Grimes County Historical Commission September 2016 · GRIMES COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION...

Issue 9 Volume 2 September 2016

Photo of the Month

Grimes County Historical Commission

Grimes County Historical Commission

Executive Board Chairman Vacant Vice Chairman Joe King Fultz Secretary Vanessa Burzynski Treasurer Joe King Fultz

COMMITTEES Historical Markers Denise Upchurch Heritage Preservation Sarah Nash Newsletter & Publicity Vanessa Burzynski

Meetings of the Grimes County Historical Commission are held on the Second Monday of the Month at 7:00 pm in the Courthouse Annex in Anderson, Texas

For more information call 936-873-4422

Email: [email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/GrimesCountyHistoricalCommission�

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GRIMES COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2016

Abilene Reporter News (Abilene, Texas) 2 Mar 1930

Mrs. O. E. Baker Principal Speaker at Unveiling of Statue of La Salle

Mrs. O. E. Baker, state historian for the Daughters of the American Revolution and professor of Latin in Simmons University will leave here Wednesday for Navasota where she will deliver the main address at the unveiling of a statue of La Salle, early Texas explorer, which is to be dedicated by that organization, Thursday, March 6.

The State D.A.R. cooperating with the civic clubs of Navasota, and the chamber of commerce, is honoring the explorer with a giant equestrian statue, states Mrs. Baker.

The statue, according to Mrs. Baker, is being placed at Navasota because, as near as it can be learned, that town is near the spot where La Salle died, as he was assassinated by one of his men.

“La Salle brought the attention of all Europe to Texas” said Mrs. Baker, “and we felt that it was time he was honored by this state and section.”

Dedication of the La Salle statue on

Washington Ave. in Navasota in 1930.

The Eagle (Bryan, Texas) 1 Mar 1930

Complete Program for Unveiling of La Salle Monument at Navasota is Issued; Many Bryanites to Attend

The Texas Society of Daughters of the American Revolution, Robert Raines Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution and the citizens of Navasota have issued invitations to members of Wm. Scott Chapter D.A.R., the Chamber of Commerce and members of other civic groups in Bryan to attend the unveiling and dedication of a monument placed on the Esplanade opposite the public school building at Navasota, through the efforts of the D.A.R. chapters of Texas and interested citizens of that city as a memorial to Rene Robert Cavelier Sieur De La Salle, the French explorer who died in the vicinity of Navasota.

Official guests for the day will be entertained at a luncheon at the home of Senator and Mrs. H. L. Lewis, with the Navasota Civic Club acting as hostess body.

At 1:30 pm the public ceremony of dedication will be held on the Explanade, with Mrs. James T. Rountree of Paris, state regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution presiding. At 4 o’clock pm there will be a tea at the home of Mr. and Mrs. J. N. Baylor with Robert Raines Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution acting as the hostess camp.


The Llano News (Llano, Texas) 6 Mar 1930

La Salle Memorial will be unveiled in Navasota Today

Mr. Frank Teich and Mr. and Mrs. Linden Foster left yesterday for Navasota, where they will attend the unveiling of the La Salle memorial today, and where Mr. Teich will be the honored guest of the occasion.

This costly memorial, purchased by the Texas Daughters of the American Revolution was designed and carved by Mr. Teich, one of America’s foremost sculptors in his studio at the Teich Monument Works here.

Mr. Teich spent much time on this memorial which was seen by many people before it left the Teich plant and was pronounced as one of the outstanding memorials of the State.

Some time ago it was shipped from Llano to Navasota where it was erected on the site near the place where this noted French explorer meet his death at the hands of one of his own men in 1687.

The memorial fund was financed by the Daughters of the American Revolution and the business men of the town of Navasota. It is a figure of some seven feet in height and is mounted on a Llano granite base of some six inches higher than the monument proper.

After executing this work in plaster parts, Mr. Teich sent it to New York where the bronze memorial was cast from the original work done here.

Navasota and surrounding towns have been busy for some time making preparations for this occasion, when many of the most prominent people of the State will be present to take part in the program.

The Llano News (Llano, Texas) 12 Jun 1930

Frank Teich Receives Bronze Medal in Recognition of Work

Tuesday, Mr. Frank Teich received a beautiful bronze medal from the La Salle Memorial Committee of Navasota. One side of the medal carried a likeness of the famous memorial of LaSalle, which Mr. Teich recently carved and erected in that city. On the reverse is the inscription, “To Mr. Frank Teich from the LaSalle Memorial Committee for his skill and interest.” Mr. Teich has carved some of the finest memorials in America and this is one of his best pieces of work which places him in the very front with the sculptors of our country. No man has done more in bringing Llano before the eyes of the world than has Mr. Teich, because his work is recognized all over the land as being superior to most of the artists in his profession.


La Salle Robert Cavalier, Sieur de La Salle, was born in Rouen, France in 1643. As a young man, La Salle planned to enter the priesthood, but found himself unsuited to the life. At the age of 24, he followed his brother to Canada, where he entered the fur trade. La Salle was soon captivated by the opportunities available in the largely unexplored lands of North America. In 1669, he launched his first expedition, discovering the Ohio River. Over the next several years, he combined exploration with his business ventures. In 1682, he descended the Mississippi and claimed for France all of the lands that were drained by the river, a vast territory that he named “Louisiana” after the French King Louis XIV.

In 1683, Robert La Salle obtained royal support for a venture to travel to the mouth of the Mississippi through the Gulf of Mexico and establish a colony for France. From this base, France would be able to strike at Spanish Mexico, harass Spanish shipping, and block English-American expansion in North America. La Salle’s fleet of four ships and 280 men and colonists was plagued with problems from the start, culminating with the failure to find the mouth of the Mississippi, landing instead at Matagorda Bay in present-day Texas on February 20, 1685. One of his ships had already been seized by Spanish pirates; by the end of 1686, a second ship had been lost, and a third taken back to France with some disenchanted colonists. In late winter 1686, the last remaining ship, the Belle, was wrecked by a squall.

In spite of the severe setbacks, La Salle accomplished a great deal of exploration. It is believed that he explored the Rio Grande as far west as the Pecos River near the present-day town of Langtry. On March 19, 1687, while on a march to try to find the Mississippi and resume the original mission of the expedition, La Salle and

seven others were killed in an uprising of his own men. Back at Matagorda Bay, the remaining colonists also fared poorly; except for a few children, they were massacred by the Karankawa Indians in December 1688.

La Salle’s activities had far-reaching consequences for the future of Texas. Spain increased its own exploration of the Texas coast and advanced the timetable for its own occupation in order to stave off French claims. As for France, it continued to claim Texas, a claim that was transferred to the United States after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and remained a sore point until the boundaries were settled by treaty in 1819.

One of La Salle’s men, Nicolas de La Salle (no relation), kept a journal of this expedition. He recorded a detailed daily chronology, as well as priceless information about the Indian cultures that the party encountered. He completed this journal in 1685 after returning to France, but the whereabouts of the original manuscript are unknown. Only two copies are known to exist, one at the Newberry


Library in Chicago and the other recently discovered at the Texas State Library and Archives.

The provenance of this document is uncertain, but it is believed to have been acquired by the Archives sometime in the late nineteenth century. For more information and the English translation of this remarkable document, see William C. Foster's La Salle Expedition on the Mississippi River: A Lost Manuscript of Nicolas de La Salle.

In addition to literature, public monuments at various places in the United States have registered the shifts in public perception of La Salle. A plaque erected on the site of Fort Niagara by the state of New York in 1934 refers to La Salle as "Author of Great Beginnings" and a "Dreamer of Dreams," two titles which place La Salle firmly in the context of American history. The "Great Beginnings" clearly do not refer to the beginnings of, say, the province of Quebec, but of the United States of America. La Salle's "Dreams" also seem suspiciously like the American Dream.

The plaque reads, "Through his courage, suffering and endurance came Christianity and Civilization." Parkman might balk at the reference to Christianity, since he had no use for that religion. The shade of La Salle, however, might be pleased, since he was a serious Catholic, despite his antipathy to Jesuits, and no doubt thought of himself as more than a mere wholesaler of beaver pelts and buffalo hides.

Statue of La Salle in Chicago, Illinois

A more recent plaque, at Starved Rock, once the site of a fort built by La Salle's men and now an Illinois State Park, retains the heroic sense of La Salle, while accommodating him to more contemporary sensibilities. "La Salle was a man of vision and courage," the plaque reads. "He established contact with Native Americans and brought European culture to this area, while acting as a peacemaker in his actions with local Indian peoples. His explorations were responsible for expansion of the Western Frontier into this area of Illinois." While few would view La Salle primarily as a "peacemaker," this label is a reminder that La Salle, in all of his adventures, was guiltless of Indian blood. The contrast is striking with his Spanish counterparts, such as De Soto, and surely forms a basis for an eventual upward appreciation of La Salle's heritage "value."

https://tshaonline.org/publications/books/569




The grandest monument to La Salle was erected in 1939 on Indianola beach, not far from the site of La Salle's Texas settlement on Garcitas Creek. La Salle stands about eight feet high, with flowing hair and a massive sword, like an Arthurian knight. His head, however, is not raised in triumph. Rather, he gazes downward, as if in sad recognition of his failure. The quotation on the monument is from Parkman: "America owes him an enduring memory for in this masculine figure she sees the pioneer who guided her to the possession of her richest heritage." It's as if the creators of the monument wanted to console La Salle for the terrible debacle of his Texas expedition by granting him honorary American status, accompanied with a bouquet of gratitude.

Monument à Cavelier de La Salle, Indianola

(Matagorda Bay), Texas

Monument à Cavelier de La Salle,

Navasota, Texas

The oddest monument to La Salle can also be found in Texas. It's a life-sized statue of La Salle on the main street of Navasota, Texas, where many historians believe that La Salle was killed. This 1930 statue refers to La Salle as a "frontier statesman, empire builder, a nobleman in rank and character," It shows him holding out a friendly hand to a local Indian. Again, this is pure Parkman, although Parkman would not be quite so sentimental about the local Indian. Added interpretation of the statue is offered in an essay entitled “A History of the La Salle Monument at Navasota,” by a man named Loyal V. Norman. The essay can be found in the Navasota public library. Norman writes, "La Salle has been classed with the Heroes of the Alamo, as a martyr to the advancement of Texas."


Buste de Cavelier de La Salle,

Navasota, Texas

This is perhaps the unlikeliest role La Salle has ever been cast in. Still, the comment does show a certain elasticity in La Salle's image, by no means a bad thing for a heritage asset. It should also be noted that Navasota contains another memento of La Salle. Next to a parking lot of a Chinese restaurant called the Golden Palace is a bust purportedly of La Salle - he has a very unpleasant expression on his face - donated to the citizens of Navasota by a body called the French Committee of the Bicentennial of the United States and another body called the Association France-Amerique.

Mance Lipscomb Park The bust of LaSalle was moved to August Horst Park in 2011 and has been replaced by a bronze statue of blue’s legend Mance Lipscomb.


TEICH, FRANK (1856–1939). Frank Teich, sculptor and stonecutter, was born in Lobenstein, Germany, on September 22, 1856, the son of the poet Frederick and Catherine (Horn) Teich. At the age of eight he began painting, and after his graduation from the University of Nuremberg he was apprenticed to the German sculptor Johannes Schilling; he probably worked on the German national monument, The Watch on the Rhine. He then studied a year under the Franciscan Brothers at Deddelbach am Main. Teich immigrated to the United States in 1878 and traveled in Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, and California. In Chicago in 1879 he contributed to the stone carving on the Cook County courthouse. By 1883 he was in Texas, locating first in San Antonio but working on different projects across the state. Teich worked under Gustav Wilke, superintending the granite cutters and inspecting the granite used in the state capitol building at Austin, and he also worked on the Tarrant County courthouse. In San Antonio in 1885 Teich opened a marble yard on the present site of the Medical Arts building, across from the Alamo, and worked on the construction of several buildings in the city including the city hall and the Kampman building. Shortly afterwards, for health reasons, Teich left San Antonio for the hills around Fredericksburg. In Llano County Teich discovered a granite deposit and opened a quarry, but he soon left to spend time in Europe gathering ideas. He returned around 1901 and opened Teich Monumental Works two miles from Llano. Teich was responsible for, or worked on, many monuments throughout Texas and other states, many of them Confederate monuments in the southern states. He completed the Confederate monument and the Fireman's monument on the capitol grounds at Austin, the Sam Houston monument in Houston, the Luther Memorial Church in Orange, the statue "Grief" over the grave of Will Scott Youree in the

Scottsville cemetery near Marshall, a carved Italian marble altar in a Durango, Mexico, church, the Governor Pease monument in Austin, and two Confederate statues in Dallas. He did much work in the San Antonio area, including the Mahncke Memorial in Brackenridge Park and the altar in St. Mary's Church. He was the sculptor of the bronze statue of René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle in Navasota and the monument to Abel (Shanghai) Pierce near Blessing, Texas. Teich was in an indirect way responsible for bringing the sculptor

qv

Pompeo Coppini to Texas. Frank Teich married Elvina Lang of San Antonio on October 12, 1887; they had three daughters. He died January 27, 1939, in Llano and was buried there. He has been called the father of the granite industry of Texas.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Esse Forrester-O'Brien, Art and Artists of Texas (Dallas: Tardy, 1935). San Antonio Express, March 31, 1937. Clarence R. Wharton, ed., Texas under Many Flags (5 vols., Chicago: American Historical Society, 1930). Witte Museum Files, San Antonio.

https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwiam

https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ccc01

https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fho73

https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fla04

https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fla04

https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fco67


The statue of Dick Dowling which guards the entrance to Herman Park on Cambridge Street in Houston dates to 1905 and is the work of Frank A. Teich. It represents Dowling in his Confederate uniform, and is carved from white Carrara marble. It stands on a pedestal incised with the names of the Confederate soldiers who took part in the Battle of Sabine Pass in 1865.

The bronze equestrian statue of General Sam Houston is the most iconic piece of Houston civic art. It has stood in the traffic circle just inside the entrance to Hermann Park since its unveiling on August 16, 1925. It stands on a gray granite arch constructed by Frank Teich (1856-1939). The general points from atop his horse, Saracen, toward the plains next to the San Jacinto River where he ultimately defeated the army of Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, winning independence for Texas. Enrico Filiberto Cerrachio created the sculpture in 1924 after it was commissioned by the Women’s Club of Houston. The club raised the funds for the Sam Houston Monument after a March 1, 1917 newspaper article called for a monument to the founder, first president, and first governor of Texas.


The Galveston Daily News (Galveston, Texas) Nov 2, 1867

THE FEVER IN NAVASOTA – Mr. D. C. Fink has published a record of the epidemic of yellow fever in Navasota, which contains a mortuary report extending from the first appearance of the disease, in July, to the 28th of October. We learn from this valuable publication that there were two deaths in Navasota from fever in July; fifteen in August; one hundred and eighteen in September; and thirty-four in October.

When the alarm was first given, the people fled, until not more than four hundred persons were left. And yet, there were one hundred and seventy deaths. Most of the names are the dead are given, but a few are marked as “unknown”.

We are glad to quote the following from the Record: “Our streets begin to be more lively, and business is assuming a brighter face. The stores are beginning to be opened, convalescents are appearing on the streets, and soon we hope to see Navasota the thriving, busy little commercial city of yore.”

The Galveston Daily News (Galveston, Texas) September 19, 1867

Over sixty-one have died of yellow fever at Navasota. The News Letter says: “Beneath many of the houses there are pools of stagnant water.” The same paper says the stampede from Millican on account of the fever was immense; all sorts of vehicles were pressed into service and men, women and children, pots, pans, skillets, dogs, beds and mattresses promiscuously mixed up, evacuated the town in great disorder. Tar was burning before the doors, asafoetida suspended beneath the noses of those remaining behind.

History of Asafoetida The common name “asafetida” is derived from the Farsi word aza (resin) and the Latin foetidus (smelling, fetid). Many unusual medical claims have been made for the resin, most stemming from the belief that its fetid odor acts as a deterrent to germs. The shock of the sulfurous smell was once thought to calm hysteria and in the days of the American Wild West, asafetida was included in a mixture with other strong spices as a cure for alcoholism. Asafetida has been used for abdominal tumors and as a carminative, intestinal spasmodic, abortifacient, aphrodisiac, diuretic, sedative, and stimulant. Use in respiratory conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, and whopping cough, and in 1918 asafetida was used in the Spanish influenza pandemic. Today, asafetida is commonly used as a fragrance component in perfumes and in minute quantites in Asian vegetarian cooking. The antiflatulent qualities are utilized in dishes containing large quantities of pulses such as beans or lentils. It is sold as a spice and food preservative and at very low levels has been used in candies, beverages, relishes and sauces.

Yellow Fever Yellow Fever is a viral infection transmitted by a bite from infected mosquitoes most commonly found in parts of South America and Africa. When transmitted to humans, the yellow fever virus can damage the liver and other internal organs and be potentially fatal. The CDC has identified 44 countries with a risk of yellow fever transmission, many of them with tropical climates. While the actual number of yellow fever cases among US and European travelers to these at-risk countries is low, vaccination is advised because yellow fever has no cure and can be deadly.


Victims of Yellow Fever in Navasota from August, September and October of 1867

Many of these victims were buried in a mass grave inside the Navasota City Cemetery, now called Oakland Cemetery.

Ackerman, E. Adams, Pickney Ade, John, Alston, E. B. Ashforth, Mrs. Atchinson, Mrs. Lucy Ballinger, H. Bannerman (a stranger) Baptiste, Charles (a German) Bass, C. C. Bass, William Beasley, Dr. Beasly, Mrs. Betts, Hannah, freed woman Black, child of Mrs. Black Black, child of Mrs. Black Black, Mrs. Blackburn, Col. E. P. Blackburn, Tommie Blackshear, Gen. T. E. Brown, Mrs. Brown, Sarah A. Brown, Sol Brown, T. W. Buffington, Cornelia Campbell, Dr. A. Clark, ? Clark, Mrs. Clark, Mrs. Tom Clune, D. D. Cole, Jack Cook, James Cook, John W. Cook, Miss Ann Cook, Sam Cook, Thomas Cook, William Cook, David Sr. Cordios, Mercer Davis, Kate Davis, Mr. (a writing master) Dixon, Robert

Donnelly, Capt. B. Dunaway, George Farley, ? Fisher, Ella Fox, Charles Freeman, Eugene Geisler, John George, Jim, freedman Gibbs, Mrs. Willie Gillen, Mrs. Godsey, Mrs. Godsey, Mrs. Mary Godwin, Jessie Goodman, child of Mrs. Goodman Goodman, J. Goodman, Mrs. Goodwin, J. R. Goodwin, Millie Greer, D. D. Greer, Miss Ann Hamilton, L. F. Harris, B. E. Harris, Belle Harris, China Harris, E. E. Harris, John Harris, Lucy Harris, Mrs. Susan Hart, John Huckaby, Calvin Huckaby, Mrs. Huckaby, 5 children of Mrs. Huckaby Ireson, Annie N. Ireson, Robbie Johnson, Mrs. E. D. Jones, Dr. J. N. Jones, W. J. Jones, W. R. Kintz, child of Mr. Kintz Lewelyn, Mrs. Lyle, Thomas McCann, John McCann, Mary McCann, Neal McCarthy, Miss M. McEachern, Eppie McEachern, Mrs. Miller, Ferdinand Miller, Kate (a child of F. Miller)


Miller, Mr. (a German) Miskell, Mrs. J. Moore, Miss Jennie Morris, Dick (barber) Morse, Col. Morse, Rufus Musgrove, Mr. Musgrove, Mrs. Nettles, Mrs. T. S. Nettles, Robert Nettles, Tom Nettles, William Post, Allen Priest, Charles Pye, Mr. Rainey, L., freed man Ringgold, Mrs. Roberts, Mr. (of telegraph office) Roberts, Mrs. Ross, Mrs. Jane Russell, Dr. J. W. Schrader, Gustave Shelton, William H. Singletary, L. L. Smith, Dr. Paul Smith, Dr. Pryor H. Smith, Frank Smith, John, freed man Smith, Miss Carrie Smith, Miss Jessie Smith, Mrs. P. H. Smith, Stanhope Stacey, child of William W. Stacey Stevens , Mollie Stevens , A youth at Dr. Cades' Stewart, child of Mr. Kintz Swift, Hy Tabb, Noah, freed man Taylor, Mr. Thompson, P. Thorn, Thomas Treson, A. Tubb, Mrs. Tulob, Jr. Jesse Unknown, 2 Mexicans Unknown, 5 Freedmen Unknown, George Unknown, Griffe, colored child Unknown, Jack, freed man

Unknown, Jacob, freed man Unknown, Jerry, freed man Unknown, Kidd, freed boy Unknown, Martha, a freed woman Unknown, Mary, German girl Unknown, Peggy, freed woman Unknown, Peyton, freed man Unknown, Frenchman Unknown, German Unknown, colored child Unknown, colored child Unknown, freed boy Unknown, a negro girl Unknown, Child of Bunting's Vergal, Franklin, Vergal, Hermann, Wadlington, Mr. Wadlington, Mrs. Walker, Mrs. Waller, 2 children of J. Waller Walthall, Mr. Wharton, Mr. Williams, J. E. Williams, Miss Jessie Williams, Mrs. E. Williams James, Jr, Winders, J. A. Wohl, Eugene Woodward, Mrs. Woodwin, Mrs. J. R.


NEY, ELISABET (1833–1907). Franzisca Bernadina Wilhelmina Elisabeth Ney, one of the first professional sculptors in Texas, was born in Münster, Westphalia, on January 26, 1833, to Johann Adam and Anna Elizabeth (Wernze) Ney, a Catholic stonecarver and his wife. Ney enrolled at the Munich Academy of Art in 1852 and, after her graduation two years later, moved to Berlin, where she studied with Christian Daniel Rauch, one of the foremost sculptors in Europe in the mid-nineteenth century. Under Rauch's tutelage, Ney developed a classical style in the German tradition, with a tendency toward realism and faithfulness to accurate scale. Through Rauch, she also became acquainted with Berlin's artistic and intellectual elite and sculpted her first works, among them portraits of such luminaries as Jacob Grimm and Alexander von Humboldt. During the late 1850s and 1860s Ney led a peripatetic life, traveling around Europe to complete portraits of intellectual and political leaders. Among her best-known works from this period are portrait busts of Arthur Schopenhauer, Giuseppi Garibaldi, and Otto von Bismarck and a full-length statue of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. On November 7, 1863, in Madeira, Ney married Edmund D. Montgomery, a Scottish physician and scientist. They left Europe in 1871 and settled briefly in Thomasville, Georgia, where their two sons were born. In 1872 Ney moved with her family to Texas and purchased Liendo Plantation in Waller County, where Ney, for much of the next twenty years, managed the plantation while Montgomery busied himself with his scientific work. After visiting Austin at the invitation of Governor Oran M. Roberts in the 1880s, Ney decided to resume her artistic career. She built a studio (now the Elisabet Ney Museum) in the Hyde Park area of Austin in 1892 and began lobbying notable citizens and the state legislature for commissions. During

the next fifteen years she completed a number of portrait busts as well as statues of Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, now in the state Capitol, and a memorial to Albert Sidney Johnston, in the State Cemetery. Copies of the Austin and Houston statues are also in the United States Capitol. One of her few ideal pieces, a depiction of Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth, was also a major project during her Austin years; the marble is now displayed in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American Art. In addition to her sculpting, Ney took an active role in artistic and civic activities in Austin, where she died on June 29, 1907. Four years later a number of her supporters founded the Texas Fine Arts Association in her honor.

Elizabet Ney


Liendo Plantation

Liendo Plantation, a beautiful Greek Revival style plantation home, was built in 1853 as the centerpiece to one of Texas’ earliest cotton plantations. Today, Liendo still stands, lovingly restored and maintained as a National historic landmark, a private home and a working cattle ranch. A true gem of historical preservation in modern day Texas, Liendo has stood the test of time. From tours and living history events to weddings and corporate events, guests can share in more than 160 years of Texas history at the lovely Liendo Plantation.

The name Liendo Plantation honors Justo Liendo, the owner of the orignal land grant on which the home was built. The land was later purchased by Leonard Groce, one of the most respected land owners in early Texas, and became the ideal location to build his new home Liendo Plantation. It was considered to be the social center of state at the time, receiving and lavishly entertaining early Texas dignitaries. Frequent guests included many of the founding fathers of our great state. Liendo was considered a typical Southern plantation, built by slave labor and sufficient in all its needs, it was a self contained community. Like most Southern plantations, Liendo fell on hard times after the Civil War and changed owners several times thereafter.

Liendo had always been recognized for its warm Southern hospitality, but few people know that this same tradition of generosity probably saved it from destruction. Among the more notable statesmen and historical figures that have spent time at Liendo was George A. Custer. At the end of the Civil War, he was stationed at Liendo. It is said that both Mr. Custer and his wife were so impressed with the plantation and the gracious hospitality shown to them during their stay that they made sure Liendo was not harmed in any way in appreciation.

Liendo was also occupied by world renowned sculptress Elisabet Ney and her husband Dr. Edmond Montgomery from 1873 to 1911. She and her husband had immigrated years before from Europe to the United States but had never found a new home until they found Liendo. It is reported that Elisabet, upon arriving at Liendo, walked out on the balcony, threw out her arms and said “This is where I will live and die.” She lived out her life at Liendo, commuting to her art studio in Austin. She and Dr. Montgomery are buried on the Plantation grounds. She sculpted many notable works, two of her most recognized pieces being the statues of Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston which now stand in the state capital in Austin. In 1960 Carl and Phylis Detering purchased Liendo from Miss Willene Compton and began their 10 year job of restoring the plantation home. Traveling throughout the deep South and Europe, the Deterings acquired period furnishings and faithfully restored Liendo to its former glory. Liendo is recognized as a Texas historic landmark and is listed on the national register of historic places. Today, Will Detering owns and operates Liendo Plantation and continues the work of preserving and sharing this Texas landmark.

http://liendoplantation.com/liendo/

http://liendoplantation.com/liendo/


Russell Cushman Russell Cushman is an artist, historian and community leader who has established a massive legacy in American art. A graduate of Sam Houston State University, Russell has worked over thirty years as a free lance artist, book illustrator and wildlife and history muralist. He has traveled and painted on location throughout the American West, the Caribbean, and New Zealand. When you look at his work you will see a rare diversity of subjects, including cowboys, wildlife, nautical, portraits, seascapes and landscapes. Still, Russell's favorite subjects are those relating to his Texas heritage, such as his thirty foot long Battle of Galveston diorama at Houston Baptist University. Born in Houston, Russell has been married for over thirty years to Linda, and they have lived in Navasota for twenty years, where they raised their daughter Raegan, now 22. They love the beauty and heritage of the Brazos Valley, and have been perfectly matched to this inspiring community. Russell has been instrumental in local historic preservation organizations, and has been elected twice to the Navasota City Council. A master artist with rare versatility, he is a devoted scholar who can be counted on to create truthful and timeless imagery. Russell works equally well in oils, watercolor, acrylics and sculpts in clay, bronze, epoxy and steel. His monumental sculptures and epic-sized nature and historical murals are landmarks in the Brazos Valley of Texas. His most famous is a 140 foot mural depicting virgin Texas in 1845, which surrounds the second story interior of the Star of the Republic Museum at Washington on the Brazos. One of his recent sculptures, a life-sized Texas longhorn steer, greets tourists at Terminal D in Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport. Visit http://russellcushman.com for more information.

A longhorn sculpture commissioned by

Stelzig Ranch western wear store, at Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Russell Cushman created this life sized

bronze statue of Texas Ranger Frank Hamer in front of the Navasota City Hall

building in 2012.


The Grimes County Heritage Book is a great addition to your family library. It contains the history of our county as well as family histories of Grimes County Residents. Each book is $75 each.

We have copies of the Navasota Bluebonnet on sale for only $30 each. This book has 100 years of newspaper articles from 1854-1954 in Navasota.

We also have the Grimes County Cemetery Books Volumes 1 thru 4. They are $30 each or you can purchase all 4 for $100

Volume 1 - North (Bedias/Iola/Keith)

Volume 2 - Central (Anderson/Shiro/Roans Prairie/Singleton)

Volume 3 - South (Courtney/Plantersville)

Volume 4 - Navasota

Grimes County Historical Commission September 2016 · GRIMES COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION...

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