Walter Prescott Webb
Carthage, Panola County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(April 3, 1888 - March 8, 1963) The world-renowned American historian Walter Prescott Webb was born near this site. His parents were Casner P. and Mary Elizabeth (Kyle) Webb. C. P. Webb farmed and taught school. The family moved in 1893 to the edge of central West Texas. There a startling new terrain spurred young Walter to study the influence of the frontier on American history. Alternately studying and teaching, Walter Webb earned his B. A. Degree in 1915, his M. A. in 1920, and his Ph. D. in 1932, all at the University of Texas. In 1918 he joined the history faculty of the University in Austin, where he taught for 45 years. Visiting lectureships in the U. S. and abroad included a term as Harmsworth professor at Oxford University in England. An inspiring teacher, he molded a generation of historians and scholarly writers. "The Great Plains," "The Texas Rangers," "Divided We Stand," "The Great Frontier," and his other books are works of splendid vision. Recipient of many honors and offices, he was the first southwesterner to serve as president of the American Historical Association. He married (1) Jane Oliphant, by whom he had one daughter, Mildred (Mrs. W. B. Bugg), and (2) Mrs. Terrell Maverick. He is buried in the Texas State Cemetery.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Historian Walter Prescott Webb was born near this site in 1888 before his family moved to the edge of West Texas, where the stark new country set him thinking about how the frontier shaped America. He earned all his degrees at the University of Texas and taught there for 45 years, producing landmark works like "The Great Plains" and "The Texas Rangers." He became the first southwesterner to preside over the American Historical Association.
Why it matters
Webb transformed how Americans understand the frontier and the Great Plains, and his teaching shaped a whole generation of Western historians.
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