Chambersville

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Chambersville, out there in Collin County. Now, every community has a beginning, and this one starts with a family making a long journey. Elisha and Margaret — Peggy, everyone called her — Ann Mannon Chambers.

They packed up their seven children and immigrated to Texas in 1847. Seven children. That is not a small operation.

And when they arrived, Elisha took up two headrights, one in Collin County and one in Dallas County, and started putting down roots. But here's the thing about Elisha and Peggy Chambers that sets them apart from a lot of settlers who simply claimed land and held it tight. They gave a piece of their homestead away.

Donated it — for a cemetery and a school. That kind of generosity tends to leave a mark on a place, and sure enough, the land was called Chambers in their honor. In time, that became Chambersville.

The town didn't stay small or quiet. By the turn of the twentieth century, Chambersville had itself a sawmill, a blacksmith, a cotton gin, a post office, and not one but two general stores. That is a community with some momentum behind it.

And right at the center of all that momentum was the school. By the late 1880s, Chambersville School was already where the community came together. That first schoolhouse sat on the south edge of the cemetery — which, when you think about it, is a pretty pointed reminder of why education matters.

The community grew, kept growing, and by 1916 they'd outgrown that building entirely. So they put up a new one, two hundred yards to the southwest. Now, the new school didn't just teach reading and arithmetic.

It was an auditorium. A gathering hall. Its gymnasium doubled as a skating rink in the 1950s.

And when World War I came along, the Red Cross established a base right there out of the school, with local women coming in to make bandages and wrap packages for servicemen. A schoolhouse carrying all of that — the yearly Christmas tree, the end-of-school exhibition, the war effort, the Saturday night skaters — that's not just a building, that's the heartbeat of a place. The school kept serving as a community meeting place all the way until 1973, when it was destroyed.

The church has held that same kind of central place in Chambersville life. The first church went up in 1905. Then, in 1949, a new one was completed — designed and built by the pastor himself, Thomas M.

Robertson. When your pastor picks up the tools and builds the house of worship with his own hands, that congregation tends to take ownership of it in every sense of the word. Church members organized events like the harvest festival, traditions that the marker tells us continue to strengthen the ties of the Chambersville community to this day.

Elisha and Peggy Chambers gave away a piece of ground in 1847. What grew on it — the schools, the churches, the skating and the bandage-rolling and the harvest festivals — that's the real headright. Some donations just keep paying out.

What the marker says

Elisha and Margaret (Peggy) Ann Mannon Chambers immigrated to Texas in 1847 with their seven children. Elisha took up two headrights in Collin and Dallas Counties, donating a piece of his homestead for the creation of a cemetery and a school in present-day Chambersville. This land was originally called "Chambers" in honor of Elisha and Peggy's donation. The town thrived at the turn of the 20th century with a sawmill, blacksmith, cotton gin, post office and two general stores. By the late 1880s, Chambersville School was already a center for community congregation. The first school building was located on the south edge of the cemetery. The community outgrew this structure by 1916 and a new school was constructed two hundred yards southwest. Besides the yearly Christmas tree and end-of-school exhibition, the school served the community as an auditorium, gathering hall, and its gymnasium was even used a skating rink in the 1950s. During World War I, the Red Cross established a base out of the school and local women helped to make bandages and wrap packages for servicemen. It continued in this role as a community meeting place until its destruction in 1973. The local church has also played a central role in bringing together current and former Chambersville citizens. The first church was built in 1905 and a new church, designed and built by pastor Thomas M. Robertson, was completed in 1949. Church members organized local events, such as the harvest festival, that continue to strengthen the cultural traditions and ties of the Chambersville community. 175 Years of Texas Independence * 1836-2011