Historical Markers in Caldwell, Texas

Burleson County · 1936

In rich Brazos River basin; had settlers early as 1825. Site in 1830 of Tenoxtitlan, one of 3 forts built by Mexico in Texas, situated above El Camino Real (The King's Highway) crossing on Brazos River. North of the…

Fort Tenoxtitlan · 1936

2000 feet south, site of Fort Tenoxtitlan established by the Mexican government in July, 1830, in an attempt to stem Anglo-American settlement. Named in honor of the Aztec capital, now Mexico City. Abandoned by Mexican…

Lewis L. Chiles · 1936

A San Jacinto Veteran; founder of the city of Caldwell.. Born in Virginia in 1811; died May 29, 1864. His wife Emily Hitchcock Chiles; born December 13, 1824; died June 9, 1877

City of Caldwell · 1967

Founded 1840 by Lewis L. Chiles, a veteran of Battle of San Jacinto. Named for Mathew "Old Paint" Caldwell, Indian fighter and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. This was county seat, Milam County, in…

Josef Masik · 1968

(March 30, 1810 - July 1, 1881) First Czech teacher in Texas. Born in Moravia (now Czechoslovakia). Certified to teach at age 16. Came to Texas 1855, seeking freedom from oppression. Following much hardship, he resumed…

Lee W. Henslee · 1968

(1872 - 1927) Native of Burleson County; was named county sheriff in 1902; served in era when law and order were challenged. "Mr. Lee" seldom used a gun, commanding respect through quiet persuasion. His family lived in…

Providence Baptist Church · 1968

Organized 1841 in Republic of Texas by James A. Prewitt, first deacon. Until calling of pastor, 32 members met 3 or 4 times a year, with planters from Brazos bottoms and their households (including slaves) in…

Site of Camino Real · 1968

(The old San Antonio Road) Great thoroughfare of early Texas. Following ancient Indian and buffalo paths, sometimes on same course as 1691 "Trail of the Padres", stretches 1,000 miles from Saltillo, Mexico, to present…

Town of Chriesman · 1968

(Originally "Yellow Prairie" 0.5 mi. E) Settled by Alexander Thomson, Jr., early Texas patriot and partner of the colonizer Sterling C. Robertson. When railroad came through in 1880, the settlers moved to tracks.…

First Baptist Church · 1969

Originally named Dove Church. Organized May 14, 1843, in home of Laban Rice, one of six charter members. Noted frontier ministers R. E. B. Baylor and Noah Byars presided at founding, and Byars served as first pastor.…

Horatio Chriesman · 1969

Colonial statesman, Methodist lay leader, pioneer in Burleson County. Came to Texas in 1822 from Kentucky. Had office of surveyor, Austin's Colony, 1823-1836; was a military officer in Indian conflicts and also army of…

Burleson County · 1970

Farmed early as 1744 by Indians under guidance of Spanish missionaries. In 1830, Ft. Tenoxtitlan, guarding Brazos crossing, San Antonio Road, attracted Anglo-Texans, who lived off wild game in early years. County…

Elizabeth Chapel Methodist Church · 1970

First Methodist Church in the county. Began as Sunday School in home of Isaac addison, early settler. Later moved to home of Mrs. Elizabeth Scott. Organized about 1839 by Robt. Alexander, famous pioneer minister. Soon a…

First United Methodist Church of Caldwell · 1970

Congregation, organized 1840, is one of the oldest in Texas. It was one of 12 appointments on Nashville Circuit, Galveston District, Republic of Texas. Early worship was in various temporary structures. Here, in 1841,…

Fort Tenoxtitlan · 1970

Founded by Mexico as a bulwark against Anglo-American immigration, this fort and its nearby city were twice proposed for the capital of Texas. Alarmed by the influx of Anglo settlers into Texas, Mexico in 1830 sought to…

Old City Cemetery · 1971

Created in 1840 (same year Caldwell was laid out) when lots 3 and 12 were made a "Grave Yard and Church lot" forever. Town founder Lewis L. Chiles (d.1864) is buried here. Oldest legible stone is for Margarette A. King…

Alexander Thomson, Jr. · 1972

(August 29, 1785 - June 1, 1863) A leader in colonizing Texas, Alexander Thomson, Jr., was born in St. Matthew's Parish, South Carolina, the only son of Alexander and Lucy (Fontaine) Thomson. He later lived in Georgia…

Waugh Campground · 1972

Given to Methodist church as a camp-meeting site, by the Isaac S. Addison family. Mrs. Addison named camp in honor of Bishop Beverly Waugh, who presided at first Methodist Conference in Texas, and who, like the…

Burleson County C.S.A. · 1973

On Feb. 23, 1861, citizens voted for secession, 422 to 84. On March 1, the "Burleson Guards" organized and offered its services to the state. Most "Guards" were mustered into Co.G, 2nd Texas Infantry Regt., and others…

Early Settlers of Burleson County in the Texas War for Independence · 1973

When Mexican dictator Santa Anna revoked national rights, 30 or more men from this sparsely settled area left to resist his armies: in Grass Fight (Nov. 26, 1835), Siege of Bexar (Dec. 5-9) and other actions. While able…

San Salvador Mission Church · 1974

San Salvador, a mission of St. Anthony's Catholic Church, Bryan, was named for the patron saint of Cefalu, Sicily, the native village of Italian immigrants who came here in 1894. Religious services were held in homes…

Macedonia Hix Baptist Church · 1975

Traveling ministers conducted services in this area during the 1840s. The church was organized about 1852 and located on land belonging to Ezra Webb. Oldest marked grave in the adjacent cemetery is that of Elder W. G.…

Moseley's Ferry · 1975

Situated where the Old San Antonio Road crossed the Brazos River, this public ferry was begun by Michael Boren (1806-75) about 1846. The ferry and a settlement nearby were named for Daniel Moseley (1787-1856), who took…

An Arm of The Chisholm Cattle Trail · 1981

The Chisholm Trail, which was developed following the Civil War, allowed Texas cattle to be driven to railheads in Kansas for shipment to eastern markets. An arm of the celebrated route, reaching from Matagorda County…

Caldwell National Bank · 1981

On January 24, 1903, a group of local businessmen under the direction of J. J. Lane and C. C. Nelms met for the purpose of establishing a national bank. The thirty original stock subscribers who attended pledged $25,000…

City of Caldwell · 1982

In 1840 the Republic of Texas Congress annexed to Milam County all of Washington County north of Yegua Creek and west of the Brazos River. The name Caldwell, which honored Mathew "Old Paint" Caldwell, a noted pioneer…

Reeves-Womack House · 1983

Caldwell native William Reeves (1858-1921), a prominent merchant and banker in the town, built this residence before the turn of the century. In 1907 it was sold to Civil War veteran Capt. Mansell Lewis Womack (b.…

Thomas Kraitchar, Jr. House · 1983

A fine example of a Victorian cottage-style residence, this home was built in 1891 for Thomas Kraitchar, Jr. (1870-1946). A merchant by profession, Kraitchar also served terms as the Burleson County Tax Collector and as…

First Presbyterian Church of Caldwell · 1984

This congregation was organized by The Rev. Hugh Wilson, an early Presbyterian missionary noted for his active work on the Texas frontier. Although the first account of the church appears in an 1850 document, it is…

Black Jack Baptist Church · 1985

The founding of this congregation was sponsored by the neighboring Liberty Baptist Church. Organized in May 1885 with 17 charter members, the church called James G. Cooper to serve as its first pastor. The community…

Caldwell Volunteer Fire Department · 1986

Caldwell's volunteer fire department was organized as the Caldwell Hook & Ladder Co. No.1 on July 22, 1886, five years before the city of Caldwell was incorporated. The original 22 members of the association obtained…

Providence Cemetery · 1992

According to oral tradition, this cemetery has served residents of the Providence area since the 1830s. The earliest marked grave is that of Elizabeth Hughes, who died in 1841, but the presence of unmarked graves…

New Tabor Brethren Church · 1993

About 1870 this area of Burleson County was settled by Czech-Moravian immigrants in search of fertile land and the religious freedom denied them in their native European homeland. Informal services were held twice a…

New Tabor Cemetery · 1999

New Tabor was settled by Czech and German immigrants in the 1870s and 1880s. It was named for the community of Tabor in Czechoslovakia. In February 1888, Henry Ginzel sold 3.25 acres of land for a cemetery to trustees…

Warren Lodge No. 56, A.F. & A.M. · 1999

Burleson County was established in 1846 with Caldwell as the county seat. By the late 1840s Caldwell had a population of about three hundred. Local Masons began organizing and in October 1848 nine Freemasons petitioned…

Porter House · 2000

Robert U. Porter (1825-1899) came to Texas with his parents in 1833. He took over the family landholdings and farm operations upon his father's death. The area around this site became known as Porter's Prairie. Robert…

Caldwell Masonic Cemetery · 2001

With more than 2,700 burials, this cemetery is a significant reflection of the heritage of Caldwell and Burleson County. It began as a Masonic cemetery in 1890 when Warren Lodge No. 56 purchased land here for that…

Duewall House · 2001

Rudolph and Anna Duewall established a family farm here in the 1880s upon moving to Burleson County. Their son Edward (1885-1944) and his wife, Lizzie (Herrmann) (1890-1947), continued the farm operations. In 1928, they…

John Mitchell · 2002

Born in Tennessee c. 1836-37, John Mitchell came to Texas in 1846. He began purchasing land in this area in 1870, the same year he married Viney Cox. As a member of both the 12th and 14th Legislatures, Mitchell…

S.P.J.S.T. San Antonio Prairie Cemetery · 2002

Frenstat Cemetery · 2004

In 1884, several Moravian Czech families established farms in this area, naming the community Frenstat, or Friendsted, for Frenstat, Czechoslavakia. Alois and Veronica Polansky deeded 20 acres for a school, church and…

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church · 2004

In 1884, Catholic settlers from Czechoslavakia first arrived in this area. They named their settlement Frenstat for the community they had left, Frenstat Rod Radhost, Moravia. By 1887, the Rev. Joseph Chromcik regularly…

St. Mary's Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church · 2004

A number of eastern European immigrants of the Catholic faith came to Burleson County in the late 1800s. Priests from nearby towns led worship services; the first recorded mass was in August 1893, with the Rev. Jacob…

St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery · 2005

Early area priests served Caldwell’s Catholic residents in the early 1890s, meeting in various locations, including the home of the Windhausen family. The community built a church dedicated to St. Mary’s Our Lady of…

Burleson County in World War II · 2008

During World War II, out of a population of 18,000, close to 1300 men and women of Burleson County joined the military, with 450 who attended Caldwell High School drafted or voluntarily enlisted. Many had never been…

Woodson Lumber Company · 2013

Brothers James R. (Jim) (1884-1940) and Harrie P. Woodson, Jr. (1892-1974) left their home in Richmond, Missouri after their mother died in 1912. In California they worked in a lumberyard, with Harrie as a laborer and…

Draper-Moseley Cemetery · 2020

From Caldwell, travel 6.5 miles east on State Highway 21 to Cooks Point. Continue on SH 21 from Cooks Point for 2.71 miles east to County Road 221 on the north side of the highway. Continue on County Road 221 for 0.24…