Newton County, Texas
Burkeville is home to 17 official Texas Historical Commission markers — each one telling a piece of the city’s story. Browse the markers below, then find them on the map and discover more nearby with RoadHistorical.
County organized in 1846; Seat of Justice not established until two years later by public subscription. A building was erected here in 1848 on land donated by John R. Burke for whom the town received its name. Newton…
View on map ↗Preached at Jonesboro in 1817. Organized first permanent Methodist church and was in charge of all work in Texas in 1834. Born in Virginia, 1772. Died November 20, 1841
View on map ↗On this site stood Harrell House, built in 1865 by Confederate veteran David F. Harrell to serve stagecoaches and others traveling military road. Renamed for its food-laden, hand-made lazy Susan table, seating 12 to 15…
View on map ↗Organized 1839 by the Rev. Moses Spear, for whom it was named. First church, a log building, was erected on a 1.7-acre site owned by William McMahon. The leading charter member was the man who had founded first…
View on map ↗Named for Jim and Winnie Shankle, known as first Newton County blacks to buy land and become local leaders after gaining freedom by emancipation. Both were born in slavery: Jim in 1811, Winnie in 1814. After Winnie and…
View on map ↗Early 19th century trade routes across the Sabine River were few, and served all travelers and traders. The Beef Road, which replaced earlier "Zavala Road", was an important route by 1840, crossing this area. Named for…
View on map ↗In 1850 John R. and Mary W. Burke sold for one dollar to the local Methodist Episcopal Church, South, a tract of land at this site for a church building and cemetery. The oldest known grave here is that of Burke…
View on map ↗The Church of God reformation began in Indiana in 1881 as a Christian unity movement opposed to undue organization. This congregation, founded in 1901, is the oldest known Church of God fellowship in the state. Alice…
View on map ↗The Sabine River's Toledo Bend has played a major role in the history of East Texas. An area initially inhabited by Indians and buffalo, it was a landmark for Spanish explorers and missionaries. The latter possibly…
View on map ↗This land was part of an 1838 grant to James Weeks (d.1863) in Jasper County, becoming part of Newton County in 1846. Weeks built a home about one-half mile south of this site, and married Catherine Hardy (b.1831) in…
View on map ↗To create jobs and bring county services nearer to residents of this area, Newton County officials provided materials and the U.S. Work Projects Administration (WPA) the funds to pay laborers to construct this building…
View on map ↗Thomas Bonner (1833-1891) moved from Mississippi to Texas in the early 1850s. He married Eliza Jane Rutledge (d.1910) in 1855 and settled on the banks of the Sabine River. They became the parents of 13 children. The…
View on map ↗Thomas and Charlotte Guthrie Tanner moved to Mexican Texas in 1827 or 1828. They purchased six hundred acres on McGraw Creek from J. R. Williams for six hundred dollars in 1849. When Thomas Tanner died in 1862, he was…
View on map ↗Brothers Sebern (1809-1865), Allen (1814-1887) and John Woods and their families were living in Yalobusha County, Mississippi, in 1840. They traveled to the Republic of Texas with their parents, John (1785-1863) and…
View on map ↗Settlers to this area crossed from Louisiana into Texas near Toledo Bend on the Sabine River. Along Mill Creek, they established a community and this cemetery. Dating to the early 1840s, the first marked grave is that…
View on map ↗Following the Civil War, a group of freedmen established the Cedar Grove community, coming here to take advantage of the area's strong cotton market. The community was named for the cedars that once existed here before…
View on map ↗Methodist minister Alfred Farr arrived in Newton County prior to 1860, and the community that grew around his homesite came to be known as Farrsville. The cemetery established at this site was first called Hines…
View on map ↗RoadHistorical maps all 15,000+ Texas historical markers and alerts you as you pass them. Free to download.
Keep exploring