|
Tom Hruska Farm
in Ross Prairie, circa 1912
Photo
courtesy Fayette County Historical Commission, submitted by Carolyn
Heinsohn |
History in
a Pecan Shell
The namesake of
the community was James J. Ross,
one of the “Old
300” of Stephen
F. Austin's Colony. Settled in the 1820s, the original Anglo settlers
sold out to incoming Czech and German immigrants in the 1840s. Many
of these settlers’ descendants continue to live in the area.
A German Lutheran church was built there in 1861. The fertile flat
to rolling land produced fine grain and cotton
crops from 1850 to 1950 although today much of the land is used for
hay production and some cattle
raising.
The community’s nearness to Fayetteville
prevented independent growth, but its presence has never been forgotten.
A historical marker on Highway
71 gives the history of Ross Prairie's namesake, and the cemetery
was recently designated as Historic Texas Cemetery with a marker.
|
Ross Prairie
- St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
Photo
courtesy William
Beauchamp, December 2009 |
St. John's
Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
Historic Texas Cemetery
TE
Photo, October 2011 |
James J. Ross,
Ross Prairie's namesake, Historical Marker
TE
Photo, October 2011 |
Historical Marker:
From La Grange, take S Hwy 71 NE about 10 miles to intersection of
Hwy. 71 & FM 955.
James J. Ross
Born in South
Carolina in about 1787, James Jeffres Ross was a member of the "Old
Three Hundred." He arrived in Stephen
F. Austin's colony in late 1822 or early 1823, moving onto the
league granted him near Eagle Lake
in Colorado County.
In 1828 he moved to the S. A. Anderson League and built a home about
one mile southwest of this site.
Col. Ross, as he was known, soon assumed a position of leadership
as captain of the militia of the Colorado District. He was a delegate
to the second convention at San
Felipe in 1833 and was one of those appointed in 1834 to help
obtain Austin's release from imprisonment in Mexico. He helped establish
a stage line and a stop that became the town of Fayetteville.
An important figure during the early years of settlement in this part
of the state, Ross was a successful farmer, rancher, trader, and merchant.
Ross Prairie and Ross Creek, both in this vicinity, bear his name.
He was killed by angry neighbors in January 1835 for sheltering Indians
at his home and was buried in nearby Ross Cemetery. His home, which
came to be known as the Ross/Martinek House, was owned by Czech immigrant
Joseph Martinek and his descendants for nearly seventy years.
1985 |
 |
St. Mary's
Catholic Church viewed from St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
TE
Photo, October 2011 |
View
of St. Mary's Catholic Church
TE Photo, October 2011 |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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