Petty's Chapel

Duane's take

The official marker's the word on this one, and here's how Duane tells it. Now, if you were movin' through this part of Navarro County back in the early days, you had to get across some water whether you liked it or not. Chambers Creek to the north, Briar Creek on the way into Corsicana — that town established in 1848 — and the old-timers figured out right quick where the ground held firm beneath the current.

Those hardbottom crossings were the difference between makin' time and losin' a wagon. The first road to string both of those crossings together was called the Military Road, and it ran right through here. Before any of that road had a name worth repeating, though, somebody had to own the land.

This part of the county was divided into four abstracts, and the first of them belonged to Jehu Peoples — went by John — going back to 1835. The remaining three were patented by 1851: Wyley Powell, Thomas Morrow, and Lewis Powell. Four parcels, four names, and a whole lot of sandy soil just waiting on somebody brave enough to show up and stay.

The first settlers believed to have put down roots right in this vicinity were Elizabeth Hamilton — a woman who arrived with seven children, which is a story all by itself — and the Joseph Bragg family. Now, two neighboring families living on the north side of Chambers Creek, that's just geography. But in 1849, Julia Hamilton and Joseph Bragg got married, and geography became something closer to destiny.

The two families, joined by that union, settled near the hardbottom crossing on Chambers Creek that came to be known as Hamilton Crossing. Others followed, drawn to the preferred sandy land rather than the black clay soils sitting low and flood-prone along those creek plains. Then came a name that would stick to this whole community like a burr on a boot.

In 1871, a man named George Valentine Petty conveyed land to the Houston and Texas Central Railway. The community that grew up around here would carry his name forward: Petty's Chapel. And in May of 1893, the local Baptists made it official — they constructed the Petty's Chapel Baptist Church building.

Altered over the years, sure, but still holding Sunday services more than a century on. Some things in Texas just refuse to quit. Two events reshaped this little community in ways nobody could've entirely predicted.

The discovery of the Corsicana oilfield and other deposits throughout the area in the late nineteenth century brought in new residents and new money. And in 1890, the county located its poor farm right here in Petty's Chapel, creating jobs and giving the community a different kind of purpose. That facility ran its course and closed in 1944.

The poor farm itself is gone now, but its cemetery still stands across the road from the community burial ground — quiet evidence that something was here, something that mattered, even if all that remains is the ground where people were laid to rest. Hardbottom crossings, a railway deed, a Baptist church still ringin' on Sundays. Petty's Chapel held on through the oil boom and the poor farm years alike, and the land still tells the story if you know how to listen.

What the marker says

Travelers across this area traversed nearby creeks at hardbottom crossings, including one north of here on Chambers Creek. They crossed Briar Creek on the way into Corsicana, established in 1848. The first road utilizing these two crossings was known as the Military Road. This part of the county was initially divided into four abstracts beginning with that of Jehu (John) Peoples in 1835. The remaining three were patented by 1851 to Wyley Powell, Thomas Morrow and Lewis Powell. The first settlers believed to have established homes in the immediate vicinity were Elizabeth Hamilton and her seven children, and the Joseph Bragg family. Brought together by the marriage of Julia Hamilton and Joseph Bragg in 1849, the families lived on the north side of Chambers Creek near the hardbottom crossing that came to be known as Hamilton Crossing. Others soon came to the area, farming and settling on the preferred sandy land instead of the black clay soils found in the flood-prone plains along Chambers and Briar creeks. In 1871, George Valentine Petty, for whom the community was named, conveyed land to the Houston & Texas Central Railway. In May 1893, local Baptists constructed the Petty's Chapel Baptist Church building. Although altered over the years, it continues in use for Sunday services over a century later. Two events greatly altered Petty's Chapel. Discovery of the Corsicana oilfield and other deposits throughout the area in the late 19th century brought new residents and economic improvements. In 1890, the county located the county poor farm in the community, creating more jobs. The facility closed in 1944, but its cemetery across the road from the community burial ground remains as evidence of its brief existence. (2006)