Lincolnville Community
Gatesville, Coryell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Coryell County, established in 1854, became home to settlers mostly from the Old South. Shortly after the end of the Civil War, local freedmen formed a community four miles west of Gatesville called Lincolnville in honor of president Abraham Lincoln, located near the Moccasin Bend area along the Leon River. James Maberry, former overseer for Chief Justice John Walker Maberry, provided leadership for the founding families of the colony, including Cook, Easley, Mayberry, Snow and Weatherly among others. Acquiring land and establishing new homes on the edge of the Texas frontier was not an easy task, but all of the freedmen were experienced farmers, ranchers, and caretakers. The Leon River Valley provided an abundant supply of catfish and small game and the settlers quickly learned to live off the land to supplement their meager wages as freed slaves. A church and school were immediate priorities of the community which had not previously been allowed to openly practice religion or attend school. Bethlehem Baptist Church was established on April 10, 1872, by the reverend G.C. Alexander. The church later moved to Gatesville in 1882. The first African American school in Coryell County opened in Gatesville in 1868, but the building burned shortly afterwards. In its place, Lincolnville School no. 62 became a public school by 1883 and existed until 1943 when most small, rural schools were consolidated. The survival of Lincolnville, despite racial strife and the harsh conditions of the frontier, is a testament to the efforts of the citizens of the Lincolnville Community. A few descendants of the founding families remain in the area today. (2015)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Shortly after the Civil War, freed people in Coryell County founded a community four miles west of Gatesville and named it Lincolnville in honor of Abraham Lincoln. Experienced farmers and ranchers, the founding families lived off the Leon River valley's catfish and game while building the institutions long denied them—Bethlehem Baptist Church, organized in 1872, and eventually Lincolnville School No. 62, which served the county's Black children until rural schools were consolidated in 1943. Despite racial strife and frontier hardship, the community endured, and a few descendants of its founders remain today.
Why it matters
It embodies the freedom dream of Reconstruction, when newly emancipated Texans built their own churches, schools, and self-governing communities on the frontier.
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Related people
- · James Maberry
- · Rev. G.C. Alexander
Related events
- · Founding of Bethlehem Baptist Church
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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