Biloxi Community

The Handbook of Texas says Native people from east of the Mississippi, probably the Biloxi, settled here before 1822. The name may come from the town of Biloxi, Mississippi, or from the group's own name. Biloxi was one of three known Indian occupation sites in what became Newton County, and the Biloxi kept visiting the area until after the Civil War. In 1829 Lorenzo de Zavala acquired the region in a grant tied to settling 500 families, and settlers soon built sizable plantations. The county once licensed a ferry at the Biloxi crossing of Big Cow Creek.

What the plaque says

Biloxi Community Settlement of this area began in the early 19th Century, as people moved into Texas from the southern United States. A post office was established in 1849, and continued settlement resulted in the building of homes, businesses, schools, and churches. Many former slaves established homes here following the Civil War. Biloxi Colored Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E.) Church began meeting informally in 1870, and Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church began in 1921. Biloxi Evergreen Cemetery dates to the 1880s. Biloxi continues to be an important part of Newton County. (1989)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Martin Dies, Jr. State Park — 30 mi
  A 705-acre state park on Steinhagen Reservoir at the meeting of the Neches and Angelina rivers, with about 14 miles of paddling trails through sloughs and more than 200 campsites.

More markers nearby

• Swift Cemetery — 4.1 mi
• Kirbyville, Town of, Site of Town Lot Auction — 7.2 mi
• Early Kirbyville Schools — 7.5 mi
• Bon Wier — 9.6 mi