Historical Marker

Ellis P. Bean

Alto · Cherokee County · Dedicated 1999 · THC Atlas #5073011795

The roadside stories worth pulling over for.

Marker Inscription

(Peter Ellis Bean) (June 8, 1783-October 3, 1846) Born in Tennessee, Ellis P. Bean came to Texas with Philip Nolan's mustang hunters in 1800. He was captured by Spanish troops in 1801, and taken to Mexico as a prisoner. In 1810 he was freed in exchange for service to the Royalist Army, but he quickly deserted to the rebels under Morelos. Fifteen years later, Bean returned to the U. S. as a Mexican colonel to seek aid for the rebel cause. He joined Andrew Jackson's army at the Battle of New Orleans, but returned to Mexico within the year. In 1816 he barely escaped the Royalists by leaving his wife to flee to the U. S. He married a Tennessean in 1818. They moved to Texas in 1823, where Bean served Mexico as an Indian agent. After Texas independence, Bean made his home near this site. He disappeared in 1843 to return to Mexico, dying in the home of his first wife in 1846. (1999)

About this site

Ellis P. Bean is a historical marker in Alto, Cherokee County, dedicated in 1999. It is one of 112 historical markers documented in Cherokee County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 245 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 31.6601, -95.0115 near Alto. The nearest cataloged historic site is Old Palestine Cemetery (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Old Palestine Baptist Church, Nelson, Helena Kimble Dill, and Bean, Candice Midkiff.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5073011795. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.

📍 31.6601, -95.0115 · Alto, Cherokee County
Directions (Apple)Google MapsView map

Get Texas Roam — all 28,000 sites in your pocket

See this site and every marker, cemetery, courthouse, museum and landmark across Texas on one live map — find what's near you, get directions, and check in as you roam.

Download on the App Store
or open the live map in your browser →Free · ad-free · the iOS app and the web map share one account, so your visits sync across both

Nearby in Cherokee County