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One of the earliest settlements in Henderson County, Fincastle developed during the early 1850s. At that time, this part of the state was a center of economic activity with a growing number of plantations and farms. In 1851 John Tindel (1796-1864) purchased 1091 acres in the Juan Jose Martinez survey and later platted the community townsite. He laid out fourteen lots, measuring 60 feet long and 70 yards deep. The community attracted farmers, tradesmen, professional people, and other settlers who came to Texas. Fincastle was the scene of much activity during the Civil War, as Capt. William H. ("Howdy") Martin came in 1861 to raise troops. In addition, a quartermaster and commissary department was established here. By 1880 Fincastle had several stores, a blacksmith shop, cotton gins, saloons, a combination drugstore and doctor's office, several churches, and a school. Farmers from surrounding areas came here to sell their cotton and produce and to buy supplies for their homes and farms. About 1900, most of the members of the settlement moved to the county seat of Athens, and Fincastle declined. A church, the Pioneer Cemetery, and the nearby home of John Tindel are all that remain of this early trade center. |
