Maybe I missed this while I was overseas, but the folks in Brazoria County have erected the long-discussed giant statue of Stephen F. Austin along Highway 288 outside of Angleton.

The idea was one I reported on 10 years ago as a newspaper reporter down there. The artist was the same guy who did the Sam Houston statue in Huntsville.

This must have just been done because the park, which I stopped by yesterday, is not even complete.

The base of the statue as of yesterday has a listing of all of the Old 300 colonists and the words "Stephen F. Austin Father of Texas" on it.

This is great and a good complement to the Houston statue. Now, maybe we can get one more here in Texas and have a triangle of statuary. Perhaps a giant Juan Seguin in Seguin or something (although the equestrian statue they have downtown is pretty darn cool already).





[This message has been edited by aalan94 (edited 2/21/2009 1:43p).]

The Houston statue, for comparison. These are both about the same height (60 feet, not counting base). The artist also did a park in Virginia (been there) that features busts (at this same scale) of all 43 U.S. Presidents as of 2007.

Interesting.

[This message has been edited by p_bubel (edited 2/21/2009 2:07p).]

It was up prior to December 2007, because that was the first time I saw it... don't get down there very often and driving by it was quite a pleasant surprise... and quick detour.

FYI, I thought this book was very good:

http://www.amazon.com/Stephen-F-Austin-Empresario-Texas/dp/0300090935

It's a little dry, but Austin was quite a complex individual.

Hmmm... So why did they put it in Angleton? Wouldn't it have gone better in San Felipe?

It's on my list of places to go in December on my Texian Iliad Tour

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So why did they put it in Angleton? Wouldn't it have gone better in San Felipe?

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Many of the original 300 families that Austin brought to Texas settled in the area around Brazoria County (county seat in Angleton).

There isn't anything in San Felipe except the park and the golf course. Great golf course.

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C'mon, it's Czechoslovakia. We zip in, we pick 'em up, we zip right out again. We're not going to Moscow. It's Czechoslovakia. It's like going into Wisconsin.----Private John Winger

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Brazoria County is smack in the middle of the old 300 colonies.

Stephen F. Austin's sister lived in Brazoria, and after San Felipe was burned, that was his only home. It's also home to Velasco (Now Surfside Beach), where the Treaty of Velasco was signed, and West Columbia (formerly Columbia), which was the first permanent capitol of the Republic of Texas.

Ultimately, the statue goes wherever the folks who want to pay for it live, so that's why the Brazoria folks won out.

Is it just me? I don't really think the bleached white finish of the statues is that attractive. What is it made out of?

(Nevermind... it is concrete)


[This message has been edited by Apache (edited 3/1/2009 10:44a).]

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Brazoria County is smack in the middle of the old 300 colonies.

Stephen F. Austin's sister lived in Brazoria, and after San Felipe was burned, that was his only home. It's also home to Velasco (Now Surfside Beach), where the Treaty of Velasco was signed, and West Columbia (formerly Columbia), which was the first permanent capitol of the Republic of Texas.

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Thanks. 7th grade was a long time ago.

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Ultimately, the statue goes wherever the folks who want to pay for it live, so that's why the Brazoria folks won out.

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Hey,the good folks of Angleton deserve the SFA statue after getting burned on the Intermedics deal (a nice tax abatement was given to entice Intermedics to move its facility from Freeport to Angleton. It was a good deal until 1999 when Sulzer Medica sold its electrophysiology division to Guidant Corporation, which promptly decided to close the Intermedics campus.)

Hopefully the SFA statue will stick around longer than Intermedics did. (disclosure: I live in Angleton)

I was born and raised in Austin County. That's why I asked my question.

I'd like to see Amarillo and/or Canyon commission a similar statue of Charles Goodnight or Quanah Parker (or maybe both, in a 2-for-1 deal) and have them erected on the edge of Palo Duro Canyon.

*sorry

There is a Goodnight statue next to the PPH Museum. I can't think of a Parker statue, but there are a series of twenty foot long arrows erected at various spots pertinent to native Americans

CanyonAg77 said:

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There is a Goodnight statue next to the PPH Museum. I can't think of a Parker statue, but there are a series of twenty foot long arrows erected at various spots pertinent to native Americans

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That's good to hear. When did the Goodnight statue go up? (I haven't been up that way in 10 years.)

Not sure. Probably in that time frame. It's on the east side, hard to see from the main road

BTW, it warms my heart to see that someone went to the effort to purchase the old Sad Monkey RR and do a major restoration job on it; and now it's in a somewhat sheltered area in town. When we came through in 2009 it was on private property off the road to PD Canyon (saved from the junkyard but still exposed to the elements). And then I saw on FB recently that there was a 60th anniversary for the Tex Randall statue (although the face looks a bit different from what I remember)

I bumbped this thread accidentally; I saw the Stephen F. Austin statue yesterday and this was a top search result when I looked it up last night. Was trying to find out when it went up. Never found the date, but that sucker is huge. The park was gated and locked, so I grabbed a couple quick pictures from the entrance.

I would have been fine if they took down that gawd awful Tex Randall. Maybe I should have started a campaign about him actually being a Confederate soldier

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I'd like to see Amarillo and/or Canyon commission a similar statue of Charles Goodnight or Quanah Parker

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Yall might like this post from a Texas historical markers facebook group:

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June 27, 1924, the 50th Anniversary of the second Adobe Walls battle. Andrew Johnson, survivor of the battle, stands to the left of the monument. He holds his Sharp's rifle he used to fight Quanah Parker and his band of warriors on June 27, 1874.

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A little bit of useless trivia about the SFA statue: because of the warm humid climate down here, once or twice a year SFA has to get a good power washing to remove the mold and mildew that has a tendency to grow on the north side of the statue ...

BrazosBendHorn said:

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A little bit of useless trivia about the SFA statue: because of the warm humid climate down here, once or twice a year SFA has to get a good power washing to remove the mold and mildew that has a tendency to grow on the north side of the statue ...

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Do they not have to do the same cleaning on the Sam statue? I live in Cypress and I get mold/mildew on the north side of my house and sheds. Is the south side of Huntsville far enough north that they aren't susceptible to this?

Very likely they do. But since I don't live in Huntsville, I can't say with 100% certainty that they do ...

I wish these statues continued the tradition of Sam Houston's and flank our interstates on a bluff for millions of travelers to see every year.

Put some along I35, more on I45, one or two in East Texas along I59, several along I10.

We have enough heroes to do that.