Ben Wheeler Community

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about the Ben Wheeler Community in Van Zandt County. Now settle in, because this one's got layers. Long before the first settler ever swung an axe in East Texas, Native Americans already knew what this stretch of land had to offer.

The climate was right, the resources were there. And when early settlers finally arrived, they figured out the same thing pretty quick. The area started out with a different name entirely.

It was called Clough, after a man named George W. Clough, born in 1820, gone in 1884. In 1868, Clough purchased the 640-acre Harvey Randolf Survey, and the northwest corner of that land would eventually become the heart of old downtown Ben Wheeler.

So the town literally grew up on George Clough's front porch, so to speak. Now, in 1876, Clough established a post office right there in his own home and became its first postmaster. And here's where the name gets interesting.

That post office wasn't named after Clough. It was named Ben Wheeler, in honor of a Kentucky native by the name of Benjamin F. Wheeler.

Wheeler had come to Texas in 1847, contracted to carry the mail from Tyler to Buffalo, and he holds the distinction of being the first person to carry mail into Van Zandt County. The man delivered the goods, literally. Then comes the early 1880s, and George Clough decides he'd like to move the post office from his home to his store in town.

Fine enough. He also applies to change the name to Georgetown. Permission came through to move the post office, alright, but the name?

That stayed Ben Wheeler. Turns out there was already a Georgetown in Texas. So Benjamin F.

Wheeler's name stuck to this place whether anyone planned it that way or not. Ancel Clough, heir to George Clough, sold 50 acres in 1885 to a man called Professor James F. Davidson.

And Davidson wasn't just passing through. In 1890, he and a man named J.W. Downs established the Alamo Institute, the first school of higher learning in all of Van Zandt County.

That's not a small thing. From 1885 to 1892, Ben Wheeler was humming. Four general stores, two grocery stores, a drug store, boarding houses, a hotel, three gins and mills, a blacksmith and woodworking shop, two churches, and the Alamo Institute.

This was a town going places. But then fire came calling. Three times. 1893. 1933. 1945.

Each time, businesses in the downtown area were destroyed. You don't come back from three fires unchanged. Growth began to decline in 1929, and it took a while before things found their footing again.

That stabilization came in the 1960s, when the area farmers made the transition into ranching and coastal Bermuda haying operations. A quiet pivot, maybe, but it held. Ben Wheeler.

Named for a mail carrier. Built on a land survey. Tested by fire, more than once.

Still standing.

What the marker says

Just as Native Americans were attracted to this area because of the climate and resources, early settlers also utilized these resources. The area was originally named Clough after George W. Clough (1820-1884) who, in 1868, purchased the 640-acre Harvey Randolf Survey. The northwest corner of his land became the majority of the old downtown of Ben Wheeler. Clough established a post office in his home in 1876 and became the first postmaster. The post office was named Ben Wheeler in honor of Kentucky native Benjamin F. Wheeler. Wheeler came to Texas in 1847 and contracted to carry the mail from Tyler to Buffalo and was the first person to carry mail into Van Zandt county. In the early 1880's George Clough applied for permission to move the post office to his store in town and change the name to Georgetown. Permission was granted to move the post office but the name remained Ben Wheeler since there was already a town named Georgetown. Ancel Clough, heir to George Clough, sold 50 acres in 1885 to Professor James F. Davidson. In 1890, Davidson and J.W. Downs established the Alamo Institute, the first school of higher learning in Van Zandt County. The town grew rapidly from 1885 to 1892 and boasted four general stores, two grocery stores, a drug store, boarding houses, a hotel, three gins and mills, a blacksmith and wood working shop, two churches and the Alamo Institute. Fires in 1893, 1933 and in 1945 destroyed businesses in the downtown area. Ben Wheeler's growth began to decline in 1929, but stabilized in the 1960s when the area farmers transitioned into ranching and coastal Bermuda haying operations. 175 Years of Texas Independence * 1836 - 2011