President Secession Convention 1861, resulting in comment by Sam Houston, "I don't know what they will do, but Roberts is honest." Raised in 11th Texas Infantry. Gallantly led Brigade Battle Bayou Bourbeau, La. Chief Justice Texas Supreme Court under Confederacy and state. Federal reconstruction policy caused his removal from bench 1865, denial U.S. Senate seat 1866. Elected governor by people, 1878 and 1880.

Born in North Carolina. Educated at University of Alabama. Came to Texas in 1850. Practiced law in Centerville. Served as the first district attorney, then as judge in the Old 13th Judicial District.

Represented Leon County as member of Secession Convention, 1861. Afterward, as this county voted 534 to 82 in favor of secession, raised locally troops which as Co. B, became nucleus for 6th Texas Cavalry (or Gould's) Battalion, in the Confederate Army. First as Major, then as Colonel, Gould led battalion for 4 years in Louisiana and Texas. Saw duty in Red River campaign to prevent invasions of Texas, fighting in the 1864 repulses of Federals at Mansfield and Pleasant Hill. At Jenkins Ferry, Ark., Col. Gould had his horse killed under him.

After the war he was reelected judge of the Old 13th District, but was removed in 1867 by military authorities in charge of reconstruction in Texas. Appointed assistant justice of Texas Supreme Court in 1874, he was afterwards elected, and served until Dec. 31, 1882 (being Chief Justice in 1880-1882).

Was named, along with Governor O.M. Roberts, as one of two first professors of law at the University of Texas, holding tenure 1883-1899. Died in Austin.

Site of projected capitol of Stephen F. Austin's Colony, 1823. First settlement at this point shown on Stephen F. Austin's map of 1835 as Montezuma.

The municipality of Colorado was created by the provisional government of Texas January 11, 1836 and the town of Columbus ordered laid out as the seat of government. On March 17, 1836 the county of Colorado was created; in 1837, it was organized. Columbus, the county seat, was incorporated June 5, 1837. As railroad terminal, from 1869 to 1873, Columbus was an important trading center for a large territory to the west.

In memory of:
The pioneer families of Burnam, Gilleland, Cummins, Fisher, DeWees, Kuykendall and Tumlinson. J.W.E. Wallace and his company who defended Gonzales October 2, 1835. William D. Lacey, Will Menefee signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Leander Beason, John P. Borden, David Cole, Stephen T. Foley, George W. Gardner, S. Joseph Garwood, Basil G. Ijams, Dr. James D. Jennings, Alfred Kelso, Amos D. Kenyon, Daniel Miller, James Nelson, Mitchell Putnam, Dempsey Pace, William Pace, Washington H. Secrest, Maxwell Steel, Robert Stevenson, Spencer B. Townsend, William Waters, Leroy Wilkinson; San Jacinto veterans who lived in this county prior to or after the Texas Revolution. Col. John C. Upton, Major John S. Shropshire, Major J.S. West, Capt. P.J. Oakes, Capt. James D. Roberdeau, Capt. R.V. Cook; Confederate officers. The following citizens of distinction have resided in Colorado County: Jones Rivers, jurist; Dr. Lawrence Washington, Gail Borden, Matthew Stanley Quay, Senator for Pennsylvania; Chas. Nagel, Cabinet Minister under Taft; Wells Thompson, Lieutenant Governor of Texas; George McCormick, State Attorney General and co-writer of the present State Constitution; Geo. W. Smith, member of Supreme Court of Texas.

John Toliver deeded a tract of land to Columbus Lodge No. 51, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in July 1871 for use as a cemetery. Among the first to be interred here were victims of the 1873 yellow fever epidemic, including George W. Smith, District Judge and Texas Supreme Court Justice. Within a few years, a bluff on the south side began to erode, exposing some graves. In 1888 a committee was appointed to take preventative measures. The grave of Henry Middleton (d.1888) was washed out before their efforts were successful.

The Odd Fellows sold the cemetery to the newly formed Columbus Cemetery Association in 1890. The association added land in 1901. Many stones, such as those of the Dick family, were relocated from the Old City Cemetery to higher ground in the Odd Fellows Rest Cemetery after a devastating flood in 1913.

Among the many burials of note in the Odd Fellows Rest Cemetery was that of J.W.E. Wallace, a Columbus founder, whose grave was moved to the State Cemetery in Austin. Robert and John Stafford, prominent Columbus businessmen, died as a result of a feud which also involved Deputy Sheriff Larkin S. Hope and his uncle, Sheriff J. "Light" Townsend. Hope is interred here. Wells Thompson was a Texas State Senator and Lieutenant Governor. Others include local poets and historians, as well as veterans of the Civil War, the U.S. War with Mexico, Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, and other international wars and conflicts.

More land was added to the cemetery in 1977. It continues to serve the city of Columbus at the dawn of the 21st century. The Columbus Odd Fellows Rest Cemetery is a chronicle of the history and pride of Colorado County.

Created by the 20th Legislature in 1887, the State Orphan Asylum originally provided care for orphans under age 14. State officials located the institution in Corsicana after local citizens donated over 200 acres at this site. The first students arrived in 1889, and by 1890 enrollment totaled 54. Classes met in the chapel before a school building was erected in 1889. By 1897 the institution had an independent school district.

Renamed State Orphan Home before 1899, the facility housed about 400 students in 1900. Here they received academic and vocational instruction. The campus once had extensive farmlands to supply food and provide agricultural training for students. Physical facilities were enlarged as enrollment increased. During the Depression of the 1930s, residents numbered over 800.

The campus school was phased out at the end of the 1955-56 academic year, and students transferred to Corsicana public schools. In 1957 the home was placed under jurisdiction of the Texas Youth Council and was renamed Corsicana State Home.

Thousands of children have benefited from the care and schooling provided by the home. Prominent former students include Robert W. Calvert, Texas Supreme Court Associate Justice, 1950-61, and Chief Justice, 1961-72.

Henderson County was established in 1846, the year after Texas was annexed by the United States. In 1850, after previous reductions in the county's original size, the present boundaries were set by the Texas Legislature. The restructuring resulted in the need for a new county seat, and the Legislature appointed a Commissioners Court to select possible sites and to conduct an election that would determine the permanent seat of government. The voters chose the property of Matthew Cartwright, a prominent East Texas landowner, for the townsite of Athens. In Samuel Huffer's survey for the new county seat, this site was set aside as the public square.

Before a courthouse was constructed here, early County and District Court sessions were conducted on the Square under a large shady oak tree. The first District Court term, held in October 1850, was presided over by Judge Oran M. Roberts, later a Texas Supreme Court Justice and Governor of the State. Cases he heard included charges of murder, larceny, gambling, defaulting jurors and assault and battery.

Begun before the development of Athens, the Courts Under the Oaks reflected the democratic goals and ideals of the pioneer settlers of Henderson County.

Formed from Young and Bexar territories: Created August 21, 1876; Organized July 28, 1891. Named in honor of James W. Dallam, 1818-1847. Compiler of digest of decisions of Supreme Court of the Republic of Texas, 1845. County Seat, Texline, 1891-1903. Dalhart, since this area was once part of XIT Ranch.

Georgia native W.O. Davis served in the Confederate Army and was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1870. He moved to Texas, settling in Gainesville, and was soon involved in local politics and civic life. In a long public service career, Davis served on the school board, as a city Alderman, and was a state Senator from 1882 to 1885. He later was Mayor of Gainesville at age 81. A prominent Cooke county attorney, Davis argued two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The founder of El Capote Ranch was Jose De La Baume (1731-1834), a French Army officer who came to North America with the Marquis De Lafayette and fought in the American Revolution. He later joined the Spanish Army and for his services received title in 1806 to 27,000 acres of Texas land - the original El Capote Ranch. De La Baume's grant was reaffirmed after Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821. Virginia-born Michael Erskine (1794-1862) acquired the property in 1840. He raised cattle here and drove his herds to California and New Orleans. Since the San Antonio to Gonzales Road forded the Guadalupe River on El Capote land, many travelers passed this way. The Erskine family hosted several eminent visitors, including William Bollaert (1840), Ferdinand Roemer (1845-1847), and Frederick Law Olmstead (1857). After the Erskine family sold the ranch in the 1870s, part of the land was deeded to Edith Kermit Carow, the second wife of Theodore Roosevelt. During the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt rode an El Capote horse, "Seguin", at the Battle of San Juan Hill (1898). The ranch was acquired in 1897 by Judge Leroy Gilbert Denman (1855-1916), a Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, and is owned by his descendants.

This church traces its origins to 1904 when nine charter members led by the Rev. Gottlieb Langner organized a congregation in Knippa. Services were held in the homes of its members, who were served by area pastors and traveling missionaries. George Knippa, for whom the town was named and a charter member of the church, died in 1905. The land he donated in his will to be used for a Lutheran Church was exchanged for this church site. A wooden church with a 67-foot bell tower was built in 1910. Pastor Langner became the first full-time pastor in 1912, organizing a Sunday School and choir. The German-speaking congregation conducted its services in German. During World War I, a Uvalde County resolution prohibited the use of the German language. Challenged and appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1918, the court ruled it was a matter for the church to decide. German was spoken in church until 1942. A new sanctuary was constructed for the growing congregation, and was dedicated on the 50th anniversary of the church's founding in 1954. A new parsonage, annex and fellowship hall were later added. This church continues to serve its membership and the community as it has for more than 90 years.