By: Turner S.R. No. 1096
1-1 SENATE RESOLUTION
1-2 WHEREAS, Porter Springs is a farming and ranching community
1-3 in western Houston County that was founded about 1880 on land
1-4 having numerous springs owned by J. M. Porter; and
1-5 WHEREAS, Although there is no record of the date that the
1-6 first settlers came to this specific area, the town is located on
1-7 the original Alabama/Brookfield Bluff Road which led from Crockett
1-8 to the ferry crossing of the Trinity River; it is presumed that
1-9 the community was an outgrowth of the Alabama settlement which was
1-10 established by Jacob Allbright in the early 1830s; some of his
1-11 descendants are still living in Porter Springs; and
1-12 WHEREAS, The 1850 census of Houston County lists the names
1-13 of early settlers, George and George W. Prewitt, William White,
1-14 George Murchison, and Elisha Clapp who lived in the area and whose
1-15 decendants still make their home there; Elisha Clapp is buried
1-16 in Porter Springs in the cemetery that was named for him;
1-17 William White immigrated to the area in 1834, and the Porter Springs
1-18 Cemetery is located on land which was deeded to the two churches of
1-19 Porter Springs by his heirs; and
1-20 WHEREAS, In May, 1862, Gould's Battalion was organized
1-21 and mustered into the Confederate service at Porter Springs,
1-22 Houston County, Texas, with the names of several local citizens
1-23 on that list; another early prominent citizen of the area was
2-1 Captain John Smith who came to Texas in 1849 and acquired a large
2-2 farm known today as Potter Farm; and
2-3 WHEREAS, The Post Office in Porter Springs was established
2-4 under the name of Porter's Springs on June 9, 1875, and was probably
2-5 housed in one of the grocery stores; John Murchison was an early
2-6 postmaster for the town which became Porter Springs in 1895; and
2-7 WHEREAS, The first school was established in Porter Springs
2-8 around 1870 and land was donated for a school by J. M. Porter in
2-9 1880; a simple wooden building was built first, followed by a
2-10 splendid brick schoolhouse built in 1935; the school continued
2-11 until 1965 when it was consolidated with Crockett; the land and
2-12 building were sold in 1973; and
2-13 WHEREAS, Porter Springs has always been a farming and
2-14 ranching community; the population steadily increased as offspring
2-15 of the early settlers married and remained in the area to raise
2-16 their families; World War II changed that trend as young men went
2-17 off to war and others moved to cities to work; small family farms
2-18 gave way to larger farms and ranches, with cattle replacing cotton
2-19 as the primary industry; and
2-20 WHEREAS, The Porter Springs Cemetery was first known as
2-21 White Cemetery as it was established as a hilltop family burial
2-22 ground on the homestead property of William Harrison White; his
2-23 son, James D. White was the first person buried there after his
2-24 death in the Civil War in 1863; when the property was deeded to the
2-25 Methodist and Baptist churches by Mr. White's heirs in 1899, it
3-1 became known as the Porter Springs Cemetery; the grounds were cared
3-2 for by volunteers for many years until the Porter Springs Cemetery
3-3 Association was organized in 1941 and donations were made to the
3-4 cemetery fund; a bequest was made to establish a perpetual fund
3-5 in 1987, and a one-acre tract addition was purchased by the
3-6 association in 1989; and
3-7 WHEREAS, Porter Springs community and cemetery will receive
3-8 an Official Texas Historical Marker from the Texas Historical
3-9 Commission on June 17, 1995, at a special dedication ceremony;
3-10 now, therefore, be it
3-11 RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
3-12 74th Legislature, hereby recognize Porter Springs and Porter Springs
3-13 Cemetery as an Official Texas Historical Marker is placed to signify
3-14 the community's historic role in the development of the
3-15 State of Texas; and, be it further
3-16 RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be presented as a
3-17 memento of this notable event.
3-18 ______________________________________
3-19 President of the Senate
3-20 I hereby certify that the above
3-21 Resolution was adopted by the Senate
3-22 on May 17, 1995.
3-23 ______________________________________
3-24 Secretary of the Senate
3-25 ______________________________________
4-1 Member, Texas Senate