| Marker Text |
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) |
