Halfway Inn (Flournoy - Granberry House)
Chireno, Nacogdoches County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This two-story log dwelling was built on the El Camino Real about 1840 by Samuel Flournoy for his wife Minerva (Wadington) and their family who moved to Texas from Mississippi. They settled in the Chireno area, where they purchased 300 acres. An active member of the community, Flournoy was appointed as a Republic of Texas postmaster in 1843, and continued as postmaster as part of the United States Postal Service. This house served as the post office for a fifteen-mile radius, and was a popular halfway stop on the stagecoach route between Nacogdoches and San Augustine, Texas. The Flournoys, after acquiring an additional 500 acres, sold this property in 1852 and moved away. The property changed owners several times until 1917 when H. R. Granberry purchased the house; it remained in his family until 1981. This house was moved twelve miles east of Nacogdoches in 1984, but in 1988 was returned to the Flournoy homestead within one-quarter mile of its original location. This hewn-log residence is constructed of square notch logs two rooms wide and one room deep with a dogtrot, or central hall. The two-story house was restored through the efforts of local citizens. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1962
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Around 1840 Samuel Flournoy raised this two-story hewn-log house with a central dogtrot beside the El Camino Real, the old royal road linking Nacogdoches and San Augustine. As a Republic of Texas postmaster, Flournoy ran the mail for a fifteen-mile radius from these rooms, and travelers knew the place as a welcome halfway stop on the stagecoach line. Moved and then returned near its original site, the restored dwelling still marks a waypoint on one of Texas's oldest highways.
Why it matters
Frontier inns and post offices along the El Camino Real kept a young republic connected, carrying its mail, news, and travelers across a thinly settled land.
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Related people
- · Samuel Flournoy
- · Minerva Wadington Flournoy
- · H. R. Granberry
Themes & tags
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