Historical Markers in Cuero, Texas

Allen Caruthers · 1936

A veteran of San Jacinto; born in Kentucky May 31, 1804; died May 29, 1863. His wife Martha B. Caruthers born in North Carolina April 24, 1816; died July 8, 1858.

De Witt County · 1936

Included in the colonial grant in 1825 to Green De Witt, Texas Empresario, settled until 1840 largely by Anglo Americans. Created a county of the State of Texas March 24, 1846. Its area being taken from Gonzales,…

George W. Davis · 1962

Citizen soldier who served Texas in its struggle for independence, 1835-1836. Erected by the State of Texas 1962

Honoring Texas Confederate General August C. Buchel · 1964

1811-1864 Educated in stern military schools of Prussia. Was in French Legion and army of Turkey. Knighted in Spain after work in Carlist wars. Came to Texas 1845. In Mexican War 1846-47. Later became Port of Lavaca…

Dr. William Watt White · 1965

(1829 - 1914) Surgeon of Waul's Legion, Confederate Army. Came to Texas about 1850. In 1856 got M.D. degree in Philadelphia. During Civil War, saved many lives, but took typhoid, which contributed to loss of his…

Emil Reiffert House · 1965

Built in 1868 at Indianola by Emil Reiffert (1839-1910), immigrant at age 15; Confederate veteran; merchant, rancher, President H. Runge & Co., known as First Real Bank in Texas. Anchored to 7-feet. pillars. With 100…

English-German School · 1965

(1877-1894). Built by corporation issuing stock. Taught both languages. First school in Cuero. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1965

John T. Wofford Home · 1965

Built in 1877 near Lindenau by John Tyler Wofford (1844-1910), Confederate veteran, merchant, farmer, rancher, son of first chief justice, DeWitt County. House was dismantled, boards numbered, moved and reassembled here…

St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church · 1965

One of first Texas congregations, organized 1851 by pastor Christoph Adam Sager, a German missionary. First had built a log church, 1849-50. Laid cornerstone of this native stone Gothic structure, 1866. Dedicated this…

De Witt County Courthouse · 1966

De Witt County organized in 1846 with Cameron as the first seat of government. Clinton was county seat from 1850 to 1876, when its two-story frame courthouse was moved to the new seat of Cuero. That building burned in…

Grace Episcopal Church · 1966

Organized in 1874. First chapel was moved from Port Lavaca; present church, built 1889, was dedicated May 25, 1890, when the Rev. George Hinson was rector. Gothic architecture with clapboard siding, walnut interior,…

Morgan Steamship Line · 1966

First mail and passenger steamship service from the United States to Texas. In 1835 put in operation the "Columbia" from New Orleans to Galveston, bringing in settlers and goods; soon had three cargo and mail lines…

Old Chisholm Trail · 1966

From site near here, 1800 Longhorns were moved out April 1, 1866, on first trail drive from this area to northern markets. Crockett Cardwell, owner of cattle bedground, had gathered the herd. The trail boss was Thornton…

Clinton · 1967

Created in 1846, De Witt County was named for Empresario Green De Witt. The county seat, originally at Cameron, was moved in 1848 to the pioneer town of Clinton, named for De Witt's son. County government returned…

Early Texas Bandstands · 1967

This bandstand, successor to earlier ones in Cuero, is a replica of the first one erected in this park -- used for concerts, patriotic meetings, bazaars, ice cream socials, political rallies, street dances. Cuero…

Thomas M. Stell · 1967

Born in Florida; came to Texas in childhood. A cowboy in youth -- drove cattle to Kansas, Wyoming. Attended Covey College, Concrete. Appointed sheriff of De Witt County, 1892; he served 15 years. Used persuasiveness and…

Cuero · 1968

Founded 1873 with arrival of Gulf, Western, Texas and Pacific Railroad. County seat moved here from Clinton, 1876. Population grew after coastal storms of 1875 and 1886 destroyed Indianola and refugees from there made a…

James F. Blair · 1968

Born in Tennessee. Parents were James and Catherine Jordan Blair. Served in Mexican and Civil wars. Rose from Confederate ranks to captain of Company G, 36th Texas Cavalry. Later served as Texas Ranger and was appointed…

Judge Henry Clay Pleasants · 1968

Graduate, University of Virginia, admitted to bar and practiced law in Virginia until moving to Clinton, Texas, 1854. Was judge 40 years of 23rd District Court. Admired for his courage and impartiality. Despite threats…

Nancy Shows · 1968

Pioneer settler. Adam Shows, her husband, built nearby Hebron Church about 1855. She was the mother of 8 children. Recorded 1968 Incise in base: Erected by children of Amos and Margaret Shows

Burns Station Cemetery · 1970

Reminder of De Witt County's earliest settlement, Irish Creek, begun in 1826 when Arthur Burns (1780-1856) migrated from Missouri and Iowa to Texas. He joined colony of Green DeWitt and built a 2-story log home near…

The William Frobese Home · 1970

One of oldest homes in Cuero built in port city of Indianola (70 miles southeast) by William Frobese (1838-1911), who came from Germany to Texas in 1859 and rose to place of leadership as a partner in foremost…

Concrete College · 1971

(1865 - 1881) One of most respected schools in Texas in its day. Founded by the Rev. John Van Epps Covey (1821-1898), noted educator and minister. Embraced primary through collegiate levels, accepting only students over…

James Norman Smith · 1971

"Uncle Jimmy the Peacemaker." Son of Sgt. James Turner Smith, veteran of American Revolution. Born and educated in North Carolina. Lived for 32 years in Tennessee, where he taught James K. Polk, later a U.S. President.…

The Edward Mugge House · 1971

Built in 1870s by a key man in the activities and ideology that gave the town of Cuero its economic leadership role in late 19th century south Texas. Edward Mugge (1839-97), a native of Germany, arrived in the…

Gohmert-Summers House · 1972

Typical of prospering 19th century city, this late Victorian house has fine details: imported leaded glass windows, metal "lace" trim, turned columns, Italian tile. Architect was A. O. Watson, Austin; Contractor, C. A.…

St. Mark's Lutheran Church · 1972

The great gulf storm of 1875 in Indianola brought many Lutherans to Cuero. By 1880 German Lutherans were meeting for services conducted by pastors from nearby communities. The 1886 destruction of Indianola brought more…

Buchel Bank · 1973

Otto Buchel (1849-1909) came to Cuero in 1872, the year of city's founding; operated a mercantile business in partnership with George Seeligson. Buchel had the only safe in town, and within a year began keeping…

Cuero Land and Immigration Company · 1973

On December 25, 1871, Cuero Land and Immigration Company was formed to develop 4,128 acres of land from J. A. Valdez y Gonzales League (granted 1833 by Mexico). Company charter was issued Feb. 7, 1872. There were four…

Hephzibeth Looker Taylor · 1973

Born in South Caroline; married Josiah Taylor, October 1, 1807; came to Texas in 1824. After his death in 1830, she applied for a 1-league land grant in the Green De Witt Colony, based on Josiah Taylor's colonization…

Josiah Taylor · 1973

Born in Virginia. First came to Texas in 1812, as captain in the Gutierrez - Magee Expedition, an attempt to free Mexico from Spain; fought at La Bahia, Alazan, Rosales; wounded 7 times in the Battle of Medina. Returned…

The Robert Allert House · 1973

Three courses of brick form walls for this house completed 1893 as his own residence by Robert Allert (1853-1910), a brickmason and a partner in Fuess and Allert, contractors who built much in Cuero, other south Texas…

Site of Friar-Cardwell Stage Stand · 1974

In 1839 or 1840 at the junction of the La Grange - La Bahia and Victoria - Gonzales Roads (.5 miles east), Daniel Boone Friar (1800-58) built a home and store that served as a social, political, transportation, and…

St. Michael's Catholic Church · 1975

The Rt. Rev. Anthony Dominic Pellicer, First Bishop of San Antonio, established St. Michael's Parish in 1875, after the Cuero Land and Immigration Co. donated this site for a church. The name was chosen in memory of…

Alexander and Annie Hamilton House · 1976

Leonard Roy Harmon · 1977

Born in Cuero, Leonard Roy Harmon enlisted in the U.S. Navy in Houston in June 1939. After training in Norfolk, Virginia, he reported for duty on the cruiser "U.S.S. San Francisco" and advanced to mess attendant first…

Site of Cameron, First County Seat of DeWitt County · 1977

This site was chosen in June 1846 as the first seat of DeWitt County and named for Capt. Ewen Cameron (1811-43), slain prisoner of the Mier Expedition. Although a town was platted on the 100-acre tract donated by Joseph…

The Breeden House · 1977

This structure was begun in 1883 as a one-story dwelling for Walter Kibbe Breeden (1858-1931) and his wife Margaret (Pleasants) (1863-1936). In 1889 Breeden and his brother Charles founded Breeden brothers, well-known…

The Bates-Sheppard House · 1978

This structure was built principally of lumber salvaged from ruins of the Indianola home of Morgan steamship Captain Henry Shepard (1826-1879). After a hurricane destroyed Indianola in August 1886, the late captain's…

Keller-Grunder House · 1979

German native Antone Keller (d. 1857) came to Texas in 1846 as a colonist with the German Emigration Company. He arrived with his family at the port city of Indianola (65 miles southeast), where he later opened a…

Bellevue-Cheapside · 1981

Pioneer area settlers, many of English descent, acquired land at this site in 1876 for the establishment of a community church, school, and burial ground. A 2-story Woodmen of the World Lodge was also located nearby.…

First United Methodist Church of Cuero · 1981

Circuit riders held worship services for Methodists in the Cuero Creek area as early as 1841. It was not until after Cuero's incorporation in 1873, however, that a permanent Methodist church was founded here. Earliest…

Arneckeville · 1983

A native of Germany, Adam Christopher Henry Arnecke settled in this area in the 1850s and opened the community's first general store. Originally known as Zionsville, the settlement later was named for Arnecke. By the…

Hopkinsville Community, A Colony of Freedmen · 1983

Members of the Hopkins family came to De Witt County in 1854 as slaves of Judge Henry Clay Pleasants (d. 1899). They worked for a time on a Gonzales County plantation and returned to this area after the Civil War as…

Golly Hollow School and Community · 1985

The first school for the Golly Hollow community was erected in a low lying area west of this site. In 1884 Theresa Hubers-Burger donated an acre of land so that this structure could be built on higher ground. The school…

The Five-Mile (Ratcliffe)- Rabke Community · 1985

When four well-educated German families settled on Five Mile Creek in 1849, the community was called Latiner for their knowledge of Latin. Capt. Robert Kleberg (1803-88), Battle of San Jacinto veteran, was one early…

Buchel Community and School · 1986

Permanent settlers arrived in this area of Texas as early as 1839. A post office was established in 1842, two years after the first school opened near this site. In 1894, Cuero merchant and banker Otto Buchel…

George Washington Davis · 1986

Pennsylvania native George Washington Davis (1797-1853) brought his family to Texas in 1831. He selected a league of land near present-day Cuero in the Green De Witt Colony and became an active participant in the…

Mount Zion Baptist Church · 1986

Mount Zion Baptist Church was organized on July 18, 1869, with fifteen charter members. The Rev. Mitchell Harrison (d. 1906) was the congregation's first pastor and is credited with naming the new church. The…

Heaton-Breeden House · 1989

This colonial revival house was built about 1880 for the family of David H. Heaton, owner of Cuero's first drugstore. In 1924 it was purchased by prominent civic leader Charles G. Breeden, who had it remodeled to its…

Charles Goodwin Breeden · 1991

A native of Victoria, Charles G. Breeden came to Cuero at age 15 to work on the "Weekly Star" newspaper. He made Cuero his permanent home and became an influential business and civic leader. A prominent south Texas…

First Presbyterian Church of Cuero · 1991

On July 8, 1849, a group of settlers gathered together under a live oak tree at the home of Dr. Robert and Mary C. Trigg Peebles to form the Live Oak Presbyterian Church, the first Presbyterian congregation in De Witt…

Knights of Pythias Hall, Jewel Lodge No. 103 · 2003

In 1864, in response to the tensions surrounding the American Civil War, Justus Henry Rathbone organized the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal order. The first Texas lodge, in Houston, was assembled in 1872; two years…

Hillside Cemetery · 2004

The new community of Cuero was surveyed for the Cuero Land & Immigration Co. in 1873. That same year, the city incorporated, and the GWT&P Railroad extended its track to it from Indianola. The land company conveyed 12…

Schlinke, Charles A. · 2008

CHARLES A. SCHLINKE (1863-1940) COMMUNITY LEADER AND BUSINESSMAN CHARLES A. SCHLINKE PLAYED A VITAL ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF DEWITT COUNTY. BORN IN POSEN, GERMANY, SCHLINKE IMMIGRATED TO THE UNITED STATES WITH FAMILY…

Taylor Family Cemetery · 2010

THIS BURIAL GROUND, ALSO KNOWN AS TAYLOR-BENNETT CEMETERY, ORIGINALLY SERVED THE TAYLOR FAMILY. IT LATER ALSO BECAME THE FINAL RESTING PLACE FOR MEMBERS OF THE BENNETT FAMILY, WHO WERE JOINED WITH THE TAYLORS THROUGH…

Zion Arneckeville Cemetery · 2010

ZION ARNECKEVILLE CEMETERY GERMAN SETTLERS BEGAN TO ARRIVE IN THIS AREA IN THE LATE 1840s. MANY IMMIGRANTS SETTLED IN THE TWELVE MILE COLETO AREA, LATER KNOWN AS MEYERSVILLE. THE ST. JOHN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH WAS…

Lindenau Community Cemetery · 2013

The settlement of Lindenau was established in 1891 near the junction of Sandies Creek and the Guadalupe River. The large oak trees reminded early German pioneers Charles and Daniel Wild of the linden trees that grow in…

Daule School · 2014

Cuero Colored High School was founded in 1892 as the first African American school in Cuero. The building was a one-room wooden structure built on lot fourteen of the Morgantown addition to the city. Prior to the 1890s,…

Proctor-Green House · 2015

Harvard graduate and attorney David Cogswell Proctor established his law career in Indianola, Texas, in the late 1840s. He opened a second firm in 1880 in Cuero, fortunately before the 1886 hurricane that destroyed much…