Marker Inscription
Near this site in 1869, Alvarado citizens ended the lives of outlaws Benjamin Bickerstaff and Josiah Thompson. A former Confederate veteran and prisoner of war, Bickerstaff was wanted for the murder of an African American man in Louisiana shortly after the Civil War. He later joined Alvarado business owner Josiah Thompson, also a Confederate veteran, and the two are believed to have participated in numerous robberies and murders in this area, including incidents in Alvarado. When they rode together into town on April 5, 1869, organized citizens shot them numerous times. They were buried in Balch (Old Alvarado) Cemetery. (2006)
About this site
Outlaws Benjamin Bickerstaff and Josiah Thompson is a historical marker in Alvarado, Johnson County, dedicated in 2006. It is one of 71 historical markers documented in Johnson County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 139 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 32.4065, -97.2118 near Alvarado. The nearest cataloged historic site is Alvarado (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Alvarado Masonic Lodge No. 314 A.F. & A.M., First Methodist Church, and Site of Alvarado School, Church and Union Building.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507013482. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
