Old Settlers and Veterans Association of Falls County

The reunion ground sits on Tomlinson Hill, which the Handbook of Texas says is named for the James K. Tomlinson family, who came in the late 1850s. Chris Tomlinson's book Tomlinson Hill, in its publisher's description, follows a white family and a Black family who share the name because the second family's ancestors were enslaved on the Tomlinson plantation here. It dates the first Tomlinson's arrival to 1854. LaDainian Tomlinson, whose ancestors were among the enslaved, played on the land as a child and believed the hill was named for his family until he read a plaque.

What the plaque says

Old Settlers and Veterans Association of Falls County Some 75 years after pioneers opened this region, the "Old Settlers Association of Falls County" was organized on July 4, 1908. In 1909, the Willis L. Lang Camp of Confederate veterans and the settlers held a joint reunion. Merging later, they chartered the "Old Settlers and Confederate Veterans Association of Falls County" in 1911. Goals were to memorialize deceased comrades, honor the pioneers, and preserve Southern history. Signing the charter where John M. Jolly, Edmund Pierson, and J. H. Robertson of Marlin; F. B. Bratton of Kosse; N. R. Watkins and F. O. Porter of Lott. This 17.9-acre permanent reunion ground was acquired in 1912 from the family of J. K. Tomlinson, an 1858 settler from Georgia who, along with a son William, enlisted and died in the Civil War. In 1936, an historic log cabin was relocated here--to exhibit pioneer memorabilia. A new charter in 1946 renamed the organization the "Old Settlers and Veterans Association," signifying its opening to the soldiers of later wars. Patriotism, education and historical preservation are still stressed. Falls Countians in state and national life reflect ideals which have been instilled by this association. (1976)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Armstrong Browning Library — 21 mi
  A three-story Italian Renaissance library on the Baylor campus built to hold A. J. Armstrong's Browning collection, dedicated in December 1951 and now, by its own account, the world's largest of Browning material.
• Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum — 22 mi
  The official state repository of Texas Ranger memorabilia, opened in 1968 in Fort Fisher Park on the Brazos, named for a Ranger post of 1837 whose site no one has located.
• Dr Pepper Museum — 22 mi
  The 1906 bottling plant of the Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company, built where Dr Pepper outgrew a Waco drugstore soda fountain, now the Dr Pepper Museum.
• Waco Suspension Bridge — 22 mi
  A Brazos crossing opened in January 1870 as the longest single-span suspension bridge west of the Mississippi, tolled until 1889, closed to vehicles in 1971 and now walked.

More markers nearby

• Fort Milam — 3.2 mi
• Falls of the Brazos River — 3.7 mi
• Bucksnort — 5.1 mi
• Lott — 5.1 mi