Celebrating 150 Years - Athens, TX - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

Long Description:
The text of the sign reads,
"The Texas Legislature, in cutting down the size of Henderson County in October 1850, also designated that all Texas County seats had to be within 5 miles of the center of the county.

On August 24, 1850 the voters of Henderson County voted on present sight "Athens" instead of W.C. Walter's Big Spring location. The county commissioners accepted a donation of land of 160 acres from Matthew Cartright in the Thomas Parmer League and the county seat was moved to this site and was called "Center".

On December 24, 1850 the settlement was recognized by the U.S. Post Office Department and was officially designated "Athens".

Credit for naming the town is given to Mrs. Dulciana Holland Thompson Avriett, the step-daughter of John "Red" Brown, the president of board to establish the county seat of Henderson County. "Aunt Dul" said that she chose the name "Athens" because she envisioned that the settlement would, in time, be a cultural center and a seat of learning, as was her former home in Athens, Alabama. Years later, it was discovered that "our" Athens, like the one in Greece, was built upon seven hills.

In 1856, the Texas Legislature incorporated the city of Athens and included one mile square, but no notice was taken of that action until 1874 when a slate of city officials were elected. In 1875 the incorporation was killed by the citizens and it remained unincorporated until 1900 when a slate of progressive citizens were elected.

Beneath this historical marker is a time capsule containing mementos from the Athens Citizens of 2000 to the Athens Citizens of 2050. It was sealed during the celebration of Athens' Sesquicentennial and not to be opened until July 4, 2050.

Authorized by the Athens City Council
Jerry G. King - Mayor
Bob Gould - Mayor Pro Tem
Elaine Jenkins - Councilwoman
Carroll Maberry - Councilman
Carol Barton - Councilwoman
Pam Burton - City Administrator"

Group that erected the marker: Athens City Council of 2000 URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link] Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: 100-198 W Corsicana St Athens, TX United States 75751

Visit Instructions:
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Date Logged Log   8/9/2009 0ccam visited it