May 9, 2026
Introduction
It seems that these posts are getting fewer and farther between. It’s true. Various factors have kept us from going on new adventures, chief among them being what I refer to as the infamous Three Ws. Sadly, our schedule this summer will be cutting into our ability to go out and explore new places far from home for a while.
So, in anticipation of a mostly stay-at-home summer, we took an opportunity to go back to Houston County to explore some areas we’ve never visited before.
Houston County is guaranteed to provide some interesting surprises. I often tell people, “You can throw a rock in Houston County and it will land where something significant or interesting happened.” There are many well-maintained county dirt roads, several ghost communities, old churches and other structures, scenic views, and historical markers tucked away in hidden corners throughout the county.
It is difficult to properly express how beautiful an area can be. I try to capture some of the “magic” in the photos in these posts, but they are but a pale reflection of how wonderful some of these locations really are. Season, time of day, weather, and one’s own mood all play parts in the experience. So, one must see them for oneself to truly appreciate them. All that being said, I have loaded this post up with nearly four dozen images–and they come nowhere near doing this trip justice. It was one of the most beautiful and interesting drives that Kristi and I have been on in a very long time–a fitting climax ahead of our planned hiatus.
I’ve broken up the trip into two routes. Each is divided into sections. Hopefully that will make it easier to reference in case anyone wants to come back to this post for research purposes. But if reading my long-winded posts isn’t of interest to you, then just scroll through and look at the pictures. No judgement!
Route: More Houston County Surprises, Part I
Brewington Baptist Church
Kristi went looking for information on historic churches in the area and found an article that listed Brewington Baptist Church as one of the oldest churches in Houston County. So, after eating lunch at one of our favorite diners, we decided to go look at it.
Starting at Loop 304 in Crockett, we took FM 2022 North (see map link, above) and drove through some beautiful countryside up to FM 227. Along the way we spotted a couple of historical markers. The first was for Jones School House, a one-room multi-purpose log cabin built in the 1860s (or possibly in the 1850s) that was part of a small settlement. The settlement was originally named Jones School House, too, but was later renamed Grounds–after John Grounds–an early settler. The actual site is on private property.
The John Edens Cemetery marker is located a few miles north of Jones School House. The actual site of the cemetery is on private property within the boundary of the Davy Crockett National Forest. It is the resting place of several individuals who were killed in an Indian massacre in 1838, which is described in more detail in the section about Augusta, Texas, below.
After turning east (right) onto FM 227 and driving a short distance, we turned right onto County Road 1675. Brewington Baptist Church is located on the left near the junction.
Houston County is dotted with many abandoned communities that were formed during the early settlement of Mexican Texas and the Republic, and Freedom Colonies that were created after the end of slavery (see Halls Bluff and Wheeler Springs, Freedom Colonies, Abandoned Places, A Quick Trip). Remnants of some of these communities still exist today.
Brewington Baptist Church was founded to serve the freed slaves who lived in the nearby communities of Percilla, Augusta, and Glover. The original chapel was built in 1880. It burned down in 1906 and was replaced with the present structure. The site was given a historical marker in 2014.
Tree Plantation
Our next stop was the nearby community of Augusta. Both FM 227 (a paved road) and County Road 1675 (a dirt road) lead to Augusta from the church. Guess which road we chose to take!
Hopefully you know that we picked the dirt road…
There is at least one large tree plantation along this route. Tree plantations (aka, tree farms) play an important role in reforestation and sustainable timber production, as well as reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Check out a satellite map of any section of East Texas forest and you’ll notice that a lot of trees grow in evenly spaced rows. These areas are all replanted forest. Some are tree plantations.
Texas has experienced a net loss of 140 kilo hectares in tree cover over the past 25 years. While this may sound like a frightening trend, consider that an estimated 90% of Texas forests were cut down during the Bonanza Era of lumber production in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There are more trees now than at the end of that period. Also, the rate of forest loss over the past 10+ years has been steadily decreasing, and efforts are being made by various groups to restore and preserve East Texas forests.
Growing trees capture and store CO2 from the atmosphere. This is called “sequestration.” Sequestered carbon remains locked in the wood as long as the tree is alive or if it is cut and used to make wood products. The process continues with the replanted trees. As long as there is net growth in a forest, it will continue to remove more CO2 than it releases (via decay or fire). Exactly how much CO2 is removed from the air by tree plantations is debated, but I believe that it is generally agreed that having more trees is beneficial.
The first leg of the drive down County Road 1675 wasn’t very long, but it was very pretty with lots of trees and only a few houses.
We drove out of the woods into a clearing along the edge of a large pasture. A very large stock tank–really, a small lake–is located in the center of the pasture, adding to the idyllic scenery.
A Milestone!
It was at that point that our 2019 Chevy Colorado achieved a milestone: 70,000 miles!
Little Truck has been a good truck the past 7 ½ years. It has had very few mechanical issues and has taken us on a lot of adventures!
Post Oak…Cemetary?
Sitting atop a hill overlooking the large pasture is Post Oak Cemetery. Or Post Oak Cemetary, depending on whom you may ask, I suppose. Different signs used different names, and I have wondered if there is a story behind that. If the contact info outside the gate had included a phone number, then I would have called to inquire regarding the discrepancy.
The view of the pasture from the cemetery was amazing. The photos don’t capture the beauty of the place.
It appears that someone attempted to bring the “Cemetary” and “Cemetery” factions together with a sign that uses both spellings. Although, I suppose that it is arguable that the Cemetery faction considered themselves the winner of the argument since 1) that is the correct spelling, and 2) it appears in the ring that surrounds the other spelling. Or maybe I’m reading too much into it…
Regardless of the hypothetical strife outlined above, it is obvious that the people who manage the cemetery do so with loving care. We did not explore it thoroughly, but everything we saw was well-maintained.
After our brief stop at Post Oak <choose your spelling>, we continued down CR 1675 to Augusta. The closer we got to town, the more houses we saw along the road.
Augusta, Texas
CR 1675 ends at FM 227 in Augusta. We turned left and proceeded to a small park on the west side of the community where several historical markers stand in a row:
At a glance, Augusta’s quiet, rural isolation belies its prominence in Texas history. The markers above give some indication of its importance, but don’t tell the whole story. And although I don’t think it is possible to tell the entire story without writing a book, I will attempt to add some relevant highlights below.
Daniel McLean
Daniel McLean was a member of the ill-fated Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition of 1812-13. José Bernardo Maximiliano Gutiérrez de Lara, who supported Mexican independence from Spain, traveled to Washington, D.C. in an attempt to obtain support for an expedition to secure control of Texas. His plan was to use Texas as a base of operations to aid in the liberation of Mexico. Government officials did not appear to be against Gutiérrez’s plan but did not provide direct support. During his visit he met William Shaler, a prominent merchant and consul who was a strong supporter of republicanism. Shaler traveled with Gutiérrez to Natchitoches, Louisiana and helped organize a group of filibusters (private individuals engaging in an unofficial military expedition). Daniel McLean joined the group, and Lt. Augustus Magee took command.
The expedition had some early successes but were ultimately defeated by royalist forces (those loyal to Spain) at the Battle of Medina. Most of the survivors, including McLean, escaped to Louisiana. McClean settled in Natchitoches.
After Mexico gained its independence and opened Texas for Anglo-American colonization, McClean settled in what is now Augusta. He is credited as one of the first permanent settlers in Houston County. He and his brother-in-law, John Sheridan, were killed near present-day Elkhart, Texas while pursuing a group of Indians who had stolen some horses.
Edens-Madden Massacre
The political situation in Texas was far from settled for quite some time after it gained its independence from Mexico. Several East Texas Indian tribes, who were rightfully angry about broken treaties and agreements to protect their lands from settlers, collaborated with the Mexican government’s effort to regain control of the region.
Eligible men from Augusta answered the call for soldiers to fight against the Indians. They were deployed to Fort Houston (near Palestine), and several women, children, and older men who stayed behind gathered together in the home of John Edens. These included members of the Edens and Madden families, as well as others. The dogtrot-style log house was often used as a gathering place during times of danger. The women and children slept in a room on one side of the breezeway, and the men slept in a room on the other side.
On the night of October 18, 1838, a group of Indians (possibly Kickapoo) attacked the house, entering the room with the women and children and barricading the door. Details of the attack vary, but what is certain is that the victims were quickly overwhelmed and brutally slaughtered. John Edens is said to have come up on the scene, fired a shot from his pistol, and then retreated into the woods thinking that all in the house had perished. James Madden was chased through the woods by the Indians and narrowly escaped. The Indians set fire to the house before stealing the horses and other valuables and finally leaving. A few of the women and children did survive, however. Many of the dead were buried in the John Edens Cemetery, mentioned above.
John Grigsby
John Grigsby and his wife, Eliza Louisa, and family moved to East Texas from Indiana and settled somewhere near Tenaha in 1834. By 1838, the family had moved to Augusta and settled across the creek from the Edens family. Members of the Grigsby family were at home during the Edens-Madden Massacre, but they were not attacked. They did, however, flee into the woods.
As best I can tell, John Grigsby had a son named Crawford (or possibly John Crawford or Crawford John), who fought in the Battle of San Jacinto. In reward for his service, Crawford was granted a league and a labor of land in present-day Dallas County. (A “labor” of land is about 177 acres and is part of a measurement system used by the Spanish. A labor of land was given to settlers who established farms, and a league, which is 4,428 acres, was given to ranchers. Those who did both got a league AND a labor.)
John Grigsby drowned in the Trinity River in 1841 while taking a load of cotton to Galveston. Eliza married Bolis Edens, a son of John Edens, in 1842. She passed away in 1843, possibly due to complications from the birth of twins (one of whom did not survive). Crawford also passed away the same year. Legal transfer of the land grant was apparently difficult to resolve, but it was eventually divided and given to several individuals.
The original land grant was located in what is now Dallas, Texas–specifically, the areas occupied by Downtown, Uptown, Deep Elum, and Oak Lawn. So, there are connections among the tiny community of Augusta, the Texas Revolution, and the world-famous City of Dallas.
The three stories above illustrate how a seemingly insignificant “spot in the road” can actually have a rich history with individuals who had far-reaching impacts. If you happen to drive through Augusta, Texas, reflect for a moment that people who once lived there had a connection to important historical events and other important places. And who knows what history will say of the people who live there now?
Route: More Houston County Surprises, Part II
Augusta Cemetery
The next leg of our adventure took us north of Augusta, starting on County Road 1680. The Augusta Cemetery is located near town on the right.
Augusta Cemetery has two entrances, sort of. The outer gate is located along the county road. A tree-lined driveway leads back to the main part of the cemetery.
A historical marker is located by the inner gate. Most of the graves are located in this section, but a few graves and a war memorial are located in the newer section between the gates.
Darius Edens, son of John Edens, has a historical marker next to his grave.
A war memorial in the front portion of the cemetery lists the names of veterans of all of the major conflicts who are buried here.
More Surprises
Continuing along CR 1680 from the cemetery, we drove deeper into the northeast Houston County woods. There are a few houses and ranches through here, but the whole area feels far away from the activity of the nearby highways and towns.
After a while we turned left onto County Road 1750 and followed it to the junction with County Road 1745. Cell service is weak in this area, and Google Maps wasn’t giving us a clear indication of our route, so I pulled over to get my bearings. Kristi pointed toward the driver side of the truck and said, “There’s a historical marker!” Being engaged with trying to figure out the map, I didn’t notice this marker that was right outside my window!
Like I keep saying, there’s always something to find in Houston County!
A short distance from the marker, we came to a very pretty scene along Rich Creek. I stopped on the bridge and made a short video of it. (I wish I had thought to shut off the engine!)
End of the Journey
CR 1745 ends at County Road 1720 near the bridge we stopped on. We followed CR 1720 south a short way…
…and then turned right onto County Road 1737, which took us to FM 228.
And thus ended our dirt road adventure for the day!
FM 228 took us to Grapeland, where we got back onto TX-19 and headed south to Crockett. Along the way we decided to take TX-21 to Madisonville to eat dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.
And when we pulled into the parking space in front of the restaurant, the odometer read 70107, which I thought made a nice symmetrical number.
As of this writing, it has been close to two months since our adventure. As stated at the beginning, long-ish trips are on pause for a while. Hopefully we’ll be able to get back to our regular adventures in another month or so. There are more places in Houston County and beyond that we want to explore.