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History
in a Pecan Shell
Liberty once stood at the head of navigation on the Trinity River.
Founded near a 1756 Spanish settlement called Atascosito American
squatters began arriving around 1818. The new arrivals petitioned
to be included in Stephen F. Austin's colony, but were refused. Under
Mexican law, land commissioner José Francisco Madero established a
new municipality, Villa de la Santísima Trinidad de la Libertad which
the Americans shortened to Liberty, some say after Liberty, Mississippi,
the former residence of some settlers. The town was granted a post
office in 1836.
Sam Houston practiced law in Liberty and maintained two plantation
homes in Liberty County until his death. During the Texas Revolution,
Andrew Briscoe's Liberty Volunteers fought at the siege of Bexar and
the battle of Concepción. After San Jacinto, officers of the Mexican
army were held for a time in Liberty at a location now known as Mexican
Hill.
Liberty was incorporated in 1837 and became the county seat. The town
became an important port, having steamship connections to Galveston
and providing access to stage routes across the Trinity. |
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A school was
founded in 1838. The town cemetery was marked off in 1848. In the
1850s, as the community expanded, additional industry developed
around its gristmills, cattle shipping docks, and two sawmills.
The Texas and New Orleans Railroad reached Liberty in 858. The railroad
suspended operations during the Civil War, but resumed operations
by 1875. Liberty was hit by smallpox and yellow fever epidemics
in 1866 and 1867.
By 1900 the town was a sleepy river community where livestock roamed
the streets legally. The towns proximity to the Batson-Old oilfield
made it a boomtown for awhile after 1903 and a second boost came
in 1925 when the the South Liberty oilfield was discovered. The
Trinity Valley and Northern Railway Company arrived in 1907.
Attempts were made to make the Trinity navigable - and some 236
miles of waterway had been completed, linking barge traffic to the
Houston Ship Channel.
Liberty's population for various years:
200 in 1845, 497 by 1880, 865 in 1900, 3,087 in 1940, 4,161 in 1950,
5,591 in 1970, and 7,733 in 1990.
During World War
II, a camp for German POWs was constructed at the Liberty fairgrounds.
Highway 146 was completed in 1950 and the Sam Houston Regional Library
and Research Center opened in 1977.
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Liberty, Texas
Points of Interest
Liberty
Hotels
Book Your Hotel Here & Save |
Liberty
Opry on the Square in the former Park Theater
TE Photo, 9-04-04
More Texas Theatres |
Former
theater in Liberty, east side of the square
TE Photo, 9-04-04
More Texas Theatres
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Liberty
Bell plaque
TE photo, 9-04-04 |
Liberty
Attractions
Geraldine
D. Humphreys Cultural Center - 936-336-8901
1710 Sam Houston St., downtown Liberty
Museum, library and performing arts theater.
Historical
Sites - Historical monument and markers identifying historic
sites, old homes and structures. Visit Liberty-Dayton Chamber of
Commerce for information. 1801 Trinity St. 936-336-5736
Liberty
Bell Tower
- adjacent to Cultural Center above
Liberty
Opry on the Square
- Live shows. 936-336-1079
Sam Houston
Regional Library & Research Center -
936-336-8821. Free admission.
FM1011 off Hwy 146. Three miles north of Liberty
Liberty-Dayton Chamber of Commerce - 936-336-5736
1801 Trinity Street
P.O. Box 1270, Liberty, Texas 77575
http://www.libertydaytonchamber.com/
Liberty
Hotels >
Book Your Hotel
Here & Save
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Liberty
Chronicles
A
Moving History by Bob Bowman ("All
Things Historical")
The recent death of Bill Daniel of Liberty removed from East Texas
one of its most colorful personalities, a bigger-than-life rancher
and politician who, according to one of his eulogists, "squeezed a
lot out of life."
...Bill Daniel is best remembered by some admirers for one of the
strangest events in East Texas--the move of an entire town from Liberty
to Waco, a distance of more than 200 miles, in October of 1986 during
the Texas sesquicentennial celebration..." more
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