Clark's Ferry and Clark's Ferry Cemetery, Site of
Diboll vicinity, Angelina County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Established by I. D. Clark in 1856, this ferry provided an important crossing on the Neches River between Angelina and Polk counties. When Clark died in 1859, his widow, Ann, operated the ferry with the help of two slaves until her own death in 1863. Ownership of the land remained in the Clark family. In 1881 W. B. Clark was issued a license to operate the ferry. A town was platted at the ferry crossing and named Clark's Station, also known as Miami. In 1860 a community cemetery was established north of the town. The ferry was phased out after modern highways were built. (1996)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Before bridges spanned the Neches, ferries were the vital links across East Texas rivers. I. D. Clark established this crossing in 1856, and after his death in 1859 his widow Ann kept it running with the labor of two enslaved people until her own death in 1863. The Clark family held the land for decades; a town called Clark's Station, or Miami, grew up at the crossing, with a community cemetery laid out nearby in 1860, until modern highways finally made the ferry obsolete.
Why it matters
River ferries were the arteries of frontier Texas commerce, and this crossing also bears witness to the enslaved labor that sustained the antebellum economy.
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Related people
- · I. D. Clark
- · Ann Clark
- · W. B. Clark
Themes & tags
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