Wilbarger's Bend
Crossing west across the Colorado at Nash's Ferry, the first bend in the Colorado is Wilbarger's Bend, named after Josiah Pugh Wilbarger, most famously remembered as one of a few people to survive having been scalped by Indians. That occurred in Austin in 1832.
At the intersection of FM 969 and Wilbarger Bend Road is this marker, erected by the descendants of Josiah Wilbarger (30.175747,-97.415568).
At the intersection of FM 969 and Wilbarger Bend Road is this marker, erected by the descendants of Josiah Wilbarger (30.175747,-97.415568).
Wilbarger's Bend. Founded in 1827 by Josiah Pugh Wilbarger of Austin's Colony. Beginning of Wilbarger's Trace, blazed by his son James Harvey Wilbarger 1860 with slaves and ox-wagons carrying commerce to Corpus Christi and Matamoros, Mex. Erected by Descendants, 1926
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| Bluff Trail Overlook marker, McKinney Roughs Park |
From the Bluff Trail Overlook marker:
The bluff stands 80 feet above the Colorado River at Wilbarger Bend. Josiah Wilbarger was an early settler whose family owned the land on the opposite side of the river during the 1800s. Josiah was one of a few Texans who were scalped and lived to tell the story. There was also a lumber mill just east (downstream) of this overlook, known as McKinney's Mill. The mill was located on the Colorado River to transport pine, cedar and cottonwood lumber to surrounding communities along the river. The steep bluffs and canyons that are the namesakes of McKinney Roughs are the remnants of ancient oyster beds and offshore reefs. These areas are harder ground than the surrounding sandy soils that have eroded away to form the steep canyons within the park.
WILBARGER, JOSIAH PUGH (1801-1844) Josiah Pugh Wilbarger was one of the earliest settlers in Texas. Wilbarger and his wife Margaret arrived at Matagorda on Dec. 26, 1827. Wilbarger taught at Matagorda for a year before moving to La Grange, where he taught and did surveying until he settled in Stephen F. Austin's colony in a bend of the Colorado River 10 miles above the site of present Bastrop. This is the land on the opposite side of the river. He was granted a league of land (about 4,428 acres) in January 1832.
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| View of Willbarger's Bend from the bluff |
Union Hill Missionary Baptist Church
Continuing west on FM 969, the next bend in the Colorado is Pope Bend. At the tip where FM 969 passes is another historical marker (30.188459,-97.421529), one of several on the road to Austin relating to slavery during the early years of Texas. The marker reads:
Union Hill Missionary Baptist Church. According to local tradition this site was used by area slaves for gathering purposes. Silvie Story, William Hill, Martha Young, Paulie Johnson, Grant McBride, and Martha J. Hill organized this church in 1864 with the help of the Rev. Joshua Brice. Early baptisms took place in the Colorado River. By 1900 the congregation consisted of about 20 members. The C. M. Rogers family deeded 9 acres to the church in the early 1900s. An educational facility was built in 1976 and a new sanctuary in 1988. The congregation continues to provide worship and educational services for the community.
Site of Home of Col. Robert Coleman
Site of the Home of Col. Robert M. Coleman (1799-1837). Signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Aide-de-camp to Gen. Houston at San Jacinto. Commander of a regiment of Rangers 1836-37. Here his widow Mrs. Elizabeth Coleman and son, Albert V. Coleman were killed by Indians and Thomas Coleman, aged five was captured February 18, 1839. Erected by the State of Texas. 1936
A supplemental plaque was added to the marker in 1968:
Robert M. Coleman was the first "President" (title given by Mexican government) of Municipality of Mina, 1834; commandant, Fort Coleman, built 1836 for protection against Indians. A county on frontier was named for him in 1858. His homesite was about 1/2 mile to the south.
Fort Colorado, also known as Coleman's Fort, near the intersection of FM 969 and Webberville Road west of here was built in 1836 by Col. Robert Coleman and first garrisoned by companies of his ranger battalion. Coleman drowned in 1837, in Velasco, Texas, while bathing at the mouth of the Brazos River. His burial site apparently unknown. He was survived by his wife Elizabeth and their three boys and two girls who continued to live here at the Coleman home near Webberville.
In the winter of 1839 John H. Moore commanded three companies of Texas volunteers in a campaign against Comanches up the Colorado River. Early on the morning of February 14th, near the confluence of the San Saba and Colorado Rivers (present day San Saba, TX), Moore's expedition attacked a camp of sleeping Peneteka Comanches. Despite Moore's element of surprise, the assault did not go well. Noah Smithwick, a member of the expedition called the campaign "disastrous", adding that "The Comanches, thirsting for revenge, at once made a raid on the settlements" (p.157), the attack on the Coleman home being part of that raid. Trail wise it is worth noting all this activity is taking place up and down the Colorado river.
The Comanches attacked the Coleman cabin about 10 a.m. on February 18th. As described on the marker, in the ensuing fight, Elizabeth and her son Albert (14 yrs) were killed. Thomas (5 yrs) was taken hostage by the Comanches. Her eldest son, James, who was working in the fields, and her two daughters who hid inside the cabin, survived.
After attacking the Coleman cabin the Comanches attacked various other settlers in the area until evening at which time they rode north. Settlers in Bastrop organized a retaliatory expedition following the trail of the Comanches, reaching them before noon the following day north of Post Oak Island, near Brushy Creek near present day Taylor TX. The ensuing battle came to be known as the Battle of Brushy Creek.
The snippet from Cordova's 1856 Map of Texas shows the path of the Comanches, from this the site of the Coleman's home, to the Battle of Brushy Creek near Post Oak Island. So the current road "Comanche Trail" that intersects here with FM 969 is aptly named, and may well reflect the trail taken north by the Comanches.
What became of Thomas? As was sometimes the case with young children taken hostage (e.g. Cynthia Ann Parker), he apparently adapted to the lifestyle of his captors. He was located and persuaded to return to home briefly in about 1848-1949, but eventually returned to live with his Indian family for the balance of his life (Fate Worse than Death, p. 482).
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| Present day Comanche Trail runs north from the site of the home |
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| View behind historical marker. Home was located 1/2 mi. south |
John Henry Moore, Handbook of Texas
Site of a Twin Blockhouse (owned by John H. Moore), historic marker
Joseph J. Manor Cemetery
Off FM 969 on a high hill overlooking Webber prairie is the Joseph J. Manor Cemetery. As a marker indicates, this is a Texas Historic Cemetery. To reach there go north on Webberwood Way, then left on Sandy Brown Ln (30.229673, -97.489637). The marker erected by the Texas Historical Commission in 2001 reads:
Joseph J. Manor (1818-1884) came to Texas from Tennessee at age twenty, settling finally in Webberville, where he acquired land and opened a store and cotton gin. He married Caroline Scott (1830-1851) in 1847; both are laid to rest here, as are other early area pioneers. Veterans of the war of 1812, the Texas Revolution, the Mexican War, Indian conflicts, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam are buried and honored at this site, some with national markers. An association formed in 1982 oversees the care of this cemetery that records the lives of many area settlers and their descendants.Joseph J. Manor was the brother of James Manor, after which the town of Manor, Texas was named.
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| Joseph J. Manor, namesake of the cemetery, and wife Julia |
In the cemetery is a 1936 Texas Centennial historic marker for George Self. George Self came to Texas in 1835 for one-third league of land issued to him January 19, 1838, by the Bastrop County Board of Land Commissioners. He lived in Bastrop, County until December 1845. February 1836, George Self enlisted in Captain Jesse Billingsley's company of Mina Volunteers, was discharged June 1836 and enlisted in Captain John G. McGehee's company of Mounted Riflemen November 1836. On May 1838 he received 640 acres of land for having participated in the Battle of San Jacinto (San Jacinto Museum of History, George Self biography).
His marker reads
"George Self. A member of Captain Jesse Billingsley’s company at the Battle of San Jacinto April 21, 1836. Died in March, 1856."
The cemetery includes a number of historic markers dedicated to Edmistons covering service in the War of 1812, Texas Revolution, the Woll Expedition, the "Archive War", Indian battles, Mexican War, and Civil War. For James and David Edmiston, notice the crosses that mark the graves of Texas Rangers.
In memory of Zubulon Edmiston. Serg. West Tenn Vols, War of 1812. Mar 20 1789 - Oct 29 1831
James Euwin Edmiston (1820-1892). An Arkansas native, James Euwin Edmiston came to Texas in 1835, settling near present Webberville. He was a Texas Ranger during the Texas Revolution, and took part in several Indian battles in this area. He was involved in the Woll Expedition and the Archive War in 1842. He later served in two Travis County Ranger companies before moving to Sonora, California, in 1849. He was awarded a pension from the State of Texas for his Republic of Texas military service.
David Crawford Edmiston (March 2, 1825 - January 8, 1903). A native of Arkansas, David C. Edmiston came to Texas with his family in 1835. As a young man David served with a frontier defense unit of the Texas Rangers. He later served as a Ranger in the Mexican War and was a soldier in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Married to the former Rhoda Bowen in 1856, he was the father of eleven children. His Webberville farmstead remains as a visible reminder of the area’s heritage.
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