Shelby County
Center, Shelby County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Part of the neutral ground, 1803–1819. Settled by Anglo-Americans, 1824–1836. In 1833 a district of the Municipality of Nacogdoches, known as Tenehaw. In 1835 became municipality of Tenehaw with Nashville as the seat of government.Name changed to Shelby in 1836 in honor of Isaac Shelby, 1750–1826, a gallant officer in the Continental Army Revolutionary War.Created a county March 17, 1836. Organized in 1837 with county seat at Shelbyville. Moved to Center in 1866.In Memory OfWilliam English, Frederick Poye, George Butler, John M. Bradley, Jonas Harrison, delegates to the First Convention of Texas, 1832, from the District of Tenehaw.Martin Parmer delegate to the Consultation from the Municipality of Tenehaw.Sydney O. Bennington, William O. Crawford, signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence from Shelby Municipality.The soldiers from Shelby County who fought at San Jacinto and elsewhere for and in defense of the Republic of Texas. In this county was waged the Regulator-Moderator Feud, 1841–1844. During this time the warring factions fought several drawn battles, entailing loss of life and property. Troops of the Republic of Texas commanded by General James Smith finally restored order
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This corner of East Texas lay within the lawless 'neutral ground' between 1803 and 1819 before Anglo-American settlement began in the 1820s, first organized as the district and then municipality of Tenehaw. Renamed in 1836 to honor Revolutionary War officer Isaac Shelby, the county sent delegates to Texas's early conventions and soldiers to San Jacinto, and its seat moved from Shelbyville to Center in 1866. From 1841 to 1844 it was torn by the Regulator-Moderator Feud, a bloody vigilante conflict finally ended when Republic of Texas troops under Gen. James Smith restored order.
Why it matters
Shelby County's turbulent origins—from disputed borderland to feuding frontier to organized county—capture the violent, improvised birth of Anglo-American Texas.
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Related people
- · Isaac Shelby
- · Martin Parmer
- · James Smith
Related events
- · Regulator-Moderator Feud
- · Battle of San Jacinto
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
The First Battle
Center, TX
This marks the vicinity of the first clash in the Regulator-Moderator War, a bitter feud that convulsed Shelby County from 1841 to 1844 in the days of the Republic of Texas. What began as a quarrel between rival factions escalated into an unorganized war of ambush and reprisal, ending only when General James Smith led Texas forces in to restore order in August 1844—reportedly without firing a gun.
Moses Fisk Roberts
Shelbyville, TX
Born in Tennessee, Moses Fisk Roberts came to Texas in 1836 and lost his right eye fighting in the Texas Revolution. A farmer whose beloved fox hounds earned him the nickname "Dog" Roberts, he became a respected public servant in Shelby County — serving in the Congress of the Republic, the State Legislature, and as justice of the peace and county judge.
Ramah Cemetery
Tenaha, TX
The Ramah community grew from the 1870s homestead of William Tell and Mollie Pou, who helped found Ramah Baptist Church in 1874 and gave its name — a biblical 'high place' — to the settlement's log church, school, store, and cotton gin. The cemetery formally deeded in 1909 holds more than a thousand graves, including over a hundred veterans spanning the U.S.-Mexican War through the Korean Conflict. Among them lies George E.B. Peddy, elected to the legislature while still a University of Texas student and a two-time U.S. Senate candidate decorated in both World Wars.
Patroon Cemetery
Center, TX
Settlers reached the Patroon area of Shelby County by the 1830s, among them the Nethery family, who came from Alabama in the early 1840s. Their son A.M. began this cemetery on his own land when he buried his infant son John in 1861; while he served in the Civil War, his wife and baby daughter died of fever and were buried here in 1862. Around the growing burial ground rose a community with a post office, churches, and businesses, and generations of residents — leaders, farmers, and veterans reaching back to the Civil War — now rest here.