Texas Heroes Day 2020

Of the 17 victims of the Black bean Lottery, only 16 are entombed on Monument Hill. One of our volunteer interpreters shares the story of James L. Shepherd who couldn’t quite escape his fate: Following their attempted escape and drained by the long ordeal, most of the captured Texans accepted their fate and took their turns at drawing a bean from the jar. James Shepherd, only 17-years-old, was one of the unlucky ones. After the 17th fatal black bean had been drawn, the doomed men were provided pen, ink, and paper to write to friends and relatives. The men were then forced to kneel in front of a wall. For seconds that seemed like an eternity, silence filled the courtyard. Then the sharp command to fire shattered the stillness, and the first salvo began.   It was so loud. James was hit by a ball through the side of his cheek. His arm was broken by another ball. He fell forward on his face and pretended to be dead. The following morning, they found only 16 bodies. James had crawl...

“A motley, mixed-up crowd we were, you may be certain.  Broken-down politicians from the ‘Old States’ that somehow had got on the wrong side of the fence and been left out in the cold.  Renegades and refugees from justice, that had left their country for the country's good, and adventurers of all sorts, ready for anything or any enterprise that afforded a reasonable prospect of excitement and plunder. Dare-devils they were all, and afraid of nothing under the sun - except a due-bill or a bailiff.” – William A.A. “Bigfoot” Wallace describing the members of the Mier Expedition “Bigfoot” Wallace was a legendary pioneer soldier and Texas Ranger who originally came to Texas in 1836 after learning of his brother’s death in the Goliad Massacre. He attempted farming in the La Grange area but grew tired of the profession and eventually set out for Austin, then San Antonio. When General Woll invaded San Antonio in September 1842, Wallace joined fellow Texans in defending the city. In re...

  On September 15, 1842, Captain Nicholas Mosby Dawson organized a small company of volunteers beneath the branches of a large oak tree on the La Grange square. In the days prior, Dawson and his men had learned of General Woll’s invasion of San Antonio and planned to come to the city’s aid. Three days later, the Dawson company was overwhelmed by Mexican forces near Salado Creek in what would become known as the Dawson Massacre. The remains of those killed in the Dawson Massacre were eventually brought o Monument Hill and entombed on the bluff overlooking La Grange and its famous oak. For generations afterwards, Texans of Fayette County have gathered beneath the oak before heading off to war. Soldiers of the Civil War, Spanish American War, and both World Wars have bid farewell to friends and family from beneath its branches. The tree is now commonly called the “Muster Oak” and stands as a living tribute to all who have served Texas.

 As a member of the original “Old 300,” David Berry staked a land claim in 1832 that encompassed much of the Bluff area where Monument Hill is today. We don’t know if Berry built any structures on the land granted to him by Empresario Stephen Austin, but the tract eventually became the home of the Bluff community and prominent German immigrants like Heinrich Kreische. In September 1842, seventy-year-old David Berry answered the call to help defend San Antonio against General Woll’s invasion. Accompanied by his son-in-law, Harvey Hall, Berry met up with Dawson’s group of volunteers somewhere between present-day O’Quinn and Black Jack Springs. Legend has it that when someone suggested Berry was too old to fight, he placed a mark 70 paces away and shot it through the center to prove himself. Both Berry and Hall were killed during the Dawson Massacre on September 18, 1842. Six years later, his remains were bought to their final resting place – the land that he had once owned.

  Though Nicholas Mosby Dawson was not born in Texas, he is among Fayette County’s most honored Texas heroes. He and 35 of his men—those that fell near Salado Creek in the Dawson Massacre—are entombed on Monument Hill and are among those honored on Texas Heroes Day. Dawson moved to Texas in 1834, settling in Fayette County near his cousin, William Mosby Eastland (a later victim of the Black Bean Lottery). Mosby joined the Army of Texas in January 1836 and within a week of his enlistment, Dawson was elected as second lieutenant of his company. Three months later, he and his men helped seal Texas independence in the Battle of San Jacinto. Dawson had returned to Fayette County when he learned of Adrian Woll’s invasion and capture of San Antonio on September 11, 1842—one of several renewed attempts to harass the Texas frontier. Dawson organized a small company of 15 men and left La Grange. Recruits form neighboring counties joined Dawson’s company as they marched to San Antonio. ...

  For over 170 years, descendants and others have gathered on Monument Hill in remembrance of the Texans who died in the Dawson and Mier Expeditions. Among these commemorations was the one pictured here, exactly 85 years after the remains were first placed in a simple sandstone vault on the bluff overlooking La Grange. By the early 1930s, the old tomb had fallen into a state of disrepair. While several public officials and local citizens called for the removal of the remains to Austin, others advocated for investments in the tomb’s restoration. Fayette County residents formed the Monument Hill Memorial Association seeking to provide a new vault and to ask the state legislature to designate Monument Hill as a state park. On September 18, 1933, the Association welcomed guests from across Texas to unveil a new granite tomb enclosing the old one. “From the dawn of the day until the ceremonies were at an end, there was activity in our little city; friend vied with friend to welcome ...