Emma Daugherty Banister

Emma Banister was no stranger to the sheriff's work when she took it over. After John was elected in 1914 the family lived on the first floor of the Coleman County Jail, and she served as his office deputy, buying supplies and overseeing meals for family and prisoners alike. When the county appointed her to finish his term, newspapers nationwide took notice; the New York World called her part of a stock of westerners that does not know fear. She declined to run for a full term. Earlier she had taught at Turkey Creek and at Needmore, now Echo.

What the plaque says

(Oct. 20, 1871-June 4, 1956) The Daugherty family moved west in the late 1870s to Coleman County from present Forney in Kaufman County, where Emma was born. At age 14 she left home to finish school and obtain a teaching certificate in Goldthwaite. She married lawman and widower John R. Banister in 1894, and they raised nine children. Banister was Coleman County sheriff when he died in mid-1918, and Emma was chosen to complete his term of office to the end of 1918. Recorded - 1986

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Lake Brownwood State Park — 19 mi
  A CCC park on a reservoir that filled in a single flood before its dam was done, with stone cabins, a hilltop dance pavilion and a grand staircase climbed by dancers arriving by boat.

More markers nearby

• John R. Banister — steps away
• Santa Anna, C.S.A. — 0.8 mi
• Mud Creek Cemetery — 9.2 mi
• Robert M. Coleman — 9.3 mi