Historical Markers in Hillsboro, Texas

Hill County · 1936

Created February 7, 1853. Organized May 14, 1853. Named in honor of Dr. George W. Hill, 1814-1860. Member of the Texas Congress and Legislature. Secretary of War of the Republic of Texas, 1843-1845. Lexington, first…

Hill County Courthouse · 1964

The fourth courthouse for Hill County (organized in 1853) and the third one located in Hillsboro, this impressive landmark replaced a brick court building erected in 1874. Contractors Lovell, Miller and Hood of…

Site of Old Lexington Village · 1964

(1 mile South) Founded about 1851 on Jack's Branch. Was Hill County's first settlement and only polling place when county organized on May 14, 1853. For 4 months two log homes functioned as a courthouse until a special…

Davis Home · 1965

130 Corsicana, Hillsboro

Hill County, C.S.A. · 1965

Civil War supply center. Sent into service an infantry and 3 cavalry companies. Flour, shoes, saddles, machinery were made. The county commissioners court equipped and clothed troops. Also furnished medicine, cotton,…

Pioneer Bank Building · 1966

One of the oldest bank buildings in Hill County. Built in 1887 by Farmers National Bank. Constructed of sun-dried brick, replaced by kiln-dried brick in 1912. Purchased by Colonial Trust Company in 1931; Greek revival…

Hillsboro Junior College · 1967

One of first public junior colleges in Texas. Established 1923, as a part of Hillsboro public school system. Peak attendance was 410 students during 1939-40. School closed Aug. 31, 1950, after voters defeated…

John P. Cox · 1967

Sheriff of Hill County for 16 years. The son of San Jacinto hero, Euclid M. Cox. Joined Parsons Brigade of the Confederate Army in 1861, then for 25 years after the Civil War was commander of Hillsboro's Confederate…

Bond's Alley · 1969

Local site for politics, peddlers' shows, whittling, cockfights, fisticuffs. Named for Bond's Drug Store, located here since 1881, and sheltering in bad weather people who usually sunned in alley. Early neighbors varied…

McKinnon - Anderson House · 1971

This Victorian style house was erected in 1896 by A. P. McKinnon (b. 1849), prominent local lawyer. A native of Georgia, he moved to Hillsboro in 1873 and built up a large practice. He was highly regarded for his strict…

Old G. D. Tarlton House · 1972

Victorian style. Built in 1895 by noted attorney Greene Duke Tarlton (1852-1931), from Louisiana. House was one of finest in town, with hand-carved mantels, stained glass windows, "speaking tube" between kitchen and…

Lumpkin House · 1973

In era of Hillsboro's growth after Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad entered (1881) county, contractor John Self Robinson built (1883) this residence for R. S. Lumpkin (1837-1921) and wife Mary (Kelly). House style…

Lackawanna Ranch · 1975

Dr. John S. Scofield (1826-1901) chose the Indian name "Lackawanna" for the 2500 acre tract of land he bought here in 1858. After moving with his family from Kentucky, he served Hill County as a doctor and county judge.…

Confederate Veterans and Old Settlers Reunion Grounds · 1977

Formed in 1901, the Confederate Veterans and Old Settlers Association of Hill County acquired 73 acres of wooded land as a site for its summer reunion. The 3-5 day encampment, held annually from 1902 to 1924, was an…

Brin House · 1981

Hillsboro attorney Robert T. Jones and his wife Mary (Abbott) commissioned William M. Keith to build this Victorian residence in 1896. In 1917 it was purchased by Louis and Rebecca (Watelsky) Brin. Born in Poland of…

Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ of Hillsboro) · 1981

The earliest worship service for local Disciples was conducted on September 11, 1881. Six years later the fellowship was formally chartered with 35 members. Meetings were held in private homes, the courthouse, and the…

Frazierville Community and School · 1981

Richard Cason Frazier (d. 1856) and his wife Agnes (Clark) (d. 1875) settled on a land grant here in 1852. The site was later enlarged with the addition of adjoining property from the B. M. Bryan Survey, which provided…

Hill County Jail · 1981

Constructed in 1893, this building serves as the third jail for Hill County. It was designed by W. C. Dodson of Waco, architect of the Hill County Courthouse, and built by the Brown County firm of Lovell and Wood. The…

Katy Depot · 1981

This depot was built to serve the Missouri-Kansas-Texas (Katy) Rail Line, which reached Hillsboro in 1881. Completed in 1902, the station features elements of the Eastlake, Victorian, and Prairie styles. Early MKT…

Sims-Womack House · 1981

The original section of this house, which consisted of two rooms and a detached kitchen, was built prior to 1870. Later additions were made during the ownership of Dr. William Thomas Sims (1874-1928), who purchased the…

Hillsboro Post Office Building · 1982

This renaissance revival building was constructed as the fifth location for the Hillsboro Post Office. Work was begun in 1912 and completed three years later under the direction of Architect James Knox Taylor. The…

Gebhardt Bakery · 1983

In 1901 German native Charles Gebhardt (1874-1920) established Hillsboro's first bakery. He moved his business to this building after it was completed in 1905, using the second floor as living quarters. The brick…

Abbott House · 1986

Jo Abbott and his wife, Rowena Sturgis Abbott, bought this property in 1883 and later built the house next door (west). Abbott was a county and district judge, congressman, and local banker. In 1899 this house…

St. Mary's Episcopal Church · 1987

St. Mary's Mission was founded in the 1870s. On July 30, 1886, Bishop Alexander C. Garrett laid the cornerstone for the first church building, which was destroyed by a tornado in 1894. This building was completed in…

Site of Arnotville School · 1992

Arnotville School was named after Albert M. Arnot on whose land the first schoolhouse was built sometime between 1874 and 1879. The building was used for educational and church activities by the surrounding rural…

First Baptist Church of Hillsboro · 1999

Baptist ministry in this area can be traced to the Rev. J. M. Samford, who arrived in the vicinity in the 1840s. Hill County was formed in 1853, and Hillsborough (later Hillsboro) was chosen as county seat. The earliest…

Hillsboro City Cemetery · 2002

Hillsboro City Cemetery Established 1855 Historic Texas Cemetery - 2002

Abbott's Grove · 2003

In the early days of Hillsboro, a grove of pecan, hackberry, elm and other trees grew along the banks of Hackberry Creek. Hillsboro residents came to the grove for community celebrations and festivities. They called it…

City of Hillsboro · 2003

In 1853, the Texas Legislature carved Hill County out of Navarro County. Named for physician and Republic of Texas Secretary of War Dr. George Washington Hill, the new county had only recently attracted Anglo…

George L. and Roxie Brooks Porter Home · 2004

In 1881, Tennessee native George L. Porter (1854-1928) wed Roxie Brooks (1863-1927), daughter of early Hill County official Cincinattus Ney Brooks. George was a merchant in nearby Peoria (6 mi. W) and later served as an…

Scott's Chapel Cemetery · 2007

This cemetery served the former community of Scott's Chapel, named for the Scott family, who came here in 1852. James Williams Scott, a signer of the Goliad Declaration of Independence, migrated from Alabama in 1831…

Kerby Community · 2008

Peabody School · 2008

In 1885, a bond was issued for the construction of an African American School, which was built soon afterwards. The school, named for George Peabody, a banker who distributed funds to the southern states following the…

James L. Harris · 2012

James Lindell Harris was born on June 27, 1916 to Albert Lee and bessie harris at the family farm near hillsboro. He entered the army on March 20, 1941 and trained at Fort Sam Houston with the armored division. Harris…

Prairie Dale Cemetery · 2018

Established 1877 Historic Texas Cemetery - 2007