| (Previous)...From
Huntsville, start east on U.S. 190. You'll pass through the town of Oakhurst,
which was once a thriving sawmill town in San Jacinto County. A sawmill at Palmetto
was moved to Oakhurst in 1911 and operated for a number of years. The town was
named for Oakhurst, Oklahoma, home of several lumbermen who had moved to Texas.
Continuing on U.S. 190, some three miles north of Oakhurst, about two
miles off FM 946, is Sam Houston's country home, Raven Hill, a name taken
from the Cherokee Indians' name for Houston, "The Raven." A Texas historical marker
is all that remains of the site.
Just east of Oakhurst is the entrance
to Waterwood National Country Club, one of the best golf courses in Texas.
The course offers 18 rugged holes built in the old Scottish tradition.
A little farther up U.S. 190 you'll discover the village of Point Blank,
which sounds like something out of an Old West novel. Actually, Point Blank was
was originally named Blanc Point by a Frenchwoman who moved here from Alabama.
The town was also known as Point White and White Point. Ask for directions to
a small cemtery on the banks of Lake Livingston, where Texas' second governor,
George T. Wood, is buried.
Lake Livingston, covering some 82,600
acres, sprawls over several East Texas counties and is popular with fishermen,
boaters and campers. From
Point Blank, take Texas 156 southward along the banks of the lake. Near Holiday
Shores, turn on FM 224, which will carry you into Coldspring, the county
seat of San Jacinto County since l870. Spend some in the quaint shops around the
courthouse square and be sure to visit the courthouse,
as well as the old county jail, now an excellent small-town museum.
Coldspring has had several other names during its lifetime, including Cookskin,
Fireman's Hill and Cold Spring.
From Coldspring, head south on Texas
150 toward Shepherd, but a few miles out of Coldspring, take a right turn
onto a unpaved road leading to the Big Creek Scenic Area, a tangled forest
area that offers a good insight to what the Big Thicket looks like. The
actual Thicket is 30 to 40 miles east of the area.
Continue on the unpaved
road until it intersections with FM 2666 and follow this highway until you come
to its intersection with FM 2055. Turn north and head back toward Coldspring,
but a few miles out of town, look for the signs to the Double Lake Recreational
Area, one of the most popular parks in the Sam Houston National Forest.
The areas offers facilities for camping, hiking, picnicking and fishing.
When you leave Double Lake, turn north until you come to Texas 150. Turn
west toward New Waverly and you'll pass through
the small settlement of Evergreen. Along the way, look for the entrance
to the Lone Star Hiking Trail, the longest (140 miles) of its kind in the
state. The trail traverses the entire Sam Houston National Forest and crosses
two developed camping areas, Double Lake and Stubblefield Lake.
At the intersection of 150 and FM 2693 in the Pleasant Grove settlement,
turn north on the farm road and follow it until it turns into FM 2778, which will
lead back to an intersection with Texas 150, which will carry you to New Waverly.
At New Waverly, turn west on FM 1375,
which will take you on a wide loop carrying you through some of the tallest timberland
in the Huntsville area. Stay on the road, passing through Bethel and Union
Hill, and you'll wind up in Huntsville.
However, before leaving
Huntsville, take the time to drive south on Interstate 45, and look for the turnoff
to two other places you'll want to visit before completing this drive: ... Huntsville
State Park and Elkins Lake |
