Harvey Mitchell - Boonville, TX
Posted by: 
WalksfarTX
N 30° 40.328 W 096° 19.896
14R E 755654 N 3396305
Boonville's blacksmith, Brazos County clerk, sheriff, tax assessor/ collector and surveyor. In his spare time he was a minister, store owner, and hotel keeper. Colonel Mitchell served all of these offices/occupations simultaneously.
Waymark Code: WMRQVC
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 07/26/2016
Views: 5
Find A Grave
Harvey Mitchell came to Texas from Tennessee in 1839 and joined the "Minute Men" protecting the north frontier between the Trinity and Brazos Rivers. There were numerous skirmishes.
He left the military when approaching 21 and moved to Boonville in 1842 and served 1842-53 in county offices: deputy clerk, county clerk, surveyor and chief justice. He was superintendent of public instruction and taught school, had a store, farmed, was justice of the peace, postmaster and even blacksmith and innkeeper.
He led in building churches; also Brazos county Courthouse in 1845, 1853 and 1878. In about 1855 he moved to Red Top (now Benchley) for eight years and was extensively engaged in land business and merchandising. In 1863 during the Civil War he was assessor of Confederate State taxes for Brazos county.
He was a man of uncommon courage and vision, an individual who spoke with dedication and courage for the betterment of his fellow man.
Texas Center for Regional Studies
Tennessean Harvey Mitchell is often praised as the “Father of Brazos County,” but less often mentioned as the “Father of Texas A & M University”.
The U.S. Congress, in 1862, created the Morrill Act that enabled states to establish colleges where the leading object was to create educational colleges that would include scientific and classical studies as well as military tactics and branches of learning related to agriculture and mechanical arts. The Morrill Act allowed public lands to be granted to be sold at auctions to establish permanent funding to support such schools. The Texas State Legislature, in addition, also allotted public lands for future colleges.
In 1871, when the Texas Legislature was searching for such a college location, Mitchell, this leader of rural low-populated Brazos County, saw an opportunity. Despite the fact that several large cities were avidly seeking this prize college, Mitchell, along with his three man committee, reached out to grab this brass ring. They donated nearly 2500 acres of Brazos County land to the State of Texas. The prize was theirs.
The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas was established in what would become College Station by the state legislature on April 17, 1871 as the state’s 1st public institution of higher education. The legislature also provided $75,000 for the construction of buildings as well as selling 180,000 acres of land secured under the Land-Grant College Act in gold frontier defense bonds, to create a permanent endowment for A & M. A little known side note is that Jefferson Davis, former President of the Confederate States, was offered the 1st college presidency but declined.
The Statue
It is located in the newly created Heritage Park on the front half of the Boonville Cemetery Property. There is also a dogtrot house which is a replica of his home.
The statue depicts him standing in a welcoming pose with his arms stretched out to his side. He is bareheaded and sporting a full beard and mustache. He is dressed in a suit coat with vest underneath and a tie closing his shirt collar. His pants cover the tops of his boots.