Randolph Community
Kennard, Houston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(1 mile north) In 1838, Cyrus Halbert Randolph (1817-1889) established the Randolph community on the San Felipe de Austin-Nacogdoches mail route. Randolph, a member of the Snively Expedition, served as Houston County justice of the peace, coroner, chief justice, and sheriff, as well as state legislator and treasurer. The community opened a school circa 1850 and, on June 30, 1858, established the Randolph post office. In 1860, when the community tried to wrest the county seat from Crockett, it had two stores, a blacksmith shop, saloon and barbershop. After losing its bid for county seat, the population slowly declined until the post office closed on September 29, 1881. (1973, 2004)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1838, during the days of the Republic of Texas, Cyrus Halbert Randolph founded this community along the San Felipe de Austin–Nacogdoches mail route, one of the vital overland links stitching together frontier East Texas. A public servant many times over, Randolph helped the settlement grow a school, a post office, and a cluster of stores and shops. When Randolph lost its 1860 bid to take the county seat from Crockett, the town slowly faded, its post office closing for good in 1881.
Why it matters
Randolph's rise and quiet disappearance capture the fragile fortunes of countless early Texas towns, whose survival often hinged on the single prize of becoming a county seat.
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Related people
- · Cyrus Halbert Randolph
Related events
- · Snively Expedition
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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