John Wheeler Bunton - Kyle, TX
Posted by: 
WalksfarTX
N 29° 59.318 W 097° 52.630
14R E 608309 N 3318056
Given by Mr. and Mrs. Ashley Bunton in memory of John Wheeler Bunton, this tower houses a bell significant to Kyle's civic life.
Waymark Code: WMVMRW
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 05/05/2017
Views: 1
Marker Text:
Born in Sumner County, Tenn., John Wheeler Bunton migrated to Texas in 1833. To secure freedom for his new homeland, he signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, helped draft a constitution, and fought in the Siege of Bexar and the Battle of San Jacinto.
A lawyer, rancher, and owner of extensive lands, Bunton served in the 1st and 3rd Congresses of the Republic of Texas. He lived in Austin and Bastrop counties before settling in Hays County near Mountain City. Originally buried in this county, Bunton was reinterred in the state cemetery in Austin in 1932.
National Register of Historic Places
The church bell once graced an Episcopal Church in Kyle built in the 1880s. When the church left Kyle, it is thought that its members gave the bell to the City. It was mounted on a small, 4-post stand resembling a miniature oil derrick.
In 1976 as part of the City's Bicentennial effort Laura and Ashley Bunton offered to build a sturdier, more attractive stand for the bell. Mr. Bunton funded much of the cost and his crew provided the labor involved in the construction of the new brick bell tower.
The Buntons are descendants of one of Kyle's illustrious early pioneers, John Wheeler Bunton and the new structure was dedicated as "The Bunton Bell Tower", in his honor.