The Rev. Dr. John David Robnett TX1914

Founder of Howard Payne University, John David Robnett (1845-1898) was born in Missouri, where he was educated at Westminster and William Jewell colleges and was ordained to the Baptist ministry.

In 1883, Robnett was called to serve as pastor at the First Baptist Church of Brownwood, Texas. There he met pioneer missionary Noah Turner Byars (1808-1888) and embraced Byars' vision of a Baptist college in central Texas. Byars' dream was realized when the Pecan Valley Baptist Association, which he and Robnett helped found, agreed in 1889 to establish such a college. As a member of the first board of trustees of the school, Robnett visited his hometown of Fulton, Missouri, where he secured sizable pledges and funds with the aid of his brother-in-law, Edward Howard Payne. The trustees named the fledgling college in honor of Payne's generosity. Dr. Robnett continued as chief fund-raiser for Howard Payne College while serving as first board president and later as college president. He returned to the pulpit in 1896, as pastor of Gaston Avenue Baptist Church in Dallas, and continued there until his death two years later at the age of 53. Originally buried on the Howard Payne College campus near the Old Main building, John David Robnett was re-interred in Brownwood's Greenleaf Cemetery upon the death of his wife, Dollie, in 1911.

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Waddill - Morris Homesite TX6217

Kentucky native Judge R.L. Waddill (1811-1865) came to McKinney with his stepson, George Shackelford Morris, in 1853, five years after the town had been established as the Collin County seat. The two men bought large tracts of land in town, built a home, and then brought the remainder of the family to settle in McKinney. The family included Judge Waddill's wife, Sarah, and their children: R.L., Joe, Ben, Gaston, and Fannie. During the late 1850s, Judge Waddill made a major contribution to the field of education in McKinney by erecting a schoolhouse in his backyard and hiring a teacher from Bethany College in West Virginia to teach the children in the area. Waddill had a law practice in town and served as District Judge, riding his circuit on horseback, from 1860 until his death in 1865.

This home was constructed for the Waddill-Morris family after a fire destroyed their original house. George S. Morris, who served in the Confederacy during the Civil War and later studied law, served as a deputy county clerk in McKinney and as administrator of the Waddill-Morris Estate. This house has remained in the family for more than one hundred years.

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Glenwood Cemetery - 365
Glenwood Cemetery replaced the original slave cemetery known as "Georgia," which had been established in 1818 and located north of the present Huntsville Hospital. Glenwood Cemetery was established in 1870 by the City of Huntsville following the purchase of 10 acres from Benjamin W. Blake estate, originally a part of the John Brahan Plantation. Additional land was added in 1875 from the W. W. Darwin family, resulting in the current configuration. Distinguished African Americans buried here include veterans of America's wars beginning with the Civil War, former slaves, accomplished artisans, professionals in many fields, clergymen, educators, entrepreneurs, politicians, and other leaders. Early Community Leaders Buried Here Include: Henry C. Binford; Educator Daniel S. Brandon; Alderman William H. Gaston; Clergyman Charles Hendley, Jr., Editor, Huntsville Gazette; C. C. Moore, Post man; Burgess E. Scruggs, Physician Location: Madison County

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William Hooper Councill - High School Site, 1892-1966 - 418
The first public school for African-Americans in the city of Huntsville was named for the founder of the Alabama A&M University. The site, selected by a committee headed by the Rev. W.E. Gaston, was donated by the Davis-Lowe family. Founded in 1867 in the basement of Lakeside Methodist Episcopal Church on Jefferson Street, the school was moved to a frame building on this site in 1892. The first diplomas were granted in 1912. A brick structure replaced the original building in 1927. The school was closed due to integration, graduating its last class in 1966. Location: Madison County

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