On FM 858, 0.2 miles south of Texas Highway 64, on the left when traveling south.
In 1890 Van Zandt county had 81 schools but none for higher learning. In April 1890, Prof. James F. Davidson and J. W. Downs held a community meeting in the Old Clough School House in Ben Wheeler. They presented a plan, adopted unanimously, to . . . — — Map (db m74158) HM
On Farm to Market Road 279 at Farm to Market Road 858, on the left when traveling south on Route 279.
Just as Native Americans were attracted to this area because of the climate and resources, early settlers also utilized these resources. The area was originally named Clough after George W. Clough (1820-1884) who, in 1868, purchased the 640-acre . . . — — Map (db m73951) HM
On Farm to Market Road 858, 0.1 miles east of Farm to Market Road 279, on the right when traveling east.
The tradition of making syrup from sugar cane and sorghum started in East Texas in the second half of the nineteenth century. Syrup production arrived along with migration from the Deep South to East Texas. Van Zandt County provided the ideal . . . — — Map (db m237028) HM
Legislator Morgan Gurley Sanders was born near Ben Wheeler. He published newspapers, worked as journal clerk of the state senate and was admitted to the State Bar of Texas before winning a seat in the state legislature. His public service as a . . . — — Map (db m74159) HM
On South Trade Days Boulevard (State Road 19) at Veteran Memorial Parkway (State Road 243), on the left when traveling south on South Trade Days Boulevard.
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a two-seat, all-weather, long-range, supersonic interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber/reconnaissance aircraft that was developed for the U.S. Navy and used from 1960 to 1996. The F-4 could fly over 1500 miles per . . . — — Map (db m247167) HM
On South Trade Days Boulevard (State Road 19) at Veterans Memorial Parkway (State Road 243), on the left when traveling south on South Trade Days Boulevard.
These flags are sponsored by the family of
1st Lt. Robert A. "Bob" Reese
in honor of his service in Europe with the
US Army Air Corps 1942-1945.
World War II P-47 Thunderbolt ("Jug") Fighter Pilot.
He flew 109 missions, was awarded . . . — — Map (db m247171) WM
On South Trade Days Boulevard (State Road 19) at Veterans Memorial Parkway (State Road 243), on the left when traveling south on South Trade Days Boulevard.
In honor of the men and women of Van Zandt County who served in the armed forces of our country preserving our freedom and our way of life — — Map (db m247170) WM
On East Dallas Street (State Highway 64) east of South Buffalo Street (State Highway 198), on the left when traveling east.
Born in Georgia, Raines came to Texas in 1858. After serving in Gen. R. M. Gano's Texas Cavalry Regiment in the Civil War, he was a teacher in New Braunfels and a lawyer in Canton. Van Zandt County Judge from 1876 to 1878, he played a major role in . . . — — Map (db m54081) HM
On Groves Street at North Capitol Street, on the right when traveling west on Groves Street.
The Texas Legislature created Van Zandt County in 1848. It originally included nearly 2,000 square miles of territory. Jordan's Saline, now Grand Saline, was near the county's geographic location and became the first seat of government. Two years . . . — — Map (db m187057) HM
On East Dallas Street (State Highway 64) at South Capitol Street, on the right when traveling west on East Dallas Street.
On September 2, 1915, the Canton Herald announced plans for a new hotel. Its site along the Dixie Highway gave the hotel its name and a prime location to attract travelers and residents. The hotel’s square floor plan included two full floors . . . — — Map (db m187055) HM
On North Trade Days Boulevard (State Highway 19) north of East Dallas Street.
The Wynne community of Canton is one of the oldest African American communities in Texas. Its namesake, Edmund Arnold Wynne, was born June 18, 1850, in Cherokee County to a family of slaves. His family moved to the Big Rock area of Van Zandt County . . . — — Map (db m247166) HM
On Athens Street at Peace Street, on the right when traveling south on Athens Street.
First organized church in city. Founded under leadership of the Rev. J. B. McDaniel, first pastor, Sept. 21, 1871. Charter members: Francis M. and Sue L. Hobbs; Mary King; Montgomery W. and Nancy Knox; Melissa J. and Silphia McCarthy; Elizabeth, . . . — — Map (db m237010) HM
On Groves Street at North Capitol Street, on the right when traveling west on Groves Street.
On the first Monday of each month in the early 1850s, Judges Oran M. Roberts and Bennett H. Martin held court in Canton, an event attended by townspeople and country folk alike.
With large numbers of people present, court day also became the . . . — — Map (db m187058) HM
On South Buffalo Street (Texas Route 198) at Mulberry Street, on the right when traveling north on South Buffalo Street.
In 1852, shortly after Canton became Van Zandt County's seat of government, local families began hosting Methodist services in their homes as a mission of the Athens Methodist Episcopal Church. The Canton worshipers met in homes and under brush . . . — — Map (db m237017) HM
On South Buffalo Street (State Highway 198) at West Tyler Street, on the right when traveling south on South Buffalo Street.
George Washington Tull, Sr. (1827-1917), better known as G. W. Tull, was one of the earliest and most successful merchants in Canton. His family migrated from Georgia, where G. W. was born, to Alabama, Mississippi, and then Tennessee. In 1852, G. W. . . . — — Map (db m187053) HM
On State Highway 19 north of State Highway 64, on the left when traveling north.
Located within the original 1850 town plat of Canton, this cemetery has served citizens of this area for well over a century. The oldest documented burial is that of Ann Calhoon (1807-1860). Among those buried here in marked and unmarked graves are . . . — — Map (db m28120) HM
On South Buffalo Street (State Highway 198), on the right when traveling south.
The Hilliard family has long been identified with the general trade business in Canton. Founded because of its central location, Canton became the seat of Van Zandt County in 1850. George McIntosh Hilliard came to Texas in the 1870s and migrated to . . . — — Map (db m187056) HM
On East Dallas Street (State Highway 64) at South Buffalo Street (State Highway 198), on the right when traveling east on East Dallas Street.
Isaac Van Zandt
1813-1847
Member of the Congress
of the Republic - 1841-1842
Charge D’Affaires to the
United States - 1842-1844
In 1845 - Member of the
Constitutional Convention
Frances C. Lipscomb Van Zandt
1816-1909 . . . — — Map (db m187282) HM
On East Dallas Street (State Highway 64) at South Buffalo Street (State Highway 198), on the right when traveling east on East Dallas Street.
Influential Texas politician Isaac Van Zandt was born on July 10, 1813. He lived in Tennessee and Mississippi until he moved to the Republic of Texas in 1838. After settling in Harrison County, Van Zandt served as congressman for Harrison County in . . . — — Map (db m187064) HM
On South Buffalo Street (State Highway 198) south of East Dallas Street (State Highway 64), on the left when traveling south.
John Henninger Reagan was born in 1818 to Timothy Richard and Elizabeth Reagan in Sevier County, Tennessee. He worked at his father's tannery and on the family farm, attending school sporadically, until leaving the state in 1838.
Reagan came in . . . — — Map (db m54002) HM
On East Dallas Street (State Highway 64) east of South Buffalo Street (State Highway 198), on the right when traveling east.
A South Carolina-born Alabama legislator, Oran M. Roberts came to San Augustine, Texas in 1841. He served in district and state judicial positions, including the first district court in Canton in 1850, and was president of the Secession Convention . . . — — Map (db m53959) HM
On State Highway 243 at County Road 2504, on the left when traveling west on State Highway 243.
Gen. Joseph O. Shelby's command refused to surrender at the close of the Civil War. Shelby's men, the First Missouri Cavalry of the Confederate States of America, marched via Clarksville to Van Zandt County, proceeding through Grand Saline to Canton . . . — — Map (db m237016) HM
On East Dallas Street (State Highway 64) east of South Buffalo Street (State Highway 198), on the right when traveling east.
In 1894, the Van Zandt County Commissioners Court approved construction of a new brick courthouse at this site. Built between 1894 and 1896, it replaced a frame courthouse that had served the county since shortly after the Civil War. The noted San . . . — — Map (db m53917) HM
On East Tyler Street at South Buffalo Street (State Highway 198), on the right when traveling east on East Tyler Street.
"The Canton Herald" has been in continuous operation since 1882. Ellis Campbell (1882-1945), publisher of the "Wills Point Chronicle," purchased the "Herald" in 1915. Campbell and his wife Mary Jane (Gilmore) built a family publishing business that . . . — — Map (db m187054) HM
On North Trade Days Boulevard, 0.1 miles north of East Dallas Street (State Road 19), on the right when traveling south.
In 1867, a group of citizens, resentful of Northern control of the State and county, attempted to secede from Texas and the U.S. General Philip Sheridan, Commander at New Orleans, sent federal troops to restore order – resulting in a battle, won by . . . — — Map (db m247165) HM
The youngest of seven children born to William and Elizabeth
(Jones) Towles, Thomas Jefferson Towles was born on December
29, 1843, in Jones County, Georgia. After losing his father in 1847
and his mother in 1854, Thomas came to Van Zandt County, . . . — — Map (db m237031) HM
On State Highway 64, 0.2 miles north of Veterans Memorial Parkway (State Highway 243), on the right when traveling north.
A portion of the original
Mercer Grant created from
Henderson County in 1848
Named in honor of the illustrious
statesman Isaac Van Zandt
Born in Tennessee, July 10, 1813
Delegate to the Annexation
Convention in 1845
Died in . . . — — Map (db m187059) HM
On East Dallas Street (State Highway 64) east of South Buffalo Street (State Highway 198), on the right when traveling east.
Built in 1937 with Public Works Administration funds, this is the sixth building to serve as the Van Zandt County Courthouse. According to local lore, the Commissioners Court decreed that a modern courthouse should be erected in order to provide . . . — — Map (db m54055) HM
On South Trade Days Boulevard (State Highway 19) 0.4 miles south of Veterans Memorial Parkway (State Highway 243), on the right when traveling south.
In the early days of Van Zandt County, families, churches and charitable organizations took care of people in need. After the civil war, the high number of indigents forced an addendum to the state constitution making care for the poor the . . . — — Map (db m187051) HM
On North Main Street at W Elm St, on the right when traveling north on North Main Street.
Adolphus Lane Spradlin (1863-1946) came to Texas from Indiana in 1875 with his parents. He settled at Hiram in Kaufman County and married Lee Ann Henson (1864-1939), of Cherokee ancestry. In 1898 he bought land in the Van Zandt County community of . . . — — Map (db m245164) HM
On Pecan Street at South Crockett Street, on the right when traveling west on Pecan Street.
In 1911, B.J. Carter (1875-1934) moved to Edgewood with his wife, Sallie Abigail (Smyre) (1880-1966), and their three daughters. B.J. Carter was a schoolteacher before becoming a certified pharmacist. After arriving in Edgewood, the couple jointly . . . — — Map (db m244652) HM
On South Houston Street at East Pine Street (U.S. 80), on the right when traveling north on South Houston Street.
This church grew from services led by a Canton Methodist circuit rider in the late 1870s. The first sanctuary (1 blk. W) was built on land deeded in 1879 by the Texas & Pacific Railroad. Early church buildings were shared with the public school. In . . . — — Map (db m244613) HM
On North Houston Street north of East Oak Street, on the left when traveling north.
District Judge-Elect John C. Robertson (1824-1895) and his partner, W. S. Herndon (1837-1903), gave land in 1878 for a railroad depot. This started Edgewood community. Citizens of Canton moved their shipping here from Wills Point due to the Van . . . — — Map (db m245158) HM
On South Houston Street (Farm to Market Road 859) at South Maple Street, on the right when traveling north on South Houston Street.
Elders E.B. Eakin and S.E. Reeves organized the original fifteen members of this congregation in December 1890. During its first two years of existence, the fellowship met for worship in several locations, including the community schoolhouse, under . . . — — Map (db m245160) HM
On North Houston Street (Farm to Market Road 859) at Northeast Front Street, on the left when traveling north on North Houston Street.
Built by Virgil Henson (1882-1967) and W.A. Covin (1871--1946) in 1909, this structure housed the First State Bank of Edgewood. Started by J.P. Downs (1879-1932), it later became the First National Bank. In 1918 a second floor was added, providing . . . — — Map (db m244624) HM
On South Main Street at East Pecan Street, on the right when traveling north on South Main Street.
William Henry (1862-1917) and Molly (1867-1945) Humphries joined a large migration of Mississippi families to Edgewood in the early 1890s. Humphries opened a general store, acquired many acres of farmland, and became a business leader in the growing . . . — — Map (db m244626) HM
On Farm to Market Road 2339, 0.5 miles west of Farm to Market Road 4712, on the right when traveling west.
The first recorded burial on this site was that of Asbury Lowery (1836-1855). The new burial ground was named in his memory. In 1863, Prairie Flower (1858-1863), the young daughter of celebrated Comanche Indian captive Cynthia Ann Parker and . . . — — Map (db m105485) HM
On this site the
Cherokee Chief Bowles was killed on July 16, 1839 while leading 800 Indians of various tribes in battle against 500 Texans. The last engagement between Cherokees and whites in Texas. — — Map (db m91605) HM
Oral tradition links this church to the original County Line Baptist Church of 1851, the earliest recorded attempt of area African American families to create a community of worship. County Line Colored Missionary Baptist Church was founded in 1872 . . . — — Map (db m31867) HM
On Farm to Market Road 279, on the left when traveling west.
As was the case in so many small Texas towns in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the cotton gin in Edom was a major element in the economy. First opened at this site in 1918 by Ro Dike, who moved his ginning operation here from Davidson (3 . . . — — Map (db m28115) HM
On North Main Street at West O’Hara Street, on the left when traveling north on North Main Street.
Methodists living in Grand Saline during the early years of its settlement traveled to Creagleville (3 mi. W) to attend worship services. In 1889, after Grand Saline experienced a period of growth due to industrial and business expansion, a . . . — — Map (db m237012) HM
On East Garland Street (U.S. 80) at Farm to Market Road 857 on East Garland Street.
The large saline deposit was a major source of salt in Texas during the Civil War. Salt was first obtained by the Indians. In 1854, works were built. Sam Richardson, the owner in 1861, went to war and left his wife to run the works until the . . . — — Map (db m237013) HM
On Farm to Market Road 857 at County Road 1701, on the left when traveling north on Road 857.
John Jordan established the community of Jordans Saline when he settled here in 1844 and joined with A.T. McGee in organizing a salt company. When Van Zandt County formed in 1848, Jordans Saline was named temporary county seat. Although the county . . . — — Map (db m237020) HM
On West Garland Street (U.S. 80) at North Main Street, on the right when traveling west on West Garland Street.
Pioneer aviator Wiley Hardeman Post was born on November 22, 1898, in the community of Corinth in Van Zandt County, to William Francis and Mae Laine Post, who moved to Oklahoma when Wiley was a boy. Wiley was inspired as a youth to learn to fly. In . . . — — Map (db m237015) HM
On Farm to Market Road 857 at County Road 1707, on the right when traveling west on Road 857.
Providence Community comprised mostly of small family
farms, is located in the far northeast section of Van Zandt
County straddling the Smith County line. Since 1845,
colonization of the area was encouraged with land
grants, and many immigrants . . . — — Map (db m237026) HM
On Farm to Market Road 2339, 0.3 miles west of Farm to Market Road 4306, on the right when traveling west.
Pioneer L.H. Hobbs arrived in this area in about 1850 and was instrumental in the establishment of the community. He owned 320 acres of land, including this site. Hobbs allowed the King family to bury their two-year-old daughter here, marking the . . . — — Map (db m105614) HM
Near Interstate 20 at milepost 538, on the right when traveling east.
Main engagement of Cherokee War; fought July 15 and 16, 1839, between 800 Indians (including Delawares and Shawnees) and 500 troops of the Republic of Texas.
An extraordinary fact is that David G. Burnet, vice president of the Republic; Albert . . . — — Map (db m87080) HM
Near Interstate 20 at milepost 538, on the right when traveling west.
A man whose public service was of highest order. Born on a farm near this site in Van Zandt County. Educated at Cumberland University (Tennessee) and Tyler Commercial College, was County Attorney and County Judge of Smith County. As chairman of . . . — — Map (db m84511) HM
Near Interstate 20 at milepost 538, on the right when traveling west.
Pioneer nickname appropriate to this area’s many freedoms–particularly from want and fear. (Food was obtained with little effort; and although the Indians fought white men here as late as 1842, the settlers by 1847 slept in the open with no . . . — — Map (db m84510) HM
On East James Street at North 4th Street (Farm to Market Road 47), on the right when traveling east on East James Street.
In the early 1920s, an atmosphere of gratefulness for the end of World War I was prevalent throughout the country. In Wills Point, a sense of optimism and interest in urban development led to the formation of a chamber of commerce on December 5, . . . — — Map (db m119621) HM
On West James Street at North 5th Street, on the left when traveling west on West James Street.
German-born Oscar Pabst moved to Wills Point from Quitman, Texas in 1879, and he established an apothecary in town along the Dallas-Shreveport Road. After an 1888 fire damaged Pabst’s Store, he relocated it inside a grocery owned by his son-in-law, . . . — — Map (db m237023) HM
On Farm to Market Road 47, 1.8 miles east of County Road 3707, on the right when traveling east.
Van Zandt County was among the Texas counties that voted for secession in the spring of 1861 as the Civil War loomed. At the outbreak of the conflict, Texas troops began training for service to the Confederate States of America (C.S.A.). Military . . . — — Map (db m244647) HM
On Bertha Street, 0.1 miles west of South 4th Street, on the left when traveling west.
Provisions for the first African American public school in Wills Point were made around 1878. The school was located on the north side of Wills Point on what is now North Wills Street. In 1926, the school relocated to the south of town on Bertha . . . — — Map (db m244707) HM
On Houston Street (County Road 3415) at Corky Boyd Avenue (State Highway 64), on the right when traveling east on Houston Street.
Due to a surveyor's error, the county seat of Van Zandt County was located on private property in 1850. An election was called 27 years later because of discontent with the site. On May 28, 1877, County Judge Cadwell Walton Raines ordered court . . . — — Map (db m244615) HM
On Houston Street (County Road 3415) at Corky Boyd Avenue (State Highway 64), on the right when traveling east on Houston Street.
A trail established by Caddoan Native Americans and later used by French traders who traversed this area is known today as the Dallas-Shreveport Road. The trail emerged in the mid-1830s as a main route into North Texas for emigrants and cargo from . . . — — Map (db m244619) HM
Near County Road 3410 at Bama Street, on the right when traveling south.
On Feb. 5, 1912, 16-year-old Elbert Gray committed a most heroic act. Two-year-old Calvin Stepp had fallen into a water well sixty feet deep and barely one foot across. Lowered by rope, Elbert descended feet first to carry Calvin to safety, but near . . . — — Map (db m244636) HM
On East South Commerce Street, 0.1 miles east of Hatch Street, on the right when traveling east.
On May 6, 1901, 21 Wills Point men met in the law office of W.B. Wynne to organize the Fin & Feather Hunting and Fishing Club to be located at Thorn Lake. The Texas & Pacific Railroad Company built Thorn Lake to provide water for their steam . . . — — Map (db m244634) HM
On East James Street at North 3rd Street, on the right when traveling west on East James Street.
The First Baptist Church of Wills Point was founded in 1873, with Dr. J. L. Matthews, a doctor of medicine, serving as the first pastor. In 1876 the 30-member congregation erected a building, which is said to have been destroyed in a tornado the . . . — — Map (db m119610) HM
On North 3rd Street at East James Street, on the right when traveling north on North 3rd Street.
Founded in 1882, the congregation first met in the Presbyterian church, and a cotton gin pond north of town was used for baptisms. A church building was erected in 1886, and in 1891 a baptistry was added. The first in town, it was offered for use by . . . — — Map (db m237011) HM
On West North Commerce Street at North 6th Street, on the right when traveling west on West North Commerce Street.
Shortly after the arrival of the railroad caused an economic boom in the Wills Point area, a private bank was founded by John E. Owens in 1879. It was granted a Federal bank charter in 1895.
Following a state and federal bank holiday in 1933, . . . — — Map (db m244622) HM
On East High Street at McKain Alley, on the right when traveling west on East High Street.
Built 1874 for Thomas J. and Mattie Cornelia Bagby McKain-- first couple married in Wills Point. McKain had come to Texas in 1870 from Florida; his bride, born in Virginia, was educated at Old Trinity University, Tehuacana. McKain (1849-1922), a . . . — — Map (db m244627) HM
On East James Street at North 4th Street (Farm to Market Road 47), on the right when traveling east on East James Street.
German brothers B. W. and Isaac Edward “Ike” Rose came to nearby Cedar Grove in 1873 and the same year moved to Wills Point, where they opened Rose Dry Goods Store. In 1884, Ike moved to Dallas and was a successful entrepreneur. B. W. . . . — — Map (db m119620) HM
On County Road 3805 north of U.S. 80, on the right when traveling west.
The W.O. Rowden family moved from Gurley, Alabama to
Van Zandt County in 1895 and, in 1898, the family moved to
the H.H. Carmack place just at the outer edge of Wills Point.
Carmack received a cotton boll from a friend in Florida
and gave it to . . . — — Map (db m244641) HM
On South 4th Street at East O’Neal Street, on the right when traveling north on South 4th Street.
Organized 1875 as Wills Point Methodist Episcopal Church, South, after a retired minister, James A. Scruggs, had led services for some years. The Rev. L. P. Lively became first resident pastor in 1878. The earliest sanctuary, built about 1877 and . . . — — Map (db m244628) HM
On Farm to Market Road 751, 0.2 miles south of County Road 3812, on the right when traveling south.
Settlers William McBee and Adam Sullivan established the Union Grove community in 1844. McBee built and operated the first corn mill in Van Zandt County, and Union Grove grew to include a Baptist Church and the McBee School. Charles Rufus Peery . . . — — Map (db m244644) HM
The town of Wills Point was established in the early 1870s on the Texas and Pacific Railroad. It was named for the log cabin/trading post established at a nearby site on the Dallas-Shreveport Road by early settler William Wills. This cemetery began . . . — — Map (db m244632) HM
On Houston Street (County Road 3415) at Corky Boyd Avenue (State Highway 64), on the right when traveling east on Houston Street.
Tennessee native William A. Wills (1804-1864) moved to Texas with his wife, Mary Ann "Polly" (Phillips), and their children in 1847 and settled on the Dallas-Shreveport Road in what became Van Zandt County. They hosted many travelers in their home. . . . — — Map (db m244621) HM
On School Street at West O’Neal Street on School Street.
Wills Point city officials under Mayor Thomas J. McKain established a public school system in 1886. Classes began in a rented building on North Fourth Street with Professor W.I. Cowles as the first superintendent. In 1891, trustees purchased 6.1 . . . — — Map (db m244633) HM
On West James Street at North 5th Street, on the left when traveling west on West James Street.
In 1877, William B. Wynne came to Wills Point and opened a law practice with his older brother, Richard M. Wynne, who later became a state senator. Four of W.B. Wynne’s sons were associated with the firm. In addition to serving clients, the office . . . — — Map (db m237024) HM