Youngsport

In January 1846, Francis L. Mudd received one-third of a league of land in this area along the Lampasas River. Four years later, the property became part of the newly created Bell County, carved out of Milam County. The next year, Michael Young purchased a parcel of Mudd's land and settled here with his family, reportedly because they had stopped while traveling to care for a sick daughter who did not survive. They buried her in what would become known as Live Oak Cemetery. A ship captain before moving to this area, Young allegedly named the community Young's Port, because he had finally found his port. Other early landowners and settlers included Anderson Young and P.C. Mitchell. In 1871, eleven years before the city of Killeen was established, Youngsport's post office opened. At the turn of the 20th century, the settlement supported several businesses, including a general store, barbership, drugstore, physician's office and blacksmith. The Live Oak Baptist and Church of Christ congregations served area residents, and local children attended a schoolhouse that was moved to the community around 1886. For many years, Youngsport residents received products and services from Killeen. By 1930, when the post office closed, three men and one woman served the community as postmaster. Eight years later, the school, which accommodated grades one through eight, closed, and students transferred into the Killeen district. By 2005, three cemeteries and the Church of Christ served as links to the early years of the dispersed agricultural settlement. (2006)

Youngsport is a historical marker in Killeen, Bell County, dedicated in 2006. It is one of 223 historical markers documented in Bell County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 399 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.9572, -97.7182 near Killeen. The nearest cataloged historic site is Boone-Hamlin #2 (cemetery), about 0.4 miles away. Others within a short drive include Bowmer-Peaceable Kingdom, Mitchell, and Live Oak Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507013450. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.