Saturday, February 28, 2015

For a Soldier, Scout and Spy


The second of three marker/monument photos I took on this cold and wet day in San Antonio, Tx.  I was crossing Milam Square after leaving Market Square (the old Produce Market) and saw there were a more than a few markers and monuments to be seen in the park.  I took a couple quick photos, mid-30 temps with drizzle rushed things.  I thought this was the pink granite of the Centennial markers I hunt but I am leaning to not.  Karnes was buried in a cemetery where the hospital across the street now stands.  This is the closest that they could come to put up a memorial.  His gravesite is now unknown.  Erected in 1932.

Text:  Erected by the State of Texas in Memory of the famous scout and spy, Colonel Henry Wax Karnes.  Captain of a company of infantry at San Jacinto.  Elected Colonel of Cavalry, May 10, 1837.  Born in Tennessee Sept 12,1812, Died at San Antonio, Aug 16, 1840.

#HistoricalMarker #Texas #texashistory #texasheritage #RepublicOfTexas #ROT #spy

Wikipedia Link : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Karnes

Erected Mysteries in Milam Square




Cold wet days in San Antonio, Tx.  I was crossing Milam Square after leaving Market Square (the old Produce Market) and saw there were a more than a few markers and monuments to be seen in the park.  I took a couple quick photos, mid-30 temps with drizzle rushed things.  This monument seems to be missing something. Well, a lot of things.  When and why would be a good place to start.  Perhaps there was something I was missing in my hurry but there does look like there should have been something like a plaque about the word Erected or maybe a long lost statue?  This is just a list of Organizations involved.  I include this as a curosity and a mystery.  

Text:  Erected by the De Zavala Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, De Zavala Chapter of the Daughters and Sons of the Heros of Texas and The Texas Historical Landmark Association.

#HistoricalMarker #Texas #texashistory #texasheritage #DeZavala

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

1936 Centennial Grave Marker for Joseph Baker

This is another piece of history to be found at Oakwood Cemetery in Austin, Tx.



Joseph Baker
Born in Maine 1804. Died in Austin, Texas July 11, 1846. One of the founders of “The Telegraph and Texas Register” at San Felipe De Austin, October 10, 1835. A soldier at San Jacinto. First Chief Justice of Bexar County, 1836. Member of the Congress of the Republic, 1837.

Erected 1936 by The State of Texas
Grey Granite Grave marker
Number 14153

More Info:
HMDB.org Page
Handbook of Texas Page
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1936 Marker Hunt 5/1100
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Thursday, December 18, 2014

1936 marker for Woods Fort

Easily found along SH 71 between Smithville and LaGrange




Marker Text:  Site of Woods Fort - Used by colonists of this vicinity as
a protection against Indian attacks
1828-1842
fortified residence of
Zadock Woods
veteran of the War of 1812
One of the old "Three Hundred"
of Austin's colonists
Oldest man killed in the
"Dawson Massacre"
September 18, 1842


Located on SH-71 between LaGrange and Smithville.
Erected 1936
Marker Number 5902
HMDB.org page
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1936 Marker Hunt 4/1100
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Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Travis County 1936 Pink Granite marker

This is one of the 1936 Centennial Markers (pink granite Highway marker)

This one is for Travis County and explains its beginnings.


Located under Mopac at Town Lake
Erected 1936
Marker Number 6447
HMDB.org page
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1936 Marker Hunt 3/1100
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Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Gen. George W. Terrell


Marker Text: Gen. George W. Terrell Born in Kentucky 1803. Came to Texas in 1840 from Mississippi. Associate Justice, supreme court, 1840. Secretary of State, 1841. Attorney General, 1841-42. Charge d'affairs of the Republic of Texas to England, France and Spain 1844-45. Died in Austin, Texas May 17, 1846.

Located near the main entrance to Oakwood Cemetery.
Erected 1936
Marker Number 15113
HMDB.org page
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1936 Marker Hunt 2/1100
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Monday, October 27, 2014

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church




Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church is a beautiful church out near Czestochowa and Stockdale in Karnes County.  You can see the church from the main road but the marker is easily missed.  I appreciated the small stone shrine next to the church for a moment of quiet reflection.  The marker number is 12347.

Marker Text: The second Polish colony in Karnes County, the village in this area grew out of a small settlement known as St. Joe and was formally established in 1873.  At times the priest at Panna Maria would conduct services at St. Joseph School in what would become Czestochowa. The "Mother Colony" church at Panna Maria was destroyed by lightning in 1877; Czestochowa settlers decided to build their own church. This was the subject of much controversy among the Polish pioneers of Karnes County. Anton Jarzombek (1836-1922) and Frank Mutz (1814-1891) each donated land for the church. Area residents contributed their labor to build the eighty-five by forty foot church with Gervase Gabrysch (1830-1904) as contractor.  Bishop Anthony D. Pellicer blessed the church on February 10, 1878. Father W. Pelczar was assigned as the first pastor that September.  As a sign of their reconciliation, the parishioners from the newly rebuilt Panna Maria church presented the new parish a large painting of the Virgin Mary of Czestochowa, the Patroness of Poland.  The two congregations often shared leadership in the ensuing years. The Cestohowa church (adopting the Americanized spelling of the community) thrived into the 20th century. In the 1930s the church underwent intensive additions and remodeling. Though the original walls remained, the roof was completely removed and the ceiling raised. The north and south wings were added and the steeple was increased in height.  In 1998, the church celebrated its 125th anniversary. At that time, the parish consisted of 380 members.  The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church continues in the traditions of its founders.   (2000)

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

1936 Centennial marker types

There are six major marker types for the 1936 Centennial series:
  1. Museums
  2. Bronze Plaques
  3. Monuments
  4. Pink Granite Highway markers
  5. Grey Granite Historical markers
  6. Grey Granite Grave markers that look just like the Subject markers.
The Texas Historical Commission has a brief document demonstrating these.

Unfortunately their Atlas database which is their authoritative source on-line does not keep it so simple. The field containing the marker type has a large amount of variation and the data could be incomplete or even missing all together.

Here is a list of all the marker types per the Atlas database.

Marker Type Number Of
Missing Information61
14" x 24"2
18" x 12"3
18" x 24"2
18" x 28"9
1936 Centennial3
1936 Centennial (bronze plate)1
1936 Centennial - Grave Marker7
1936 Centennial - Grave Marker (gray granite)51
1936 Centennial - Highway Marker38
1936 Centennial - Highway Marker (pink granite)116
1936 Centennial - Highway Marker (pink granite, bronze plaque)1
1936 Centennial - Monuments and Statues13
1936 Centennial - Subject Marker (gray granite)149
1936 Centennial County Highway Marker1
1936 Centennial Grave Marker1
1936 Centennial Marker115
1936 Centennial Marker (gray granite)177
1936 Centennial Marker (pink granite Highway marker)1
1936 Centennial Marker (pink granite)10
1936 centennial marker; approximately 60" high 36" wide 12" deep1
1936 Highway Marker1
1936 Texas Centennial -- pink granite monument with bronze plaque1
2' diameter disk -independent marker adopted as state marker1
20" x 24" Aluminum Plaque1
24 x 18 Plaque, pink granite highway marker1
27" x 42"10
62" x 34" x 10.5"1
Brass Plate1
Bronze1
C153
Centennial marker2
Centennial marker - brass plaque on small red granite1
centennial marker-large1
Centennial monument5
Centennial-courthouse grounds1
central highway1
Civil War Memorials (pink granite)1
Civil War Memorials - (pink granite)1
Granite Centennial marker1
Grave Marker72
Grave Marker-1936 Centennial4
Gray Centennial Historical marker2
Gray Granite5
gray granite centennial1
Highway1
Highway Marker11
Historical Marker6
Hwy. Marker-1936 centennial1
Large granite3
Large Granite Centennial1
Large granite Centennial Marker1
Medallion Plate1
Memorial1
Monument5
N/A5
other2
Other - explain5
other, 24" x 18"1
Pink centennial highway marker1
Pink Gramte Hwy. marker1
Pink Granite1
Pink granite 19361
Pink granite highway1
Pink granite highway marker11
Pink Granite Hwy. Marker2
Pink highway centennial marker1
Pink Hwy Marker2
Pink Hwy. Marker5
Small centennial marker1
State Approved1
State-approved marker1
statue5
statue monument1
Statue/Monument1
Texas Centennial Commission Monument1
Texas Centennial grave marker1
Texas Centennial monument, pink granite and bronze, 11 feet tall1


Monday, September 29, 2014

Hunt for the 1936 Centennial Markers

I have a new goal.  Hunt down all of the State of Texas 1936 Centennial Markers.

Before there was a historical survey or commission.  1936 became a very big year for historical markers.  Before this, the State of Texas might partner with other groups to memorialize events and places.  So this was the first large scale state sponsored effort.  1936 was huge, it was the 100th anniversary of Texas Independence.  And to commemorate this,  the state legislator chose to create a series of permanent makers in granite that would point out the people, places and events that were important to Texas independence and spread them all across this huge state.

There are 1,100 official markers in 250 of the Texas' 254 counties.

Think of it as a scavenger hunt as big as Texas.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

San Patricio de Hibernia

Not sure if this is considered a Bronze Plaque or a Monument officially. Seems stuck in between to me.  This is one of the 1936 Centennial markers commemorating Texas independence. Even when the light is good, it is hard to take readable photos of these.  The light was particularly bad at this time of the day  because it was coming from behind.  Causing interesting lens flare issues.  The pink granite maker number is 4550.  This location on Main St.(FM 666) in San Patricio is a great place for marker hunters since there are six markers here. 




Marker Text: Founded in 1830 by John McMullen and James McGloin as the seat of their irish colony under an empressario contract dated August 17, 1828 which was fulfilled by the empresarios 1830-1835.  Named in honor of Saint Patrick the Patron Saint of Ireland.  As the frontier outpost of Texas when the revolution began San Patricio 1835-1845 suffered all the miseries of that conflict with no compensating returns.  At and near San Patricio, on February 27, 1836 general Jose Urrea's division of Santa Anna's Army surprised and overwhelmed Johnson's texan party of 35 men, 9 or 10 texans were killed, 6 or 7 escaped and 20 were sent to Matamoros as prisoners.  After San Jacinto the town was destroyed and its inhabitants driven away.  In Memory of Rev. Henry Doyle, Rev. T.J. Molloy, Wm. O'Docharty, Geo. O'Docharty, Walter Henry, Patrick Henry, John Hart, Michael Haley, Mark Killalea, Wm. Hefferman, Oceola Archer, Lewis Ayers, Catherine Hoye, Owen Gaffney, John Ross, Wm. Pugh early settlers of San Patricio.  John McMullen delegate to the consultation, 1835.  John Turner, John White Bower, signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence.  John McGloin, John Fadden, Dennis McGowan, Andrew M. O'Boyle, Geo. Pettuck, Matthew Byrne, Patrick Nevin, Edward Garner, Edward Ryan, Dennis Mahoney, Miles Andross, W.M. Quinn Soldiers in Texas Revolution.  San Patricio has contributed the following distinguished citizens.  Patrick O'Docharty, Susanna O'Docharty, Thomas O'Callaghan, Patrick McGloin, Chris Sullivan, Rose K. Mahoney, John Ryan, Geo. McCowan, Catherine Ryan, James McKeown, Patrick McMurray, Thomas Magowan, Wm. P. Allen, Mary Ann Collins, Hubert Timon, David Odem, John Timon, Andrew Jackson Brown, John Donahue, Mary E. McCloin, Margaret Hart McFall, Patrick Brennan, Margaret Baldeschwiler, John Corrigan, Margaret Q. James, Andrew Gerhardt, Matthew Kivlin, James Grover, Robert Weir, Eliza A. Sullivan, J. Chrys Dougherty, Steve J. Lewis, Joe E. Sullivan, Hugh Touhy, John Dee.


 **Location**
N 27 57'06.045"
W 097 46'22.452"

Main St. (FM 666)
San Patricio
San Patricio
 
Erected 1936

Marker Number 4550

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1936 Marker Hunt 1/1100
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