Galveston County, Texas
Texas City is home to 26 official Texas Historical Commission markers — each one telling a piece of the city’s story. Browse the markers below, then find them on the map and discover more nearby with RoadHistorical.
Built by Frank and Florence Haven Davison, 1895-1897. Sturdy Victorian structure, of cypress. Home of first child born in Texas City (formerly named Shoal Point). Survivor of many storms; suffered most in 1947 disaster.…
View on map ↗Established by Guy M. Bryan (1821-1901), nephew of Stephen F. Austin, "Father of Texas." Bryan was one of couriers for Wm. B. Travis's Alamo letter. Served in State Legislature (where he was a Speaker of the House) and…
View on map ↗First tactical air unit, U. S. Army; was stationed here 1913-1915 during U. S. border troubles caused by revolution in Mexico. The 7 planes, 5 officers, and 21 enlisted men were not in combat, but made aerial maps and…
View on map ↗Built 1912 by Col. Hugh B. Moore (1874-1944), transportation expert. Born in Tennessee, he managed Texas City Terminal Railroad, Wolvin Steamship Line, Texas City Transportation Co., Mainland Co. Was a banker, leader in…
View on map ↗Settled 1821 by privateer James Campbell (1791-1856), U. S. Navy veteran, War of 1812, who after discharge was lieutenant and close friend of buccaneer Jean Lafitte, operating out of Galveston (then called Campeche). In…
View on map ↗Site, childhood home of Jimmy (1900-1934) and Walter (1901-1935) Wedell -- aviation pioneers. Jimmy designed, built, raced planes. With financier Harry Williams, operated early airline. At time of death in crash, held…
View on map ↗On April 16, 1947, three ships--the "Grandcamp", the "High Flyer", and the "Wilson B. Keene"--were docked in the Texas City port. They were loaded with cargo, including ammonium nitrate fertilizer, bound for Europe to…
View on map ↗The site of an important railroad bridge which provided the only connection between the Texas mainland and Galveston Island in the mid-19th century, played an integral role in the Confederate defense of Galveston during…
View on map ↗A number of families settled along Galveston Bay in the 1830s after land grants were awarded to veterans of the republic of Texas army and navy. An early community at this site became known officially as Shoal Point in…
View on map ↗On April 16 and 17, 1947, disastrous explosions aboard two ships docked at the Texas City port killed hundreds of people. In the weeks that followed, relief workers led by the American Red Cross and other volunteers…
View on map ↗This church began with informal Methodist meetings attended by a small group of newly arrived families to Texas City in 1894. The congregation grew and became Texas City's first formally organized church in 1896. The…
View on map ↗Empresario Stephen F. Austin urged Mexico to improve foreign trade by establishing ports in the Galveston area as early as 1825. Historical references suggest Austinia was settled in the 1830s as part of Austin's…
View on map ↗This community traces its origin to settlement by a few families along the bayshore in the mid-1800s. Completion in 1854 of the Half Moon Shoal Lighthouse, a Federal project near the present day Texas City Dike,…
View on map ↗(September 27, 1810 - May 5, 1897) Virginia native William Jefferson Jones received his license to practice law at age 19. He was an associate of Mirabeau B. Lamar, future president of the Republic of Texas, in a…
View on map ↗In early efforts to develop a major port here on Galveston Bay, Texas City capitalists, acting against the advice of engineers, dug a ship channel directly through and across the Bay's natural water line. As a result,…
View on map ↗Minnesota investors and brothers Jacob R. and Henry H. Myers and Augustus B. Wolvin formed the Texas City improvement company in 1893 and developed a port facility and townsite here. By 1897 the company had built a rail…
View on map ↗An increasing number of disturbances along Texas' Rio Grande border after Civil War broke out in Mexico in 1910 prompted U. S. President William Taft to consider increasing the U. S. Military presence in the area. Hugh…
View on map ↗The first oil refinery built in texas City was established in 1908 by the Texas City Refining Company. Contractor J. C. Black and more than 100 craftsmen constructed the refinery. Processing equipment included eleven…
View on map ↗Public education for African American students in Texas City began in 1915. The Texas City Independent School District hired Mrs. J.R. McKellar to teach the students; classes were held in churches and lodge halls until…
View on map ↗In the 1870s native Tejanos organized "Sociedades Mutualistas," mutual aid societies designed to protect their interests from the growing Anglo population of Texas. Although most of the early settlers of this area were…
View on map ↗The Texas City Transportation Company established the Texas Sugar Refining Company in 1910 to increase its profits by locating a sugar refinery at the Texas City port. A ten-acre tract on this site was chosen as early…
View on map ↗St. George's Episcopal Church The first Episcopal worship service in Texas City took place on March 23, 1913, two years after the city incorporated and the same year the United States Army arrived as part of its coastal…
View on map ↗On March 16, 1905, five Texas City residents met for worship and Bible study. The Rev. D.L. Griffith assisted them in founding Texas City's First Baptist Church. The Rev. W.C. Ponder served as pastor for the first…
View on map ↗During Reconstruction, former slaves founded a community known as the Settlement on land platted by Judge William J. Jones for purchase by freedmen. Prior to this, a number of cattlemen moved to this area with their…
View on map ↗Phillips Memorial Cemetery Established Ca. 1880 Historic Texas Cemetery – 2008
View on map ↗In the late 1860s and early 1870s, land near the center of Galveston county was bought by a group of African Americans who wished to establish a settlement. Most of the founders were black cowboys who earned their…
View on map ↗RoadHistorical maps all 15,000+ Texas historical markers and alerts you as you pass them. Free to download.
Keep exploring