Buffalo
Seven Points, Henderson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Before Henderson County was created by the Texas Legislature in 1846, a small community known as Buffalo had developed around a ferry that operated in this area on the Trinity River. Despite its location in the northwest section of the county, Buffalo served as the seat of government from 1847 until 1850. Instrumental in the development of the small community were pioneer area landholder Henry Jeffries and surveyor and lawyer John H. Reagan. Reagan, who later became a United States Congressman and served as Postmaster General of the Confederacy, was appointed road overseer, deputy sheriff, and first probate judge. Few records have survived to tell the history of Buffalo. Although lots for a church and school were designated on the town plat,no other reference to their existence has been uncovered. The community was awarded a post office in 1847. Minutes of the Commissioners' Court indicate that the major work done during the county's formative years was the establishment and laying out of public roads, most of which began at Buffalo and extended in all directions. When Athens became the Henderson County Seat in 1850, Buffalo began to decline and eventually disappeared, never realizing the expectations of its founders. (1984)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Before Henderson County even existed, the little settlement of Buffalo grew up around a Trinity River ferry crossing in the 1840s, briefly serving as the county's first seat of government from 1847 to 1850. Among its early figures was John H. Reagan, who went on to serve in the U.S. Congress and as Postmaster General of the Confederacy. When Athens won the county seat in 1850, Buffalo faded away, leaving little but the roads that once radiated from it in all directions.
Why it matters
Buffalo is a classic example of the fragile, ferry-born frontier towns that rose and vanished as county lines and transportation routes were redrawn across early Texas.
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Related people
- · John H. Reagan
- · Henry Jeffries
Related events
- · Creation of Henderson County (1846)
Themes & tags
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