Liberty Hill Community
Houston County, Houston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Among the earliest settlers in this area of Houston County were George W. Wilson and his family who came here from Kentucky in 1835. Other early pioneers were John W. Bodenhamer, James and William McLean and William W. Davis. Although a townsite was never platted and a post office was never established, Liberty Hill developed into a rural community. In the late 1880s area settlers organized a school, which was also used for worship services, east of the present church building. The old schoolhouse bell remains in use. Both Baptist and Methodist congregations were organized, and several general stores were in operation at various times. Liberty Hill School was closed in the 1930s. Area children attended classes in Glover and were later transferred to Grapeland. Following the end of World War II, the Community's population began to decline as people moved from rural areas to cities. The first of what would become an annual homecoming celebration was held in June of 1946. A community center, erected in the 1960s, continues to serve the people of the Liberty Hill area. Liberty Hill Community is representative of Houston County's early rural heritage.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
George W. Wilson brought his family from Kentucky in 1835 to what became the Liberty Hill neighborhood of Houston County, joined by other pioneer families. The community never platted a townsite or won a post office, but it grew a school that doubled as a house of worship, Baptist and Methodist congregations, and a handful of general stores. As people left the countryside for cities after World War II, Liberty Hill faded, sustained afterward by an annual homecoming and a 1960s community center.
Why it matters
Liberty Hill stands for the countless unincorporated rural communities that anchored early Texas life and slowly emptied in the postwar move to the cities.
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Related people
- · George W. Wilson
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Augusta Union Church
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Refuge Cemetery
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