Home of Orville Thomas Tyler
Salado, Bell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
1810 . . . 1886 Pioneer Texan . County Judge . Member of the Legislature . President of the board of trustees of Salado College. Built in 1857 Erected by the State of Texas 1936
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Orville Thomas Tyler (1810–1886) was a pioneer Texan who wore many hats in the young state — county judge, member of the Legislature, and president of the board that ran Salado College. He built this home in 1857, and the State of Texas marked it in 1936. It survives as a witness to the leadership that knit frontier communities into governed towns.
Why it matters
Homes of the early officeholders show how a handful of settlers doubled as judges, lawmakers, and school founders while the institutions of Texas were still being invented.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Orville Thomas Tyler
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
First Baptist Church of Salado
Salado, TX
Baptist revivals were held on the banks of Salado Creek as early as 1854, and in 1864 eleven men and women organized a congregation in the chapel of Salado College. The church grew quickly, built a two-story sanctuary shared with a Masonic hall in 1878, and sent missionaries as far as Brazil. Among its notable members was pastor George W. Baines — great-grandfather of President Lyndon B. Johnson — who later led Mary Hardin-Baylor College.
Home of Wellborn Barton
Salado, TX
Wellborn Barton (1821–1883) was a pioneer physician who practiced across this region of central Texas and served for many years as a trustee of Salado College, founded in 1866. His home stood where two great arteries of the era passed by — the old military road and the Chisholm cattle trail. The house was built by contractor John Hendrickson.
Home of Elijah Sterling Clack Robertson
Salado, TX
Elijah Sterling Clack Robertson (1820–1879) built this house between 1856 and 1860 in Salado, then a rising community in central Texas. Remembered as a pioneer, soldier, and jurist, Robertson also helped found Salado College, an early educational venture on the Texas frontier. The State of Texas erected the marker in 1936 to honor his role in the region's settlement.
Old Salado Graveyard
Salado, TX
This burial ground came into use around 1852, about the time a post office opened at Salado Springs. In 1854 Col. Elijah Sterling C. Robertson bought a large tract that included the graveyard, part of the 100 acres he had donated to create Salado College and the town of Salado itself. Enlarged over the years through purchase and gift, and now supported by a permanent endowment, it has served generations of Salado's citizens.