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    Walker County
    Walker County
    Walker County
    Ebook150 pages32 minutes

    Walker County

    By Jeffrey L. Littlejohn and The Walker County Historical Commission

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    About this ebook

    Founded in 1846, Walker County is a scenic, sprawling territory of 800 square miles located in the southeastern region of Texas. Huntsville, the county seat, serves as home to Sam Houston State University, the Texas State Penitentiary, and Huntsville State Park. New Waverly, Riverside, and other smaller towns dot the landscape, which remains rustic and beautiful, with rolling hills, open prairies, and piney woods. Visitors to the area may find museums, restaurants, shops, and sporting events to attend.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateOct 16, 2017
    ISBN9781439663295
    Walker County

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      Book preview

      Walker County - Jeffrey L. Littlejohn

      Commission.

      INTRODUCTION

      This project originated in 2004, when the City of Huntsville’s Arts Commission awarded a grant to the Walker County Historical Commission for the accumulation, preservation, and publication of historic postcards from the county. James Patton, Donna Coffen, and Tom Rogers purchased postcards at various book and paper shows, antique shops, and historical events. Local citizens also donated dozens of cards to the historical commission to aid in this project. In 2016, the historical commission loaned the cards to the Thomason Special Collections Room at the Newton Gresham Library on the campus of Sam Houston State University. The cards were scanned by a university archivist and thereby permanently preserved in digital format. In addition, the 2004 grant called for the publication and public presentation of these historic postcards for the residents of Walker County and interested citizens across the area. It is hoped that the publication of this book will encourage the recovery of heretofore-unknown cards.

      The postcards presented here are of critical significance to the history of Walker County. These postcards bring to light vital aspects of regional life in the first half of the 20th century. They provide some of the most significant documentation of the buildings, street scenes, and events in Walker County over the last 100 years, and in some cases are the only pictorial items that are left for us. Indeed, many of the places depicted on these postcards are now gone or greatly altered. Thus, these cards capture for us an important part of our collective past that is available in no other medium.

      Chapter one of this book examines the critical role that Gen. Sam Houston and his wife, Margaret, played in the early history of Walker County. Sam Houston served as the victorious leader of Texian forces at the Battle of San Jacinto, first president of the Republic of Texas, and later governor and senator from Texas. Today, the Sam Houston Memorial Museum sits on 18 of the original 174 acres that Houston owned in Huntsville between 1847 and 1858. The museum grounds feature the Woodland Home, Steamboat House, and replicas of the Houstons’ kitchen and law office. Additionally, historic log buildings have been relocated on the site in recent years.

      Chapter two highlights the public buildings and private businesses that have shaped Walker County since the late 19th century. Postcards of the Walker County Courthouse, New Waverly’s downtown district, the Dodge Train Depot, and the historic Huntsville Post Office of 1931 are key entries.

      In the third chapter, postcards of local homes and churches are featured. Sallie Gibbs’s large and grandiose Victorian home, built in 1895, was for years a Huntsville landmark. Likewise, the Josey-King home, the Wynne home, and the Gillaspie place served as prominent dwellings in the community. The occupants of these homes attended the county’s earliest churches, including First Methodist, First Baptist, First Presbyterian, and First Christian in Huntsville. There are also postcards from St. Joseph Catholic Church and St. Stephen Episcopal, as well as one of the Huntsville Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

      Chapter four examines Sam Houston State University as it developed over the last century. Prominent buildings on the campus are featured. Old Main, constructed in 1889, serves as the most historic and revered early building. It was destroyed by fire in 1982, leaving the Austin College building and the Peabody Library as the oldest structures on campus. Additional postcards feature buildings on the quadrangle, including the early science building, which is now the Bobby K. Marks Administration Building.

      In chapter five, postcards illustrating the development

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