Harmony Settlement
Grant's Colony was five miles east of Huntsville in central Walker County. It was named for its benefactor, George Washington Grant of Walker County, who planned a model farming community at the site. During the Civil War his wife, Mary, introduced him to the religious philosophy of the Church of Christ, which condemned slavery, a commitment to education, and a desire for racial harmony. He accumulated over 11,000 acres in Walker and Grimes County between 1856 and 1874. Grant’s Colony began in 1866 as freedmen moved to the area following the Civil War. A 6,000 acre parcel of land stretching across Harmon Creek become the site of Grant’s Colony, which he sometimes referred to as “Harmony Settlement.”
In 1867 Grant deeded two acres of land to a twelve-member board of trustees for Mount Moriah Methodist Church, Good Hope Baptist Church, and a school. Grant's Colony was predominantly a freedmen's village that provided a site of safety and opportunity during Reconstruction. Grant recruited Edward, Hannah, and Sarah Williams to teach at Grants’ Colony at an 1869 meeting of the Society of Friends in Jackson, Mississippi. Over nine years the family helped build the “Colony Grove” schoolhouse where they taught primary school and music lessons to 120 students annually. Edward Williams became the first African American to obtain a teaching certificate in Walker County and taught at the Williams’ school.
James L. Hailey, Zachary Doleshal | © TSHA
Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.
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Belongs to
Harmony Settlement is part of or belongs to the following places:
Currently Exists
No
Place type
Harmony Settlement is classified as a Town
Associated Names
- (Grant's Colony)
Has Post Office
No
Is Incorporated
No