Montgomery County Centennial Monuments
Montgomery County Texas Centennial Monument
In 1936, to commemorate the centenary of Texas Independence, several monuments were erected by the
State of Texas in Montgomery County, Texas.1 One of these monuments was erected 4 miles north of
Conroe on U.S. Highway 75. This monument reads as follows:
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
CREATED FROM WASHINGTON COUNTY
DECEMBER 14, 1837
ORGANIZED SAME YEAR
NAMED IN HONOR OF
RICHARD MONTGOMERY
1736-1775
BRIGADIER GENERAL IN
THE CONTINENTAL ARMY
COUNTY SEAT, MONTGOMERY, 1837
CONROE, SINCE 1888
4.4 Miles North of Conroe, Texas on SH Hwy 75
This marker is located on Texas State Highway 75 (SH 75). In Conroe, Texas,
SH 75 is called Frazier Street. The Montgomery County, Texas centennial marker is located 4.4 miles north
of downtown Conroe on the west side of SH 75 in a highway rest area.
The General Richard Montgomery Myth
There is a a major error on the marker. This marker states that Montgomery,
County, Texas was named in honor of Richard Montgomery "Brigadier General in the Continental Army."
This is not true! Montgomery County, Texas was not named after General Richard Montgomery.
This myth was started by Texas historian, Homer S. Thrall, in 1879 when Thrall wrote in his book
A Pictorial History of Texas that Montgomery County was named "for General Montgomery." This was
the first attempt by a historian to suggest the source for the name of Montgomery County, Texas.
However, Thrall did not bother to advise which General Montgomery the county was named after. Thrall
provided no source, footnote or bibliography for his contention that Montgomery County, Texas was named after
someone named General Montgomery.
The Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide published in 1911 would be the first
publication to suggest a first name for the mysterious General Montgomery. The authors of the 1911
edition of Texas Alamanac and State Industrial Guide provided a first name for General
Montgomery when they wrote that Montgomery County was "Named for Gen. James Montgomery." However, like
Thrall, The Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide did not bother to tell us who this General James
Montgomery was. As with Thrall, the Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide provided no source,
footnote or bibliography for their contention that Montgomery County, Texas was named after a General James
Montgomery.
In his 1915 book The History and Geography of Texas as Told in County Names, Z. T.
Fulmore changed the name of the mysterious General Montgomery from "James" to "Richard" and gave us quite a bit
of biographical information about him. Fulmore wrote the following:
This county was named for Richard Montgomery, who was born in Ireland, December 2, 1736, and settled at
King's Bridge, New York, 1773. In 1775, he was elected a delegate to represnt Dutchess County, New
York, in the first New York Provisional Assembly. In the same year he was appointed Brigadier
General, and was killed at Quebec, December 31, 1776.
Like Homer S. Thrall and the suthors of the Texas Almanac and State Industrial
Guide, Fulmore provided no source, footnote or bibliography for his conclusion that Montgomery County,
Texas was named after General Richard Montgomery of the American Revolution. The sponsor of the
centennial marker shown above evidently got his or her information about General Richard Montogmery
from Z. T. Fulmore's book or other writers who had used it as a source.
So Where Did the Name of Montgomery County Come From?
In fact, Montgomery County, Texas is named after the Town of Montgomery, Texas. The Town of
Montgomey was founded (July 1837) five months before Montgomery County was created (December 14, 1837). The
Town of Montgomery was founded by W. W. Shepperd in association with J. W. Moody in the Lake Creek Settlement. The Town of Montgomery was named by W. W.
Shepperd and J. W. Moody. The Town of Montgomery was named after Montgomery County, Alabama where
J. W. Moody had lived for many years before coming to Texas. J.
W. Moody had also been the County Clerk of Montgomery County, Alabama before coming to Texas.
Montgomery County, Alabama was named in honor of Major Lemuel P. Montgomery who fought in the Creek War and was killed fighting
in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend on March 27, 1814.
Montgomery, Texas Centennial Monument
In 1936 for the Texas Centennial, another monument was erected in Montgomery,
Texas. The Town of Montgomery monument is located in front of the Montgomery Community Building near
downtown Montgomery on the site of the first Montgomery County courthouse on SH 149 two blocks north of SH 105.
TOWN OF MONTGOMERY
FOUNDED IN JULY, 1837 BY
W. W. SHEPHERD
INCORPORATED IN 1848
MONTGOMERY COUNTY WAS CREATED
DECEMBER 14, 1837
JAMES MITCHELL, PLEASANT GRAY,
WILLIAM ROBINSON, ELIJAH COLLARD
CHARLES BARNETT, JOSEPH L. BENNET
DR. B. B. GOODRICH, D. D. DUNHAM AND
HENRY FANTHROP, COMMISSIONERS,
SELECTED MONTGOMERY AS THE COUNTY
SEAT AND IT REMAINED AS SUCH
UNTIL 1889
IMPORTANT TRADE CENTER
BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR
Erected by the State of Texas
1836
To read more about the founding of the Town of Montgomery, Texas, click here. To read more about W. W. Shepperd, the
founder of the Town of Montgomery, click here.
Charles Bellinger Stewart
Texas State Historical Marker
This marker is located in front of the Montgomery Community Center near downtown Montgomery on
the site of the first Montgomery County courthouse on SH 149 two blocks north of SH 105. This marker reads as
follows:
FIRST SECRETARY OF STATE IN TEXAS
CHARLES BELLINGER STEWART
(1806-1885)
CAME TO TEXAS 1830. SECRETARY OF STATE, NOV. 1835-
FEB. 1836. SIGNED DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; HELPED TO
WRITE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS IN 1836 AND THE
STATE IN 1845; SERVED MONTGOMERY COUNTY AS DISTRICT
ATTORNEY AND THREE TERMS AS STATE REPRESENTATIVE.
HIGHEST APPOINTED OFFICIAL IN TEXAS, KEEPER OF THE
STATE SEAL, THE SECRETARY OF STATE IS NAMED BY THE
GOVERNOR WITH ADVICE AND CONSENT OF THE SENATE.
THIS OFFICE HAS ATTRACTED LEADERS. STEPHEN F. AUSTIN,
"FATHER OF TEXAS," HELD THE POST IN 1836. SECRETARY
EBENEZER ALLEN IN 1845 REPRESENTED THE REPUBLIC IN
ANNEXATION, RESERVING FOR TEXAS HER PUBLIC LANDS -
A PREROGATIVE ALLOWED TO NO OTHER STATE.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE GRANTS CHARTERS, ATTESTS
THE COMMISSIONS AND PROCLAMATIONS OF THE GOVERNOR;
ASSISTS THE GOVERNOR IN EXTRADITION PROCEEDINGS;
REGISTERS APPOINTMENTS OF THE GOVERNOR TO THE MANY
STATE BOARDS, ADMINISTERS THE UNIFORM COMMERCIAL
CODE OF TEXAS; APPOINTS NOTARIES; PUBLISHES THE LAWS
OF TEXAS; ADMINISTERS ELECTION LAWS; ISSUES BALLOTS;
CANVASSES RETURNS; FILES REPORTS OF STATE AGENCIES.
SINCE STEWART, 83 OTHER MEN AND TWO WOMEN HAVE
SERVED TEXAS AS SECRETARY OF STATE.
SEE OTHER SIDE
(1966)
Charles B. Stewart Centennial Marker
SITE OF THE HOME OF
DR. CHARLES B. STEWART
1806-1885
MEMBER OF THE CONSULTATION, 1835-
FIRST SECRETARY OF STATE - SIGNER OF
THE TEXAS DECLARATION OF INDEPEND-
ENCE - DELEGATE FROM MONTGOMERY
COUNTY TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL
CONVENTION OF 1845 - MEMBER OF THE
TEXAS LEGISLATURE.
Erected by the State of Texas
1836
1 Monuments Erected by the State of Texas to Commemorate the Centenary of Texas Independence,
commission of Control for Texas Centennial Celebrations, Austin, 1838, the Steck Company, 1939, pp. 144 and
190.
Texas Historical Markers located in Montgomery County, Texas.
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