Signs of Spring
(Richmond • )
We live in Richmond, Texas, a quiet little county seat nestled in among the twists and turns of the Brazos River.
I don’t write much about Richmond but surely should rectify that oversight, steeped as it is in history and charm. Aug. 16, 1889, for instance, in the aftermath of what passes for an election around here:
Most of the action took place around the courthouse, the National Hotel, and the McFarlane residence. After about twenty minutes of exchange of shots, the Woodpecker combatants retreated to the courthouse and left the Jaybirds in possession of the town. The casualties were heavy. Jaybirds from all parts of the county hurried to Richmond in anticipation of further hostilities, but there was no renewal of the conflict. The Houston Light Guards arrived to establish martial law, and Governor Lawrence S. Ross and the Brenham Light Guards arrived on August 17.
Today all that is but a faint collective memory, as the places upon which those turn-of-the-century bullets came to rest have since mostly been replaced by quaint bail bonds businesses.
Even though the town is small – fewer than 14,000 souls – many seldom-seen nooks and crannies remain to be explored. A companion and I visited one of them just this afternoon, the drive into late spring horse country its own reward, but nonetheless enhanced by just the kind of Texas-friendly welcome we’ve come to expect hereabouts.
→ B.Dunn, May 07, 2009, 03 06 pm
