Homecoming 2013

At the end of May, we took a two week trip back to Austin. I needed to put some face time in at the office and we wanted to restomp our old stomping grounds.

The first thing we did when we got into town was stop by our two favorite Austin stores.

I kid you not. There are no decent Used Books or Sport & Outdoors Stores in Champaign.

That middle weekend fell over Memorial Day, so we headed out to the Webb Homestead on Indian Lake, where the agaves and the guineas roam.

I wanted to get in a couple National Historic Register Sites while we were in town. We drove up and down a few back roads looking for the site of the Chicken Ranch, career booster for Marvin Zindler of Slime in the Ice Machine fame, and inspiration for the musical Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Pretty much because it was a whorehouse.

Just outside of La Grange is the Monument Hill State Park. In 1842, Mexican troops attacked a small band of Texas militia, killing 36 of them. In retaliation for this skirmish, which became known as the Dawson Massacre (named after the militia's commander), the Texas militia launched a raid against Mexican border towns which culminated in the Battle of Mier. In the so-called Mier Expedition, the militia inflicted heavy casualties on the Mexican Army, but they eventually had to surrender. The 243 prisoners were marched south to Mexico City. Most of them escaped, but became lost in the desert without supplies. They had to surrender again. Santa Anna, enraged that they escaped, ordered them all executed. After diplomatic pressure from US and British diplomats, Santa Anne compromised. Only 1 in 10 had to die. The men were forced to draw beans from a jar. For every 9 white beans, there was 1 black bean. The man who drew a black bean was taken outside and shot.

In the 1848, the State of Texas recovered the remains of the dead from the Dawson Massacre and the Black Bean Incident and buried them in a common tomb. In the 1930s, They erected this Art Deco monument over it.

The 40 acre park has several trails, one of them overlooking the La Grange and the Colorado River. The old Kreische Brewery sits in ruins in the park, along with Kreische's house. A German immigrant and prominent member of the community, Kreische operated the third largest brewery in Texas and tended the tomb. After his death in the 1880s, the brewery fell into disuse and the State of Texas bought the land.

Also, there were hundreds of lizards. Probably Texas Spiny Lizards (Sceloporus olivaceus). When two males of this species vie for dominance, they have a push up contest. They continue until one gives up and runs away.

We took a drive through downtown to see an official Historic Texas Tree, the Muster Oak.

The men who would die in the Dawson Massacre first mustered under this tree. The tree became the muster point for troops from La Grange. Soldiers mustered under this tree for the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Spanish American War, and both World Wars.

La Grange is a quaint little town, not run down and closed up like a lot of smaller towns. Downtown, across from the Muster Oak, you'll find the Fayette County Courthouse. Down the street are the Texas Quilt Museum and the Community Garden.