Reading Wood Black
Uvalde, Uvalde County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(1830-1867) On this site stood home and trading post of Reading Wood Black. Native of New Jersey, he settled in Texas, 1853, near Leona River where he was successful in many business ventures. Founded town of Uvalde; gave land for public school. Elected County Commissioner, 1856; State Representative, 1866. (1967)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
On this Uvalde site stood the home and trading post of Reading Wood Black, a New Jersey native who came to Texas in 1853 and prospered near the Leona River. A frontier entrepreneur turned public servant, he founded the town of Uvalde, donated land for a public school, and won election as county commissioner and state representative before his death at just thirty-seven.
Why it matters
Black embodies the frontier founder — merchant, town-builder, and officeholder rolled into one — whose ventures seeded a permanent community on the edge of settled Texas.
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Nearby & related markers
Reading Wood Black
Uvalde, TX
Reading Wood Black, a New Jersey native, came to the Texas frontier and in 1855 founded the town of Encino, later renamed Uvalde. The next year he helped organize Uvalde County, becoming a driving force in settling this stretch of the Nueces country. As a civic leader and champion of education, he helped lay the institutions of a raw frontier community before his death in 1867.
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