Falba
Falba is a historical ghost town in northwestern Walker County, Texas,
situated approximately 1 mile west of the intersection of FM 2989 and
FM 247, northwest of Huntsville, the county seat. The community
originated in the mid-1820s around the residence of
Christopher C. Edinburgh (also spelled Edinburg), a veteran of the
Battle of San Jacinto who is considered Walker County's first settler,
predating the county's formal establishment. Falba developed as a
small, remote agricultural settlement in a corner of the county, which
constrained its expansion. By the early 1900s, Falba featured a school,
church, general store, and
two physicians, reflecting modest community infrastructure. A post
office was established in 1901, as indicated by surviving
postmarks from 1912 and its listing on a 1907 Walker County postal map,
located west of the nearby ghost town of Dido. In the mid-1930s, the
community included two segregated schools—one of
which was the Falba School, built in 1922-1923 with funding from the
Julius Rosenwald Fund for African American education—along with a
church and cemetery. The Rosenwald-supported Falba School was
constructed on 2 acres at a
total cost of $1,550, with contributions of $150 from the local Black
community, $900 from public funds, and $500 from the Rosenwald Fund; it
was a one-teacher facility under application number 33-B.
No population estimates are recorded for Falba, underscoring its
small scale. The Falba Cemetery serves as a key historical remnant,
located off FM
2989 about 4.2 miles from I-45 Exit 132, featuring a historical sign,
pavilion, and graves on a slight hill. The earliest marked burial is
that of Christopher C. Edinburgh in 1864,
with other early graves including Eliza A. Edinburgh (1858-1884), Louis
and Sarah Stephens (circa 1880-1884), and J. F. Bagwell (1872-1915).
The cemetery reflects multi-generational family ties, particularly the
Lawlis family, with burials spanning from George Johnson Lawlis
(1851-1915) to descendants like Dennis Michael Lawlis (1947-1993).
Other notable interments include John J. McCaffety (1828-1911), W. R.
McMillian (1847-1927), and more recent ones up to 2007, such as J. P.
Langley.
Many older headstones are deteriorated, with inscriptions emphasizing
religious themes, indicative of 19th-century pioneer life.
Falba's decline stemmed from its isolated location, which hindered growth and led to its abandonment as a populated settlement.
By 1990, only the cemetery remained, and the population was recorded as zero.
Today, Falba exists primarily as a historical site within the broader
context of Walker County, which encompasses parts of the Sam Houston
National Forest and has roots in early Texas settlement.
No Texas Historical Commission marker is specifically documented for Falba itself, though the cemetery has a historical sign.
Christopher Columbus Edinburgh Sr. (also spelled Edinburg) was born in
1790 in Baden-Württemberg, Germany (some sources note France). He
arrived in Texas on October 10, 1824, as part of Wavell's colony and
fought in the Texas Revolution at the Battle of San Jacinto. He founded
the settlement of Falba, Texas, in Walker County, initially known as
Edinburgh after him. He died on December 10, 1864, in Huntsville,
Walker County, Texas, at the age of 74, and is buried in Falba
Cemetery. He is noted as an early settler, and his descendants include
multiple generations in Texas, with some family members tracing lineage
back to him as a sixth-generation Texan. His son, Christopher Columbus Edinburgh Jr., was born in 1850 and died
in 1934, marrying Mary Elizabeth Sheeler in 1876 and fathering at least
10 children.
William Eliza A. Edinburgh:
Limited information is available,
with records primarily pointing to Eliza A. Edinburgh (born September
3, 1858; died January 10, 1884), buried in Falba Cemetery, Walker
County, Texas. No direct references to a "William Eliza A. Edinburgh"
appear, suggesting a possible transcription error or combination of
names; she may be related to the broader Edinburgh family in Falba,
founded by Christopher Columbus Edinburgh. Other Edinburgh burials in
Falba Cemetery include Eulian (1895–1903) and J.L. (1879–1882),
indicating extended family presence, but no specific ties to a William
are detailed.
Louis and Sarah Stephens:
Louis Stephens was born on August 1,
1813, and died on November 3, 1884, at the age of 70 or 71. He is
buried in Falba Cemetery, Huntsville, Walker County, Texas. Sarah
Stephens (possibly Sarah Louisa Stephens, also listed as Sarah Parnell
in some records) was born on August 13, 1815 (or November 11, 1819, in
Louisiana), and died on March 2, 1880. She was his wife and is also
buried in Falba Cemetery. They married around April 6, 1840, possibly
in Harris County, Texas. Their daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Stephens (born
about 1856), married John G. McCaffety. The couple's gravestones are
noted as old and deteriorating, with Sarah's inscription reading "w/o
Louis."
J. F. Bagwell was born on October 1, 1872, and died on December 29,
1915. He is buried in Falba Cemetery, Walker County, Texas. His
gravestone inscription reads: “Our father has gone to a mansion of
rest, to the glorious land by the Deity Blest.” No additional
biographical details, such as family relations or occupation, are
available from the sources, though he is listed among other early
residents in cemetery records.
George Johnson Lawlis was born on March 5, 1851, and died on October
11, 1915. He is buried in Falba Cemetery, Walker County, Texas. He
married Estella (or Estelle) Register (1858–1942) around 1878, and they
had at least 10 children, including Lena Estelle Lawlis (1887–1959),
Elizabeth Rachel "Lizzie" Lawlis McAdams (1884–1964), Ruby Lora Lawlis
(1899–1970), and Daniel Montague Lawlis (1906–1997). Other family
burials in Falba include George Mack Lawlis (1924–1952) and H. Fannie
Lawlis (1913–1989), suggesting extended family ties. He lived in Texas,
with family roots possibly in Alabama.
John J. McCaffety (full name John Jefferson McCaffety) was born on
February 12, 1828, and died on December 21, 1911. He is buried in Falba
Cemetery, Huntsville, Walker County, Texas. His gravestone reads: “His
record is on high” and “Our father has gone to a mansion of rest, to
the glorious land by the Deity Blest.” He had a son, John G. McCaffety
(born May 25, 1877; died July 31, 1928), who married Sarah Elizabeth
Stephens (daughter of Louis and Sarah Stephens) around 1898 and had at
least four children. John G. lived in Justice Precinct 2, Walker
County, Texas, and is also buried in Falba Cemetery. Other family
burials include J. W. McCaffety (born and died January 26, 1920) and
John Jefferson McCaffety (born January 26, 1915; death date incomplete
in records, possibly 1916). Descendants include later McCaffetys in
Texas, such as Kennith Wade McCaffety (1940–2021) and Joan McCaffety
Cummins (1942–2021), though direct ties to Falba are not specified.
Julius Rosenwald Fund for African American EducationThe Julius
Rosenwald Fund, established in 1917 by Julius Rosenwald (1862–1932),
president of Sears, Roebuck and Company, was a Chicago-based
philanthropic foundation aimed at improving education and opportunities
for African Americans in the segregated South. Inspired by Booker T.
Washington of Tuskegee Institute, whom Rosenwald met in 1911, the fund
began as a matching grant program in 1912 to build schools for Black
children. Rosenwald, influenced by his Jewish heritage and experiences
with discrimination, sought to address racial inequities without
seeking personal acclaim; he insisted the schools not be named after
him and designed the fund to spend out its principal by 1948 to
encourage ongoing philanthropy.The program's core was the Rosenwald
Schools initiative (1912–1932), which constructed over 5,300 schools,
shops, and teachers' homes across 15 Southern states, serving more than
663,000 students by 1928. Communities raised funds (often one-third of
costs), with Black residents contributing labor, land, and
money—totaling about $4.7 million—while white school boards and the
fund covered the rest. Designs emphasized modern features like large
windows for natural light, standardized floor plans (from one-room to
multi-classroom models), and orientation for optimal ventilation.
Architects like Samuel L. Smith created 387 plans, prioritizing
functionality over ostentation.By 1932, Rosenwald Schools represented
one-third of all Black schools in the South, significantly boosting
literacy rates (from 45% in 1900 to 84% by 1940 among Southern Blacks)
and educational attainment. Notable alumni include Maya Angelou, Medgar
Evers, John Lewis, and Nikki Giovanni. The fund also supported broader
efforts: fellowships for 1,500 Black intellectuals (e.g., W.E.B. Du
Bois, Marian Anderson, Ralph Ellison), health initiatives against
diseases like hookworm, and interracial cooperation projects. Total
expenditures exceeded $70 million (about $1.5 billion today), with
$22.3 million for schools.Post-1932, the fund shifted to rural
education research and library grants but dissolved in 1948 as planned.
Many schools closed after Brown v. Board of Education (1954) integrated
education, leading to demolitions; fewer than 500 structures remain,
with preservation efforts by the National Trust for Historic
Preservation (since 2002) listing them as endangered and supporting
restorations. In North Carolina alone, 813 schools were built;
nationally, sites like the Hope School in South Carolina are now
museums highlighting the era's grassroots activism and philanthropy.
Falba, a mile west of the intersection of Farm roads 2989 and 247 in
extreme northwest Walker County, developed around the homestead of
Christopher Columbus Edinburgh, who arrived in 1824. Edinburgh, reputed
to be the first settler in what became Walker County, had fought in the battle of San Jacinto.
The community once supported a church and a school, and a post office
was established in 1901. In 1911 the school offered six grades. In 1914
Falba had two doctors and a community store. In 1936 the community had
scattered farm dwellings, two schools (one for White and one for Black
children), a church, and a cemetery. In 1990 all that remained was the
Falba Cemetery. TSHA
Texas State Historical Association
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/falba-tx
Texas Escapes
http://texasescapes.com/EastTexasTowns/Falba-Texas.htm
TX Almanac
https://www.texasalmanac.com/places/falba
Find a Grave
https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/3547/Falba-Cemetery