Historical Markers in Gatesville, Texas

Coryell County · 1936

Formed from Bell County; created February 4, 1854--Organized March 4, 1854. Named in Honor of James Coryell, born in Tennesse in 1796; a member of the Bowie Expedition to the old San Saba Silver Mines in 1831; a Texas…

Coryell County Courthouse · 1969

An outstanding example of Second Empire Victorian style, often seen in Texas Courthouse design. Erected in 1897 on land donated by early settler R. G. Grant. Architect for this third Coryell Courthouse was W. C. Dodson;…

Gatesville · 1970

County seat of Coryell County, Gatesville began in 1854 after the county was created. Richared Grant, an Indian trader and local landowner, donated the townsite. It was named for Old Fort Gates (1849-1852), which had…

Hammack Building · 1985

The Hammack Building is located on property once owned by John Chrisman, who helped survey the town of Gatesville in 1854. The building was constructed by W. W. Hammack (1860-1913) in the late 1800s. Over the years, the…

First Baptist Church of Gatesville · 1989

Organized in 1856 with fewer than a dozen members, this congregation has been a part of Gatesville history for more than a century. The first meeting of the congregation was held in the Coryell County Courthouse, and…

Purmela Baptist Church · 1991

This congregation traces its history to 1886, when the Rev. W. M. Blakely and ten charter members organized the Basham Baptist Church in the old Basham School Building at the Smith Cemetery (ca. 1.7 Mi. S). Basham…

First Christian Church Building · 1992

The first Christian Church of Gatesville had its beginnings in the 1880s. Officially organized in 1892, the congregation built this structure and met here until it disbanded in1972. The building continued in use as a…

Pecan Grove Baptist Church · 1994

On August 7, 1882, this church was organized as Coryell Creek Baptist Church of Christ by Monroe M. Smith, James M. Davidson, Joe F. and Martha J. Alsup, and Cordelia C. Beaty, with the help of D. J. Hardin and the Rev.…

Leon River Bridge, 1904 · 1996

The route once known as the Old Georgetown Road was in existence by 1854 and crossed the Leon River here. A ferry operated at this crossing as early as 1854 and was owned by R. G. Grant, a local entrepreneur and land…

Davidson Cemetery · 1997

James Madison (Matt) Davidson (1826-1925) came to Texas from Tennessee in 1852 and settled in Milam territory. In 1854 Matt Davidson and Vianna Moore (1832-1912) were the second couple issued a marriage license in…

Ater Cemetery · 2002

Originally founded as Sardis, the town of Ater took its name from store owner Joe Ater (1856-1928), who also served as its only postmaster from 1899 to 1907. A Mr. Dooley and Lemuel Murrell reportedly deeded land for…

King Cemetery · 2002

This site was in use as a burial ground well before it was formally deeded in 1880 for church and school purposes to what was then known as the Stringtown Baptist Church. A number of graves date to 1873, but unmarked…

Fort Gates · 2006

In the mid-1800s, Native tribes often met westward Anglo expansion in Texas with hostilities along the frontier line. To shield settlers form potential attack, the U.S. Army established a static line of outposts form…

Hemmeline Cemetery · 2009

In 1895, members of the German Bethel Baptist Church (now Bethel Heights Baptist Church) established this graveyard as the German Baptist Cemetery. A. T. Voss deeded two acres of land to the deacons of the church to be…

Murrell School · 2010

MURRELL SCHOOL MANY OF THIS AREA’S EARLY SETTLERS CAME FROM SARDIS, MISSISSIPPI, ESTABLISHING A COMMUNITY NAMED FOR POSTMASTER JOE ATER. LEMUEL MURRELL, ANOTHER EARLY RESIDENT, BUILT A LOG SCHOOLHOUSE IN THE LATE 1870s.…

Turnersville Cemetery · 2010

TURNERSVILLE CEMETERY THIS BURIAL GROUND SERVED RESIDENTS OF THE RURAL COMMUNITY OF TURNERSVILLE (ORIGINALLY BUCHANAN SPRINGS). SETTLED BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR, TURNERSVILLE BOASTED A COTTON GIN, STORES, A SCHOOL, AND…

Fort Hood Communities · 2012

On January 15, 1942, the U.S. Army established a tank destroyer tactical and firing center near Killeen covering more than 100 square miles. Camp Hood (later Fort Hood) would be used to train fifty battalions of about…

Weaver Chapel Cemetery · 2012

WEAVER CHAPEL CEMETERY HAS SERVED THE WIDELY SCATTERED RURAL COMMUNITIES LOCATED IN THE LEON RIVER VALLEY AND THE CORYELL CREEK CORRIDOR FOR MORE THAN 130 YEARS. THE SITE IS ON LAND DONATED BY REV. JOHN WILSON IN 1879…

Lincolnville Community · 2015

Coryell County, established in 1854, became home to settlers mostly from the Old South. Shortly after the end of the Civil War, local freedmen formed a community four miles west of Gatesville called Lincolnville in…

Dr. John Calhoun Bates · 2019

I.O.O.F. Cemetery

Seaton Cemetery · 2019