Whitesboro
Whitesboro, Grayson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Settlers moved to this site after Ambrose B. White (1811-83) camped here on his way west from Illinois in 1848. His inn here was on the Butterfield Stage route after 1858. The post office, opened in 1860, was named for White, who surveyed (1869) the townsite with Dr. W. H. Trolinger (1827-95), donor of land for a park. When Whitesboro incorporated in 1873, White was elected its first mayor. The Denison & Pacific Railroad, later part of the Missouri, Kansas, & Texas, arrived in 1879; the Texas & Pacific in 1881. Today the area's economy is based on recreational facilities and peanut production.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Whitesboro sprang up after Ambrose B. White camped here in 1848 on his way west from Illinois and decided to stay. His inn sat on the Butterfield Overland Stage route after 1858, a post office bearing his name opened in 1860, and he surveyed the townsite with Dr. W. H. Trolinger in 1869. When the town incorporated in 1873, White was elected its first mayor, and the arrival of two railroads in 1879 and 1881 secured its future.
Why it matters
The town's growth from stagecoach stop to rail junction traces the transportation revolution that carried American settlement across the frontier.
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Related people
- · Ambrose B. White
- · W. H. Trolinger
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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