Peach Tree Village (Historical Marker)

In the early 19th century, the Alabama Indians -- then a large tribe -- made their headquarters on this site, and called their village "Ta-Ku-La," which meant "Peach Tree." Two trails blazed by early pioneers crossed here. A north-south trail came from Anahuac on the Gulf of Mexico, over the Neches River, leading onward to Nacogdoches; The other ran east-west from Opelousas, Louisiana, through what is now Moscow, to present Huntsville, then west to San Antonio. Other trails diverged from this: to the Galveston Bay area, San Felipe de Austin, and Goliad. The crossing of the trails made this a trading center of importance. With the coming of white settlers, the Alabama Indians withdrew, and the remnant of that tribe is now located about 15 miles south -- occupying the only Indian reservation in Texas. In Old Peach Tree village, some historic homes are marked. It is also site of the Kirby museum, founded by John Henry Kirby (1860-1940), who was born here, and whose career included service as a legislator, as well as leadership in lumbering, banking, oil development and railroad building.

Peach Tree Village is a historical marker in Chester, Tyler County. It is one of 29 historical markers documented in Tyler County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 138 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.9474, -94.6138 near Chester. The nearest cataloged historic site is Burch-Cauble House (historical marker), about 0.4 miles away. Others within a short drive include Burch-Cauble, Valentine Burch, and Peach Tree Village.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5457011451. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.