Tyler-Smith County Historic Landmarks
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Bonner-Whitaker-McClendon House806 West Houston (Museum), 592-3533
Childhood home of Sarah McClendon, White House press correspondent since 1943. This sensitively restored Victorian home was originally built in the mid-1800's and extensively updated through the late 1800's. Open to the public by appointment.
Butler House 630 South Fannin (Private residence).
Built in 1898 by L. L. Jester, this beautifully-maintained structure has
been the home for three generations of the T. B. Butler family, publishers
of the Tyler newspapers for most of the Twentieth Century. Largely Queen
Anne in style, passersby may enjoy attic gables, an attached polygonal gazebo,
and an inviting verandah.
Vicinity of Texas Highway 271 East and Texas Highway 155 North, East Texas Center, 592-5993. Established in farm country a few miles outside Tyler in 1943, Camp Fannin Infantry Replacement Training Center processed around 200,000 G.I.'s and thousands of German prisoners of war before being inactivated in 1946. Many former Camp Fannin buildings remain and are used by businesses and as residences. Tour maps and souvenirs are available at the information desk of the University of Texas Health Center at Tyler. Historic markers may be found on the north lane of Highway 271 and at the base of the still-standing power plant smokestack.
Texas Highway 271 and Loop 323 Extension. Operated as a Confederate training center and the largest prisoner of war camp west of the Mississippi River during the Civil War. Visitors may stop and read the historic markers, including the first aluminum marker in Texas, and enjoy a leisurely walk through the beautiful pine forest park. Until the museum is developed, call the Smith County Historical Society, 592-5993, for information.
Carnegie Public Library125 South College (Smith County Historical Society Museum and Archives), 592-5993. Built in 1904 through a gift from Andrew Carnegie. On the National Register of Historic Places, the Carnegie Building serves today as the headquarters of the City of Tyler's Parks and Recreation Department and the Smith County Historical Society's Museum and Archives. The Museum is open Monday through Friday, 11:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. and the Archives are open Wednesdays 1:00 to 4:00 P.M.
Charnwood AcademyCharnwood Academy (Charnwood Hill Inn Bed and Breakfast), 597-3980. This striking ante-bellum structure, once the home of H. L. Hunt and the first Texas Rose Festival Queen, is presently one of Tyler's many popular bed and breakfasts.
Chilton HouseSouth Chilton and West Phillips (Caldwell Play Schools). This striking combination of Georgian and Greek Revival styles has been painstaking restored by the D. K. and Lottie Caldwell Foundation as the site of one of their playschools. Built in 1888 by later U. S. Senator Horace Chilton, it is interesting to note that the cantilevered second story balcony is not connected to any of the columns.
Connally-Musselman House700 South Broadway (Private Residence). Tyler merchant and former Confederate surgeon Dr. Walter Connally built this striking eclectic combination of Italianate and "Texas Prairie" style between 1906 and 1908. The spacious yard is traversed by brick walks, shaded by a variety of beautiful trees, and is surrounded by the original cast iron fence.