John Porter Blackburn Web Page

John Churchhill Gaines Blackburn (1832-1912) was born in Tennessee and came to Texas in 1853. He and his wife Mary Ann Chambers Blackburn (1831-1908) first stopped with other family members in Williamson county, then moved to Bell county in 1854. Blackburn’s father, John Porter Blackburn (1786-1855), had previously established claims in Texas, including land in this country near the Palo Alto community (then about 4 miles NE).

There John C.G. Blackburn established a 30 acre farm. He enlisted in the confederate state militia in 1861 when the Civil War began. Blackburn built this oak-loag structure in 1863, according to family tradition, just before enlisting in the confederate calvalry. He was then assigned to frontier duty along the Rio Grande for the duration of the war.

The Blackburns built a larger house at the Palo Alto in 1883. This structure survived at its original site until 1954, when Ft Hood expansion prompted its removal to Westcliff road in Killeen (2 miles NE) It remained there until 1976, when the cabin was moved here and rebuilt as an artifact of frontier life in Bell county.

John C.G and Mary Blackburn are buried at the Blackburn cemetery near their homestead on old Schwald road (about 4 miles NE on Ft Hood Property).