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BRIDGES The earliest bridges were mostly mud bridges, wooden planks held together with mud. True bridges, constructed of timber and iron became more common over time, the foundations
of which can be seen from today's modern steel and concrete structures. On May 18, 1889, Brazos County Commissioners Court decided to build two iron bridges across the Brazos River.
Because Jones Bluff offered a very stable approach, engineers located one of the bridges there, above Jones's Ferry. The road to the bridge became known as Jones Bridge Road and passed
close by the site of Providence Church just as today's Farm-to-Market Road 60 passes this memorial. Public Dedication of the PROVIDENCE CHURCH HISTORIC SITE Monday, April 21, 2008 -1:00
p.m. at the intersection of Raymond Stotzer Pkwy. and Turkey Creek Road College Station, Texas presented by: The Brazos County Historical Commission and Texas Department of Transportation
PROGRAM Welcome Henry P Mayo, Vice-Chair -Brazos County Historical Recognition of guests and dignitaries Henry Mayo and Regina Opersteny History of the area pioneer families Mary Esther
Burton Jones /Wooten family descendent TxDOT’s obligation for the memorial Maury W. Jacob, RLA Landscape Architect -TxDOT Bryan District Research and design of the memorial Shweta Gupta
and James R. Schutt, RLA Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) TxDOT partnerships Bob Colwell Public Information Officer – TxDOT Bryan Dist. Closing Henry Mayo ROAD TRANSPORTATION The
early settlers usually lived some distance from their nearest neighbors. They were connected by the unimproved dirt roads they cut that became dust tracks in the summer and quagmires
in the winter. Crossing creeks and streams could be a risky undertaking. The most used roads were those that took the best advantage of terrain in order to reduce these problems. These
routes often traced wild game trails and Indian paths laid out hundreds of years earlier. Many were were eventually paved with gravel and finally asphalt or concrete and incorporated
into the modern road system that is today built and maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation. RAILROAD Construction of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad halted at Millican
during the Civil War, not reaching Bryan until 1867 and Hearne a year later. New communities quickly sprang up at intervals along the tracks. Train service delivered fresh farm produce
to distant markets and delivered needed trade goods to local farmers. Rail-side communities such as Millican, Wellborn, Allenfarm, Steele's Store, Stone City, and Pleasant Grove Church
became the new business centers. RIVER CROSSING AND EARLY FERRIES As westward settlers began traveling through, the need for safe river crossings became apparent. The roads, developed
following established trails, found their way to ancient Indian crossings. These became the sites of ferries and later, bridges. John H. Jones, Jr. built one of the fist ferries in the
area just north of the present Highway 60 Bridge. More ferries were built upstream and down, including Moseley's, Pitt's, Evan's, Riden's, Batt's, Bowie, Evitt's, Aldrige's, and Robinson's.
There were so many such crossings it seemed that nearly every landowner operated a ferry some time. For a fee, ferrymen transported travelers, livestock, and freight across the river.
formed and each family took turns providing meat for meals to the other members. Providence Church served the community until 1948. In the early 20th century, as people left the farm
to fight in World War II or for paying jobs in the cities, the congregation slowly dispersed. A similar fate befell many surrounding communities. Finally, in 1940, the two-acre Providence
Church site was deeded by J.H. Jones, Carl Jones, and Zula Jones to the Texas Highway Department for the sum of one dollar. Included in the deed was the proviso that on any remnant a
permanent memorial be created to commemorate the church. A roadside park with a plaque about the church fulfilled that obligation for many years. As transportation needs increased, the
park was lost when the highway was widened in 1992. On this tiny remnant of the original two acres, you stand at a new memorial, designed and constructed by the Texas Department of Transportation
to commemorate the Providence Community and its church. Enjoy this brief tale of a settlement, unique in its history, yet representative of so many communities that once dotted Texas.
CONNECTION BRAZOS COUNTY AND THE BRAZOS RIVER The 840-mile Brazos is the longest river entirely within Texas. The Brazos carries more water into the Gulf of Mexico than any other such
river. The Brazos and the Navasota Rivers determine the physical landscape of Brazos County, and thus shaped the economic and social development of the vicinity by serving as primary
transportation routes into and out of the area. The Brazos River was, for much of the year, navigable to boat traffic only up to Hidalgo Falls, 20 miles south of the FM 60 Bridge. But
in wet seasons boats could often travel as far upstream as Port Sullivan or even Waco. As important as they were for transportation into and out of the region, the rivers also proved
barriers to local overland travel. A Transcript of the Plaques CULTURE The Brazos Valley was first settled and formed by people from all over America and other foreign lands. The earliest
Anglo settlers arrived in this Mexican province from nearby southern states, lured by large Mexican land grants. After the Texas Revolution, the Republic of Texas also granted land for
service during the fighting. Typically, land would remain in a family and be apportioned to grown children as they began their own families. Areas quickly became populated by many families
with just a few surnames. German immigrants began arriving in the mid-1800s followed by Italian, Polish, and Slavic settlers. As the original land grants were divided, portions were
sold to these later settlers whose surnames also can be found throughout the area. The history and development of the Brazos Valley and the people associated with this memorial are typical
of rural Texas. In February, 1829, JOHN HENRY JONES arrived in Texas from Jefferson County, Tennessee. One of Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred, he received a Mexican land grant
of "a league and labor of land" (4605 acres). The next year brought Dr. Thomas Wooten from Henry County, Virginia. Dr. Wooten, who received a grant of land from Stephen F. Austin in
1832, brought family including his daughter Martha Jane who later married John Henry Jones. In October of 1836, Jones enlisted as Texas Ranger, serving under Captain William W. Hill.
Called "Choctaw" by fellow Rangers, Jones received a Bounty Warrant amounting to an additional 320 acres after his discharge in 1837. John Henry and Martha located their first home beside
the Brazos River. The site is still noted on modern maps bearing the name "Jones Bluff". Filled with trees and heavy brush, the land was not ideal cropland. With sweat and hard work,
they managed to raise cattle and hogs and enough crops to support their family, which eventually
grew to nine children. Following John Henry's death in 1850, Martha Jones remarried Jabez M. Roberts and had three more children. Jabez, like many Texas settlers, served in the Confederate
Army. JOHN HENRY JONES, Jr. was the second son of John Henry Jones and Martha Jane Jones. He also served in the Confederacy during the Civil War, enlisted in Company I, 21st Texas Cavalry.
The 21st was part of Parson's Brigade, which provided dangerous scouting and advanced picket duty for the Army of the Trans-Mississippi in Arkansas and Louisiana. After a year away,
he was transferred home to the Commissary Department at Boonville due to illness. John and his wife settled in his parents' first home on Jones Bluff. There they started a ferry service
known as Jones Ferry, just below the bluff on the edge of the Brazos River. DR. THOMAS J. WOOTTEN was among the first physicians in Brazos County. His land grant was located along the
Brazos River above Jones Bridge Road. The Wooten's established their home near Turkey Creek and the present Leonard School Road. The descendents of these and other pioneer families founded
the cities and towns we live in today. Their names are commemorated on streets, buildings, creeks, and schools throughout the Brazos Valley. Names like Curd, Creed, Clower, Conaway,
Coulter-Robinson, Deason, Dillieshow, Dominik, Dowling, Duncan, Drummond, Echols, Millican, Edge, Fullerton, Gorbet, Hemphfling, Henry, Hugh, Henserling-Easterling, Holick, Holmes, Horton,
Hudson, Kurten and Weedon are commonly found throughout the area. The names serve as reminders that progress is the fruit of all too often mundane, but sometimes heroic tasks of everyday
living. COMMUNITY Pioneer Communities in Brazos County were aptly called neighborhoods or settlements. Settlements usually include a church, a school and perhaps a crude cotton gin but
often little else. This memorial is located on what is left of a two acre site that once contained Providence Missionary Baptist Church. Typical of many farming neighborhoods in the
area, the church was the cultural center of Providence Community. Settlements dotting Brazos County were frequently known by the names of their churches or schools such as St. Mark’s
Church, Leonard School, Brushy Creek Church, Rosprim, Silver Hill Church, Jerusalem Church, Dowling School, Parker's Store and Stearne Chapel. Small rural churches often shared the services
of a single pastor who provided services at each on a rotating basis. Such farming neighborhoods are a common form of community development throughout Texas. Though few have left more
than a trace of their existence, in their day they provided an agricultural bounty that supplied many larger cities of this young nation. More importantly, to their citizens they provided
strength of shared purpose, that pioneering spirit needed to survive on a demanding frontier. Providence Community, with a school, a church, and perhaps a business, was typical of many
neighborhoods founded in the area. Providence Missionary Baptist Church, formed in February 1858 was "named so that it might invoke the blessings of heaven." Gone for many years, Providence
School was located a short distance west towards the Brazos River. COMMUNITY LIFE More than meeting the religious need of the settlers, churches were also social and cultural centers.
The site of christenings, weddings, and social gatherings attended by settlers from far and near, church buildings also hosted political rallies, lodge meetings and often functioned
as schools. Churches were usually established as small log structures and replaced by simple wood frame structures as the neighborhood grew. The typical church was one room with flooring
and pews of hand-sawed cedar planks. Some churches also had cemeteries. A hard life in early Texas left little free time for casual socializing. A variety of important community activities
provided the setting. Barn raisings, corn shucking, syrup boiling, hogkilling, and philanthropy were all occasions for gathering and socializing. Societies or cooperatives of four to
eight families often