John Gerham Hardin

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm passing it straight along to you. Now, there are pioneers who came to Texas, scratched out a living, and left. And then there are the ones who came to Texas, scratched out a living, and left something behind so big it takes a whole breath just to list it.

John Gerham Hardin was that second kind. He came to Texas in 1876, made his way to this particular stretch of country in 1879, and when he arrived, his first home was a dugout. A hole in the earth.

You want to talk about humble beginnings, that is about as humble as the ground itself. From that dugout, Hardin went to work. He operated a store.

He acquired extensive lands. And somewhere along the way, the fortune he was buildin' started to take on a shape that was less about what he could keep and more about what he could give. When it was all said and done, John Gerham Hardin directed six million dollars toward the children and institutions of Texas.

Now, I want you to sit with that number for a second. Six million dollars. And the list of who received it reads like a roll call of Texas learning and mercy: Buckner Orphans Home, Baylor Hospital, Baylor University, Mary Hardin-Baylor College, Abilene Christian College, Howard Payne College, Hardin Junior College, Hardin-Simmons University, and local churches and schools across the region.

The man who once lived in a dugout built a legacy that stretches across this state like a long horizon. And this park, the very ground you might be standing on right now, was one of his gifts. To children.

That is the whole story, and honestly, it is enough.

What the marker says

Pioneer settler, financier and philanthropist. Came to Texas in 1876 and to this area in 1879, living at first in a dugout. Operating a store and owning extensive lands, he amassed a fortune that he left as a rich legacy for Texas children. He gave six million dollars to Buckner Orphans Home, Baylor Hospital, Baylor University, Mary Hardin-Baylor College, Abilene Christian College, Howard Payne College, Hardin Junior College, Hardin-Simmons University and local churches and schools. This park was one of his gifts to children. (1970)