Advertisement
Published: June 18th 2019
Edit Blog Post
It was June 8, 2019 when we had our Nacogdoches Blueberry Festival. I got to park my truck at the Sterne-Hoya Museum & Library; so I started my Blueberry Festival there.
Adolphus Sterne has the oldest house remaining in Nacogdoches. Sterne was one of the three most important people involved in the independence of Tejas from Mexico. Sam Houston was the most important political and military leader for Texas independence; who made his home at the Sterne home, while not traveling on business. TJ Rusk was the third leader of Texas independence who lived an easy horse ride to the Sterne house. I wish I could go back in time to one of the many independence meetings at the Sterne home to hear the planning of those three leaders.
Adolphus Sterne was directly involved in the 1832 Battle of Nacogdoches; a big victory over the Mexican army.
Davy Crockett stayed at the Sterne home on the way to the Alamo, where his luck ran out.
Adolphus Sterne was raised in New Orleans where he made his fortune before moving to Nacogdoches. Sterne returned to New Orleans and financed and recruited two companies of the "New Orleans Greys".
The first company of the Greys camped outside the Sterne home then made their way to the Alamo where their luck ran out. The second company of the New Orleans Greys went to fight Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna at San Jacinto and had much better luck.
Then a city block away is the Eugenia Sterne (City) Park. There is the seven flags of Nacogdoches. More important to me is the statue of Sam Houston and Chief Bowles (really named Chief Duwali; the name Bowles was Anglo disrespect for a good peace loving man) for the critical signing of a very important treaty with the combined Cherokee East Texas nation. The Texas independence army was vastly inferior in weapons, training, and organization to that of the army of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. (The only advantage Sam Houston had against Santa Anna was superior leadership.) That treaty gave Sam Houston and his soldiers a small chance of survival at war with Santa Anna cuz they no longer had to defend their North West flank against the combined Cherokee Nation.
Next was the short walk to the CVC (Charles Bright Visitor Center), the first place to look for information
Sterne-Hoya Museum Library
Aldolphus Sterne Historic Marker on historic Nacogdoches and Texas independence. The CVC is located at the Nacodoches Square in downtown Nacogdoches on East Main Street. They have the best collection of exhibits of historic Nacogdoches. The CVC is also the center of the Blueberry Festival with the live intertainment; and food and other vendors including the all important blueberries. One good church every year is always giving out free cold bottled water there to everybody walking by.
Then I walked to the far end of the festival to the Durst-Tayler Museum and Garden. Durst has the second oldest remaining house in Nacogdoches. Durst made money donations for Texas independence. Their figs, pears, and veggies are free to the public.
On my walk back to my truck I went by the Roland Jones House, now a high end affordable B&B. This house was completed in 1897, long after Texas independence, and a few years after Roland Jones passed on. The very costly renovation was made by the wealthy local Mast family. Unlike last year they had a new sign to keep festival people off their nice veranda.
Finally, dripping with sweat, I walked back to my truck (Old Blue) and drove home.
Again the Blueberry Festival was a wonderful day!
completed
Advertisement
Tot: 0.071s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 10; qc: 30; dbt: 0.0387s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb