May 2004
The family of Elisha Henry Roberts Wallis and his wife Sarah “Sally” Barrow Wallis settled the town of Wallisville, in the winter of 1824/25. The town of Wallisville was surveyed and laid out in lots and blocks in 1854 by two of the couple’s sons, Solomon Barrow “Sol” Wallis and Daniel Boone “Dan” Wallis. We would like to put together a special display later this year to commemorate this anniversary, and we are hoping each of you can help us. We have lots of photographs, records and information on the town of Wallisville, but we feel like there are more materials out there that we haven’t seen or copied. If you have anything that might add to our display, we would love to make copies of them for this display. If you don’t have such records, we would ask you to help us out by asking your friends and acquaintances if they have such records or photographs. Here are different types of materials that might be out there: photographs of buildings, houses, businesses or individuals from Wallisville; letters describing visits to Wallisville; letters written by families from Wallisville; diaries or journals that mention the town; newspapers that mention the town or were printed here; tax records from Chambers County dealing with the town of Wallisville; flyers or advertisements about events here; and old maps or other items. If you had an ancestor that lived in the town, pastored here, taught school here, or worked for one of the sawmills, we would like to add this information to our files. In short, we are interested in anything that relates to Wallisville in any way. If you would like to talk to us about this, please call 409-389-2252 and ask for Virginia Loya or Kevin Ladd.
JACKSON BOOK -- We are still selling copies of They Pointed Them East First by Jim Bob Jackson. The books have been published in a numbered limited edition of 250. This first edition is almost completely sold out, but there also is a second edition available. Each book sells for $26.68 (tax included). For more information, write the Wallisville Heritage Park at P.O. Box 16, Wallisville, Texas 77597. Mail orders should enclose an additional $1.50. If you would like Jim Bob to sign the book for you, please include the name of the person to whom he should make it out and we’ll get him to sign it that way.
MOORE’S BLUFF – We are working on an article about Moore’s Bluff for a future issue of The Age. If anyone out there has information about this Trinity River landing or the families of John A. Williams, William Moore or George Gordon, please let us know. This is an interesting place with a colorful history.
DISPLAYS ON WALLISVILLE – We are presently working on a new display that will focus on the historic Wallisville Townsite, which was surveyed in 1854, as noted in the previous item. Display materials will be set up here in our museum and also down the road at the Visitor Center for the Wallisville Project, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers.
ARCHEOLOGY AT WALLIS HILL – Another display that will open in September of this hear will focus on some archeological survey work done in the early 1980s at the homesite of E. H. R. Wallis and his wife Sarah Barrow Wallis. This is now the home of their great-great-great-grandson John Middleton. This was a very interesting project that involved school students from many area schools as well as some classes from Lee College in Baytown. This work was done under the direction of Dr. William L. “Lou” Fullen, who now lives in Georgetown. A number of interesting artifacts were uncovered in the front yard of the home, some of them dating back to the early 1900s and other items to earlier occupations.