Freestone County, Texas Towns Old Ghost Towns - Never had a post office: [Do not confuse with Pilot Knob - an extinct volcano southeast of Austin. ] Pilot Knob / Waldrum’s Hill Pilot Knob was a community located east of Fairfield located north of Turlington. Pilot Knob apparently gets its name from a large hill in the area. The Pilot Knob hill is 564 ft above sea level (150 feet above the surrounding area) and is the highest point in Freestone County. From the hill flow the sources of Walden Branch, Willow Branch, and Batsmith Branch on the east and Ball Branch in the north. Pilot Knob had a school at least by 1891 located south of the community at the head of Batsmith Branch and north of Antioch church near Turlington. Big Brown Creek lies west of the Pilot Knob area. To the north was Spring Bank school and the community of Blunt/Blount. In a writer in 1858 described Pilot Knob as: "The other day in company with a friend I climbed one of the highest hills in Freestone county, called Pilot Knob or Waldrum’s Hill, and from its summit beheld a wide extent of timbered land, occasionally dotted with small green prairies and smiling farms than ever I gazed on in my life before, for miles it stretched out before me or rose in small hills heightened the beauty of the scene by destroying its sameness. Away in the distance on the left as you look towards Fairfield can be seen the hills on the other side of Keechi. The pretty little town of Fairfield with its light and elegant Court House can not be seen, although right before you at a distance of 8 miles, on account of a little rising ground. On your right as you turn round are the Pine Bluffs on the other side of the Trinity with a gently sloping valley, streaked with numerous creeks between you and there; and on the left a succession of little hills and valleys meets your eye till lost in distance, making altogether a scene well worthy a journey from the lover of nature. On the top of the hill is a large mound of stones place there, probably by the Indians, as a land mark as my friend informed me they were there when the county was first settled. I can recommend this spot to any young couple as a spot of exalted happiness." *14* The local newspaper in 1887 lists an Antioch #96 school. Later years, the #96 is the Pilot Knob school (1891 to 1894). So this is likely the same school. In May 1934, a major storm went though the Pilot Knob community. *12* In modern day, Pilot Knob is south of the Fairfield Lake State Park and is located on the "Hodge Podge Lodge" ranch which is a hunting lodge. Pilot Knob School: John Abram DeFrance (b 1888) attended the Pilot Knob School. Location: Source - Linda Mullen on Saturday, February 18, 2012 8:06 PM "The school house was near where Mr. John Shields home place was located.... right where his cattle pens were but I think they are gone now. I don't know who owns it now. Vanette and Henry Horton may own it. They were her parents. It was just north of where FCR 242 tees into FCR 240 before you get to the Hodge Podge Lodge corner." Directions: From Fairfield, go east on US 84 to Turlington. At 7.2 miles east of the US 84/TX 75 intersection, turn left (north) on FM 1364. Follow this to its end 1.2 miles away at a four-way intersection. Continue straight ahead on CR 240, now dirt. At 2.4 miles from the end of FM 1364, reach another junction. Straight ahead see large gate and sign saying "Hodge Podge Lodge". Go about 0.4 mile north of the gate on the gravel ranch road, and see the hp bump to your left. Climb up the moderately steep slope to the top; find BM Pilot at south end of small clearing on top. From the end of the county road, it's a total of about a half mile, with a gain of 150 feet. Summit of Pilot Knob hill: Latitude: N 31.746835; Longitude: W -96.046356 School: Pilot Knob school [school #96] not listed in school list of 1887 [Antioch #96 was listed with 23 students] *13* 19 pupils in 1891-92 *8* 12 pupils in 1892-93 *7* 14 students in 1893-94 not listed in school lists of 1895-1906 Geoge Koonce taught the school in 1909 while staying in Turlington *4* Miss Florence Salter taught in 1912 *2* 26 pupils - 1913 (this includes all grades) *9* 16 pupils - 1915 *10* known to be open in 1918 bidding on a one-room school house construction in done in July 1921 for Riondo #26 *11* consolidated with Fairfield in 1938 or 1939 known that the school house was still standing in 1942. [Based on existing photos, the wooden school house had a entry with a narrow windowless front and 3 windows long down its length with A-Frame roof and wooden planks running vertical. Pilot Knob had a chimney in the center with a crawl space underneath. The Mt. Zion school house was wooden painted white with planks that ran horizontal with an entry way with a window on either side. The Sugar Hill school was a log cabin where the logs ran horizontal and windowless front.] Churches: Had a Sunday school in May 1909 Cemeteries: Nearby Communities: Blunt/Blount community Known Past Residents: Day, Dave *6* Day, Mr. and Mrs. G. W. *3* DeFrance, John Abram DeFrance, Mary Margaret (Moore) DeFrance, Lillie Hall (Evans) DeFrance, Parke Waldon Sr. Fails, Leonard *3* Gary, Miss Della *3* Hendrick, Odessa (Moore) Henry, Arthur Jr. Huckaby, Ezra Jones, T. L. Kirgan, Lillian (DeFrance) Loper, Opal (Shields) Miles, Jim Moore, Bowie Moore, Jim *5* Morris, R. B. Mullen, Lucy (Moore) Tyus, Miss Carrie *3* Tyus, W. A. *5* Wooten, Miss Alma *3* ============================================================ *1* = The Weekly Telegraph (of Houston, Texas) - August 4, 1858 edition - Page: 3 Letter from Fairfield Fairfield, July, 1858 "...The other day in company with a friend I climbed one of the highest hills in Freestone county, called Pilot Knob or Waldrum’s Hill, and from its summit beheld a wide extent of timbered land, occasionally dotted with small green prairies and smiling farms than ever I gazed on in my life before, for miles it stretched out before me or rose in small hills heightened the beauty of the scene by destroying its sameness. Away in the distance on the left as you look towards Fairfield can be seen the hills on the other side of Keechi. The pretty little town of Fairfield with its light and elegant Court House can not be seen, although right before you at a distance of 8 miles, on account of a little rising ground. On your right as you turn round are the Pine Bluffs on the other side of the Trinity with a gently sloping valley, streaked with numerous creeks between you and there; and on the left a succession of little hills and valleys meets your eye till lost in distance, making altogether a scene well worthy a journey from the lover of nature. On the top of the hill is a large mound of stones place there, probably by the Indians, as a land mark as my friend informed me they were there when the county was first settled. I can recommend this spot to any young couple as a spot of exalted happiness...." *2* = The Fairfield Recorder - Friday, October 25, 1912 Page: 5 "The following young lady teachers of Fairfield have begun teaching their schools: Miss Mary Womack, at Grange Hall; Miss Maggie Hill, at Rock Springs; Miss Florence Salter, at Pilot Knob; Miss Birdie Kirgan, at Campbell's Branch." *3* = The Fairfield Recorder - Friday, July 16, 1909 Page: 4 *4* = The Fairfield Recorder - Friday, July 16, 1909 Page: 1 *5* = Fairfield Recorder - Friday, November 19, 1909 Page: 7 *6* = The Fairfield Recorder - Friday, May 14, 1909 Page: 1 *7* = Fairfield Recorder newspaper - Friday, October 7, 1892 issue - Page: 2 *8* = Fairfield Recorder - September 25, 1891? issue *9* = FC Pictorial, Vol I, p. 46 *10* = FC Pictorial, Vol I, p. 46 *11* = The Fairfield Recorder - Friday, June 17, 1921, Page 2 *12* = The Fairfield Recorder - May 10, 1934 *13* = Fairfield Recorder newspaper - Friday, September 2, 1887 issue *14* = The Weekly Telegraph (of Houston, Texas) - August 4, 1858 edition - Page: 3