Bay View RV Resort – Rockport, TX to Shady Pines RV Park - Nacogdoches, TX, April 13-19, 2015

This week’s blog is rather lengthy, as we saw and did quite a bit. Sit back in a comfortable chair, grab a cup of coffee or tea, and enjoy!

We experienced heavy, heavy rains but Monday arrived with beautiful sunshine and temps in the high 70s. Dick’s last full day of work was Friday, so he was able to enjoy the day with me—we actually went to the pool for the afternoon. Lovely!

Another torrential rainstorm hit Monday night, with lots of thunder and lightning. Between drizzles on Tuesday we were able to do some preliminary packing of stuff outside, in preparation for leaving Wednesday to begin our journey north to Minnesota. Chef Betty stopped by with a farewell gift bag full of goodies for us, to keep us fed on our journey. Thank you, Betty, for your thoughtfulness. Good stuff! And we’ve already eaten most of what was included.

That evening we had dinner with friends Jerry and Bonnie (Idaho) at Moon Dogs. They hadn’t been there before, and we all enjoyed our fare. Jerry had BBQ sausages and smoked brisket, Bonnie noshed on a Portobello mushroom burger, Dick had smoked brisket nachos, and I once again had smoked brisket tacos. YUM-YUM! What a fun time! They head out for Idaho the end of April.

Upon returning to the park Dick and I joined friends Bill and Carole, John and Sara, and Jacob and Yani for a few games of Pegs 'n' Jokers. Guys took the evening, 2:1. Dang! 

Wednesday morning came early for us, as we did our final packing, hooked up the camper and headed out. Quite a few friends stopped by to bid us safe travels, so it was a bitter-sweet morning. It was also tough to say goodbye to our foster kitty, Lucy, who will be going back to her “mom and dad, Ida and Joe,” when we leave. They arrived Wednesday afternoon. I think Lucy was confused for a while, not knowing what in the world was going on.

We were on the road by 10:00 a.m., an uneventful trip for us as we drove through Houston and on up Highway 59 to Nacogdoches. The only hiccup was a traffic accident (not us!) about a mile ahead of us just as we entered Houston proper, putting us about 20 minutes behind schedule. Dick did say that we’ll find another way around Houston should we be going this way again. We’re spoiled by Rockport traffic and not too keen on heavy traffic and trucks while pulling the trailer.

We arrived to our next “home” about 4:00 p.m.: Shady Pines RV Park, located in Nacogdoches, Texas. Although the park is small and doesn't offer amenities other than laundry, restrooms and showers, it’s just a short drive to the historic area of Nacogdoches. Oh, and the park "office" is in CC's Smokehouse restaurant, just adjacent to the park, which has room for about 20 RVs.

We were looking forward to exploring this historic area, and hoped that the rain predicted for the next 4 or 5 days would hold off 'til we had seen and done all we wanted.

A brief history of Nacogdoches: Nacogdoches it the oldest town in Texas, named for the Caddo Indians who once lived in the area. At the height of their advanced Indian culture, the Caddos numbered around 250,000, living in tall, grass-covered houses in large settlements with highly structured social, religious, and political systems. They raised corn, beans, squash and other crops; they hunted bear and deer, and traveled west for annual buffalo hunts. When the Spaniards arrived the Caddos greeted them with the cry "Tejas!" which meant "friend." The Spanish subsequently called the Caddos the "Tejas," and this Spanish land became known as the Province of Tejas, which later gave its name to all of Texas.

Legend says that an old Caddo chief who lived near the Sabine River had twin sons: one with dark hair and dark skin, and the other with blond hair and light skin. When the sons grew to manhood, the chief sent the dark brother 3 days east toward the rising sun, ultimately settling Natchitoches, Louisiana. The light brother was sent 3 days west toward the setting sun, settling Nacogdoches. The brothers remained friendly, and the road between the two was well travelled becoming a major trade route and what is now known as El Camino Real, or Old San Antonio Road.

Nacogdoches remained a Caddo settlement until 1716 when Spain established a mission here, Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de los Nacogdoches. This was the first European activity in the area, but it was a church, not a town. The Spanish decided that maintaining a mission here was too costly, so it was abandoned. The Mexican government ordered all settlers in this part of Texas to move to San Antonio, but this didn’t sit well with some of the settlers who had to be forcibly removed from their homes; others were eager to escape the wilderness. Those settlers who complained were allowed to stop at a site along the Trinity River near present-day Houston. However, this group was later attacked by Comanche Indians and forced out of the area.

About this time Antonio Gil Y'Barbo, a prominent Spanish trader emerged as the leader among the settlers, and the spring of 1779 he led a group back to Nacogdoches, where he established a local government under the watchful eye of Spain. Nacogdoches received designation from Spain as a pueblo, or town, thereby making it the first “town” in Texas. Y’Barbo was named Lt. Governor of the new town and established the rules and laws under which the city would be governed. He built a stone house on the main thoroughfare, for use in his trading business, and this house, or Stone Fort Museum as it is called today, became the gateway from the US to the vast Texas Frontier. (A landmark Texas Centennial structure, the Stone Fort Museum is housed in a reconstructed Y’Barbo’s stone house located on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University just a short distance from its original location.)

In 1812 the Old Stone Fort served as headquarters during the first attempt to form a Texas Republic. 3,000 men were recruited and an attempt to gather support for the cause was made known in the first ever newspaper to be printed in Texas, “Gaceta de Tejas” (Gazette of Texas). Some major battles were fought with Mexican forces, but to no avail. Texas was declared a province of Mexico, which had already declared its independence from Spain.

Nacogdoches’ role in Texas history was just beginning. Over the next 4 decades, Nacogdoches was under more flags than the state of Texas, claiming nine flags. In addition to the Six Clags of Texas, it also flew under the flags of the Magee-Gutierrez Republic, the Long Republic, and the Fredonian (Freedom) Rebellion.

Prominent figures in the history of Nacogdoches:
Davie Crocket, David Bowie, Sam Houston,
Stephen F Austin and Thomas Jefferson Rusk

In 1832, the Battle of Nacogdoches brought many local settlers together, as they united in their stand to support a federalist form of government. Their successful venture drove the Mexican military from east Texas.

Some interesting tidbits of famous historical figures:

Thomas Jefferson Rusk was one of the most prominent early Nacogdoches Anglo settlers. A veteran of the Texas Revolution, hero of San Jacinto, he signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and was secretary of war during the Republic of Texas. He was president of the Texas Statehood Commission and served as one of the first two Texas U.S. Senators along with Sam Houston. He worked to establish Nacogdoches University in 1845. The old university building still stands and is maintained by local volunteers. Rusk suffered from depression as a result of the untimely death of his wife and killed himself on July 29, 1857.

Sam Houston lived in Nacogdoches for four years prior to the 1836 Texas Revolution, opening a law office downtown. His courtship of Ana Raguet, daughter of one of the leading citizens, didn't last long after finding that he was not divorced from his first wife Eliza Allen of Tennessee.

William Goins, the son of a white mother and black father, was married to a white woman, operated a local inn, a trucking service, was a blacksmith and also worked and maintained a plantation outside Nacogdoches on Goins Hill. Interesting that he owned slaves. He was appointed as an agent to trade with the Cherokees and was prominent in providing assistance to the Texas Army during the Revolution.

Adolphus Sterne, a merchant of German Jewish extraction, maintained the finest home in town. Frequently visited by famous luminaries such as Sam Houston, Thomas Rusk, Chief Bowles, David Crockett and many others, his diary is one of the best sources for early Nacogdoches history.

In 1912, the Marx Brothers came to town to perform their singing act at the old Opera House (now the SFA Cole Art Center). Their performance was interrupted by a man who came inside shouting, "Runaway mule!" Most of the audience left the building, apparently thinking a runaway mule would provide better entertainment. When they filed back in, Julius Marx (Grocho) began insulting them, saying "Nacogdoches is full of roaches!" and "The jackass is the flower of Tex-ass!" Instead of becoming angry, audience members laughed. Soon afterward, Julius and his brothers decided to try their hand at comedy instead of singing, at which they had barely managed to scrape together a living. A historic plaque commemorating the event is posted in downtown Nacogdoches. Given the location of this formative experience, during the making of Duck Soup the Marx brothers' later decision to name the imaginary country "Freedonia" hardly seems coincidental. In the 8 March 1950 edition of You Bet Your Life Groucho states "I was once pinched in Nacogdoches for playing Euchre on the front porch of a hotel. It happened to be on a Sunday. You're not allowed to play Euchre in Nacogdoches on a Sunday. As a matter of fact, the way I played it they shouldn't have allowed it on Saturday either." Groucho appeared to have a humorous preoccupation with the word Nacogdoches and would often mention it in the show if any contestant came from Texas. 

Other interesting things of note—who knew?

In 1997, singer Willie Nelson came to Nacogdoches to perform with his friend, Paul Buskirk, a renowned mandolin player. During his stay, Nelson recorded a number of jazz songs at Encore Studios. In 2004, he released a number of jazz songs recorded at Encore Studios, on an album called Nacogdoches.

On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry, depositing debris across Texas. Much of the debris landed in the Nacogdoches area, and much of the media coverage of the recovery efforts focused on Nacogdoches.

On September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita struck Nacogdoches as a Category 1 hurricane. Nacogdoches experienced the same problems Houston was having because of the unprecedented number of people evacuating the Houston-Galveston area. The city's local shelters were already overwhelmed with evacuees that had come from New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina. As a result of Hurricane Rita, U.S. Highway 59, which goes right through Nacogdoches, has been designated as an evacuation route by TXDOT, and was designated as the north end terminus of the contraflow/evacuation route. Then, on September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike struck Nacogdoches as a Category 1 hurricane.

Nacogdoches has been in the Texas Main Street Program since 1998, and Nacogdoches Downtown was named the "Best Historic Venue" by Texas Meetings and Events magazine. It was nominated as one of the "Friendliest Towns in America" by Rand McNally and USA Today.

Nacogdoches is the headquarters of the Texas Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, the Air Force Auxiliary. CAP provides emergency services, such as search and rescue for airplane crashes; aerospace education; and cadet programs throughout the United States.

That’s enough history. Now for our experiences!

Thursday morning we went to the Charles R. Bright Visitor Center in historic downtown Nacogdoches. Known as the Nacogdoches Federal Building, it has served many purposes over the years: post office, office space for various government agencies, an army induction center, public library, and now as the town’s visitor center. Included in the visitor center are many artifacts and historical displays.

The rifle is the "oldest gun in the oldest town in Texas, dating back to 1790. The other photos are tributes to
the oil industry, the navigational advantages of the local rivers, Spanish influence in Eastern Texas,
and the "spirits" of the time: whiskey and wine.

From there we ventured out on a walking tour of the town. The entire historical downtown is still paved with bricks; most of the buildings date back to the 1800s and are so noted with historical plaques.

Rain was threatening, but we did manage to cover a few blocks before having to seek cover. We walked past the Roland Jones House, located on North Church Street. Built in 1897, it was designed by Diedrich Anton Wilhelm Rulfs, a noted architect of the time. The tower design is taken from the Ducal Palace in Oldenburg, Germany.

We continued walking up Church Street and came upon the Old University Building. Nacogdoches University received its charter from the Republic of Texas on February 3, 1846, and after holding classes in another location during construction, occupancy took place in the 1850s. It was called a “university” because it offered several subjects rather than providing a higher education. During the American Civil War it was used as a hospital and quarters for Texans in the Confederate service; and after the war by Union troops. It is now property of the Nacogdoches school system and is operated as a museum by the Women’s Federation of Clubs.

As we headed back to our truck we took these photos of the Methodist Church, tiled street signs, and the old Fredonia Hotel.

Friday morning after breakfast we headed into downtown Nacogdoches again, to see more of the historic architecture and sites of interest we missed Thursday. As we were walking north on Mound Street we came across a stately Victorian home that piqued our interest. Its owner, Jo Ellen Carlson, was outside doing a bit of yard work so I stopped to ask her a question about her home, as it was not included in the walking tour brochure. She graciously opened her home to us, and shared some of the home’s history. The home is owned by Dr. Bob Gruebel and Jo Ellen Carlson, located at 310 North Mound Street.

This Victorian house was also designed by noted architect Diedrich Rulfs in 1897 for Stephen William Blount and wife Mary Price Blount.  Built of heart pine, double galleries wrap around the home with a “gazebo” on the southwest corner. Intricate lathe work of spindles, arches, and posts decorates both levels. Gables have Palladian windows and fish scale shingles under elaborate Eastlake eaves. The Palladian window prominent on the 2^nd floor and the fanlight dormer in the center gable are repeated in the gallery arches. Upon Mary’s death, the home was sold to be used as a funeral home in 1945, with the family residence on the 2^nd and 3^rd floors and the funeral home on the 1st. A large chapel was added on the north side of the home, and subsequently removed in 1950. The home was sold again in the 1980s and damage from removal of the chapel was repaired. Three couples subsequently bought and worked on the house during the 1990s, again making many changes to the interior and exterior.  Bob & Jo bought it in 2010 and began extensive renovations including adding a wrap-around porch with a handicap ramp on the NW side, installing arched windows that were once in the chapel, refinishing floors and period trim. The house has pine trim throughout, and had been painted white in the early years; all white paint has been removed. The homeowners have worked for over 3 years to complete the renovations. And, work is still being done… Here are some photos of their eclectic collections, including over 600 dolls and Bob's tribal/primitive art collection.

Entrance and formal parlor. The large arched doorway separates the formal and informal parlor.

Library with a dragon chair dating back to the 1890s. The rolling library stair services the
shelves which rise 12 feet from the floor.

The elevator rises 3 floors to the attic where Bob's art collection is displayed.
The round windows were salvaged from the funeral home's chapel.
An embossed tin ceiling reflects light throughout one of the only rooms in
the home that shows modernization.

The formal dining room is furnished with buffets and a crystal cabinet. A doorway leads
to the sun room where some of Jo's artwork (and that of her students') graces the 12-15' walls.
The display of medals is a tribute to Bob's involvement in the military through 3 wars.

An artist needs a work room, and that's what the first photo indicates. She restores dolls, so the room is
full of doll parts, sketches, and all things required to complete the task. Jo's doll collection includes
over 600 dolls, which are displayed throughout the home. The woodwork is all original, and as I mentioned
earlier, it had all been painted white. (Lots of elbow grease was required to remove it!) Jo wears those
period costume during some of the reenactments that take place in the town during the year.

Bob's collection of tribal/primitive art is displayed throughout the entire 3rd floor
of the home. His collection includes masks from New Guinea, Yucatan, the
northwest Pacific coast, Indonesia and Fiji; an Indonesian cricket cage and a
Chinese bird cage; food bowl and shields from Ne Guinea; weapons from the
Philippines; and dolls and artwork from Japan -- and much, much more! Wow!
The colorful "poncho" that I'm admiring is all hand-beaded--and heavy! Beautiful!

I need to note here that Jo Ellen, a retired artist and teacher is 80, and Bob is a physics professor and collector of tribal art—he’s 90 and still teaching!

After saying thank you and goodbye to Jo, we walked further north on Mound Street to see the Caddo Indian Mound, the only survivor of its kind in the immediate area. After much research, the mound is found to be a true burial mound, circa 1250, containing artifacts appropriate to the Caddo culture.

We walked a bit further to Park Street, to the Zion Hill Cemetery, established in 1879 for black citizens of Nacogdoches. Only a few years ago it was rescued from the privet shrubs and scrub growth that had overtaken the site, and it is now maintained by the City of Nacogdoches. Quite a few grave markers can still be read, but many are worn by time and weather. We noticed many “unknown” markers as well, that appear to be relatively new, but were placed to honor those buried here.

Also in this location were markers honoring Father Margil de Jesus who supervised 6 missions in East Texas. During a summer drought, Fr. Margil is said to have twice struck a rock in the dry bed of Lanana Creek, and water poured forth from both blows with sufficient water to sustain the mission “until God filled the creek in His more conventional way.”

From there we walked back south to Zion Hill Baptist Church, founded in 1879. It is the senior black church in Nacogdoches. Again, this is the work of architect Diedrich Anton Wilhelm Rulfs.

Zion Hill Baptist Church is no longer used for services, as they've moved to a new location. However, it still stands
as a legacy to the past. These homes are just some of the "squatter cabins" that line the streets between Zion Hill Cemetery
and the church (many are in disrepair).

Next to the church is the famed Oak Grove Cemetery. Although it‘s not the oldest cemetery in the area, it does contain the remains of the greatest number of persons with historical significance. Buried here are the 4 signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence, including Thomas Jefferson Rusk, Charles S. Taylor, William S. Clark, and John S. Roberts.

Dick wanted to see the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University, located in Nacogdoches, so that was our next stop—after lunch—at Wendy's. Here is where we visited The Stone Fort I mentioned earlier.

Also housed in the Fort are displays and tributes to the medical services of the 1800s. Cholera, yellow fever, polio, and various other diseases were prevalent during that time.

Heroes in the healthcare field, a leech pot and blood letting instruments are displayed.

We were pretty tuckered out by the time we had finished with the Fort, so we headed home to relax the rest of the day.

Had to post these photos of Bay View RV Resort, after a continuous torrential rain. These photos were taken of the SW end of the park, at Jerry and Bonnie’s site. Told ‘em next year they need to bring their hip boots!

Rains came here Friday evening, making Saturday a very humid and warm day. Nevertheless, we ventured out to inspect Millard Crossing, an historic village located not too far from our RV park. This village was created by Nacogdoches native Lera Millard Thomas, wife of former Texas Congressman Albert Thomas. Beginning in 1970, Lera began relocating a variety of historic structures from Nacogdoches County to property her family owned north of town. (At that time many of the historic buildings were being demolished to make way for a more progressive life, such as fast food restaurants, etc. There seemed to be no interest in retaining the historical nature and culture of the area.) Lera had the buildings restored and furnished with her vast and extensive collection of artifacts and antiques. She named her village “Millard’s Crossing” after the train crossing that passes on the north side of the property. Today the village stands as a testament to one woman’s determination to save what she could of “the oldest town in Texas.”

Millard’s Crossing is unique for the many log structures dating back to the 1840s, including a classic “dogtrot” home, a log school house and a log office. There’s also a 2-story “double-house” built during the Republic of Texas days. The docent and executive director of the Village, David Young, gave us an in-depth tour of the double-house that had been built by Lera’s great-grandfather in 1837. Cool!

Clockwise: The Burrows House (1867-1874), Watkins log house (1842), double corn crib (1890),
Millard-Lee house (1837), Methodist parsonage (1900),

Clockwise: Country store and gift shop, 1910 caboose, Carriage house (1910),
log school house (late 1800s), Free Methodist Church (1905), Sitton "dog-trot" home (1842),
Henry Millard house (1900s), Watkin's house (1895)

After a quick stop at Walmart we headed home to relax before going next door to CC’s Smokehouse for dinner. Dick noshed on a chicken taco salad, while I enjoyed a combination plate of BBQ brisket and ribs. YUM-YUM!

Rains, thunder and lightning came through—again—Saturday night. The good thing is that the sunshine manages to come through during the day. Sunday’s temps were in the 80s with high humidity and very little breeze. We stayed pretty close to the camper as Dick is just getting over a bad cold, and he shared it with me. Yuck! It did give me an opportunity to write the blog and select photos.

We stayed in on Sunday, as I was suffering from the malady Dick shared. We decided on pizza for dinner and while Dick went to pick it up a nasty thunder storm came through bringing torrential rain. Golf ball sized hail (a few tennis ball sized!) and tornado warnings for a long, long twenty minutes.  We’ll assess any damage in the light of day tomorrow but we think we escaped any serious damage.  Whew!

Until next week, hope you’ve enjoyed our blog. Stay tuned, as we leave Wednesday heading to Shirley, Arkansas for a few days. We leave you with a photo of Texas bluebonnets. Spring is here!

Hugs,

RJ and Gail