Historical Markers in Milam County
Listed below are all historical markers in Milam County recorded with the Texas Historical Commission. Click the name of the historical marker for the image.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M |
| N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
La Recluta & La Escuelita
Location: 2.5 mi. E of Rockdale on US 79
Erected in: 2002
Marker text: La Recluta and La Escuelita Jose Leal received six leagues of land in this area
in 1833. In 1867, coal was discovered, and the railroad reached Rockdale in
1874. Not until 1890 did the first coal mine, owned by Herman Vogel, begin
operation. Others opened, and more settlers came looking for work. Many workers
came from Mexico, leaving behind a revolution. These immigrants settled on land
owned by E.A. Camp. They sharecropped, growing enough for themselves, and worked
in the mines. They named their settlement, just north of the International-Great
Northern Railroad tracks, La Recluta, or "recruitment." Family names represented
here include Ruiz, Flores, Casarez, Zapata, Aldama, Montoya and Lumbreras. The
men, like many other industry workers at the time, received their pay in tokens,
which were redeemable only for mine commissary purchases and doctor visits.
Several men were trapped in an International Mine Company cave-in in 1913. Eight
men and one mule awaited rescue for six days; one man did not survive. Yards
away from the collapsed mine entrance is La Escuelita, the small schoolhouse
built for the children of the community. Classes were taught in English,
although most students spoke Spanish at home. As part of the Talbott Ridge
School District, the students transferred to Rockdale schools in 1944, when the
districts consolidated. In 1946, Rockdale merchants donated benches to La
Escuelita building. In 1953, the school was deeded to the St. Joseph's Cemetery
Association, the support group for the community's cemetery, where nearly 300
gravestones tell the stories of La Recluta's families, many of whom remain in
the area. (2002)
Lilac
Location: 5 mi. E of Davilla on FM 487 at FM 3061, Davilla
Erected in: 1990
Marker text: Primarily a farming and stockraising settlement, Lilac was originally known as
Oak Point. Dr. John H. Graves, a dentist and planter, brought his family to
Milam County in 1858. The community which developed around his farm was named
Lilac in 1883 when a U. S. post office was established. The Graves family
continued to reside in the area for generations, donating land for a school,
Baptist church, and Methodist encampment. At its height Lilac included two
stores, a cotton gin, blacksmith shop, and homes. It declined after a 1921 flood
and the Great Depression. (1990)
Lilac Cemetery
Location: 5 mi. E. of Davilla on FM 487 at FM 3061, Davilla
Erected in: 2000
Marker text: Dr. John Herndon Graves (1807-1889) and his family settled in this area in 1858.
They acquired several large tracts of land over time, and Dr. Graves' daughter
and her husband deeded the land around this site for Lilac Baptist Church in
1880. It was intended for use as a cemetery as well. According to oral history,
another area resident subsequently deeded a strip of land across the south end
of the cemetery. The earliest marked grave on this site is that of Calvin
McCormick (d. 1870). Dr. John H. Graves' marker indicates that he was the
earliest-born of those interred here. Other burials of interest include four
Civil War veterans, one Spanish-American War veteran, nine veterans of World War
I and a number of veterans of other wars and conflicts. Lilac Cemetery continues
as a chronicle of Milam County history. (2000)
Little River Baptist Church & Cemetery
Location: From Maysfield, W. on FM 485, then 3.5 mi. N. on FM 979, Maysfield (click here for history)
Erected in: 1970
Marker text: Organized in 1849 with eight members. Met in local homes for worship. First
building was a small log cabin. Church grew as settlers entered area. In 1855 70
members joined congregation following a three-day revival. Church was center of
social life here, as throughout rural Texas. Important members sat in front, in
"Amen Pews." Had separate sides for men, women. Present building was finished in
1873 by church together with Masonic Lodge. Cemetery started in early days. The
structure was enlarged to present size in 1909. (1970)
Locklin Cemetery
Location: from San Gabriel, 1 mi. S. on FM 486, San Gabriel
Erected in: 1994
Marker text: Abigale McLennan Fokes acquired a Mexican land grant here in 1835. Peter M.
Mercer established a blacksmith shop in this area in the early 1840s. His burial
in 1844 is the first recorded in this cemetery. Fokes later set aside this site
for cemetery purposes. The cemetery is believed to be named for the extended
family of early area settler William Lawson Locklin. It presently contains about
400 burials including many of this area's frontier settlers and their
descendants and veterans of the Texas revolution and Republic of Texas Army. It
continues to serve the area. (1994)


