Freestone County, Texas Towns Alabama Colony / Bonner / Woodland Community Alabama Colony / Bonner / Woodland Community was about halfway between Stewards Mill and Wortham. It was located about two miles northwest of Kirvin. In modern times, it was located where 1060 and 1449 and 1055 all come together. ------------------------------------------------ "Alabama Colony" The Carter family represented the pioneers of the Alabama Colony in Freestone County. David Livingston and Julia (Watts) Carter (both of Butler Co., Alabama) came by wagon caravan to Freestone County, Texas between 1845 and 1850. The Carters settled 3 miles east of what was later Woodland community near "sweet" water and a salt lick. His cabin was moved and can still be seen at the Freestone County Museum. In 1851 Colonel Oliver Carter and his brother William Carter left Butler Co., Alabama for Texas. Each bought a league of land (4,428 acres) and established a house near Grindstone Creek in Freestone County. The colonel's was on the creek while William's was west on higher ground. The following year both brothers' families and servants joined them. The Alabama Colony grew with addition of the many more families. The Alabama families that joined were Kirven, Livingston, Session, Jefferson, Womack, May, Parker, Everette, and Sneed; The Wortham and Harris families from Kentucky; The Bonner family from South Carolina; The Johnson and Hines families from Georgia; and the Milner, Bradley, and Robinson families. William Carter's place became known as the Carter Place. After his daughter Martha inherited the plantation and merged with her husband's thousand acre holdings, the place became the Session Place. ---------------------------------------------------------- "Woodland Community" Located about two miles northwest of Kirvin, the community of Woodland grew. As more families joined, the common buildings started. Colonel Luther Rice "Dick" Wortham (1820-74) built the first general store in 1848 followed by Mr. Miniard Harris. The post office began in one corner of the Wortham general store then later moved to Harris Merchantile. The citizens built a log school house and hired Mr. Womack to be the schoolmaster (before 1857). The Reverend Peter Edward Kirven (William Alexander Kirven's brother) was the Missionary Baptist Church's first pastor. Woodland cemetery began in 1862 behind the rear of the Baptist Church/Woodland Academy building when Confederate Captain John L. Wortham died in Galveston in the Civil War. Shiloh Church was built for the African Americans and later Lebanon. People knew Woodland for its boys school. Reverend Hilery Mosley was the administrator for Woodland Academy for Boys that started in 1863 and shared the building with the church. In 1866, the Texas Legislature authorized the academy. The school flurished growing to two smaller buildings in addition to the main building and a number of single room cabins for boarders. Eventually over 300 pupils from throughout the area were enrolled Woodland Academy. Woodland Academy became a grade school after the Civil War until it was closed in 1905 and its students sent to Kirven. Known students of Woodland Academy were: Oliver Carter Kirvin, George David May, Ida Elizabeth Hines, Fannie Sessions, Zora Sessions, and Elizabeth Browning Sessions. Woodland became a focal place of the nearby plantations. Joseph Burton Johnson moved to the area in 1854 and built the "Rock House" (a twelve room mansion) for his 10,550 acre plantation. William M. Hines had a cotton plantation known as the "Hines Place". Woodland was a voting precinct. 82 registered voters cast their ballot at the Woodland voting precinct for the 1886 election. Historical Marker: In a community founded 1848 by pioneers mostly from Alabama, this cemetery was opened with burial of Capt. John L. Wortham (1841-62), who died in Galveston while in Confederate Army in the Civil War. Col. Luther R. ("Dick") Wortham (1820-74), a merchant and planter who came from Kentucky, gave land around the grave for a cemetery, Woodland College, and a Baptist church. In 1906, Woodland College building was given to the people of nearby Shiloh for their school. This cemetery with over 1,000 graves -- burial place of many local leaders -- marks center of the historic community. Modern Directions: Go north from Kirvin on County Road 1051. Turn left going west on County Road 1080 until the road mets with County Road 1055 and Ranch Road 1449. Schools: Woodland Academy for Boys (1863-1866) Woodland Academy/College (1866-1905, building given away in 1906) Woodland school (appears in list of Free Public Schools for the County on Jan. 1872 taught by J.M. Brooks) 45 students in 1891 Churches: Woodland Baptist Church of Christ (primarily Causacian) 9 members led by P.E. Kirvin in 1883 12 members led by J.J. Harris in 1887 not represented in 1889, but money was forwarded to the Prairie Grove Baptist Association. listed but no statistics enumerated Shiloh Primitative Baptist Church (primarily African American) Cemeteries: Woodland Cemetery (before 1862-current) Nettles Family Cemetery (1851-1898) Social Organizations: Woodland Grange #25 (led in 1874 by W. E. Bonner) Nearby Churches: Caney Baptist Church (at Israel/Caney/Burleson) (bef 1858) Cemeteries Near By: Session Cemetery (1.5 miles southeast) (African American) (earliest known 1906) Webb Branch (1.1 miles northeast) (African American) (earliest known 1890) Businesses: Nearby Communities: Kirvin (1.4 miles southeast) People known to be residents of Woodland were: Bales, Rev. Bonner, Walter Bonner, William Edward Brooks, J. M. Burleson, B. F. Burleson, Mrs. John Cade, Charlie Campbell, Clarence Campbell, Eugene Bonner Carter, Alfred Payne Carter, Caddie Carter, David Livingston Carter, Colonel Oliver Carter, William and Elizabeth H. (McGinnis) Chancellor, Walker Everett, G. W. Harris, Dr. J. T. Harriss, M. H. (merchant) Hines, Major William M. Johnson, General Joseph Burton Kirven, Thomas Livingston and Mary Walker (May) Kirven, William Alexander May, Mr. Carey and Ella Amanda (Jefferson) May, William Browning and Sarah (Carter) Melton, John Parker, Thomas Jacob Pullis, W. A. Sessions, Augustus Adolphus Sessions, Carter A. Sessions, James "Jim" Rogers Shumate, J. D. Smith, Captain William Wortham, Luther Rice Wortham, John Lee Wortham, Captain John Lee Wingfield, D. L. Wingfield, Harvey ---------------------------------------------------------- Bonner The community was known as Woodland just prior to the American Civil War. When the community became large enough to require a post office, the first postmaster was William Edward Bonner who sent in the name of the community as "Bonner" on Apr 6, 1880. The Bonner post office remained until Oct 14, 1905 (with exception of 1899) when mail routed to Wortham post office. People still referred to it as Woodland. The 1895 Rand McNally atlas shows Bonner with a post office and no express office or railroad. Also in 1895, the Caney Baptist Church in Bonner pastored by I. H. Willingham had 57 members. Social Organizations: Burleson Farmers Alliance #710 (exists in 1888) (at Burleson community with Bonner post office) Post Office: Apr 6, 1880 to Oct 14, 1905 Post Masters: Bonner, William Edward - 6 Apr 1880 Knight, John R. - 13 Jly 1880 Bonner, Walter Berry - 7 May 1883 Anderson, William R. - 30 Jan 1884 Bonner, William Edward - 11 Feb 1884 Carlton, John B. - 21 Aug 1897 Harriss, Leonard - 11 July 1898 Campbell, Eugene Bonner - 19 Mar 1900 Johnson, William W. - 4 Jan 1905, (Declined) Myers, Lizzie M. - 25 Apr 1905 (Declined) People known to be residents of Bonner were: Anderson, William R. Bonner, Walter Berry Bonner, William Edward Burleson, B. F. Campbell, Eugene Bonner Carlton, John B. Harriss, Leonard Johnson, William W. Knight, John R. Manderville, D. A. (professor) Moore, Dr. W. F. Myers, Lizzie M. ---------------------------------------------------------- Woodland Goes back to its former name. In 1906, Woodland/Bonner had almost ceased to exist. The school and post office had closed. The railroad passed them by. Many people in Woodland became founders of the nearby community of Kirvin (originally spelled Kirven) when the T. & B. V. Railroad was built through the area from Teague to Waxahachie in 1906. Kirvin grew to a size to warrant a post office on Nov 30, 1907. Kirvin was only 3/4 miles to the east. ----------------------------------------------------------