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 John Henry Kirby and Education in Woodville Posted by:  TeamBPL
N 30° 46.737 W 094° 24.971
15R E 364485 N 3405961
A Texas historical marker detailing the contributions of John Henry Kirby to education and many other ventures. He was a giant in both Texas as well as the entire nation.
Waymark Code: WMNNHJ
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/08/2015
Views: 3
John Henry Kirby (1860-1940) was a businessman whose ventures made him arguably the largest lumber manufacturer in Texas and the Southern United States. In addition to serving two terms in the Texas Legislature, he would also establish the Kirby Petroleum Company. With his successful reputation, he would be known by his business peers as "The Prince of the Pines" and "The Father of Industrial Texas" ( link)
According to an excerpt from his biography from "A History of Texas and Texans"(1914), John Henry Kirby was described by former governor O. B. Colquitt as "one of the greatest citizens of the United States, and one of the most loyal and true friends any man was ever privileged to possess."(link)
Marker Number: 11369
Marker Text:
John Henry Kirby, son of John T. and Sarah Payne Kirby, was born in the village of Peachtree in North Tyler County, Texas, in 1860. A promising young student, he was encouraged to move to Woodville where he could attend schools with a more challenging curriculum.
Kirby married Lelia Stewart in 1883 and afterward joined the staff of Texas State Senator and Attorney Samuel Cooper. He gained admittance to the Texas Bar in 1885 and became Cooper's law partner. After helping Boston investors form the Texas and Louisiana Land and Timber Company he formed his own Kirby Lumber Company in 1901. The company evolved into a regional economic powerhouse responsible for the creation of numerous lumbermill towns in southeast Texas with more than 16,000 employees and covering more than a million acres of timberland. Kirby amassed a lumber empire and became known as the "Prince of the Pines."
Though immensely wealthy and a figure of national and state prominence, Kirby never forgot his Tyler County roots. Kirby's many philanthropic acts and gifts to churches, schools, parks, and organizations in East Texas included his donation of land and the funds to build "Kirby High School" at this site in 1928. The last Kirby High School class graduated in 1979.
Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845-1995
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