Walter Prescott Webb's Formative Years
Breckenridge, Stephens County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Noted historian Walter Prescott Webb (1888-1963) came with his family to Stephens County at the age of four. Over the next seventeen years, Webb received an education in frontier life that formed the basis of his intellectual development and his theories on the role of the Great Plains in American history. Webb's father, Casner, was a rural schoolteacher and farmer. As he moved to different teaching assignments, the family moved with him. W.P. Webb thus was exposed to the physical geographical variety within the county that was so important to his western thesis. His neighbors were prime sources of frontier lore. Although Webb's public school experiences were infrequent, it was during these formative years in Stephens County that he developed his love of books and his desire to attend college. Also during this time, Webb was contacted by William Hinds of New York, who was to become his benefactor and a great source of encouragement for the young scholar. In 1906 Walter P. Webb received his teaching certificate and spent the next three years as a rural educator. In 1909, at the age of 21, Webb left his home in Stephens County to pursue his college education at the University of Texas in Austin.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The historian Walter Prescott Webb arrived in Stephens County at age four and spent seventeen formative years absorbing the frontier life that would shape his landmark theories on the Great Plains in American history. His father's moves between rural teaching posts exposed the boy to the region's varied geography, while neighbors supplied a wealth of frontier lore. Encouraged by a New York benefactor, Webb left in 1909 to attend the University of Texas, launching a distinguished scholarly career.
Why it matters
One of America's most influential historians drew his ideas about the West directly from a boyhood on the Texas frontier, making this ordinary county the seedbed of a national thesis.
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Related people
- · Walter Prescott Webb
- · Casner Webb
- · William Hinds
Themes & tags
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