SAM HOUSTON WAS A BIG MAN

(MARCH 12, 2018) Today was another beautiful day in the Lone Star State, but I awoke to a bunch of text messages and photo from friend back in Virginia complaining about the snow. From what I could understand Virginia was getting a significant snow storm that dropped anywhere from 3-8 inches depending where you were. Glad I am in Texas.

I haven't quiet adjusted to daylight savings time yet. That couple with being on Central time has kind of mess with my inner clock. With that being said I didn't get away from the hotel this morning until 9:30. But that was ok, I had planned on spending most of the day here in Huntsville.

My first stop was at Oakwood Cemetery which is the final resting place of Sam Houston, who was the only man to be a President, Governor of two different states. Sam Houston served as the 1st and 3rd President of the republic of Texas. He also served as the 6th Governor of Tennessee and later served at the 7th Governor of Texas.

Sam Houston lived here in Huntsville during his later years. He died here in the "Steamboat House" and his funeral was held there. An interesting fact is the Steamboat house once stood in this Cemetery. His funeral was held in the House and he was carried just a short distance to this site where he is resting.

After visiting His grave site I headed across town to the Sam Houston Museum and a visit to the Steamboat House in its new location.  My route across town took me right by the Texas State Prison known as the Walls Units.

The Walls units is the oldest prison in the Texas Department of Corrections System. It sites right in the middle of  Downtown Huntsville and basically today's town was built around it. The Walls Unit opened in 1849 and today houses over 1,700 of the state worst criminals.  The Walls Unit is also the home of the Texas Execution Chamber, which is the most active in the Country. Since 1982, over 500 inmates have been executed here.

Just a short drive from the prison is the Sam Houston Museum. It is a living history museum that is administered by Sam Houston State University.

On site are a number of reconstructed building that resemble what the Houston Farm looked like when Sam and His wife lived Here.  Also in about 1936, the Steamboat House was disassembled and move from it's original site at Oakwood Cemetery to this site.

The Houston's original home "Woodland" is here and this is where their children were born. 

"Woodland" is an unusual house as it has an open breeze way with rooms on either side.  The children's rooms were on the second floor which also featured a breeze way where they could play.

Later in life Sam and Margaret moved into the Steamboat House across town. Sam was in poor health due to the wounds he suffered while in the military.  He spent his last years in the Steamboat house and died here on July 26, 1863. The next day his funeral was held in the upstairs parlor and at about 4 in the afternoon his body was carried down the front steps to his final resting place a couple of hundred yard away.

After the death of her husband, Margaret move to Independence, Texas near Waco where she died of yellow fever on December 3, 1867. Because she died of the fever, she was buried almost immediately and is resting today next to her mother on private property.

My final stop in Huntsville was at the Sam Houston Statue which stands adjacent to Interstate 45. When I say this is a large statue, I mean it is really large. At 67 feet tall, it is one of the tallest free standing statues in the county.

While is is visible from Interstate 45, you are not permitted to stop on the interstate. Access to the statue is through the visitors center that is locate on Texas Route 75 - The Sam Houston Parkway. Admission is Free.

I really enjoyed my time in Huntsville but by early afternoon it was time to make my way west to College Station , home of Texas A&M University.

It took me about an hour and a half to make the 60-miles from Huntsville to College State. The students were on spring break so it was relatively easy to make my way to the University.  There were a couple of things I wanted to see on campus. The first thing I stopped at was the Bonfire Memorial.

Every year before the football game with the Texas Longhorn, the Aggies would hold a huge pep rally around the gigantic bonfire. At approximately 2:45 a.m. on November 18, 1999 the 59-foot tall stack, consisting of over 5000 logs collapsed during construction. The collapsed killed 12 people and injured 27 more. Today, the bonfire site is marked by a circular memorial containing the names and images of the 12 people who died.

My final stop of the day was at Kyle Field, home of the Texas A & M. Aggies. The football stadium is one of the largest structures in College States and can be seen from just about anywhere in the city.  It has a total seating capacity of 102,733, making it the largest stadium inthe Southeastern Conference and the fourth largest stadium in the United States.

After a quick visit to Kyle Field it was time to call it a day and head to the Hotel.  I will spend the night here in College Station and tomorrow, I will make my way over to the George H. W. Bush (41) Presidential Library and Museum. Then it will be off to Dallas where I will spend the rest of the week.

TODAY'S MILES:   87
TOTAL MILES:       1,907