Texas Small Town History Project
Palo Alto College
Palo Alto College
Angela Martinez
Roxanna Sanchez
Melanie Macintosh
History 1302
Roxanna Sanchez
Melanie Macintosh
History 1302
Angela Martinez
April 10, 2007
April 10, 2007
Campbellton, Texas
Texas Small Town History Project Palo Alto College |
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Angela Martinez Roxanna Sanchez Melanie Macintosh History 1302 |
Angela Martinez April 10, 2007 |
Campbellton, Texas
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Founders:
Campbellton was founded by John Campbell who was born in Donegal, Ireland , 1834. His parents Peter and Hannah Gallagher Campbell came from Ireland to Texas in 1839. They came to Texas to expand their opportunities.
When John Campbell was a young adult he worked for his uncle as a cowboy. That was until Captain John Callaghan started recruiting men to fight the Indians. That is when John became an Indian fighter and fought against the marauding Indians and Mexicans. He then traveled to find land to start his own ranching career. He came to Atascosa County in 1857 to begin his dream. When the civil war started, he joined the Confederate Army to fight. He was first company in Texas Rifleman. Later he was promoted to Second Lieutenant in Texas Cavalry. When the war was almost over, he went back home to the little land he found which soon after became Campbellton. When he returned he started his dream with the love of his life, Mary Catherine Irvin who was from Seguin.
John and Marty Catherine Campbell had seven children: Peter, who died when he was young, Jourdan, who was named after Mary Catherine's father and later had a county in Texas named for him, Annie, Ross, Sallie, William Jr., and Edward. When the children were able to marry, Jourdan was the first to marry. He married Alice Louise Marr. Sallie was the next to marry, she married Guy Edison. Ross also married, she married Edward Burke, and Edward married Lucy. Two of John Campbell's children were never married - Annie and William, Jr.
After fulfilling his life with his wife and children John Campbell became seriously ill during a business trip in to San Antonio. John Campbell's family showed plenty of support and stayed by him until Oct. 1911 when he passed away. Before John Campbell became ill, he had a house built for Sallie Edison, his daughter. When Sallie moved from Campbellton, she sold the house to Joe and Laura May Tom. Ethel Katherine Tom was Mrs. Edison's godchild.
Joseph was one of the children, who went to college at St. Edwards University. When he returned to the Sunset Ranch soon after in 1929, he met the girl he would spend the rest of his life with. This is when Laura May was teaching English in the Campbellton High School. They soon married in 1932 in Laura May's home in Somerset. They continued their lives together by moving to Campbellton in 1938. This is when they purchased the house from Sallie Edison. They had three children who are Ethel Katherine Tom Ingles, Jill Maureen Tom Clyburn, and Betty Jo Tom Shannon.
They were also blessed with many grandchildren and passed on the legacy of the oldest and most loved to come home from Campbellton to their grandchild Joseph Ingles. Later on the house was purchased by the in-laws of Joseph Ingles, Mr. and Mrs. Boyce.
The house is till occupied by the Boyce family. It is the oldest house in Campbellton. It is actually the only house that has a basement. John Campbell added the security of a basement for his daughter because of the war with the Mexicans. It was a secure place for his daughter and son in-law to be able to go in case of any attacks while soldiers were passing. The house is still beautiful and still standing strong. Sallie Edison was a godmother to Kathy, who was Joe Tom's little girl, therefore she gave the house to the Tom family. Joe and Laura Tom raised their three children in the beautiful ranch. The ranch was then given to their grandson Joseph Edward Ingles, son of Kathy Ingles. When the house was given to Joseph, he had a ranching business of his own with his wife Beverley Ingles. Joseph gave the Boyce family the option to purchase the land. The Boyce family is the in-laws of Joseph Ingles, the grandchild to Joe and Laura May Tom. The inside still has the same features with a little helping hand, but most the inside is the original style. The love of all generations has kept the house strong and beautiful. (Mrs. Boyce)
The people of the community helped in the construction of the red brick building, and some recall this as being the first time they had been paid by the hour for their labor: 40 cents an hour. The Brister School was used in 1862 and 1863, but discontinued after that. A local name for it was Stage Stand School. Rhode School was established before 1924 and consolidated with Campbellton after 1936. Tom School was named for H.S. Tom, one of the first settlers in southeast Atascosa County. This school was established before 1886 and consolidated with Campbellton before 1913. In 1904, the local school had thirty students and one teacher. By 1914, the school had 169 students. The school had 240 students and seven teachers in 1938. After 1964, area children beyond elementary school age were sent to Pleasanton to continue their education.
Next to the school house was built a white stucco building. Campbellton had a six man football team called the Campbellton Blue Devils from 1935-1948. From 1948-1952 students were sent to Three Rivers School. From 1952-1961 sent to Pleasanton, and in 1961-1963 sent to Jourdanton. Since 1964. they are sent to Pleasanton. The last class to graduate from Campbellton was on May 19, 1948. The present school in Campbellton is Campbellton Elementary School. It was built in the early 1960's. It was composed of kindergarten through fifth grade. Now it is used as an alternative school for the youth.
John Campbell then gave some land to build a new church. The Sacred Heart of Jesus was the first Catholic Church that was built in 1897 in Campbellton. In 1899 the Reverend P.P. Zard, D.D., arrived and stayed as the pastor for Sacred Heart community for 27 years. He made trips by buggy and horse from Floresville to Campbellton. He served the church until 1926. He became ill and then retired. The Catholic masses were held in the first church until the day in 1939 when the church bell fell from the top of the church. The Scared Heart of Jesus Church was then rebuilt in memory of Mrs. Mary Tom Dunn.
Her husband Mr. John Dunn donated $10,000 to Campbellton to rebuild their church. Mr. K.G Granburg, a contractor, was then awarded the contract for the church that still remains standing and is as beautiful as it ever can be. They brought the native stones from the Edmond Tom family's ranch to rebuild their fresh start to a new community church. Each stone was hand carved and carefully placed. When the church was half-way built, they held a blessing for the church on Dec. 3, 1939. That day Reverend Arthur J. Drossaerts, Archbishop of San Antonio dedicated the chuch in memory of Mary Tom Dunn. The church still holds the original bell that was hung in the first church. It holds the max capacity of 250 people and it has Mexican style features. The church still stands and is in excellent shape.
The Railroad and Post Office: The railroad near Campbell's store was a major source of the merchandise coming to the store, because of the railroad he hired a mail carrier to come from San Antonio to Pleasanton.
The government granted John an extended line through Campbellton to Oakville, which he made his own store in Campbellton to Oakville, which also became a relay station. When the government granted an extended line, he appointed himself as the postmaster in Campbellton, also known as Bell Branch.
The name of the post office was named after a creek near the town, but in later years, the post office was named after the postmaster himself. The mail was prompted and received everyday by a mule or a horse with a cart through Falls City. They were met halfway, because of the journey it took to go to Campbellton. Later in 1912, the mail was quicker than ever, it was presented by the SAU & G Railroad, also known as the Sausage.
The train wouldn't be the only way to deliver the mail, it also traveled by bus and the truck line. During the time of the truck line, the Star Route was developed while the office was run by Mrs. Edison. The post office was in the third class mail until 1954 when it dropped to the fourth class of mail, which means every Tuesday morning the mail would leave and arrive. With the drop of the post office's class it was moved from John Campbell's Store in to a one story building. John Campbell was Postmaster until 1911. Miss Anna May Campbell became Postmaster in 1919 and continued until 1922. Miss Louise Campbell became Postmaster in 1922-1926. Miss Alyce Campbell became Postmaster in 1926- 1928. Mrs. Sallie Edison became Postmaster in 1928-1945. Mrs. Leona D. Allen was appointed Postmaster in 1945-1969. The Campbellton's post office being in a building by itself the community and Mrs. Allen made a request to the town to construct a new post office in 1966.
The new post office was built in September of 1968. The old post office transfered to the new location on June 30 and July 1, 1970. In 1969-1971 Dennis Showers and Jesse Quintero became clerks in charge. In 1971 Lydia Castillo became Postmaster and still remains at the Campbellton Post Office today. While the new post office was built the community moved the old post office to a new location in Three Rivers later used for a house.
Campbellton's cemetery is a hidden place in the town, because of all the rested people there. The trees cover the freeway to the right hand side and the writing on the headstones looks very old. We encounter one stone that had just a saying, no name just a plain stone lying there. The cemetery was very beautiful and felt very segregated because of the separation of the Mexicans on the left and the Whites on the right.
