Historical Markers in Lampasas, Texas

Lampasas County · 1936

Formed from Travis and Bell counties; created February 1, 1856; organized March 10, 1856; The name Lampazos, first given to the river by the Spaniards, was suggested by the many cockle-burs in the region. First…

C.C. Abney House · 1964

Built in 1883 by P. M. Hargraves. Methodist parsonage, 1913-27. Construction featured beaded wainscoting and carved beveled glass. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1964

Shade Denson House · 1964

Built in Civil War era by Shadrick T. Denson, soldier of Forney's Brigade in the Confederate Army. Builder was Lampasas County sheriff, 1870-74, in time of deadly feuds. Shot in the line of duty, later died as result of…

First Public School in Lampasas · 1965

Erected 1895 to replace rented sites and aid in raising standards. In constant use. (1965)

Huling Cottage · 1965

Built 1860-1872. Native limestone and cedar. New England colonial architecture. Bought 1872 for $3,000 in gold by Mrs. Elizabeth Bullock Smith Huling, who as an orphan from Kentucky was in the group of Texas families…

Lampasas County Courthouse · 1965

Lampasas County Courthouse After the Texas Legislature created Lampasas County in 1856, official business of the county was conducted from a variety of spaces and buildings. Land for the courthouse square was set aside…

Lampasas County Courthouse Site · 1965

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Lampasas County Jail · 1965

County jail, built 1883 of native stone with Romanesque trim. Later stuccoed. Supports of interior scaffold remain. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1965

Lampasas County, C.S.A. · 1965

Organized 1856; had 1028 people in 1860; favored secession by 85 to 75 vote in 1861. Sent 2 units to serve in Texas State Troops, 2nd Frontier District; one unit to 17th Texas Infantry; 2 units to 27th Brigade, Texas…

W. N. Huling Home, 1877 · 1965

Mrs. Huling, a Lampasas banker's daughter, was cousin to U.S. Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1965

Birthplace of Stanley Walker · 1966

(1898 - 1962) Noted Texas journalist and editor. Began his career in Austin and Dallas. From 1920 to 1935 was with New York "Herald-Tribune", where as City Editor he trained many writers. Also was on staff of…

Hancock Springs · 1966

First white settlers in 1850's found Indians using curative waters here. Town was quickly developed around the springs. Stage and freight routes and many cattle drives came this way. The springs took the name of…

J. A. Adkins House · 1966

Built 1868 by pioneer doctor, J. A. Adkins. House material came from patients paying in stone rather than cash. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1966

Old Cook Home, 1861 · 1966

Of white native stone and lumber hauled here by wagons. First cemetery in county is nearby. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1966

Old Huling Mansion · 1966

Later the "Snap" Bean Ranch House. Built 1855 with slave labor, of native stone and cedar. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966

Philip Smith House · 1966

Built 1856 by Texas War for Independence teamster, Philip Smith. 24" walls of native rock; cedar framework. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1966

Santa Fe Depot, 1904 · 1966

1904. Early-day center for news and social life. Replaced mule car from old depot to city square. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966 Supplemental plate: Santa Fe syndicate (builder of this depot) operated the…

Site of Old Opera House · 1967

(1883-1894) Typical of the efforts of early communities to bring culture to the frontier, the Elks Opera House was also the scene of traveling theatricals, local amateur dramas, and reunions of Confederate veterans.…

St. Mary's Episcopal Church · 1967

Built 1884 of native limestone. Oldest church in area still in use. Modeled after Gothic church in Rugby, England, birthplace of W. T. Campbell, pioneer communicant. Other parish founders include: A. H. Barnes, Dr. J.…

Garrison Greenwood · 1968

(December 19, 1799 - October 18, 1859) A ranger in Republic of Texas, Greenwood left Illinois to avoid Indian Wars. Arrived in Texas (then part of Mexico) in 1833 with wagon train of Baptist Daniel Parker. In 1835 he…

Lampasas Volunteer Fire Department · 1968

Beginning with two hose-reel companies and one hook and ladder company in late 1880's this department has been constantly on call. Has fought many serious blazes; assisted during several disastrous floods. On Christmas…

Centenary College and St. Dominic's Villa · 1969

Centenary College Preparatory School, Lampasas' first coeducational college, was founded 1883 by the local Methodist Episcopal Church, on the centennial of the organization of Methodism in the United States. First…

Moses Hughes Home, 1856 · 1969

Family kept a mule tied to live oak in the yard, to bray and warn them of Indian attack. RTHL - 1966

Pleasant Valley Farmers' Alliance No. 1 · 1969

First chapter of the Farmers' Alliance in Texas. Founded 1877, it became one of the strongest arms of the national agrarian reform movement of the era. The group was begun by John R. Allen on Donaldson Creek (1 mi. S)…

Texas Bankers Association · 1969

Organized in 1885, this group is the oldest and largest (with 1,150 member banks as of 1969) State Bankers Association in the United States. Inspired by the ten-year success of the American Bankers Association, two…

James Jackson Beeman · 1971

(December 21, 1816 - December 7, 1888) One of the first settlers in Dallas and Weatherford. Born in Madison County, Ill., came to Texas 1840. He helped cut first road in Trinity Bottoms, name Turtle Creek (1841), and…

James S. Gillett · 1971

(1810-1874) Lawyer and frontier fighter. Born in Kentucky. Attained rank of Major in Mexican War, 1846-49. He was elected to the 3rd Texas Legislature, serving 1849-50. Appointed by Gov. P. H. Bell, he was Adjutant…

Thomas Pratt · 1972

Thomas Pratt (1807-1878). Veteran of Army of Republic of Texas, he was Captain of 1st Regt., T. J. Green's Brigade, in 1836. In Civil War (1861-65), served in Texas Militia, Confederate Army. In private life, was farmer…

First Baptist Church of Lampasas · 1981

Originally known as Sulphur Springs Baptist Church, this congregation was organized in 1856, the same year the town and county of Lampasas were created. Moses Hughes, one of the earliest settlers in the area, was…

Little Hotel · 1984

After the nearby Gracy (now Keystone) Hotel was completed in 1870, it was decided to use the leftover stone for the construction of a "Little Hotel." Built for J. L. N. Gracy and his bride, the structure contained a…

Central Christian Church of Lampasas · 1985

This Disciples of Christ congregation was organized as early as 1879. V. R. Stapp served as the first full-time pastor. In 1905, this church building was erected to replace an earlier sanctuary located on Fourth Street.…

First United Methodist Church of Lampasas · 1986

Methodists in Lampasas were holding church services as early as 1866. The Rev. William F. Cummins is the first known pastor to have served the Methodist circuit in this area. Although the exact details of the…

Saint Mary's Catholic Church · 1986

Catholics in this area organized services in 1880 at a chapel on William Mark Wittenburg's ranch (about 23 mi. NW). In 1885 they built a church on West Fifth Street in Lampasas, dedicated to Saint Mary. Mass was…

First State Meeting of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas · 1992

On April 20, 1892, thirteen members of the Daughters of the Lone Star Republic met in joint session with the Texas Veterans Association in Lampasas. Having been organized the previous November in Houston, the Daughters…

Oak Hill Cemetery · 1992

Hartwell Fountain sold ten acres of land to the City of Lampasas in 1872 to establish this cemetery. Originally known as City Cemetery, it was renamed Oak Hill Cemetery in 1908. The Ladies Cemetery Association, a group…

Phillips and Trosper Buildings · 1994

Many of Lampasas' downtown structures, including buildings on the site owned by prominent developer John B. Higdon, were gutted by fire in August 1884. Higdon then sold one lot to David W. Phillips, who served in the…

Trosper Building · 1994

Walter P. Acker · 1997

Walter Acker joined the Confederate Army in Paulding, Mississippi at age 16. He arrived in Lampasas in 1875 as an attorney with his second wife, Elizabeth. He was elected district attorney in 1878. state representative…

Hanna Springs · 1998

Famous health spa and resort of early Lampasas. These sulphur springs were first exploited by John Hanna, member of a locally prominent family. Hundreds came to camp and take the healing waters. As reputation of area…

Gunfight at the Lampasas Saloon · 1999

In the early 1870s Lampasas was a wild frontier town. In January 1873 Sheriff S.T. Denson was shot while arresting brothers Wash and Mark Short. The district judge sent men to apprehend the Short brothers, but the posse…

Hanna Springs · 1999

"Hopping John" Burleson received a headright Grant for 1280 acres of land, including this site, in 1838. He first viewed the bubbling springs in 1847. "Hopping John" transferred the property to his cousin, John…

Horrell-Higgins Feud · 1999

The Horrell and Higgins families were among the early settlers of Lampasas County. Tom, Mart, Merritt and Sam Horrell were accused of many crimes, including cattle rustling and murder. Pink Higgins was a cattleman and…

Battle Branch · 2002

Battle Branch This branch of Sulphur Creek was named for an event in the Horrell-Higgins Feud. On the morning of March 26, 1877, Tom and Mart Horrell were going to Lampasas to attend district court. En route, they were…

Pierian Club · 2002

Pierian Club Twenty civic-minded women in 1902 chartered the Pierian Club of Lampasas, which became a member organization of the General Federation of Women's Clubs and the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs that same…

Hancock Springs Bathhouse · 2003

Hancock Springs Bathhouse. Pioneer settlers began establishing homes near Lampasas Springs and Sulphur Creek in the 1850s. During the middle 19th century, stories of the mineral springs and their curative powers began…

Site of Abney Plunge · 2003

In 1902, local businessmen hired the American Drilling Co. to dtill for oil at this site on W.B. Abney's property. Early the next year, the crew struck sulphur water, which was noted for having medicinal qualities. They…

Lampasas Public Library · 2004

Flood, The 1957 · 2005

The 1957 Flood The area around Lampasas drains to the Sulphur Creek basin, and the stream flows across the town from the southwestern edge to the east side, intersecting with Burleson Creek and other branches along the…

Malone-Manuel House · 2005

Malone-Manuel House. Frank R. Malone came to Lampasas in the early 1880s as the city became a commercial center and resort town. In 1885, as a cashier for First National Bank, he proposed and helped found the Texas…

Site of Park Hotel · 2005

The year 1882 ushered in an era of prosperity for Lampasas, as the city became the western terminus for the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe line out of Galveston. The city became a trading point for settlers who came for…

Matt and Rebecca Smith House · 2006

John Madison "Matt" and Rebecca Wells Smith built this Queen Anne cottage circa 1902. Matt (1858-1936) moved to Burnet County, Texas as a young boy, and in 1891, he wed Rebecca (d. 1945). He served as a deputy sheriff…

School Creek Baptist Church · 2006

Named for a nearby stream, this church organized in 1879 and held its first worship service on November 2 of that year. A small schoolhouse close to School Creek was the first building to house the church. The Rev. L.R.…

Hostess House · 2007

Mineral springs such as nearby Hancock Springs flow into Sulphur Creek, providing Lampasas with waters for recreation and health. The Hancock Springs tract became a fashionable tourist attraction and convention and…

Lampasas Colored School · 2009

The oldest public school building in Lampasas is also a reminder of the era of segregated education. This was the site of a schoolhouse for African American students in 1898. In 1922, citizens voted in favor of a…

Manuel Hardware Building · 2009

This 1884 Building was constructed on property owned by John R. Guynes, and the First National Bank was one of the first tenants. Partners Barnes and Higdon occupied the building during the 1890’s, and W.F. Barnes…

Long Meadows Cemetery · 2010

PLEASANT C. COX, WHO PATENTED THIS LAND, FIRST VISITED THE AREA IN THE 1830s. HE AND HIS WIFE, MARTHA JANE (BYBEE), CAME TO TEXAS BY WAGON TRAIN FROM MISSOURI IN 1851, SETTLING HERE IN 1855. PLEASANT COX WAS ONE OF THE…

Witcher House · 2012

THE LAMPASAS SPRINGS CO. PLATTED THEIR FIRST ADDITION TO THE CITY OF LAMPASAS IN JUNE 1882, INCLUDING THIS PARCEL BOUGHT BY BUSINESSMAN JAMES HARVEY GALBRAITH. HE OWNED THE c. 1883 HOUSE UNTIL 1899, BUT IT IS UNCLEAR IF…

First Presbyterian Church · 2015

The First Presbyterian Church in Lampasas originated from Presbyterian missionaries in 1877. The congregation was officially organized on October 28, 1881, with seven members. On September 29, 1882, the First…

William Thomas Campbell · 2018

Watson Cemetery · 2019

14 miles south of Lampasas on Hwy 183