Wartime Home Industry

At this site, 1861-65, settler Joseph M. sparkman manufactured shoes for the Confederate Army. A victim of arthritis, he lay on his cot and ran the shop, while "Uncle Ben," a skilled slave shoemaker who had come with him from Georgia, supervised and taught young boys and old men who made the shoes. Both Joseph M. Sparkman and "Uncle Ben" are buried in the family plot on the estate, near here. Their work during the Civil War typifies the gallant spirit of volunteers who mined salt, made cloth and clothing, hunted the woods for medicinal herbs.

Wartime Home Industry is a historical marker in Longview, Gregg County, dedicated in 1965. It is one of 81 historical markers documented in Gregg County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 124 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 32.5360, -94.7901 near Longview. The nearest cataloged historic site is Sparkman-Reddick (cemetery), about 0.5 miles away. Others within a short drive include White, Hunter Cemetery, and Angus, Dundee.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5183010002. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.