Historical Marker
Homesite of Fannie Baker Darden
Columbus, Colorado County · Texas
Erected 1973
Darden published at least fifty-eight poems, thirty-three of them in the Colorado Citizen between 1872 and 1889. Her best-known prose, "Dillard Cooper's Account of his Escape from Fannin's Massacre," first appeared there on July 30, 1874, and from 1883 to 1885 Texas Prairie Flower of Corsicana ran her reminiscences and short stories. Before the war she and her family lived for a time in Robert Robson's large house in Columbus, one of three county artists he took in. St. John's Episcopal Church owns her self-portrait. Her library held Keats, Plato, Poe, Darwin and books on phrenology.
What the plaque says
Homesite of Fannie Baker Darden (1829-1890) Known as "Poet Laureate of Columbus." Daughter of Texas War for Independence hero, Gen. Mosely Baker, and his wife Eliza; married attorney W. J. Darden, Jan 26, 1847; had two sons. Moved here, 1852. Taught art at Colorado College. Wrote for Columbus, Galveston, Houston, New Orleans newspaper. (1973)
Where it stands
29.70661, -96.54379 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Site of Railway Hospital — steps away
- Dilue Rose Harris — steps away
- The Colorado County Citizen — steps away
- William B. DeWees — 0.2 mi