Interesting Features of Milam County
These are all courtesy of our founding Chapter Adviser, Mike Mitchell, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and constitute a significant amount of time and research on his behalf. We are grateful to Mike for these contributions, as well as his leadership during the formative first year of our chapter.
Road Nicknames
Have you ever heard of roads or areas with names such as: Buzzard’s Roost, Cox Hollow, Silver City or Hell’s Half Acre?
Do you know where they are?
Well take a look at this list of such roads and places around the county dating back to early 1900’s and possibly earlier. The courthouse picture is from 1939. Download the Road Nicknames PDF file
Locales and Populated Places
Small communities and locales make for an interesting list of names and places. Many reflect a bygone era, and many are still active and flourishing. Some are just interesting places to try to find on a lazy Sunday afternoon drive. How about some of these: Alligator Hole, Beaver Springs, Big Lump, Cannonball Run, Deadman’s Curve, Lover’s Lane, Rattlesnake Hill, Owl Hollow? The photo is on FM 1915 near Buckholts. What is it called? Download Locales and Populated Place PDf file
Parks around the County
You have all heard of Fair Park in Rockdale, home to various rodeo events and annual fairs, and also Wilson Ledbetter Park in Cameron which also hosts various annual fairs. But do you know where Orchard Park Pond is located? How about Cedar Park in Milano? Or Baseball Park in Thorndale? Or Wolf Park in Rockdale and many others in the county? Photo is of Orchard Park Pond. Download the Parks PDF file
Cliffs and Mountains
We all know Milam County has some number of interesting and historic “high points” if you’ll excuse the pun. While they’re not the Davis Mountains of West Texas, and not even the hills of the Hill Country, they are our own special places that define the rolling plains of our Post Oak Savannah and Blackland prairies. So just where is Yellow Bluff, or Taylor Mountain, or San Andres? Photo is of Sugarloaf Mountain in Gause. Download Cliffs and Mountains pdf.
Cemeteries
The final resting places of the earliest settlers of Milam County are located in some of the hundreds of cemeteries found around the county.
Have you ever taken the time to just wander through some of these? Many are very beautiful with massive old trees, well manicured lawns, gracefully carved headstones, and some are abundant with native birds, mammals, insects, and reptiles. Some are very neglected and overgrown, but still contain the historic remains of an era gone by. How many ancestral family names would you recognize? Photo is of Midway Cemetery in Minerva. Download the Cemeteries PDF file
Bridges of Milam County
The title kind of reminds you of a great 1995 Clint Eastwood movie. And as his character Robert Kincaid had a love of historic old bridges in Madison County, Iowa, so should we all take some time to find some of our historic and not so well known bridges in Milam county. Imagine our early settlers building these over the creeks, streams and rivers so they could take produce to markets, obtain building materials, and support improved travel. This photo is of the restored Pitts – Faubion Bridge on CR 264 crossing over the Little River in Gause, one of eight designated Texas Historic Bridges in the county. Do you know where the others are?
Download the Bridges PDF file.