Texas Almanac, 1964-1965 Page: 74

                                
74                   TEXAS ALMANAC-1964-1965

is inscribed with the names of the "Old
Eighteen" whose courage held the Mexican
forces at bay. A granite monument commem-
orates "the immortal Thirty-Two" who went
from Gonzales to the aid of those in the
Alamo. At Gonzales is Eggleston house, built
in 1840. Confederate Square with monument
honoring Confederate dead, 1861-1865 in down-
town Gonzales; also Texas Heroes Square
with statue to Texas' Minute Man. Two and a
half miles south of Gonzales on State High-
way 97 and U.S. Highway 183 is site of Santa
Anna Mound, later site of DeWitt family
cemetery; Mexican troops camped here Sept.
29-Oct. 1, 1835, waiting delivery of Gonzales
cannon; colonists refused to surrender cannon
which was buried in George W. Davis' peach
orchard, site now marked with monument on
St. Louis Street. Mexicans retreated toward
Bexar where on Oct. 2 five miles west of site,
Texans overtook them. Battle of Gonzales
ensued. Ten miles east of Gonzales is site of
Sam Houston Oak where Houston camped
after burning Gonzales in his retreat to San
Jacinto.
GRAY: Near Lefors is marked site where
Lt. Frank D. Baldwin attacked large band of
Cheyenne Indians and rescued two white girl
captives Nov. 8, 1874.
GRAYSON: Fort Preston, on Red River
northwest of Denison, established in 1840 by
Capt. William G. Preston as trading post and
as protection against Indians. Later became
known as Preston Bend community; was sub-
merged during 1944 by Lake Texoma. About
1850 it was most important town in North
Texas, terminus of old Preston Road and di-
vision point on stage route to California. Old
Preston, established by Col. Holland Coffee
in 1830s, trading post. Glen Eden, built by
Colonel Coffee in 1845, moved when Lake
Texoma formed to park site at lake's edge.
Fort Johnson, four miles north of Pottsboro,
established in 1840 as defense of military road
from Red River to Austin. Named for Francis
W. Johnson. Five and eight-tenths miles north
of Sherman on U.S. Highway 75 is marker
placed in 1936 honoring City of Sherman. Two
miles north of Denison, U.S. Highways 69 and
75, is site of Colbert's Ferry; established 1853
by Benjamin F. Colbert; abandoned 1931
when highway bridge built across Red River.
Eisenhower birthplace marked in Denison
and made a state park. At Whitewright is
Presbyterian Church, organized in 1853. At
Van Alstyne is location of oldest Christian
Church in Texas, 1846, and Methodist Church
founded 1847. Collin McKinney buried in Van
Alstyne.
GREGG: Near Gladewater is site of old
Camp Ford, Confederate prison camp, estab-
lished in 1863, named for Col. John S. Ford.
Old town of Earpville, located where High-
way 80 intersects Alpine St. in Longview, was
post office and stopping point for stage and
freight wagons. Rockwall Farm, historic
home of the Roy Sparkmans one and one-half
miles west of courthouse on Highway 80, built
in 1854-one of early stage stops. Destroyed
by fire in 1952; native rock foundation and
chimneys and hand-hewn postoak timbers and
sleepers  still remaining. Bronze  marker
erected near site where Longview was named
commemorating city's founding.
GRIMES: Twelve miles south of Navasota
on State Highway 6 is the site of home of
Jared E, Groce, built in 1833. Known as
"Groce's Retreat." He started commercial
cotton growing and ginning in Texas. Nava-
sota has monument to La Salle, who, accord-
ing to generally accepted history, was killed
and buried nearby. On Main Street in Ander-
son is Fanthorp Inn, built in 1834 by Henry
Fanthorp as a home for his bride, Rachel
Kennard. Other notable homes are H. F. Fos-
ter home (originally Gibbs home), built in

1859 at Navasota; Margaret Mcintyre house,
built near Anderson in 1820; burned and simi-
lar house built in 1838; still standing. First
mercantile establishment and first post office
(1835), Kenneth Lewis Anderson Vice-Presi-
dent of the Republic, died here July 3, 1845.
Stage lines from Houston to old Springfield
and from Nacogdoches to Austin crossed here.
Eleven miles southeast of Navasota is mark-
er on site of old Jesse Grimes home. At
Plantersville is old Markey Seminary founded
in 1858. Now called Easley place. At Ander-
son is site of munition factory of Southern
Confederacy, established in 1861, operated un-
til 1865. At Anderson are Green house, built
about 1850, and following houses, all built
about 1850; Pahl, Buchanan, Bogess, John
Bowman-David Wilson home, built about 1830;
John S. Black homestead, built 1829; Wom-
ack, Fuqua, Dickson. Also site of old Antioch
Baptist Church, built about 1855 burned in
February, 1955, restored in late 1955. At Nava-
sota is site of following old homes, all bulit
around 1850; Foster, Scott plantations. At
Plantersville is site of "The Cedars" (Baker
house), Walton house, both built about 1850.
At Roans Prairie is site of A. D. Kennard
house, built early 1800s and Mark Kennard
home, built about 1850. One mile west of
Keith, site of cedar log house built by Wil-
liam Trant in 1850. Old Lawson home five
miles south of Navasota. Indian Village and
burial ground located at home of Mrs. Earl
Allen in Piedmont; relics at A&M University.
Ruins still visible of Piedmont Inn, historic
health resort, mineral spring and stage stop.
Luxton grave and monument marks site of
grave of mother of Gen. Nathan Bedford For-
rest three miles east of Navasota. Ruins still
standing of Camp Inn, stagecoach hostelry
built of native rock two miles east of Nava-
sota. Camp Cemetery two miles northeast of
Navasota. Three-fourths mile west of Bedias
is site of Old Bedias; town moved to be near
railroad. At Bedias is grave and monument to
Sarah Dodson who made Texas flag. Bap-
tist Church built by Ira M. Camp in 1848 at
Anderson; organized 1844, one of first in
Texas. In Fanthorp Cemetery, Anderson, is
monument to B. B. Goodrich, signer Texas
Declaration of Independence. St. Paul's Col-
lege, Episcopal seminary and liberal arts col-
lege, est. 1852; formerly Masonic Collegiate
Institute, one of first free schools in Texas.
Marker erected in old Baker Cemetery at
Plantersville to Frances Coleman, called "real
daughter of Republic of Texas."
GUADALUPE: Five miles east of Seguin
on U.S. Highway 90 is marked Battleground
Prairie, where Gen. Edward Burleson and his
men defeated Vincente Cordova, March 29,
1839, ending the Cordova Rebellion. The Le
Gette home, built by Col. Joshua Wright
Young, in Seguin, is one of many interesting
old homes in county; known originally as
Sebastopol. Eight miles northeast Seguin is
site of Hardscramble, home of Henry and
Ben McCulloch, 1841-1853; Nathaniel Benton,
1858; Elijah V. Dale, 1871; site marked 1936.
Other homes are the Parson Herron house,
more than a century old; French Smith
home, now known as Holloman home built
1840; Johnson mansion, built 1858. At Seguin
is site of Hillary Hall, built 1854; Goodrich
Schoolhouse, 1853; Glen Cove (Elm Grove),
1838; Presbyterian Church, 1879; Guadalupe
Male Academy, 1849; Magnolia Hotel, 1842;
Juan Seguin Post Office-Los Nogales, 1822
and now restored. Also site of following
homes, built around 1850: Humphreys, Aunt
Margaret's, Campbell, Coopender, Erskine
No. 1, Erskine No. 2, Fennell, Flores, Isom,
Miller, Vaughn and Judge White. Texas
Ranger Station built in 1823 still stands on S.
Guadalupe. Miss Mosley's School for Girls,
built in 1850, stands at Center and Travis.
HALE: At Plainview is statue of Gen.
Ranald Slidel Mackenzie, United States Cav-