Townsite of Coldspring
Coldspring, San Jacinto County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Before founding of town, this land lay in Mexican grant made to Col. Robt. Rankin, veteran of American Revolution. Post office here bore name "Coonskin" (1847), then "Fireman's Hill," and finally "Cold Springs" (1850). Spelling later became "Coldspring." Original town plat contained 14 blocks. First courthouse, of wood, burned 1915. Present stone building replaced it in 1918. By 1923 most of town had moved up the hill to present site. Early schools included an 1847 academy, the 1880 "Male and Female Institute," and Mrs. India Grace's private school of 1880s.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The land beneath Coldspring began as a Mexican grant to Col. Robert Rankin, a veteran of the American Revolution. Its post office cycled through colorful names — "Coonskin," then "Fireman's Hill," and finally "Cold Springs" — before settling on the modern spelling in 1850. After fire destroyed the wooden courthouse in 1915, a stone replacement rose in 1918, and by 1923 most of the town had relocated up the hill to its present site. Early academies and an 1880 "Male and Female Institute" educated its children.
Why it matters
Coldspring's shifting names and relocated townsite show how ordinary Texas communities were literally built, burned, and rebuilt across the 19th century.
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Related people
- · Robert Rankin
- · India Grace
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
First Baptist Church of Coldspring
Coldspring, TX
Formally organized in 1848 in a rough settlement once called 'Coonskin' and then 'Fireman's Hill,' Laurel Hill Baptist Church began with just four members under missionary pastor Joseph Warner Dossey Creath. General James B. Davis, a friend of Sam Houston, donated land for the church, its baptismal pool, and cemetery, and in 1853 members helped found the Cold Springs Female College — an early Texas Baptist school that closed with the coming of the Civil War. After fires, courthouse relocations, and rebuildings, the congregation was renamed First Baptist Church of Coldspring and marked its 150th anniversary in 1998.
Evergreen United Methodist Church
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Founded around 1862 — seven years before San Jacinto County itself existed — this congregation began as Hickory Grove Methodist Church, later became Mickles Chapel in honor of a presiding elder, and finally took the name Evergreen. Settled on this site since the late 1870s, its building hosted early school classes and its members served as leaders of the surrounding community.
Black Jack Methodist Church and Cemetery
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Settlement of this part of Walker County began in the 1830s, and Black Jack Methodist Church was organized in 1871, moving to this site in 1886 on land donated by Sophronia Jane Warren. A cemetery opened here in 1887, and the building doubled as the community's school until 1916. Regular services ended during the Great Depression, leaving the church and its graves as the settlement's memorial.
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