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History in
a Pecan Shell
The town had its beginning with the opening J.F. Scurlock’s general
store in the 1850s. Just before the Civil War the town was platted
and a Masonic Lodge/ school building was completed in December of
1860.
Construction of a mill bolstered the community and in 1882 the railroad
arrived – sort of. It came within two miles of the then-established
two and residents and businesses migrated to the rails.
By 1890 the population past the 500-mark, and grew to 700 in the first
years of the 20th Century. A devastating fire hit the town in 1920,
destroying most of the town’s businesses and 100 homes. The population
was over 1,000 in the mid-1920s. In the late 1980s it was a reported
1,201 residents which grew to 1,358 by 2000. |
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Historical marker
(206 Crier Street, Grandview):
Town of Grandview
(Original Site
One Mile Northwest)
Settled in 1850 on land grant from Governor Elisha M. Pease.
Supplies were hauled by ox wagon from Houston.
A visitor exclaimed, "What a grand view!" which gave community its
name.
Church organized 1853. Post office opened in 1856. Masonic lodge (county's
first) founded 1860. Town moved to this site, on Missouri-Kansas-Texas
rail line, in 1883. Incorporated in 1891. Home of Grand View Collegiate
Institute 1897-1907.
Devastating 1920 fire razed 135 homes, schools, churches, and businesses.
Town name changed to Grandview (one word) in 1925.
(1970) |
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Historical marker
(Grandview - FM 4, E of CR 401):
Grandview
Cemetery and Original Grand View Town Site
John Whitmire,
the son-in-law of early settler F. L. Kirtley, is credited with naming
this town in 1854 by saying, "What a Grand View!"
Kirtley donated 2.5 acres for a Baptist church and cemetery in 1856.
Intending to lay out a town plat, James F. Scurlock purchased about
1400 acres of land surrounding the cemetery the same year. The oldest
marked burial here is that of James F. and Rebecca Criner Scurlock's
child, James C., who was born and died on June 4, 1857.
By 1860 Grand View included three general stores, a blacksmith shop,
a church building and Lodge No. 266, A.F & A.M., chartered in 1861
as the first Masonic lodge in Johnson
County. After James Scurlock's death during the Civil War, his
family sold the town site to F. M. Sansom. Several stores, a saloon,
and more churches were established as the community grew.
Of the many graves in the cemetery, one has taken on the status of
local legend. A pair of young travelers came to Grand View one evening
in summer 1867. The young woman was found murdered the next morning
with no sign of her companion. The people of the community buried
her in a handmade coffin and marked her tombstone "Annie," the name
on an embroidered handkerchief she carried.
The African American section of the cemetery contains the graves of
many residents, including the unmarked graves of Scott and Elmira
Matlock. They were among Grand View's earliest settlers.
The railroad came through about a mile southeast of the town in 1881,
and by 1883 the main section of Grand View had moved to it. The cemetery
gradually took over the entire old town site. The cemetery continued
to serve the community, now known by the single word "Grandview."
The cemetery and the original town site remain as a chronicle of the
pioneers of Johnson
County.
(1999) |
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Wilkinson
Family Cemetery Historical Marker
Photo courtesy Jen Basham, March 2018 |
Historical marker
(From Grandview US 81 N 4 miles, then county road E .75 mile):
Wilkinson
Family Cemetery
Henry and Sarah
Ann (Weldon) Wilkinson and their seven children left their former
home in Mississippi in November 1866 to travel to Texas. Their journey
in two ox-drawn wagons lasted 62 days, and they settled near this
site in January 1867.
The family rented land upon their arrival, and in 1869 purchased 762
acres on which they established a farm. They built a small log home
and became respected leaders in their small rural community, initially
named Hugh in honor of a Wilkinson grandson. The community's
name later was changed to Antioch.
Henry Wilkinson died on May 26, 1879, as a result of a farming accident.
He was buried near his home in a grove of trees which became known
as the Wilkinson Family Cemetery. His wife Sarah Ann (d. 1901) and
sons John Q. A. (d. 1879) and Virgil A. (d. 1881) also were buried
in the family graveyard, as were a number of other relatives and descendants.
The land surrounding the cemetery remained in the Wilkinson family
until 1938. The half-acre site is maintained by Wilkinson descendants,
many of whom still reside in this area of Johnson
County.
(1992) |
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Wilkinson
Family Cemetery infant tombstone
Photo courtesyJen
Basham, March 2018 |
Wilkinson Family
Cemetery infant tombstone
Photo courtesy Jen
Basham, March 2018 |
Wilkinson Family
Cemetery infant tombstone
Photo courtesy Jen
Basham, March 2018 |
Wilkinson Family
Cemetery tombstone
Photo courtesy Jen
Basham, March 2018 |
Wilkinson
Family Cemetery tombstone
Photo courtesy Jen
Basham, March 2018 |
Wilkinson Family
Cemetery tombstone
Photo courtesy Jen
Basham, March 2018 |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. |
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