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History
in a Pecan Shell
A man with the
redundant name of William Williams received a Mexican land grant here
in 1934. When the land was first surveyed, the settlement here was
called the "Survey" or more formally as "Surveyville." Settlement
began prior to the Civil War and sometime in the 1890s a post office
was granted. As unlikely as it seems, the name was already in use
by another town and so a new application was sent in for Mayflower.
(See Bob Bowman's Town Names.)
No population estimates are available for Mayflower's early years,
but like most regional towns, it would've peaked during the early
20th Century when timber reserves were being exploited. After WWII
the post office was discontinued and the 1970 estimate of 100 people
has been used through 2000. |
The Survey Community
historical marker
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, November 2010 |
Historical
marker (1 mile S of Junction RM 255 and State Hwy 87):
The Survey
Community
William Williams,
an early 1800s Sabine Valley pioneer, obtained a large land grant
in 1834 from the Republic of Mexico. His surveyed land attracted settlers,
who called the location "The Survey". In 1847, Wade H. Mattox (1800-1863)
built the first frame house in the settlement, using lumber hauled
from Alexandria, LA., by a neighbor, Ezekiel Cobb (1825-1864). By
the 1850s, the survey had settlers named Booker, Bush, Dade, Clark,
Collins, Conner, Droddy, Garlington, Hardy, Joiner, Jones, McGee,
Mitchell, Smith, Trotti, and Weeks. The economy was based on farming
and (later) lumbering. At least 16 survey community residents fought
for the Confederacy in the Civil War (1861-65).
In 1889, the Methodists built a church on land given by Mr. and Mrs.
J. W. Mattox. The building was also used for school purposes. Surveyville
Post Office, opened in 1903, was soon renamed "Mayflower".
Population shifts starting in the 1940s caused the school to consolidate
with Burkeville (1949), the post
office to close (1951), and the church to disband (1961). Public facilities,
including the church building, Mattox Cemetery, and several other
burial grounds, are now maintained by the Survey Cemetery Association.
(1975) |
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| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history
and vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. |
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