURCH OF CHRIST Marker # 4021 Location: 426 S. Jefferson City: Pilot Point Marker Erected: 1981 Marker Text: This congregation organized about 1865, twenty years after members of the Peters Colony began settling here. In 1874 the church deacons purchased land at this site from George W. and Alice B. Merchant. A one-room frame chapel was constructed here the following year under the supervision of A. W. Cooke. Additions to the structure were completed later. Active in the support of many programs, the church was also instrumental in the formation of a congregation in the nearby community of Aubrey (7 miles south) in 1959. (1981) PILOT POINT POST-SIGNAL Marker # 4022 Location: 111 E. Main City: Pilot Point Marker Erected: 1984 Marker Text: First published as the "Pilot Point Post," this newspaper was established in 1878 by David J. Moffitt (1848-1917) and James T. Jones (1845-1915). In its early years, "The Post" supported the democratic party and local commerce and opposed the lawless element in town. Between 1888 and 1898 "The Post" merged with "The Mirror" and then with "The Signal" and has operated since then as the "Pilot Point Post-Signal". As Denton County's oldest continuing newspaper, "The Post-Signal" has played a significant role in bringing news to the community and surrounding areas. (1984) PIONEER WOMAN Marker # 4037 Location: Campus of Texas Woman's University City: Denton Marker Erected: 1936 Marker Text: Marking a trail in a pathless wilderness, pressing forward with unswerving courage, she met each untried situation with resourcefulness equal to the need. With a glad heart she brought to her frontier family her homeland's cultural heritage. With delicate spiritual sensitiveness she illumined the dullness of routine and the loneliness of isolation with beauty and with awareness of her value to civilization. Such was the pioneer woman, the unsung saint of the nation's immortals. Jessie H. Humphries PRAIRIE MOUND CEMETERY Marker # 4109 Location: 1/2 mile north of FM 407, 4 miles southwest of Argyle on Prairie Mound Cemetery Road City: Argyle Marker Erected: 1981 Marker Text: This burial ground was in use by 1882 when adjoining property was deeded to the Prairie Mound Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The earliest marked grave here is that of Edgar Myers (1875-1878), the son of J. E. and M. J. Myers. Church services were discontinued before 1920, and a public school, organized nearby in 1878, was consolidated with neighboring districts in the 1940s. Shortly after the original sanctuary was removed from the site in 1961, the Lark Heath Memorial Chapel was dedicated. Many pioneer settlers of the Argyle-Justin area are buried here. (1981) Incise on back: Donated by J. Heath Family, Argyle Centennial Committee RAYZOR-GRAHAM HOUSE Marker # 4207 Location: 928 W. Hickory Street City: Denton Marker Erected: 1989 Marker Text: Business and civic leader J. Fred Rayzor (1890-1965) had this home constructed in 1912 by local builder M. T. Goodwin. It was purchased in 1941 by W. E. Graham (1890-1963) and remained in his family until 1974. Features of the one- story American foursquare home include bungalow details in the door, columns, and windows. Also of note are the central entry in the deep attached porch, a hipped dormer, and washboard siding. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1989 ROANOKE I.O.O.F. CEMETERY Marker # 4285 Location: From Roanoke, follow Main Street southeast out of town (pass SH 170) about 1.5 miles to cemetery on north side of road City: Roanoke Marker Erected: 1985 Marker Text: Although few records exist of the Roanoke I.O.O.F. (Independent Order of Oddfellows) Lodge No. 421, it is known that lodge members purchased land at this site in 1897 for use as a burial ground. Consisting of approximately five and one-half acres, the cemetery always has been maintained as a public graveyard and never was limited to the families of lodge members. Memberships in the Roanoke Lodge eventually were transferred to Denton along with those of other rural I.O.O.F. Lodges. The first person buried here was James DeWitt Pressley, who died in 1897. One tombstone bears an earlier date, however. Mrs. Calvin Abner Sams was buried on family property upon her death in 1882, but she was re-interred in the Roanoke Cemetery in 1914. Near the trunk of the "Hanging Tree" in the northeast section of the graveyard is the burial site of an alleged horse thief, who was hanged there in 1906. Another section was reserved for the families of the crew who worked on the railroad here during the 1920s. A reminder of the area's early history, the cemetery contains the graves of many pioneers, including members of the Sams, Fanning, Cowan, Seagraves, Buell, Lassen, Boutwell, Taylor, Mitchell, and McMahon Families. (1985) ROANOKE LODGE NO. 668 A.F. & A.M. Marker # 4286 Location: Corner of Oak and Austin Streets City: Roanoke Marker Erected: 1990 Marker Text: Chartered in 1888, Roanoke Lodge No. 668 replaced the W. C. Young Masonic Lodge, which had been meeting in nearby Elizabethtown. Members of the Roanoke Lodge met in a variety of rented quarters until 1908, when they built a two- story frame lodge hall. While the first floor of the building was made available to a number of community groups, the second floor was reserved solely for Masonic use. Throughout its history, the Roanoke Lodge has been an active force in educational, civic, and charitable endeavors. (1990) SANGER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Marker # 4568 Location: 7th and Elm City: Sanger Marker Erected: 1972 Marker Text: Founded 1896, in 1902 built this structure on land given by Jack R. Sullivan, a Baptist. With town's best auditorium, this became site of school and civic programs; elocution and music were taught here. Community bought building when congregation in 1971 moved to a new church. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1972 SCRIPTURE-DEAVENPORT HOUSE Marker # 4617 Location: 819 W. Oak Street City: Denton Marker Erected: 1980 Marker Text: The original part of this house was built in 1885-86 for local grocer Robert C. Scripture and his wife Annie (Brown). It was later owned by Robert Hann, a merchant and civic leader. Constructed as a Victorian residence, it was remodeled and enlarged about 1912 during the ownership of banker B. H. Deavenport. The mission revival changes were completed by M. B. Whitlock, a local contractor, and feature a decorative rose window on the third floor. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1980 SKINNER CEMETERY Marker # 11847 Location: SE corner of US 377 at Strittmatter Road City: Pilot Point Marker Erected: 1998 Marker Text: In the early days of Pilot Point, Lucinda (Glasscock) and Richard Skinner set aside a 2.44-acre piece of land to be used as a cemetery. The first recorded burial was that of 5-year-old Josiah Taylor in March of 1858; his father, Josiah Sr., died the following July. Predominantly of Anglo-Saxon Protestant descent, most of those buried here came from Kentucky, Virginia, Missouri, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Many were farmers or ranchers. Significant graves include that of J. D. Merchant, Sr., a local businessman who built the first brick building in the area. Also here are several victims of yellow fever, including Prissie and Sarah Wilson, sisters who died within 2 months of one another during the epidemic of 1872 and 1873. Two people named James Graham, born on the same date two years apart, died on the same September day in 1867. Lucinda Skinner, the last charter member of the Pilot Point First Baptist Church, died in 1890. By 1900, there were probably 200 graves in the cemetery. The land was sold by John Skinner to the Skinner Cemetery Association in 1905; the last recorded burial was that of Joe Mylo Phipps, an infant who died in 1928. The Skinner Cemetery remains a vital link to the early settlers of the Pilot Point community. (1998) SMITH CEMETERY Marker # 12390 Location: 328 Smith Road City: Lewisville Marker Erected: 2001 Marker Text: This area of Denton County was known as Holford's Prairie in the mid-19th century, named for brothers John and James Halford (Holford), pioneer settlers who obtained 640 acres of land as members of the Peters Colony. Basdeal W. Lewis platted the town of Lewisville in 1853. Thomas Morgan (1814-1887) and Elizabeth A. (1815-1883) Smith purchased 318 acres of land here in 1859. They sold two and one-half acres of their farmland to the Lewisville Masonic Lodge in 1881 for the establishment of a community cemetery. The site had been used as a burial ground since 1862, when the Smiths' 20-year-old son, James J. Smith, died and was buried on the family farm. His is the earliest marked grave in the Smith Cemetery. Among the pioneer Denton County family names that can be seen on gravestones here are Herod, Sherrill, Clayton, Skillern, Cobb, Jenkins, Temple, Bourland, Hamilton, Fenlaw, Oliver and Fox. John Moore (1834-1922) and Ann Eliza (1849-1923) Fox had the sad task of burying six children here between 1863 and 1882, a testament to the often harsh conditions of pioneer life. Local oral history records suggest that some of the unmarked graves in the Smith Cemetery are those of former slaves of the Julius Kane Fox family. The Smith Cemetery Association, organized in 1950 to maintain the historic graveyard, purchased the site from the Masonic lodge in 1972. Currently containing more than 400 marked graves and an unknown number of unmarked ones, the cemetery remains in use by the community and by descendants of the pioneer families interred here. (2001) ST. JAMES AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH Marker # 4442 Location: 1107 East Oak Street (corner of Oak and Crawford Streets) City: Denton Marker Erected: 1985 Marker Text: In 1875 a group of black pioneers from the White Rock Community in Dallas moved to Denton County and named their settlement Freedman Town. Worship services, prayer groups, and Bible meetings were held in private homes. A minister among them, the Rev. M. P. Lambert, served the settlers until the Rev. J. B. Goins came in 1876 to organize the St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church. There were eighteen charter members in the congregation. The fellowship has provided significant service and leadership to the community and is an important part of the religious heritage of Denton County. (1985) SWISHER CEMETERY Marker # 12514 Location: 603 N. Shady Shores City: Lake Dallas Marker Erected: 2001 Marker Text: Reflecting the earliest years of Anglo settlement in this part of north central Texas, the Swisher Cemetery began on land granted to H. H. Swisher for his service in the Texas War for Independence from Mexico. The oldest burial in the cemetery, that of Francis Long, dates to 1867. When H. H. Swisher's son, Capt. A. P. Swisher (1829-1920), inherited the property from his father, he formally donated some of his land for use as a cemetery by the families of the community then known as the French Settlement. Swisher's wife, Virginia, died in 1899 and was the first member of the family buried in the Swisher plot. After the railroad came through this area, the community's name was changed to Garza in 1881 and then to Lake Dallas in 1926 upon construction of the dam on the Elm Fork of the Trinity that created the lake by the same name. Swisher Cemetery's use over time has expanded to serve residents of many of the neighboring lake communities. The burial ground contains the graves of numerous veterans who served in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf. Over the years, additional land was purchased for the cemetery, which contains more than 1,100 graves. For many years, Garza community residents took care of the cemetery. From 1948 until 1998, the Lake Dallas Birthday Club maintained the graveyard. The Swisher Cemetery Association currently cares for the historic burial ground. (2001) TEXAS NORMAL COLLEGE Marker # 5265 Location: NW corner of Courthouse Square, corner of Elm and Oak (on furniture bldg. across street from Courthouse) City: Denton Marker Erected: 1965 Marker Text: At this site, on the second floor of a hardware store, 70 students enrolled for the first session of Texas Normal College and Teacher Training Institute, September 16, 1890. The students included 28 Creeks from Indian territory. The city of Denton provided classrooms for the faculty of five under president Joshua C. Chilton, an educator with previous experience and training in Ohio and Indiana. In 1891, the school moved to a building at the present site of North Texas State University. This marker dedicated on 75th Anniversary of the University. (1965) FIRST BUILDING OF TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY Marker # 5333 Location: Off Bell Avenue at College Street in front of Old Main Building in circular driveway on Texas Woman's University Campus City: Denton Marker Erected: 1974 Marker Text: The Girls Industrial Institute and College of Texas was created in 1901. Fourteen cities offered sites. Denton was chosen February 5, 1902. The cornerstone of this building, the first on the campus, was laid on January 10, 1903. The architecture is neoclassical revival. Classes began on September 23, 1903, with 186 students and 14 faculty members. For years this was the only academic structure. Wings were added 1916. Used as administration building until 1956, this hall housed offices of presidents Cree T. Work, 1903-10; William B. Bizzell, 1910-14; Francis M. Bralley, 1914-24; Lindsey Blayney, 1925-26; Louis H. Hubbard, 1926-50; John A. Guinn, after 1950. By date this building was finished, "The Girls Industrial College" was official title of the school. Later (1905) it was renamed "The College of Industrial Arts"; "Texas State College for Women", 1934; "Texas Woman's University", 1957; and is the only university in the United States founded expressly for women. Enrollment on Denton, Dallas, and Houston campuses exceeded 6500 in 1973. This structure, central to life of the institution, now houses archives and documents of its history. (1974) Incise on back: Sponsored by the Past President's Council of the Texas Woman's University Alumnae Association UNIVERSITY GARDENS, TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY Marker # 5610 Location: Near intersection of Bell and Chapel Roads on campus of Texas Woman's University (in front of Little Chapel) City: Denton Marker Erected: 1982 Marker Text: The original Rock Garden and native botanical area at this site was established in the 1930s by the Exterior Beautification Committee of Texas State College for Women, now Texas Woman's University. Members of the committee were Willie Isabella Birge, director of the Department of Biology, Fred Westcourt, director of the Department of Rural Arts and Mary Marshall, director of the Department of Art. The gardens were planned and landscaped to display a diverse collection of plants from Texas and other areas. Paths and retaining walls were constructed of native stone. The adjacent chapel in the woods was added in 1938. A focal point of the campus for many years, the gardens were neglected following World War II and they became overgrown. In the late 1970s, through a cooperative effort of university officials and local residents, the area was restored. The University Gardens are now a sanctuary for the preservation of native Texas wildflowers. The site serves as an educational laboratory for students, as a trail garden for plants used in campus landscaping and as a place of serenity and relaxation. (1982) TYSON CEMETERY Marker # 5587 Location: From Sanger, go north on IH-35/US 77 about 4.6 miles to FM 3002, go east on 3002 about 5.5 miles to FM 3442, go south on 3442 about 1.4 miles to intersection with CR, go east on CR about 3/4 mile to cemetery City: Pilot Point Marker Erected: 1976 Marker Text: J. P. Newton (1821-56), a settler from Tennessee, is the earliest known burial in this cemetery. Charles Hammons (1854-64) has the second oldest stone. He was a grandson of another Tennessean, Charles Lee Sullivan (1810-68), a leader in this community. This burial ground, bought 1869 by Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Hammons, Sullivan's son-in-law and daughter, later was donated to the public by James R. Tyson (1829-99), father of Sullivan's daughter-in-law, Angeline Tyson Sullivan. There are 44 Sullivan graves in 1976. An active cemetery association maintains this burial ground (1976) FIRST UNIVERSITY BUILDING, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS Marker # 6964 City: Denton Marker Erected: 1965 Marker Text: On this site in 1891, the city of Denton erected a building to be leased to President Joshua C. Chilton, for the use of the privately owned Texas Normal College and Teacher Training Institute, which he had opened the year before in a business building downtown. The 10-acre campus became state property in 1901. President Chilton's college thus was forerunner of North Texas State University. The old Normal building was struck by lightning and burned, 1907. This marker is dedicated on the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the university. HISTORICAL BUILDING, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS Marker # 2496 Location: Avenue A and Mulberry, University of North Texas Campus City: Denton Marker Erected: 1994 Marker Text: Built in 1912-13 to serve as a library and gymnasium, this is the oldest remaining building on the North Texas campus. It became known as the Historical Building in 1925, when history professor Joseph Lyman Kingsbury (1880-1949) began a museum that was housed here until 1986. The institution's eclectic collection included published works and artifacts from around the world. Upon the museum's closing the collection was distributed to other institutions in Denton. The building also has housed academic offices, classrooms, and the College Radio Station. (1994)