Site of Bullard Community
Madisonville vicinity, Madison County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(3 miles east) Alabama native Calvin Cullee Bullard (1824-1882) brought his family to this area from Hunt County, Texas, in 1867 and settled on 160 acres of land between Bedias Creek and Caney Creek. In their new home, he and his second wife, Zillah (Woodbury), reared three of Bullard's children from his first marriage and six of their own. Calvin Bullard had a blacksmith shop in the community that bears his name, and several of his descendants followed in his footsteps. The Bullards were also farmers, as were other families in the area, raising cotton as their primary cash crop. Active beyond their community, Calvin E. Bullard served a term as county tax assessor-collector and Rube Bullard was a justice of the peace and five-term Madison County commissioner. A one-room schoolhouse was built in the Bullard community to address the educational needs of the neighboring children. It operated from 1890 until 1923. Worship services were held in the schoolhouse, as well as in an outdoor brush arbor when the weather permitted. Calvin and Zillah Bullard and many of their descendants are buried in the bethel cemetery in nearby Grimes County. Their contributions to Madison County history as early settlers and the founders of a community reflect the settlement patterns in this part of Texas and remain an important part of the area's history. (2001)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Alabama native Calvin Cullee Bullard brought his family to this stretch of land between Bedias and Caney creeks in 1867, settling 160 acres and opening a blacksmith shop in the community that came to bear his name. The Bullards and their neighbors farmed cotton and took part in county affairs, with family members serving as tax assessor and county commissioner. A one-room schoolhouse—also used for worship—operated from 1890 until 1923.
Why it matters
The Bullard community reflects the post–Civil War settlement patterns of central Texas, where a single family's blacksmith shop, farm, and schoolhouse could seed a whole neighborhood.
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Related people
- · Calvin Cullee Bullard
- · Zillah Woodbury Bullard
- · Rube Bullard
Themes & tags
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