William B. DeWees
Columbus, Colorado County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(1799-1878) Early Texas settler. Came here from Kentucky, 1822, when Texas was part of Mexico. Received a large land grant in 1824 as one of Stephen F. Austin's "Old 300" colonists. Worked as blacksmith and trader. After Columbus was burned in Texas Revolution, 1836, he laid out new (present) town and gave land for courthouse and school. His correspondence, published (1852) as "Letters from an Early Settler of Texas to A Friend," provided valuable eyewitness accounts of the "Runaway Scrape" of the revolution, and life in colonial Texas.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
William B. DeWees came from Kentucky in 1822, when Texas was still part of Mexico, and received a land grant in 1824 as one of Stephen F. Austin's 'Old 300' colonists. He worked as a blacksmith and trader, and after Columbus burned during the 1836 revolution he laid out the present town and gave land for its courthouse and school. His published letters left rare eyewitness accounts of the 'Runaway Scrape' and life in colonial Texas.
Why it matters
As an Old 300 colonist and chronicler, DeWees links the founding of Anglo Texas to the words that preserved its memory.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · William B. DeWees
- · Stephen F. Austin
Related events
- · Runaway Scrape
- · Texas Revolution
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Dilue Rose and Ira Albert Harris House
Columbus, TX
Dilue Rose and Ira Albert Harris moved from Houston to Columbus in 1845, where Ira served as county sheriff and city marshal. Dilue drew on her girlhood during the Texas Revolution to write vivid reminiscences that were later published and became a treasured eyewitness account. In 1858 the couple built this unusual concrete house—with a rare basement—where they raised their nine children.
Dilue Rose Harris
Columbus, TX
Dilue Rose Harris came to Texas as a child in 1833 and lived through the turmoil of the Texas Revolution, later setting her memories down in a 30,000-word "Reminiscences" published by the Texas State Historical Association. Married young to Ira Harris, she moved to Columbus in 1845 and raised nine children in the house built here in 1858. Her firsthand account remains one of the most valuable windows into everyday life during the birth of the Texas Republic.
Abram Alley Log Cabin
Columbus, TX
Abram Alley came from Missouri in the 1820s to join his brothers among the first colonists of Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred, settling near the Colorado River. During the Texas war for independence he helped settlers flee the advancing army in the panicked Runaway Scrape, and his own home was burned. He returned late in 1836 to build this oak-log cabin, where he and his wife raised five children and welcomed travelers.
Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration of the American Declaration of Independence
Columbus, TX
Among Stephen F. Austin's "Old Three Hundred" colonists of the 1820s, American holidays like the Fourth of July persisted despite Austin's caution against provoking Mexican authorities. On July 4, 1826, settlers near Beason's Crossing — future Columbus — planned a barbecue marking the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, drawing colonists from far away. A group traveling from Gonzales to attend was attacked by Indians and returned to find their homes plundered.