A big thanks to all that attended and to the volunteers and students that made it possible.

Drama students from San Marcos High School will share stories about the early history of our town during the second annual Cemetery Walk from 3-5 p.m. Nov. 2 at the San Marcos Cemetery (1001 Old Ranch Road 12).

The event, sponsored by the Heritage Association of San Marcos and the Friends of the San Marcos Cemetery, is open to the public. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students (children under 12 will be admitted free).

Fifteen students from Jack Moore’s drama class have been perfecting their scripts for several weeks now in preparation for the cemetery walk. The students will portray some of the early founders and settlers of San Marcos who are buried in the cemetery.

Tour guides will escort visitors past the various gravesites to hear the students, in period costume, tell about the individuals they represent. Tours will depart at intervals from the historic cemetery chapel.

Seniors Lucas Collier and Misty Glidewell will portray W.O. Hutchison and his wife, Leonora. “I hope visitors get a sense of local culture by learning about the characters from the past that we reenact,” Misty said. Lucas said he hopes the presentation will help others learn more about San Marcos and how settlers like Hutchison influenced its development.

Traci Tucker, a senior who also participated in last year’s walk, said she learned that Eliza Pope Pitts Malone was a strong woman who raised 28 children. “I hope the people attending the cemetery walk take away a better understanding and interest in the kind of people who settled their hometown and the impact they had on its foundation,” Traci said.

Sophomore Zoraida Vences, portraying San Jacinto veteran Walker Wilson, will have the chance to share her monologue with two of Wilson’s great-grandchildren and about ten more of his relatives who are planning to attend. The great-granddaughter said she is thrilled by the opportunity to honor her ancestor and learn more about his life and legacy.

In the 2012 cemetery walk, Charles Sparks portrayed Vicente Gonzalez, a veteran who was killed in Vietnam. This year, he is portraying Peyton Roberts, an African-American whose family lived on the site of the San Marcos Cemetery and eventually sold some of their property to the Cemetery Association. “I hope the attendees take away the fact that there was an African-American founding father in San Marcos,” Charles said. “The most enjoyable part of participating in these events for me is seeing how satisfied the groups are when they walk away.”

Another returning actor from last year’s walk is Ryan Rodriguez, who portrayed Jake Sullivan last year and will take on the role of Dr. David Dailey in this year’s event. “I’ve learned many things about this town’s important people in the past two years, and I’m more proud than ever to live in San Marcos,” Ryan said.  Other students taking part in the Cemetery Walk this year are Isabel Torres, Mathew Roark, Alexandra Burden, Marisa Covarrubias, Kyle Stapp, Melanie Gonzales, Melanie Warner, Mitchell McLeod and Simone Sanborn.

A research and planning committee composed of members of the Heritage Association and Friends of the San Marcos Cemetery has been working for several months to plan the “Echoes from Our Past: Early Settlers of San Marcos” Cemetery Walk. Advance tickets for the event are being sold daily at the First United Methodist Church office and on Nov. 1 at the Charles S. Cock House Museum during the Cottage Kitchen Luncheon from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Proceeds from the walk will be used to fund improvement projects at the San Marcos Cemetery. In the event of inclement weather, the reenactment will be staged at the LBJ Museum of San Marcos, 131 N. Guadalupe St. beginning at 3 p.m.

For more information, visit sanmarcoscemetery.org or heritagesanmarcos.org or call 512-392-3552.

This weekend celebrates the local history of San Marcos, Texas.

Friday, May 3rd:
Cinco de Mayo Luncheon - Get Your Grito Ready! 
11:30 am
Parque Cuauhtemoc
$10 ~ ticket. Call ~ 878-0640. 
Sponsored by: Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos, LULAC #654 and Sociedad Cuauhtemoc

Sat, May 4th:
Cinco de Mayo parade 9:30am. Look for the Heritage float that will include skaters in poodle skirts and a '57 Cadillac from Dick's Classic Garage.

LBJ Museum open 10am - 5pm. Admission is free.


Calaboose African American Museum open 10am - 2pm. Admission is free.

Tour of Homes sponsored by the Heritage Association of San Marcos 1-5pm. Pick up your tickets (only $10) at the Charles S. Cock House Musuem or at any of the homes featured on the tour.

Yellow Rose Casino Night SPONSORED BY THE CENTEX WING 6pm

Sun, May 5th:
Tour of Homes sponsored by the Heritage Association of San Marcos 1-5pm. Pick up your tickets (only $10) at the Charles S. Cock House Musuem or at any of the homes featured on the tour.

A painting borrowed from the Charles S. Cock House among other items will be on display at the San Marcos Public Library for the month of March. The Daughters of the Republic of Texas will be having a very informative meeting at the Library on Tuesday March 5th at 2:00 in the afternoon.
To read about the exhibit items and about General Burleson, download the brochure.

This slave cabin was built on the Thompson Islands Plantation in San Marcos, Hays County, Texas in 1850. It was owned by William Thompson. The Thompson family came to Hays County after serious epidemics in Mississippi or Louisiana. He had been a planter. He had also learned about milling at the Thompson Plantation in Georgia. He had four teenage children. He was about forty years old.

The original plantation business was a saw mill. Mr. Thompson did the layout of the plantation which included the slave cabin and mill. The latter was 1800 yards long, 30 feet wide, funneling to 20 feet wide. The original depth was unknown. It was the most powerful with  no concrete. The maintenance was terrific.

A young man called “A Man” lived in the slave cabin during the winters of the 1850’s. He was freed later. Many lived in the cabin. There were descendants of slaves on the plantation. All provided muscle and sweat in building the Thompson Plantation.

Two bridges crossed three islands. They were logs with heavy timber without metal, loosely laid. When horses and wagons crossed, the logs made a clackity-clackity sound. This noise was the doorbell. It signaled the arrival of customers for the mill workers. Business was good. A cotton gin was added later. Wheat was also grown and ground. Cornbread was a staple. This was before the railroads. The Bradys ran the wheat mill; which was called a grist mill.

All of the wood in the slave cabin came from “stumping the land” on the plantation. A rip or buzz saw with a sleigh was used to hand cut the trees. Mules dragged the trees with chains. They would be squared off depending on the tree size. Many were elm.

Mr. and Mrs. Steven Brady moved into the cabin in 1860. They had twelve children. All worked on the plantation. Several of the sons names were Freeman, Walt and Tom. Tom was the youngest . Walt was the oldest and worked the longest on the plantation. He and his wife began living in the cabin in 1889.

During the milling off season, Walt took care of the farm animals and worked in the house. He also drove the Thompson family to the Presbyterian Church in a hack every Sunday. This was a highlight for everyone.

Mrs. Brady was the cook for the family. The Bradys had a son. His name was Alonzo. He was the same age as the third Thompson  son, Frank. They spent a lot of time together. Alonzo moved to Arizona at an early age to go to school. The state of Arizona advertised for people to live there. Land was promised.

Mr. Thompson (William) died in 1913. Mrs. Thompson sold the cotton gin and saw mill. The Bradys moved to Arizona to live with Alonzo.

In 1926 the cabin was moved to Avoca Plantation. It was one of the four plantations acquired by William Alexander Thompson. He was a son of the original owner of the slave cabin. The plantation business was a dairy farm and saw mill. The oldest and his favorite was William Hardeman. He received a Bachelor of Arts and L.L.B., Magna Cum Laude from the University of Texas in Austin. He inherited the plantation after he graduated.

In 1927 the cabin was leased to the Eastwoods after William Hardeman Thompson become a County Judge. They had a boy, Corden, and a girl. Mrs. Eastwood was expecting a third child.

The cabin was refurbished. A room was added across the back. It was make a comfortable little country home for the family.

Mr. Eastwood was a good dairy farmer. His business was successful. They were happy. This changed in 1929. The cabin was low. There was a bad flood. Water was 1 ½ feet deep in the cabin. Almost everything was lost. The flood ended the cattle operation. The Eastwoods moved to town to live with relatives in a big house on what’s now Hunter Road.

The cabin was ordered placed on 18 inch stumps by Mrs. Thompson (William Hardeman). She wanted to prevent flooding in the future. However, it flooded three times. 1929 and 1956 were two of those times.

Another black couple, newly-wedded Mr. and Mrs. Bain rented the cabin for almost eighteen years as late as 1970. They weren’t employed by the Thompson family. However, they “checked” on Mrs. Thompson everyday. Mrs. Bain (Leona) would bake for the family on special occasions and holidays. They especially liked her blue ribbon pecan pie.

The Bains were the last family to live in the cabin.

Today the original home of the slave cabin, Thompson Islands Plantation, is the site for an apartment complex. There is also a beautiful residence in the elmgrove across the street from a state park, Stokes Park at Thompson Islands. The plantation name was included at the request of the Thompson family.

In 1977, Mr. Terry Barnett became the owner of the slave cabin. It was town down and moved for reconstruction.

Sunday, January 20th
3-6pm

Special program will begin at 3:30pm to open a new rotating exhibit entitled “In the Winners’ Circle: Celebrating Four Notable Athletes.” 

Calaboose African American Museum (200 W. MLK., San Marcos, TX)
Click here to learn more about the museum

Careers featured during the exhibit will be Negro Leagues pitcher, Dave Brown, Olympics gold medalists Lucious Jackson and Charles Austin, along with former martial arts competitor and professional boxer, Brenda Bell.

Joining forces with the Friends of the San Marcos Cemetery to conduct a “Cemetery Walk” at the San Marcos City Cemetery on October 27 ensured success!

Using the theme “If the Dead Could Talk. . .” the Cemetery Walk was an educational, entertaining, and inspirational stroll through the historic city cemetery.  .

Co-chairing the joint venture were new Heritage members Amanda and Josh Erwin.  An interest in local history and in community service spurred them to volunteer to take the lead in organizing the first cemetery walk. 

Veterans honored were:  Thomas P. Yoakum, Emmie Craddock, PhD, Joe Valdez Vasquez Jr., Vicente Ramirez Gonzalez, Joseph “Jake” Claberon Sullivan, *Colin Derek Bishop, *Michael Anthony Gray Wood, **Charles McElroy, Maurice T. Suttles, Arthur Edward Gary, Jack Arnold, Dr. Peter Cavanaugh Woods, Louis Lawshe, and Ann Pearce Munson Caldwell (2 husbands were veterans)

Director Jack Moore, San Marcos High School Theatre Department:

Christopher Ryan Ashley, Ian Bazan, Bonnie Brown, Marisa Covarrubias, Amber DeLeon, Melanie Gonzales, Mitchell McLeod, Hannah Petersen, Dana Puddy, Ryan Rodriquez, Charles Sparks, Traci Tucker, Evan Valenta, and Marshall Valenta

Committee:

Amanda and Josh Erwin, co-chairs, Pat Murdock, Shelley Henry, Shannon Fitzpatrick, Nancy Scott, Linda Coker, Jane Hughson, and Ollie Hargis-Giles.

Assistants:

Will Erwin, Terry Blackwell, Jean Baggett, Victoria Hinojosa, Mason Murphy

Videographer:  Connor Moffitt

Special Appreciation:

San Marcos Academy Student Ambassadors, San Marcos Public Library, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion Post 144, Affordable Golf Carts, Sur-Powr Battery

Costumes:

Dan West, San Marcos Academy, Jude Prather, Commemorative Air Force Museum  

Committee Chair Cathy Dillon presented the awards at the recent Annual Membership Meeting and Awards Dinner.

Committee members Jean Baggett, Shelley Henry, Jane Hughson, Nancy Scott, Rodney vanOudekerke, and Greg Wurzbach reviewed a number of locations over 75 years old which have had major improvements in the last three years.

Michael and Elly Dietz
919 Belvin Street

This house is a “traditional American foursquare” which was built in 1904. You’ll probably recognize it as the one with the pointiest roof on Belvin St!  Mike and Elly Dietz have been working on it for 20 years and they say the “walls are talking” as they move from room to room in their renovations.  Elly promises that 2013 is their target completion date.

Price Seniors Center
222 West San Antonio Street

The Price Center is located in the old First Christian Church building, first constructed in 1893 and then enlarged through the years. It was donated by the church and philanthropist H.Y. Price to the City of San Marcos to be used as a senior citizen’s center. Ron and Marie have personally and lovingly poured their lives into transforming this old church into a civic showplace.

Sergi and Associates Law Office
329 South Guadalupe Street

This unique building has a fascinating history. It has been a gas station, fruit stand, office supply store, paint store, and somewhere way back when…..a speakeasy! Since becoming David’s law office several years ago, it has also been the scene of not one but two roof collapses so this is a remodeling project that just keeps on happening—over and over again

James and Deb Robertson
1202 W. Hopkins Street

This great old house is a good example of Craftsman architecture. The Robertsons originally purchased and began remodeling the house for Deb’s mother, but in the course of the project they fell in love with it and decided to live in it themselves. James owns Native Furniture Works in Martindale, so he hand-built much of the interior woodwork.

Christmas will be here before we know it and Historic San Marcos: An Illustrated History, is still available.  It can be purchased for $30.00 (plus tax) at the LBJ Museum at 131 N. Guadalupe St (west side of the Courthouse square); the Main Street office (202 E Hopkins St, corner of Hopkins and N LBJ); the Crystal River Inn gift shop (326 West Hopkins); and Walgreens (639 East Hopkins Street), all in San Marcos.  And the book is always available when the Cottage Kitchen is open