Staggers Point

The Irish settlement's later story is told under another name. The Handbook of Texas files Staggers Point under Benchley, the community about a mile west on the Houston and Texas Central, named for Henry Benchley, the line's first freight conductor. A one-armed man named Squires ran the depot telegraph, and a post office opened in 1882 and lasted into the 1950s. By the 1860s, the Handbook credits the settlement with perhaps the first saddletree shop in Texas, a beef-pickling plant and a Presbyterian congregation known as the Old Irish Church. Benchley counted about 110 people from 1968 through 2000.

What the plaque says

Staggers Point Earliest large community in Robertson's colony. Settled by Irishmen who came to America in 1821; lived in South Carolina and then in Alabama; and in 1829 sent west an emissary, Robert Henry, to find a permanent location. In 1833, their ox-wagon train arrived, and log cabins were built. By 1836, kinsmen had joined early arrivals to strengthen settlement. Community name, meaning "Strivers' Point" in dialect, was probably given for rugged zeal of settlers in face of hardships. James Dunn built a fort, to give neighborhood a refuge during Indian raids. In War for Independence, 1835-36, Staggers Point men fought in major actions, including the April 21, 1836, Battle of San Jacinto, which freed Texas from Mexico. In 1830s and 40s, the Irish were compelled to keep up their defenses against the Indians. Women as well as men earned respect for skill with "long guns." In time their village had a church, stores, cotton gin, race track, and taverns, and was invaded by gamblers and ruffians drawn to the races. Until the settlers subdued the lawless, duels and gunplay were common. This remained a progressive community until 1868, when Houston & Texas Central Railway bypassed it, and business waned. Descendants still honor the settlers. (1973)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum — 12 mi
  The library of the forty-first president on the Texas A&M campus, opened in 1997, where George and Barbara Bush and their daughter Robin are buried in a family plot on the grounds.
• Calvert — 20 mi
  A railroad cotton town of 1868 on State Highway 6 that claimed the largest cotton gin in the world and elected Black men to county and state office during Reconstruction.

More markers nearby

• El Camino Real — steps away
• Alexander Cemetery — 4.4 mi
• Alexander Methodist Chapel — 4.4 mi
• Robert Henry — 5.3 mi