Albert Holley House
Houston County, Houston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1857 Albert Holley (b. 1828), his mother and two brothers, migrated to Houston County from Alabama. While the others journeyed to Texas by boat, he brought the family's supplies overland by wagon with 137 slaves. By 1860 he and his wife Julia (Russell) (1840-97) had begun homesteading this land. After serving in the Civil War, where he was a prisoner of war, Albert continued to farm here. In 1867 he constructed a new home for his family at this site. He died in 1907, but his land remained in the ownership of Holley family members until 1976.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1857 Albert Holley left Alabama for Houston County, bringing the family's supplies overland by wagon along with 137 enslaved people while his relatives traveled by boat. He began homesteading this land with his wife Julia, served in the Civil War and endured captivity as a prisoner of war, then returned to farm and build a family home here in 1867. The property stayed in Holley hands until 1976.
Why it matters
The marker's plain record of 137 enslaved people carries the weight of the antebellum plantation South, a reminder that the land's prosperity was built on the bondage of African Americans.
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Related people
- · Albert Holley
- · Julia Russell Holley
Related events
- · American Civil War
Themes & tags
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