Dulcinea Ann Holland Thompson Avriett

The Handbook of Texas credits Dulcina Holland, later Mrs. Dull Avriett, with suggesting the name Athens for the new county seat, and says she hoped the town would become a center of learning. The town began modestly: E. J. Thompson and Joab McManus, the earliest settlers, arrived in early 1850. By 1855 it had a Presbyterian congregation, a hotel, a store and a Masonic lodge, and the first courthouse was a log building. Trinity Valley Community College was founded in Athens in 1946.

What the plaque says

Dulcinea Ann Holland Thompson Avriett (1834-1920) A native of Athens, Georgia, Dulcinea Ann Holland came to Henderson County with her family in 1847. She married E. J. Thompson in 1851. According to local tradition, she named the town of Athens after her birthplace. Following the death of her first husband in the 1860s, Dulcinea married James Avriett in 1867. They were the parents of two sons. She was a founding member of the local Methodist church and a dedicated civic leader. (1990)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center — 5.6 mi
  A Texas Parks and Wildlife hatchery and visitor center in Athens where visitors can borrow tackle and fish a stocked pond, watch native species in gallery tanks and ride a tram around the hatchery.
• Purtis Creek State Park — 13 mi
  A 1,582-acre park straddling the Henderson and Van Zandt county line, built around a 355-acre lake with no-wake fishing, borrowed tackle, a 4.1-mile hike-and-bike trail and a nature path.

More markers nearby

• Joseph Thomas La Rue and Stella E. Parsons La Rue — steps away
• Clinton Williams Murchison, Sr. — 0.2 mi
• Sid Williams Richardson — 0.2 mi
• Courts Under the Oaks — 0.4 mi