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CHAPTER X Coryell County Place Names Leon River, the largest stream in Coryell County, was named for Alonzo De Leon, who was sent to Texas by the Viceroy of Mexico, to exterminate the French settlements at Fort St. Louis, on Matagorda Bay. This was in the 1860's of the 17th Century. Chas. H. and Geo. W. Straw, in 1875 moved from McLennan County to Coryell County and bought the old Cox Mill, which had been established by J. M. Cox, who settled the adjacent lands in 1856. The Straws made extensive improvements and had a fine flour mill and carried a large stock of general merchandise. The place became known as Straw's Mill. John H. Hurst, born November 25 in Indiana, settled -- 48 -- in Lampasas County in 1856, removed to Coryell County in 1865. He built a rock house and erected a steam cotton gin, hence the name Hurst Springs. H. B. Pidcoke, born in England in 1824, came to the Cow House Valley in 1850, where he established a ranch. Later came the village which bears his name Pidcoke. There is also a part of the City of Gatesville known as Pidcoke addition. J. R. Pancake, born in Virginia in January, 1836, he came to Coryell County in 1858 and established the Pancake Ranch. He also established a general merchandise store and erected a cotton gin. The Pancake and Babb Cattle business grew to large proportions, but with the settlement of the country ranching gave way to agriculture. So the village and school district--Pancake. Whitson was named for "Old Grandpa Whitson" who came there before railroads entered Central Texas and established a cotton gin and flour mill. Mr. Joe Lynn also had a cotton gin, and Mr. Haynes had a general merchandise business. Capt. Ellison Birch, at one time had a legalized whiskey still on the branch below Whitson. Whitson was a flourishing pioneer town until the railroad entered and Moody and McGregor were settled on the nearby Santa Fe Railroad. Whitson continues as a business center, having; a fine modern cotton gin, and a general store. A village on old Highway 7 a mile west of Coryell Creek, is so named because in olden days when only ox, or horse drawn vehicles were had, it was a hard pull to reach the place from any direction--Pulltite. Blackfoot (Davidson) School and Blackfoot Mountain are said to be so named because a band of Blackfoot Indians once camped there. They are located near the road leading north from old Highway 7 West of Coryell Creek. Shook Crossing, a crossing on the Leon River, on land now owned by the Martins, was opened by the Shook Brothers, in 1865. Ross Crossing, named for Reuben Ross who settled a League and a labor of land there in 1854. This crossing was on the old Waco-Lampasas road. Mr. Ross owned slaves and opened a large plantation. His descendants, the Greens, Ross', Walters and Caseys, still own much of the land. Four generations of the Ross descendants have successively lived on the land. -- 49 -- Mr. Ross was from Kentucky, and brought with him a love for fine horses. It is said that he furnished many horses for the Confederate Army. Neff Spring, source of Horse Creek, is named for Noah Neff who settled there in 1865. This pioneer was Pat M. Neff's father. Pat Neff now owns the land. Cow House, this river flows thru the western section of Coryell County and was so named because of numerous rock shelters in which the range cows found protection during inclement weather. King's Mountain was named for Crockett King, who was among the first white men to establish in the Leon Valley This mountain is near Leon Junction. Lime City, a village on the Cotton Belt Railroad two miles west of Oglesby. The first lime kiln was erected and operated by Ben Friend in 1891. In 1895 D. R. Bone erected a three kiln plant and continued lime production for many years. There is no production now. The lime produced here is a fine chemical lime. Evant, is located near the west line of Coryell County on Federal Highway 84. It was founded in 1879 by Evant Brooks. An excellent school, a newspaper, several churches, and a number of successful business establishments, including a bank, testify to the integrity and progressive spirit of the community. The Grove, an inland village on the highlands between Leon River and Owl Creek. It has an excellent school, a cotton gin, a bank, a number of business establishments and churches. Named for the groves of fine trees that were there when the settlement was made. This village is in the heart of a fine stock farming section, and is the home of the famous Austin Doolittle Rodeo Outfit. Osage, a village on the eastern line of the county, quite probably received its name from the Osage Indians, or the Bois 'd Arc trees growing there and which pioneers sometimes called Osage Orange. Collards Bluff, a place of wonderful scenic beauty on Station Creek. Named for Rev. J. H. Collard, who in the 1850's owned the land. Rev. Collard was one of the first members of Station Creek Church which was organized in 1855. Flat, a rural village in Coryell County, was so named for a flat strip of country near by that was covered with mesquite timber. At first it was "Mesquite Flat" but -- 50 -- in 1895 a post office was established, and it was found that Texas had a post office named Mesquite Flat, so the name became just Flat. This place has an excellent school and several business establishments. Mound, a village on the Cotton Belt Railroad in the Leon Bottom. Old White Mound school stood just half a mile away when the railroad reached this place. A post office was established and named Mound, in memory of the old pioneer school, This place has a fine stone school building, cotton gin, and several business establishments. Seattle, a village located on Owl Creek in the southern part of the county. When the people petitioned for a post office Mr. W. A. Umberhagan owned a cotton gin and store there, according to Mr. E. F. Miller, who was born there more than fifty years ago. Mr. Umberhagan took a leading part in securing a post office there, and was the first postmaster, and offered the name because he liked it. Pearl Once Named Wayback, Thru Error In collaboration with J. C. Shook, we follow the interesting story of the rural village of Pearl, which is beautifully located in the hills of the western section of Coryell County. Bill Gassoway lived in what is now known as Cunningham Cave in the winter of 1866-67. Laura Gassoway and Dick Williams were married in that cave in 1869. Mrs. Williams now resides in Pearl. In the summer of 1870 John Roe built the first log house in the cove. Aunt Susan Roe, his widow, is 96 years of age and now resides at Starr, Mills County. The first church was Methodist, and was organized in the home of J. W. Shook in 1876. Originally the post office was Wayback. When the petition for a post office was sent to the Department it called for the name Swayback, for Swayback Mountain, which stands as a sentinel guard near the town, but thru an error in spelling of the name, the new post office was authorized as Wayback until 1890. Henry Reavis was first postmaster. E. P. Davenport and Ben Asbury freighted from wayback to and from Waco. When they registered in Waco hotels they always signed as from Pearl, because they did not like the name Wayback. -- 51 -- In 1890 E. P. Davenport, J. H. Harrison, and Ben Asbury petitioned for a change of the post office to Pearl. The name was granted and continued as Pearl. Parks Blackstock built a horsepower gin in 1880. It was a 60 saw gin and was fed by hand. In 1870 Mr. Blackstock grew a wheat crop. There were no threshing machines in those days. A large place on a smooth stone was cleaned of all rubble. The wheat sheaves were placed on the stone floor and horses ridden over until the wheat was threshed. The chaff was then winded out by shoveling the wheat up and letting the wind blow the chaff away. Miss Jennie Roberts taught the first school in a log house, puncheon floor, and split logs for benches. She now lives in Burleson County, and is Mrs. Tom Davenport. Later F. M. Long taught school there and always wore his six-shooter, or brought his winchester. Fauntleroy Crossing, on the Leon River near Gatesville, was named for Col. F. W. Fauntleroy who served in the Mexican War of 1846-48 and settled near Gatesville in the early l850's. He was the first District Attorney that Coryell County was called upon to furnish. His service was with the court of 1856-58 Browns Creek, John M. Brown came to Coryell County in 1855 and settled on the creek that now bears his name. When war between the States broke out in 1861 he entered the Confederate Army and was commissioned Captain. He planned the coup that resulted in the capture of Frank Harko, or Harco, who depredated upon Coryell County settlers during the Civil War. Harko was soon afterward lynched. Jonesboro was named for William L. Jones, who came to Texas in 1839. He served in the Mexican War of 1846-48. In 1866 he came to Coryell County and set up a saw and grist mill where Jonesboro is now located. The post office bore the name "Jones Mill" but a wholesale billing clerk billed some freight to Jonesboro, the people liked the name and adopted it as the name of their town. Langford's Cove: It was named for Asa Langford who established a ranch there in 1854. A small creek near Evant is also named for Mr. Langford. James Carter also established an extensive homestead there in 1854. Gholsons Gap: On Highway 66, south of Evant, is -- 52 -- named for Frank Gholson who established himself there in 1855. He Inter did cow ranching on a large scale. It is said that he, at one time, owned more than 5,000 cattle. Cherry Bluff: A massive limestone bluff overlooking Coryell Creek from the west, on the steep hillsides below the wild cherry grows in profusion. Hence the name of Cherry Bluff. Schley: A school community in this county, named for a prominent pioneer family. Nathaglin Creek received its name from an amusing circumstance. A long time ago young folks went to church and to parties on horseback. On their way to church one Sunday, a young couple rode down to the crossing on this creek. The young mans horse crossed; the young lady's horse leaped the stream, throwing the young lady off into the water. The young man dismounted and ran to his lady loves assistance crying "Honey are you hurt"? Honey was not hurt, but since fermented honey makes a kind of vinegar colloquially called "Nathagiin, or Nathaglum" the people promptly gave the name to the creek. Tama, was named for Miss Tama Alexander, according to Mr. E. W. Stewart of Copperas Cove. The young lady's father had a store there in 189S, but later moved. Morrison Hollow: According to I. C. Donaldson, was named for H. M. Morrison who settled near The Grove in the 1S50's. The Hollow is a ravine which empties its waters into the Leon River near the old Skinner Crossing below Neff Park. In early days it was used by cattlemen to drive their cattle to water in times of drought. Skinner Crossing was also named for an early pioneer who opened a ford on the Leon River. B. Perryman, whose father came to Coryell County in 1852, informs us that Table Rock Creek was so named because of peculiar rock formations found there, which resemble a stone table. Large flat stones supported by a single column. W. H. Chambers patented a large tract of prairie land near The Grove, and left his name attached to that prairie land. Anson Jones, one time President of the Texas Republic patented a large tract of land in Coryell County. Elms Crossing on the Cow House River was named for David Elms who settled near Sugar Loaf Mountain in -- 53 -- 1852, and in 1855 bought land on the Cow House River at the point where the Waco-Georgetown Stage line crossed that stream. Potter's Crossing on the Cow House River, according to Rev. Riley Potter of Copperas Cove, was named for his grandfather, John Potter, who settled there in 1850. This was the Rev. John Potter, the "fighting parson" of pioneer times. Perryman's Creek flows into the Cow House from the west and was named for B. Perryman, mentioned above. Harmon: A school district in the western part of the county was named for F. F. Harmon. Camp Branch was so named because early settlers found there the remains of large Indian camps. Many stone artifacts made by the Indians may still be found. Before the Civil War, Bud Kelly settled on Coryell Creek near the present home of Ike Pancake. The spring which is on the Pancake farm, was named Kelly Spring, thus preserving the name of a pioneer. When Camp Hood was established in Coryell County in 1941, the area of the military reservation included the locale of many of the place names enumerated above. Present maps of the county may not show them, since vast changes have been made since the military occupation of the area, which includes many thousands of acres of the southern part of the County. GATESVILLE'S FIRST METHODIST CHURCH The Reverend Robert Barnard Wells organized the first church in Gatesville in 1855. It was the Methodist and had for charter members, D. R. Franks, J. L. Montgomery and Matilda Montgomery from Ft. Gates, L. M. Robinson, Rev. R. B. Wells, Miss Mary Wells, Mrs. Mary E. Wells, Dr. F. H. Lutterloh, Joe Harris, F. H. Robertson, Sarah McElroy, Nancy Saunders and Lidie Pollard. The building in which Rev. Wells preached the first sermon and organized the first church in Gatesville was on the corner east of Peels Cafe, on the southeast corner of the square. FIRST METHODIST CHURCH IN CORYELL COUNTY To give a more elaborate picture of the difficulties early church people had to meet, this is an account of the Station Creek Methodist Church which was organized in 1855. I wrote Mrs. O. F. Davenport of Weatherford, -- 54-- |
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