Mount Morian (Mount Moriah)

Mount Morian is a small, unincorporated hamlet (sometimes classified as a former town) located in central Walker County, Texas, approximately five miles east of Huntsville. It sits at coordinates latitude 30.7263° N and longitude 95.4916° W, with an elevation of about 318 feet (97 meters).  The area features rolling hills and is part of the Piney Woods region, near Harmon Creek and within the broader landscape of forests dominated by loblolly, short-leaf, and long-leaf pines, along with hardwoods.
 It appears on the Phelps U.S. Geological Survey topographic map quadrangle. Nearby populated places include Harmony (1.4 miles ENE), Phelps (3.6 miles SE), Arizona (4.5 miles NNE), Pine Valley (5.1 miles SSE), Pine Hill (5.3 miles SW), Dodge (5.6 miles ENE), Pine Prairie (5.8 miles NW), Barado (7.1 miles S), Carolina (7.4 miles NE), and Galilee (9.1 miles WSW). Larger nearby towns include Huntsville (3.6 miles W, population about 45,000, known for Sam Houston State University, the Sam Houston statue along I-45, and its history as a prison town), Riverside (10.2 miles NNE), Oakhurst (10.4 miles E), New Waverly (13.1 miles S), and Trinity (16.6 miles NNE).

No current population data is available for Mount Morian itself, as it is not incorporated, has no post office, and is described in some sources as no longer existing as a distinct community. Historical census or demographic details are sparse, but the associated Grant's Colony had around 350-400 residents at its peak in the 1870s-1880s, primarily African American freedpeople and their descendants. Literacy rates in the area rose significantly from 16% in 1870 to over 66% by 1900, largely due to local educational efforts.

Mount Morian is historically tied to Grant's Colony (also known as Harmony Settlement), a freedom colony established in 1866 shortly after the Civil War for freed slaves. The colony was founded by George Washington Grant (1814-1889), a white businessman and former slaveholder from Alabama who amassed wealth in stagecoach transportation and land ownership (over 11,000 acres in Walker and Grimes counties).  Influenced by his wife Mary Jane's affiliation with the Church of Christ (which condemned slavery and promoted education and racial harmony, similar to Quaker principles), Grant envisioned an integrated farming community where Black and white residents could live peacefully. He partnered with the Freedmen's Bureau to lease or sell plots on a 6,000-acre parcel along Harmon Creek. In 1867, Grant deeded two acres to a 12-member all-Black board of trustees for the construction of Mount Moriah Methodist Church, Good Hope Baptist Church, and a school (initially called Colony Grove, later New Harmony School).  In 1869, he recruited educators Edward, Hannah, and Sarah Williams from Ohio (via Quaker connections) to teach at the school, which served 100-120 students annually in primary education and music.  Edward Williams became the first African American to receive a teaching certificate in Walker County.

The colony provided safety during turbulent Reconstruction times, including the Yellow Fever outbreak, the Walker County Rebellion (1870-1871), and Ku Klux Klan violence. Residents farmed cotton, corn, sorghum, cucumbers, tomatoes, and peaches; operated a mill, cotton gin, and post office; and formed a Temperance Band.  It became a hub for African American politics and the Populist movement, with the Union Labor Party and Walker County Farmer’s Alliance holding meetings there.

Notable resident Richard Williams (a former slave) was elected as the first African American legislator from Grimes, Madison, Walker, Polk, and Livingston counties in 1870 and 1872.

The colony declined after Grant's death in 1889, as his estate was in debt. In 1900, creditor Sallie Mae Gibbs purchased the land at auction and continued leasing it, but the school and post office closed. A bridge over Harmon Creek washed away around 1910, and the school was relocated in the 1920s. By 1898, two public schools in the area served 24 Black students.

 In 1936, the U.S. Forest Service acquired the property (now part of Sam Houston National Forest), leading to the removal or destruction of churches, the schoolhouse, and other structures.  In 2016, history professor Zachary Doleshal and students from Sam Houston State University rediscovered site remnants using 1936 aerial photos, old maps, and deeds, though few artifacts were found.

Today, Mount Morian has no active community structures and is largely forested land within the national forest. Remaining traces include fading ruts from Main Street and Church Street, a few pillars in Harmon Creek, and the Grant Colony Cemetery (also known as Old Colony Cemetery). The cemetery, located at GPS coordinates 30.72186, -95.493554, is a well-kept, medium-sized site with nearly 500 known burials dating back to the colony era.  Headstones from the 1880s-1890s are more professional, while later ones (1910s-1920s) are simpler concrete markers.

To reach it from Huntsville: Take Hwy 19 east on Hwy 190 for about 2 miles, turn left (north) onto Grant Cemetery Rd for 0.8 miles, and keep left at the fork. A Texas Historical Commission marker honoring George Washington Grant and the colony was dedicated on December 4, 2019, at the intersection of Hwy. 19 and Old Colony Road, as part of the "undertold stories" program.

No recent social media mentions or real-time events were found related to Mount Morian. For genealogy or further research, resources like Find a Grave (for the cemetery) or the Walker County Genealogical Society may provide additional family histories or records.