Come and Take It

We have talked about monuments of the Texas Centennial celebration, built to commemorate some of the most important events in Texas history. But not all monuments in Texas are so grand. Many seek to honor famous Texans or the triumphs of the common man. Sometimes we just build monuments to things we like.

Before we begin… Who would win in a fight? An armadillo, a horny toad, or a mosquito from the Texas Gulf Coast?

• Crystal City is the “Spinach Capital of the World” and site of a statue dedicated to Popeye. Also, for the record, Popeye is a native Texan.

• There’s a monument to a sanitary sewer in Fayetteville. There’s even a document that speculates WPA involvement. The monument was donated and constructed by the L.W. Stolz Monument Company of La Grange.

• Jack Ben Rabbit is the “World’s Largest Jack Rabbit” and lives in Odessa, TX. Jackrabbits are legendary in Odessa, the home of the first (and only?) jackrabbit roping contest. Odessa has even been designated the Jackrabbit Roping Capital of Texas.

• Barton Springs, in Austin, TX, is the home of “Philosopher’s Rock”, a statue dedicated to the legacy of Frank Dobie, Walter Prescott Webb, and Roy Bedicheck.

• In Dallas, you can find the Freedman’s Memorial Park and Cemetery, an important part of our state’s history. It was built to commemorate the original resting place of Black Americans from Freedman’s Town stretching back to before the Civil War.

• David Adickes sculpted the giant statues of Sam Houston (south of Huntsville) and Stephen F. Austin (in Brazoria County), as well as the Beatles and is working on a head sculpture of every U.S. President (including “Mount Rush Hour” in Houston).

• Hico’s claim to the legend of Billy the Kid

• Unlike Knute Rockne, you could visit the town that loved him so much they changed their name.

• A great list of many weird and fun things you can see along the road in Texas, including Seguin’s giant nuts.