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An
East Texas landmark
remembered by motorists from the last century has been given a long-deserved
facelift at Crockett.
Anyone over fifty who traveled down El
Camino Real, known today as Texas Highway 21, probably remembers
stopping at the Davy Crockett Spring and sampling its cool water.
For children,
it was an easy-to-digest lesson in Texas
history. Some told their friends in school, “I drank water where
Davy Crockett did.”
Thanks to a renovation effort, the spring site now includes a mural
depicting a reunion between Davy Crockett and A.E. Gossett, a old
family friend from Tennessee, as Crockett made his way across East
Texas in 1835 on his way to the Alamo
in San Antonio.
A log cabin, perhaps similar to the one Gossett built near Crockett
when he settled in what is now Houston County, is being moved to
the site from Davy Crockett Memorial Park, also in Crockett.
A fort will also be built in the middle of the park, along with
a “snake tail” fence of the type used by pioneers in East
Texas.
The spring fountain, which has stood at its site for longer than
most people can remember, was cleaned and spruced up. And a creek
bed has been cleared of debris.
Another addition will include banners of Davy Crockett along El
Camino Real along a route from East Houston Avenue though the
town square to the park for tourists to follow.
Created by local artist Lucas Short, the colorful mural captures
Davy and Gossett meeting in a woodlands setting in late 1835. Three
months later, Crockett and about 180 other Alamo defenders died
at the Alamo, becoming
symbols for liberty.
When Houston County was created by the Republic of Texas in June
of 1837, A.E. Gossett donated land for a county seat and, because
of his donation, he and his father Elijah were given the privilege
of naming the county and the county seat.
Since both Gossetts had served at the Battle
of San Jacinto in April of 1836, they named the county for Sam
Houston, who led the troops during the battle, and the county
seat for Elijah’s boyhood friend from Rutherford County, Tennessee.
When the Gossetts
settled in East Texas,
it was so remote that when they wanted a pound of coffee or other
supplies, someone had to ride a horse to a trading post at Nacogdoches,
more than sixty miles away.
It was a journey of two hard days and required A.E. Gossett to leave
his wife and children alone at home. But friendly Indian women often
stayed with the family as Gossett made his way over a dim, rough
woodland trail.
Next time you’re
in Crockett, be
sure you stop at Davy’s spring. You, too, can boast that you drank
water where Davy did.
© Bob
Bowman October
8, 2007 Column,
updated May 20, 2012
A weekly column syndicated in 109 East Texas newspapers
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