Before Bowie was incorporated in 1883, Confederate Captain John J. Carter purchased 160 acres in 1878. As early as 1879, veterans of the Confederate Army met on land he owned near the new cemetery, where they congregated before or after burials. After Carter died on Jan. 29, 1882, his wife, Charlotte Jane Carter, allowed the veterans to continue using the property. Bowie Pelham Camp, No. 572, United Confederate Veterans, was organized in 1895 with more than 100 members, and in 1901 the veterans bought 26.5 acres from Charlotte Carter for $450 under stipulations that the property would always be dedicated to veterans, past, present and future. In 1905, a pavilion, three water wells, a barbeque pit, mess house, and long dining shed were built there. The land was paid in full by 1910, and the group grew to more than 300 members. As membership declined over the years, the remaining camp members chose to transfer the property to the city of Bowie, a transfer finalized on August 14, 1923. On Jan. 6, 1931, the city officially named it Bowie Pelham Park. In 1936, the Confederate monument located elsewhere in Bowie and the WWI marker were moved there. The first Jim Bowie Days celebration and rodeo to promote the community was held there in 1967, and “Second Monday,” a popular meeting of farmers and ranchers to barter livestock and goods near the railroad tracks, was eventually moved there in 1970. In 1989, the city of Bowie purchased 28 adjoining acres from the Hill Family to expand the park and continue its historical and community legacy.