DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, some men drift into Texas history sideways — not through battle or bluster, but through something quieter. A measuring chain.
A compass. A keen eye for land. That was David Reed Mitchell.
He was born in North Carolina in 1797, and by 1844 he was already out ahead of the crowd, surveying the upper Trinity and Brazos River areas before most folks had even thought seriously about settling them. Then in 1845 he arrived in Robertson County, Texas, with a surveyor's instincts and, it turns out, a speculator's eye. He became the surveyor of the Robertson County Land District, and his work spread across the Mercer and Peters colonies, and into the original plans of what would become Navarro County and the town of Corsicana.
He was drawing the lines that would shape a whole corner of Texas. Now, by 1847, Mitchell wasn't just measuring other people's land — he owned a large amount of it himself, right there in Navarro County. And here's where the story turns from surveying to founding.
Mitchell and two partners — Thomas I. Smith and James C. Neill — donated one hundred acres.
One hundred acres, between the three of them. And on that donated ground, the town of Corsicana was founded. He didn't just hand over the land and ride off, either.
For a time, Mitchell operated an inn right there in town — sometimes called the Lower Hotel, on account of its location relative to another hotel run by a pioneer by the name of Hampton McKinney. Two hotels, one young town. Corsicana was already arguing about itself.
He was married to Mary Ann Higgins, and together they raised five children. He stayed in Corsicana — the town that, in no small part, existed because of him — right up until his death on October 7, 1853. He was buried in Oakwood Cemetery.
And the citizens of Corsicana, they didn't forget. In 1899, they erected a monument at his grave. Of the three men who donated that land — Mitchell, Smith, and Neill — David Reed Mitchell is the only one buried there.
The man who drew the lines ended up inside them, permanent as any boundary he ever set.
What the marker says
David Reed Mitchell, born in 1797 in North Carolina, arrived in Robertson County, Texas, in 1845. He was a surveyor by trade, and had surveyed the upper Trinity and Brazos River areas in 1844. He became surveyor of the Robertson County Land District, and worked on the Mercer and Peters colonies, as well as the original plans of Navarro County and Corsicana. Mitchell was also a land speculator of sorts, and by 1847 he owned a large amount of land in Navarro County. With two partners, Thomas I. Smith and James C. Neill, he donated one hundred acres on which the town of Corsicana was founded. For a time, he operated an inn in the town, sometimes referred to as the "Lower Hotel" because of its location in proximity to another hotel run by pioneer Hampton McKinney. David Reed Mitchell was married to Mary Ann Higgins, and they were the parents of five children. Mitchell continued to live in Corsicana until his death on October 7, 1853. He was buried in Oakwood Cemetery, and the citizens of Corsicana erected a monument at his grave in 1899. Of the three partners who donated land for the city of Corsicana, Mitchell is the only one buried here. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986