Maverick
Ballinger, Runnels County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Founded in the 1870s. Named for Samuel A. Maverick (1803-1870), who came to Texas 1835. Fought in the Texas War for Independence. In Secession Convention, 1861, he was made one of the commissioners to negotiate surrender of United States troops in San Antonio. In 1853 he had land in this important ranching area.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Founded in the 1870s in prime ranching country, this community took the name of Samuel A. Maverick, who came to Texas in 1835 and fought in the war for independence. A signer and delegate at the 1861 Secession Convention, Maverick was such a figure that his refusal to brand his cattle gave the English language the word "maverick." His landholdings here in 1853 tied his name to this stretch of open range.
Why it matters
Maverick links a founding Texas statesman to the vast ranching frontier, whose cattle culture left a lasting mark on the American vocabulary and imagination.
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Related people
- · Samuel A. Maverick
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
W. H. Brown
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Born in Georgia, W. H. "Billy" Brown came to Texas with his parents in 1857 and, like his brother John, rode as a Texas Ranger, serving through the second half of 1874. The frontier era he policed was closing violently: Brown was killed while trying to recover horses stolen in a raid, becoming the last man slain by Indians in Runnels County. His death marked the end of open frontier conflict in that corner of West Texas.
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