City of Dallas (COD) Historical Markers

Old Red Courthouse

Main, Houston and commerce Sts.

Unclassified

Faded; Refinish

1977.0

27 x 42

Designated as public land in John Neely Bryan's 1844 city plat, this was the site of a log courthouse built after Dallas County was created in 1846. When Dallas won election as permanent county seat in 1850, Bryan deeded the property to the county, and a larger log structure was erected. In 1856 county offices occupied a 2-story brick edifice, rebuilt in 1860 after a fire that almost destroyed the city. The fourth courthouse, a 2-story granite structure erected in 1871, survived one fire in 1880 before it burned again in 1890.The Old Red Courthouse, the fifth seat of county government, was begun in 1890 and completed in 1892. Designed by Architect M. A. Orlopp, it exemplifies the Romanesque Revival style with its massive scale and rounded arches. The blue granite of the lower floor and window trim contrasts with the red sandstone of the upper stories. Eight circular turrets dominate the design. A clock tower with a 4500-pound bell originally topped the building, but it was removed in 1919. Two of the four clay figures perched on the roof have also been removed.To house the expanding county government, a new courthouse was built in 1965. Some offices remained in the 1890 structure, which was renovated in 1968.RTHL - 1977

Highland Park Methodist Church Building

3300 Mockingbird

Church

1994.0

16 x 12 Plate and Medallion

This splendid example of Gothic Revival architecture was designed by architects Roscoe DeWitt and Mark Lemmon and built in 1926. It features a majestic bell tower that houses a 48-bell carillon, elegant stone tracery on pointed arch stained glass windows, and slender buttresses. Large Harmonious additions to the original structure were built between 1950 and 1961. The property was annexed by the town of Highland Park in 1923.RTHL - 1994

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Continental Gin Company Showroom Building

232 N. Trunk Ave.

Unclassified

marker has beenplaced inside building

1984.0

18 x 28

Before moving to Dallas in 1885, farmer and inventor Robert Sylvester Munger (b. 1854) had received several patents for improvements on the cotton ginning procedure. In 1885, he and his brother, Stephen, began the Munger Improved Cotton Machine & Manufacturing Co. and used this building as their showroom. In 1900, they merged with the Continental Gin Co., which became a major Dallas business that supplied cotton gin equipment to all parts of the country. A reminder of Dallas' early commercial growth, this building continued to serve Continental Gin until the company closed in 1962.1984

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Dallas County Criminal Courts Bldg.

500 Main St.

Unclassified

1986.0

18 x 28

Dallas County Criminal Courts BuildingThis site was purchased by Dallas County in 1913 for a new jail and courts building, designed by local architect H. A. Overbeck (1861 - 1942). The steel-framed building, finished in 1915 at a cost of $585,982, is clad with granite, terra cotta, and brick, exhibiting Renaissance Revival styling. The upper six floors housed the jail, designed for 200 prisoners. Two large district courtrooms on the second floor suspended jury trials during summer months until air conditioning was installed in 1951. In 1964 Jack Ruby (1911 - 1967) was tried in the east courtroom for killing assassination suspect Lee Harvey Oswald (1939 - 1963).RTHL 1986

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First United Methodist Church of Dallas

1928 Ross Avenue

Church

2000.0

27 x 42

Methodism in Dallas traces its roots to as early as 1846, when the small village was a stopping point for Methodist circuit riders. The first organized group of Methodists met in November 1850, and continued for almost 20 years without a building of their own. Land was donated and funds raised, but construction was delayed by the Civil War, after which the money had been lost. Through the determination of church members, the Lamar Street Methodist Church was nevertheless dedicated in November 1868. The structure burned in 1879, and the congregation used the facilities at nearby Temple Emanuel until a new building was completed in 1889 and dedicated in 1894; the name was changed to First Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1916, the First Methodist and Trinity Methodist churches, both about one thousand members strong, were united. Money from the sale of the Trinity Methodist Church site went toward the construction of Highland Park Methodist Church. A new building was dedicated for the enlarged First Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1926. By 1927, the membership was 3,440, and the congregation continued to grow. During the church's 1946 centennial celebration, five bishops who had been pastors at the church returned to dedicate the 1926 building. During denomination-wide changes, First Methodist Episcopal Church, South, became First Methodist Church in 1939 and First United Methodist Church in 1968. It has long been instrumental in the formation of Methodist churches throughout North Texas and beyond. The First United Methodist Church of Dallas remains active in mission work, service and worship, observing the traditions of its founders. (2000)

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Adolphus Hotel

1321 Commerce

1321 Commerce in Dallas

Hotel

good

1981.0

Medallion and Plate

Dallas businessmen persuaded Adlophus Busch (1839-1913), co-founder of the Anheuser Busch Brewing Co., to build the original section of this Hotel in 1911-1912. Constructed on the site of the 1880s Dallas City Hall and designed by the St. Louis firm of Barnett, Hanyes and Barnett, it features Beaux Arts styling with elaborate French Renaissance detailing . For years Dallas' skyline was dominated by the Adlophus, the scene of many important business and social events.Recorded Texas Historical Landmark -- 1981

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Caruth Pioneer Cemetery

7405 NW Hwy.

Cemetery

Faded; redo - locally

1967.0

24 x 20

Established early 1860s by William and Mattie Worthington Caruth, pioneer settlers.Across road was old Caruth Chapel where circuit-riding preachers officiated at baptisms, marriages and funerals for Caruth Plantation tenants and other local people.Gravesites donated by Caruth family.1967

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Miller Log Cabin

1717 Gano St.

in Old City Park

Cabin

Good; plate missing

1965.0

Medallion & Plate

Built 1847 of cedar logs hewn by hand adzes, pegged in place and caulked with clay. Floored with hand-hewn cedar boards. Chimney stones were quarried near Mountain Creek. First Texas home of Wm. B. Miller (1807 - 1899), who built ante-bellum mansion "Millermore." His 5 daughters, and 7 other local girls went to one of the first schools in Dallas, held in this cabin. They and the teacher slept in left.Placed on present site 1964.RTHL - 1965

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Oak Cliff United Methodist Church

549 E. Jefferson

Church

1999.0

27 x 42

This congregation was formed in 1887 when the Shelton and Oliver families began meeting with circuit rider C. G. Shutt in the Shelton home under the name St. Mark's Methodist Church. The Olivers began Sunday School meetings in 1888. The first Methodist church building on this site, largely funded by the efforts of church women, was erected in 1894 and dedicated in 1901. In 1903, when Oak Cliff was annexed to the city of Dallas, the church had 317 members; by 1911 there were 856 congregants. The architectural firm of Sanguinet and Staats, designers of the 1903 Wilson Building in Dallas, the 1907 Flatiron Building in Fort Worth and the 1910 Scarborough Building in Austin, drew up plans for the Oak Cliff Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The ambitious project was delayed for a time because of a lack of funds, but was resumed in 1915 and completed that year. The first wedding was performed in the building in January 1916. The edifice was dedicated in 1926 after the debt had been retired. By that time the membership was 1,649 and an educational building was erected. The church complex has been enlarged and renovated as needed. Though the sanctuary was damaged by fire in 1958, it was soon restored and back in use. The Oak Cliff United Methodist church building consists of two stories and a full basement. The brick-clad edifice, designed on a cruciform plan, features a front facade dominated by a full height pedimented entry portico supported on cast concrete Tuscan columns. Other classical revival details, including cast stone coping, decorative brick frieze and palladian doors, make this structure distinctive. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1999

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John Henry Brown

Greenwood Cemetery

Unclassified

letter in file indicated marker was never placed

1963.0

pink Centennial grave marker

Star and WreathJohn Henry Brown1820 - 1895Frontier Indian fighter in Somervell Expedition 1842-43. Editor, author, Texas legislator 1855-57, 1873. Prominent seccessionist. Major Confederate Army in Indian Territory, Missouri. Adjutant General in Texas. Commander Texas Third Frontier District 1863 created to protect frontier from Indian attack, renegades, deserters. Member of 1875 Texas Constitutional Convention to end Texas reconstruction era.Erected by the State of Texas 1963

Cliff Temple Baptist Church

125 Sunset

Church

1999.0

27 x 42

In the early spring of 1898, twenty-six members of the First Baptist Church of Oak Cliff left the church to form the Oak Cliff Baptist Church to remain with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Walter B. Hillsman led the new congregation until he returned to finish his studies at Baylor University in the fall of 1898. The congregation then chose the Rev. Joe W. English as its next pastor. Pastor English led the church for more than two years and guided the construction of the congregation's first chapel at Jefferson and Lancaster streets in Oak Cliff. The church had three more pastors from 1901 until 1904 when Pastor English returned. During his second tenure he helped with the building of a second church in 1908 and led the congregation to change its name to Memorial Baptist Church. In 1912, under the guidance of Dr. J. B. Gambrell and Dr. George W. Truett, members of First Baptist Church of Oak Cliff and Memorial Baptist Church joined to form a new congregation. The unified church became the Central Baptist Church of Oak Cliff and was led by Dr. W. A. Hewitt until 1918. In 1918 Dr.Wallace Bassett was called as pastor and remained for 48 years until his retirement in 1966 at the age of 81. During his tenure he led the church to change its name to Cliff Temple Baptist Church, oversaw the church's growth to 5,000 members and served in many denominational leadership roles with Baylor University, the Southern Baptist Annuity Board and the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Under Dr. Bassett's leadership and that of his successors the church laid a strong foundation for ministry and social work in Dallas' inner city. (1999)

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Dallas Zoo

621 E.Clarendon

inside Dallas Zoo in front of Gift Shop, 621 E. Clarendon, Dallas

Animals

1988.0

27 x 42

The Dallas Zoo traces its history to 1888, when the city purchased two deer and two mountain lions and placed them in pens in the City Park. In the 1890s, with the support of Dallas citizens, the City Council provided funds for the zoo, and additional animals were bought for the collection.The zoo was located in the City Park (now Old City Park) until 1910, when the animals were moved to the newly acquired Fair Park. Under the leadership of Zoo Commissioner William H. Atwell, the zoo's collection was enlarged and improved, and a new site was purchased in Marsalis Park in Oak Cliff.In the 1920s a special Zoo Commission was created by the city, and the collection was further developed with the acquisition of numerous specimens from famed game hunter and trapper Frank Buck. During the depression years of the 1930s the zoo facilities were upgraded with the help of the Federal Works Progress Administration Program.The Dallas Zoo Society was organized in 1955. By the 1960s the zoo had become a popular local attraction, and more improvements were made. Still popular with both Dallas citizens and tourists, the zoo continued to entertain and educate the public.1988

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Hockaday School

11600 Welch Rd.

School

1988.0

27 x 42

Ela Hockaday (1875 - 1956) received her early education in the public schools of Bonham, Texas. After graduating from the Denton Normal School (now University of North Texas), she pursued graduate studies at both Columbia University and the University of Chicago. An experienced teacher, she was contacted in 1913 by a group of Dallas residents with an offer to head a new preparatory school for girls and was thus able to realize a long-held dream of promoting quality education for girls in Texas.Opened on September 25, 1913, in a large house on Haskell Avenue, the school became known as the Miss Hockaday School for Girls. With an initial enrollment of ten students and four part-time teachers, the school began a tradition of excellence in education following Hockaday's cornerstones of "character, scholarship, courtesy, and athletics."Experiencing steady growth in enrollment of resident and day students, the school expanded its primary and secondary curriculum in later years to establish a junior college, in operation from 1931 to 1951.Moved in 1919 to a campus on Greenville Avenue, the Hockaday School was relocated to a 100-acre site on Welch Road in 1961.(Incise on Base)Virginia Maxson Buchanan-Smith '60Mary Maxson Thompson '67

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Western Heights Cemetery

1600 Blk. Ft. Worth Ave.

(Ft. Worth & Neal)

Cemetery

1988.0

18 x 28

Located on part of the original William Coombes survey, burials in this cemetery date to the 1850s. Originally known as Troth, it was formally dedicated in 1881, when land was set aside for a "graveyard forever" by Z. E. Coombes and W. R. Fisher. Pioneers interred here include W. R. Fisher, Z. E. Coombes, John and Rosina Loupot, Mary Ellen Cole Tuggle, and Heinrich and Anna Struck. Also buried here are verterans of the Civil War and World Wars I and II, and Clyde and Buck Barrow. Trinity Oaks Church of Christ maintains the historic cemetery.

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Cox House

11210 Cox Lane

Home

1994.0

Medallion and Plate

Farmers Howard (1837 - 1916) and Mary Jane (Webb) Cox (1843 - 1913) bought 189 acres here in 1878. They built a house at this site prior to 1884 that Cox family tradition claims was partially incorporated into this home built by the Coxes about 1900. Exhibiting Queen Anne style influences, it is an unusual blend of vertically emphasized windows and dormers with a dominant hipped roof. Two of the Coxes' sons operated the Cox Brothers Dairy here from 1931 to about 1951.RTHL 1994

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John H. Brown, Maj.

Greenwood Cemetery

gravesite is in Greenwood Cemetery (3020 Oak Grove) at the corner of Love and Gracy Ave., Dallas

Unclassified

letter in file indicates marker was never placed

1963.0

pink Centennial grave marker

Maj. John H. BrownStar and WreathFamed Indian fighter, Confederate officer, commanded Texas' 3rd Frontier District, member 1875 Constitutional Convention.Erected by the State of Texas 1963

Oak Cliff Cemetery

1300 Blk. of e. 8th

Cemetery

Faded; Redo (locally)

1985.0

27 x 42

Kentucky native William S. Beaty came to Texas during its early days as a Republic and received a grant of 640 acres of land. He and his brother, Josiah, who arrived in 1836, settled along the Trinity River in what is now Dallas County. The settlement that developed around their property first was called Hord's Ridge and became known as Oak Cliff in 1887.In 1846, William Beaty deeded 10 acres of his land for a public burial ground and indicated in the deed that his brother, Josiah, already had been interred on the site. The deed also specified that the cemetery should be subject to no one sect but should forever remain open to all. The oldest marked grave in the cemetery, that of Martha A. Wright, is dated 1844.Many prominent Dallas County pioneers and citizens have been buried here, including Judge William Hord, for whom Hord's Ridge was named. Two former Dallas mayors, George Sergeant and George Sprague, and a son of Gen. Sam Houston, Col. William Rogers Houston, are buried here.Oak Cliff Cemetery remains a valuable and historic lind to the early settlement of Dallas.

John Neely Bryan Cabin

Dallas Historical Plaza

Dallas Historical Plaza at Elm, Market & Main, Dallas

Cabin

missing

1962.0

Medallion

no text - log cabin - first house in Dallas

Oak Cliff Presbyterian Church

6000 S. Hampton Rd.

Church

1990.0

18 x 28

Founded in 1890 with seventeen charter members, this church has served the community with a variety of worship, educational outreach, and missionary programs. Meeting in facilities first at Ninth and Patton streets and later at Tenth and Madison streets, the church experienced steady growth. Land at this site was acquired and construction of new facilities began on July 19, 1970. Oak cliff Presbyterian Church has played an active role in creating new congregations in the Dallas area and maintains a commitment to both foreign and domestic missionary endeavors.

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Neiman - Marcus

Main and Ervay Sts.

Unclassified

1982.0

18 x 28

In 1907 Herbert Marcus, Sr., his sister Carrie Marcus Neiman and her husband A. L. Neiman founded the prestigious Neiman - Marcus retail establishment. After the firm's first store at Elm and Murphy streets burned in 1913, a new store was constructed at this site. Many of the retail innovations instituted here have had a dramatic effect on stores and manufacturers throughout the country. Under the direction of Herbert Marcus, Sr., the store also became a leader in the support of philanthropic projects, civic activities and Dallas' early commercial development.

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Cochran Chapel Cemetery

9027 Midway

same

Cemetery

Good

1995.0

24 x 18

This cemetery began in 1853 with the burials of Sarah Jane and William M. Cochran, the infant daughter and husband of Nancy Jane Hughes Cochran. Among the many Dallas County pioneers buried here are four of Nancy Jane's sisters and their husbands who came from Tennessee in the 1840s and 1850s: Thomas C. and Sarah Williams, Obadiah and Serena Knight, George and Amanda Record, and John B. and Margaret Bachman.

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James Martin Patterson

Pioneer Cemetery, Marilla at Young St.

Unclassified

1996.0

Grave Marker

(1812-1906) Kentucky native James Martin Patterson arrived in Dallas in 1846. Patterson and John W. Smith opened one of the first stores in Dallas using their pooled resources of $700. They built a flatboat and attempted to ship cotton down the Trinity River to the Gulf Coast in 1851. Patterson served as chief justice (county judge) from 1854-66. He retired in 1875 and managed his extensive property holdings until his death. (1996)

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Texas School Book Depository Building, Formerly The

411 Elm St.

Commmercial Building

Faded; Redo (local effort)

1980.0

27 x 42

This site was originally owned by John Neely Bryan, the founder of Dallas. During the 1880s French native Maxime Guillot operated a wagon shop here. In 1894 the land was purchased by Phil L. Mitchell, president and director of the Rock Island Plow Company of Illinois. An office building for the firm's Texas division, known as the Southern Rock Island Plow Company, was completed here four years later. In 1901 the five-story structure was destroyed by fire. That same year, under supervision of the company vice president and general manager F. B. Jones, work was completed on this structure. Built to resemble the earlier edifice, it features characteristics of the commercial Romanesque Revival style.In 1937 the Carraway Byrd Corporation purchased the property. Later, under the direction of D. H. Byrd, the building was leased to a variety of businesses, including the Texas School Book Depository.On November 22, 1963, the building gained national notoriety when Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly shot and killed President John F. Kennedy from a sixth floor window as the presidential motorcade passed the site.RTHL - 1980

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Trezevant Calhoun Hawpe

Pioneer Cemetery, Marilla & Young

Grave

1999.0

Grave Marker

(September 16, 1820 - August 12, 1863) Georgia native, a widower, moved from Tennessee to Dallas County with his son. He married Electa Underwood Bethurum in 1848. Elected Dallas County sheriff in 1850, he served two terms. He later was justice of the peace and county coroner, and an officer of Tannehill Masonic Lodge. A leader in the secession movement in Dallas County, he organized and was first colonel of the 31st Texas Cavalry in 1862, and was instrumental in the Confederate victory at Newtonia, Missouri. Hawpe was stabbed to death by a friend after a quarrel on the steps of the county courthouse. (1999)

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La Prada Drive Church of Christ

2724 La Prada Drive

Church

1998.0

27 x 42

This congregation first met in members' homes at the end of the 19th century. In 1907 three trustees of the church -- Chester Williams, G. M. Purcell, and Claude Hocker -- purchased property near what would become Fair Park. An existing white frame building was used for 47 years, with the name of the church changing in accordance with street name changes. Members helped form the Ewing Avenue Church of Christ in Oak Cliff in 1949. Moving to a new site on Bruton Road in 1954, the congregation contributed their money, time, and talents to construct a red brick sanctuary, which served for many years. By the 1970s many members had moved to the northeast Dallas suburbs. In 1976 elders purchased more than four acres of land on La Prada Drive. Due to the rapid sale of the Bruton Road facility, services were held in a Mesquite school until a new church building was completed in December 1979. In keeping with the traditions of its founders, the church is guided by elders and deacons; male members do all speaking and teaching. There is no Sunday School. Singing without instruments is practiced. The congregation is active in foreign and domestic missionary service and community outreach. (1998)

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Interstate Forwarding Company Warehouse

3200 Main St.

Unclassified

Stolen

1991.0

Plate and Medallion

Designed and built as a fireproof warehouse in 1913, this building was erected by businessmen B. D. Milam and E. C. Connor. Dallas was an official U.S. Port of Entry in 1913. This structure initially served as the first bonded customs warehouse in Dallas. Exhibiting Chicago School-style influences, the reinforced concrete structure features metal casement window walls with brick infill. A rear bay served as an entry for rail cars.RTHL - 1991

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Pleasant Grove Christian Church

1324 Pleasant Dr.

Church

Faded; Redo (locally)

1986.0

18 x 28

This congregation evolved from a rural Union Church which met as early as 1875 in a nearby cabin. The Ladies Aid Society was formed in 1906 and began raising funds for a separate church facility. Built in 1908 on this site, the one-room structure was struck by lightning and burned in 1913. At the completion of a second building, an annual Thanksgiving dinner tradition was begun. A third sanctuary, built in 1950, was damaged by fire the same year. It was rebuilt and, despite another fire in 1965, continued to serve its congregation, including descendants of pioneer families.Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986

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Darnell, Nicholas Henry

Pioneer Cemetery

Pioneer Cemetery, N side of Dallas Convention Center on Ceremonial Dr., Dallas

Grave

1986.0

grave marker

Nicholas Henry Darnell(April 20, 1807 - June 7, 1885)Soon after arriving in Texas in 1838, Nicholas Darnell was elected to the Republic of Texas Congress, where he served as Speaker of the House. A delegate to the 1845 Statehood Convention, he later represented Dallas and Tarrant counties in the State Legislature, again serving as speaker. He resigned in 1863 to lead the 18th Texas Cavalry. After the Civil War, Darnell was again elected to the Texas Legislature and was a delegate to the 1875 Constitutional Convention.1986

Marcus House

10 Nonesuch Rd.

Home

2001.0

Medallion & Plate

After dismissing Frank Lloyd Wright for his failure to produce a suitable design, Stanley Marcus commissioned Dallas architect Roscoe Dewitt to design this International style residence. Recognized worldwide for his innovations in fashion retailing and a significant patron of modern architecture, Marcus hosted hundreds of dignitaries here, including President Lyndon B. Johnson, Princess Grace of Monaco and global leaders in politics, fashion and the arts. Completed in 1938 and home to the Marcus family until 1994, the house is a notable example of its style in Texas.Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2001

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City of Dallas

City Hall Plaza

City Hall Plaza, Young and ErvaySts. (on wall facing Young St.in front of City Hall), Dallas

City

None

1986.0

27 x 42

City of DallasPioneer John Neely Bryan (1810 - 1877) settled on the banks of the Trinity River just west of this site in 1841. A town he called Dallas grew up around his cabin. Chosen as county seat four years after the creation of Dallas County in 1846, the City of Dallas was incorporated in 1856, with Dr. Sam B. Pryor serving as first Mayor.Although John Neely Bryan had anticipated that river navigation would lead to growth for the city, it was the arrival of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad in 1872 and the Texas and Pacific Rail Line the following year that helped to establish Dallas as a major commercial center.By 1890, Dallas was the state's most populous city. Wheat and cotton production provided impetus for continued growth. Insurance and banking also contributed to the city's prosperity, and its selection as the site for a regional Federal Reserve Bank in 1914 was an economic milestone. Following the discovery of oil in East Texas in 1930, Dallas banks concentrated on providing financial services for that industry.Noted throughout its history for aggressive civic leaders, Dallas won the right to host the Texas Centennial Exposition in 1936.Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986

McNab Grocery

2701 McKinney Ave.

Commmercial Building

1979.0

18 x 28

After the Civil War Ahab Bowen acquired this land, then an area of grape vineyards and small farms. In 1891 he sold the lot to J. B. Franklin, who erected this brick structure. James McNab (d. 1924) operated a neighborhood grocery here in partnership with William A. Boren and Thomas M. Cullum, who later founded the Cullum and Boren Sporting Goods business. A livery stable in the rear housed a horse and delivery wagon. Civic leader Frederick Appell retained part ownership in the building until his death in 1943. Other grocers occupied the structure until the 1950s.

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First Baptist Church of Renner

17463 Davenport

Church

1982.0

18 x 28

Renner Baptists organized in 1890 and met in the school building for eight years. Charter members were: B. F. and Kate E. Binkley; Elizabeth H., J. J., Mary A., and R. F. Butler; Mary E. and P. W. Collier; Mary L. Dickerson; George B., J. P. and Nancy E. Jennings; Mary A. McLary; Mary E. Meason; Rob C. and Margaret A. Reynolds. In 1897, the congregation bought this lot and erected a church. The present structure was built in 1925. The only surviving church in Renner, this pioneer fellowship remains a focal point in the community.Marker Sponsor: Ada Dickerson Craig

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White Rock Pump Station

2900 White Rock Rd.

Pump Station

1989.0

Medallion & Plate

In response to increased population and extended droughts in the early 1900s, this facility was built to provide an additional water supply for the city of Dallas. Designed and built in 1911 by the city engineering department, the Renaissance Revival structure features corbelled brick and terra cotta details. Although its use has varied and much of its original mechanical equipment is no longer intact, it remains an important water utility structure.RTHL - 1989

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John Shelby Wisdom

6400 W. Red Bird Lane, at entrance to Camp Wisdom

Unclassified

2000.0

27 x 42

(October 1855 - March 7, 1931) Born into a large family in Tennessee, John Shelby Wisdom moved with his family to a farm near Mulberry, Arkansas, when he was very young. He moved to Texas as a teenager and found work in ranching and cattle driving. Years later, he met a 12-year-old fiddler named Madison Pinkney "Pink" Wright and his widowed mother, Hattie Wright. Wisdom married Mrs. Wright in 1880, and the three of them lived in various parts of Texas before coming to reside in this area in 1897. In 1901 they purchased 148 acres for $100. Hattie Wisdom died in 1918. Wisdom and Pink Wright began to observe the Boy Scouts who camped on the property just west of their own. In 1920, John Shelby Wisdom was so moved by a troop of Scouts holding an Easter Sunday service in the woods that the older man was inspired to invite the Boy Scouts to camp on his land whenever they liked. In 1922, Wisdom and Pink Wright deeded 185 acres of land to the Dallas Council of the Boy Scouts (now Circle Ten Council), retaining a life estate in 130 acres. Known by this time as "Daddy" Wisdom, John Shelby Wisdom spent much of his time with the Scouts. In December 1924, the house shared by "Daddy" Wisdom and Pink Wright burned. The Boy Scouts immediately set to work building them a new home. Pink Wright died in 1925 of a cerebral hemorrhage. One month later his neighbors arranged for a grieving John Shelby Wisdom to reunite with his oldest brother, who had come to Dallas for a Confederate reunion. Wisdom, accompanied by several Eagle Scouts, later traveled to Arkansas to visit long-lost relatives. When Wisdom died in 1931, he was mourned by his family and thousands of Boy Scouts. (2000)

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Millermore

1717 Gano St.

in Old City Park

Unclassified

1962.0

Medallion & Plate

William Brown Miller (1807 - 1899) moved from Missouri to Texas in 1847 with his family. In 1855-62 he built this house on his farm east of Dallas. His twelfth child, Minera (1865 - 1960), inherited the house and named it Millermore. Her husband, Barry Miller (1864 - 1933), was a Lieutenant Governor of Texas. Herein lived also their daughter, Evelyn Miller crowell, author of "A Texas Childhood." The house was dismantled in 1966 and reconstructed here in the 1970s.RTHL 1962

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First Baptist Church

Ervay and Patterson Sts.

Church

1968.0

Plate and Medallion

(The First Baptist Church in Dallas)Organized 1868; first building (1871) on this site was one-room frame structure, which members fiananced by weaving rugs, making hominy, preserves, and cheese to sell at fairs near Dallas, then a frontier town of 2,500.Section of Victorian-style, red brick building was erected 1890; is only downtown Dallas Church still on original site. George W. Truett, noted minister, was pastor here 47 years and was succeeded by W. A. Criswell, 1944.RTHL - 1968

Near Homesite of Belle Boyd

City Park

History Center, in City Park at S. Ervay and Pocahontas, dallas

Unclassified

letter in file indicates marker was never placed

1969.0

27 x 42

(1844 - 1900)Famous as a Confederate spy during the Civil War, Marie Isabella Boyd resided at a stately colonial mansion near this site in the 1880s.One of the most effective of spies, the slender, blonde girl was only 17 when the Civil War began in 1861. Her passionate devotion to the South and to chivalry indirectly started her career when, in a fit of rage, she shot and killed a Union soldier who threatened her mother. While briefly confined at her Georgia estate, Belle was kept under watch by Federal officers, but so charming and friendly was she that they unwittingly divulged many secrets-- which soon found their way into Confederate hands.Her activities led to several prison sentences and finally exile from the United States. In England Belle married S. W. Hardinge, a Union naval officer of southern sympathies. They had one daughter.After Hardinge's untimely death, she returned to this country to become famous again, as a lecturer and a dramatic reader. In New Orleans in 1869, she married noted businessman J. S. Hammond. With their three children they later moved to Dallas, where they lived for some time. In 1884 they were divorced and in 1887, Belle sold this house. She died in 1900.

Governor W. Lee O'Daniel

Oaklawn

at Cedar Springs Triangle

Unclassified

Stolen

1978.0

27 x 42

A native of Ohio, Wilbert Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel grew up in Kansas. He moved to Ft. Worth in 1925 as sales manager of a flour-milling company. There he became a radio personality and promoter of a western band, the Light Crust Doughboys. In 1938, after a show of support from his radio listeners, O'Daniel entered the Democratic race for governor, despite his lack of political experience. Campaigning with another band, The Hillbilly Boys, he advocated industrial growth, old-age assistance, and abolition of the Poll Tax. He amazed political experts by defeating 12 Democratic opponents without a runoff. His vast inaugural picnic on Jan. 17, 1939, was the first of many colorful public events which marked his administration.Although he failed to achieve many of his campaign goals, O'Daniel was re-elected in 1940 but served only part of his second term. In the summer of 1941, he won a special election to the U.S. Senate over future U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and other candidates. The next year, O'Daniel defeated two former Texas governors to win a full six-year Senate term. After leaving the Senate in 1949, he moved to Dallas and opened an insurance company near this site.Married to Merle Estella Butcher, he had 3 children.

A. H. Belo Corporation

400 S. Record St.

400 S. Record St. in Dallas

Publication

good

1982.0

18 x 28

A.H. Belo Corporation traces its roots to a small company that founded the Galveston "Daily News" on April 11, 1842. The company began publishing the "Texas Almanac" in 1857. Alfred Horatio Belo (1839-1901) bought the company in 1876 and founded the "Dallas Morning News" in 1885, entrusting it to G.B. Dealey (1859-1946). In 1923, the company sold the Galveston paper and mover its headquarters to Dallas. The company later diversified into radio and television, including WFAA-TV. Since its founding, the A.H. Belo Corporation has played a major role in Texas communications.

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Preston Road

6000 Preston Rd.

(in front of YMCA)

Roadway

Faded; Redo

1968.0

20 x 20

Named for Ft. Preston, built 1841at best ford on upper Red River (N. of here). Followed pre-Columbian Indian trail.Republic of Texas staked out road to fort from Austin. "Preston Road" later served as cattle trail from ford of Trinity River at Dallas to Oklahoma Border.

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Frank Reagh

122 E. 5th Street

122 E. 5th Street

Unclassified

1976.0

18 x 28

Artist Frank Reagh (1860-1945), who immortalized the Texas longhorn, began sketching and studying his favorite subject in 1876 when he and his parents, George W. and Clarinda Reaugh, moved from Illinois to Kaufman County. He studied art in St. Louis and Europe but returned to the Texas prairie for inspiration. The Family came (1890) to Dallas where Reaugh became influential through his teaching and interest in the arts. He built "El Sibil" as studio and home in 1928. His pastels of frontier Texas cattle, lauded by historians, can be seen in many Texas cities.

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Flippen Homestead and the Founding of Highland Park

4800 Preston Rd.

Home

1990.0

27 x 42

To fulfill his dream for an exclusive residential neighborhood north of Dallas, Col. John S. Armstrong in 1906 purchased 1,350 acres of land in this area, including the "Lomo Alto" Horse Farm, and secured the services of Beverly Hills landscape architect Wilbur David Cook to lay out the suburb. Upon Armstron's death in 1908, the Flippen-Prather Realty Co. continued plans for development of the neighborhood, which was named Highland Park (an erroneous English translation of "Lomo Alto").In 1909, this horse farm was deeded to Armstrong's daughters, Minnie May Flippen and Johnetta Prather, each of whom was the spouse of a principal in the Flippen-Prather Realty Co. A coin was flipped to determine first choice for a homesite, and the Flippens won the toss. Dallas architect C. D. Hill designed a house for them based on George Washington's Mount Vernon.Completed in 1910, the house served as an example for attracting Dallas' elite to Highland Park. Although radically altered externally over the years, the basic Flippen homestead retains significance for its association with the founders of Highland Park and as a reflection of Dallas' early 20th-century growth.1990

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Dallas Baptist University (Decatur Baptist College)

3000 Mountain Creek Pkwy.

School

1998.0

27 x 42

Closely linked to Northwest Baptist College, which operated from 1891 to 1897, Decatur Baptist College opened its doors in 1898. The college was the result of an effort by Texas Baptist leaders to consolidate all Texas Baptist Schools under the direction of Baylor University and the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The college, which initially served primary and secondary school students in addition to the junior college program, had an enrollment of 105 in the fall of 1898. J. L. Ward, president of the college from 1900 to 1907 and 1914 to 1950, was most influential in the development and expansion of the college. By 1959 the school offered courses in religion, fine arts, business, languages, and vocational training. Increasing financial challenges and decreasing enrollment led the college to accept an invitation to move to Dallas. The school's name was changed to Dallas Baptist College in February 1965; its first classes were held that fall, with an enrollment of 941. The college became a four-year institution in 1968. Renamed Dallas Baptist University in 1985, the school began awarding graduate degrees in religion, education, and business administration. The school grew steadily under the leadership of a new president beginning in 1988 and paid its outstanding financial debts. By the 1990s, the population of the college community exceeded 3,500 as the school affirmed in its mission statement its commitment "to provide Christ-centered quality higher education." (1998)

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Mount Calvary Cemetery

7200 blk. of Valley View Rd.

1/4 mile west of Coit Road

Cemetery

slightly faded; repair (local effort)

1978.0

18 x 28

Pioneer settlers used this site for burials as early as the 1840s. The oldest known grave is that of Amanda L. Houx (1829 - 1847). In 1868 William Huffhines donated a two-acre tract, which included the early graves, to Mount Calvary Baptist Church. A frame church building stood here until 1885, when the congregation moved to Richardson and later became the First Baptist Church. More land was added to the burial ground by C. C. Huffhines in 1896 and C. B. Chick in 1925 and 1935. A cemetery association, formed in 1924, cares for the almost 800 graves here.

Higginbotham - Pearlstone Building

1701 Market St.

Commmercial Building

1986.0

Medallion and Plate

Constructed in 1909, this building was first occupied in 1910 by the Hobson Electric company. The warehouse was next leased to the Maroney Hardware Company, which was bought in 1926 by Rufus W. Higginbotham and Hyman Pearlstone, owners of the Higginbotham - Pearlstone Wholesale Hardware Company, which was located here until 1977. The four-story brick industrial building, featuring corbelled cornices, remains as a focal point of the city's historic west end.RTHL 1986

Wilson Block

2922 Swiss Ave.

Neighborhood

Faded; Redo - locally

1983.0

18 x 28

This historic neighborhood is located on land patented in 1838 to Illinois native John Grigsby. Dallas businessman Frederick P. Wilson and his wife Henrietta Frichot Wilson acquired the site in 1898 and built their residence (2922 Swiss avenue) and six other houses. Owned by the Wilsons for almost eighty years, the houses became the nucleus of the Wilson Block. Several early Dallas leaders rented homes here. Similar in composition, the houses in the neighborhood are representative of the city's lifestyle at the turn of the century.2nd:Swiss native Jacob Nussbaumer, a colonist in the pioneer La Reunion settlement of the Dallas area, purchased this land prior to the Civil War. In 1898 his wife Dorothea and children sold it to her niece Henrietta Frichot Wilson (1864- 1953), the daughter of La Reunion settlers.Henriett and her husband Frederick P. Wilson (1863 - 1923) built their residence at this site in 1899 and later constructed six additional homes as rental property. Together the houses were the center of a residential area known as the Wilson Block of Swiss Avenue. The neighborhood was the home of many early Dallas leaders, including Charles D. Hill, who became one of the area's prominent architects, and Dr. Theodore L. E. Arnold, an early Dallas ophthalmologist whose son Charles pioneered in microphotography.The various architectural styles represented in the historic Wilson Block reflect Victorian and Queen Anne influences. The homes feature similarities in composition, including frame construction, clapboard siding, decorative shingle patterns, gabled roofs and intricate ornamentation.Today the Wilson Block serves as a reminder of Dallas' rich heritage and early development.

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Temple Emanu-el Cemetery

3430 Howell Street

about 20 yards from street to marker

Cemetery

1989.0

27 x 42

Established by Temple Emanu-el congregation in 1884, this was the second Jewish cemetery in Dallas. The first burials which occurred here were those of Russian immigrants Aaron L. Levy and Jacob Rosenthal. Both men were born in Russia on June 2, 1856, and died in Dallas on October 7, 1884.Gravestones exhibiting death dates prior to 1884 mark burials which were moved here in 1956 from Dallas' first Jewish cemetery. Established by the Hebrew Benevolent Society in 1872, that graveyard was originally located downtown on Akard Street.Among those interred here are many of Dallas' early business , civic, religious, political, and social leaders. The cemetery contains thousands of graves, marked by a diversity of tombstones and monuments, including two private family mausoleums.Also buried here are veterans of World War I and World War II, as well as several survivors of the Nazi holocaust in World War II. A memorial to Jewish veterans of the two world wars was dedicated in 1948.Maintenance of this historic cemetery, which serves as a tangible reminder of the area's Jewish heritage, is overseen by Temple Emanu-el Congregation.

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Central National Road

Munger & Market Sts.

corner of Munger St. and Market Street; West End Historic District, Dallas

Roadway

None

1986.0

27 x 42

During the early days of the Republic of Texas, settlers and pioneers coming from the United States entered Texas by crossing the Red River in northwest Red River County. On the north side of that crossing was the terminum of a U.S. Military Highway. In 1844, the Congress of the Republic of Texas appointed a commission to lay out a road connecting the crossing on the Red River to the Trinity River in central Dallas County. Surveyed by George W. Stell (1793-1870), the 130-mile road was to be thirty feet wide, with bridges at least fifteen feet wide, and all tree stumps cut within twelve inches of the ground. Congress named the new route the Central National Road.Passing through Lamar,Fannin, Hunt, Collin, and Rockwall counties, the road's terminus in Dallas intersected with the Preston Road (1,000 NNW), which had been opened in 1840 by a group of Texas soldiers under Col. William G. Cooke (1808-1847) to connect the Red River and Austin.The Central National Road, via its intersection in Dallas with the Preston-Austin Road, connected north and south Texas, creating greater access for pioneers to settle in all areas of the Republic.Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986Incise on base: Sponsored by Thomas J. Rusk Chapter of the Sons of the Republic of Texas

Site of Peacock Military Academy

6901 Military Pkwy.

at Urban Park Elementary School

School

Faded; Redo (locally)

1984.0

18 x 28

The original Peacock Military Academy was founded in 1894 in San Antonio by Wesley Peacock. A well-known educator and child psychologist. In 1930 Peacock opened a north Texas branch of the school at this site to provide military, academic, and physical education for young men in the first grade through junior college. Although the Dallas branch of the Peacock Military Academy went bankrupt and closed in 1934, its central administration building has been used as an educational facility since 1938.

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Eagle Ford Community

5300 Singleton

5300 Singleton at 2800 clymer, Dallas

Unclassified

1989.0

27 x 42

The Eagle Ford Community developed just east of an important early crossing on the west fork of the Trinity River. Among the early settlers of the area was the family of Enoch Horton (1777 - 1851). Arriving in November 1844, they established several large farms.James Horton (1818 - 1876) built the Eagle Ford Grist Mill and donated land in 1857 for the nearby Horton Cemetery. He also gave land for the Texas and Pacific Railroad right-of-way and depot. The village saw immediate growth from the 1870s until the rail line was completed westward to Fort Worth, when the Eagle Ford Community began to decline.In 1907 William Foster Cowham and Associates come to the area from Michigan and began buying property, including some of James Horton's original holdings. They established the Southwestern States Portland Cement Company and built two villages to house their employees. Immigrants from Mexico found employment with the company, and their descendants have contributed to the diverse cultural heritage of the community. Eladio R. Martinez (1921 - 1945) was a distinguished soldier in World War II, earning the Combat Infantry Badge and a Purple Heart in action in the Phillipines.1989

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