Columbus, Texas

Texas Small Town History Project Palo Alto College
Dwayne Lettine History 1302	Robert Hines, Instructor September 7, 2006
Columbus, Texas Town of Live Oaks and Live Folks

Origins	Founders	Economy	Stories
Photos	Links	Events	Landmarks
Theme

Interview With Columbus Native and Bill Stein

ORIGINS AND FOUNDERS:

Columbus, Texas is located off of Interstate Highway 10 just sixty-five miles southwest of Houston. Today, it holds a population of 3,916 live folks and is a historical marker in itself in the Lone Star State.

The small town of Columbus, Texas came about when a settler by the name of Benjamin Beeson settled in the area in 1822. It started off as a river crossing and by 1823, a small community was developed and it was known as Beeson’s Ferry. The town was also known as the projected capital of Stephen F. Austin. In 1835, it was renamed Columbus due to the proposal of another settler who came from Columbus, Ohio. At this time, Columbus was owned by the Mexican government. The old three-hundred (settlers who came from the East) gained permission to create a seated government so that they could establish a municipality.

Although the town was originally settled by Beeson, the founding fathers of Columbus are considered to be the Tumlinson family along with William B. Dewees. The Tumlinsons were the first ones to receive official deeds from the Mexican government to set up a municipality. Upon the death of John Tumlinson (died 1823) and Elizabeth Tumlinson (died 1830), the land they owned (present day Columbus) was left to their six children. They met to split up the land amongst themselves. John Tumlinson's son, John J. Tumlinson sold half of the land he inherited to William B. Dewees in 1834. By the time DeWees came into ownership, there were families who already occupied some of the land. For the next few years, it would be known as DeWees' Crossing until the official name change. Dewees later gave land for a new courthouse and school in 1836 after the town was burnt in the Texas Revolution. (see landmarks for pictures and more information on courthouse)

The town was burnt by General Sam Houston to divert the Mexican Army. By burning Columbus, Houston was able to retreat to San Jacinto where he won a decisive victory over Santa Anna in April 1836. This battle was the winning battle for the Texans which won over Texas.
In 1923, Columbus celebrated its centennial with a celebration that attracted thousands of visitors. Throughout that time, the town became very prosperous due to mineral and agriculture businesses.

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THEME:

"Live Oaks and Live Folk's" has become the town's motto. The town got its motto from having so many Oak Trees in the town, some of which are historical landmarks. Columbus is known to have the second biggest Oak Tree in the state of Texas and is thought to be about five hundred years old. It is currently seventy feet tall with a circumference of three-hundred twenty nine inches. Columbus has many more oak trees to be proud of with lots of live folks to admire them.

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ECONOMY:

The town's economy turned from tobacco to cotton between the 1840's and the 1880's. Thereafter, cottonseed oil became very important to the economy. Oil mills were being built in the county in and around Columbus. In 1884, the only mill built in Columbus foreclosed due to hardships. Cotton continued to be the pride of the economy in Columbus until the sand and gravel industry in the early 1900's. In the mid nineteen hundreds, the economy took interest in recreational activities which created tours in some of their historic landmarks. By 1990, it flourished into a prosperous community with over four banks, two elementary schools, a library, two weekly newspapers, hospitals, hotels and much more.

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LANDMARKS:

Columbus has over seventy historical markers with more in the making. Some include markers on the City of Columbus, William B. DeWees, The Colorado County Courthouse, and the Tumlinson family to name a few.
One inscription of a marker reads:

OLD STRAFFORD OPERA HOUSE
Built 1886 by R.E. Stafford (1834-1890) millionaire cattleman, stately interior (which seated 1,000) had gas-burning chandeliers and an elaborate hand-painted curtain. Architect was N. J. Clayton, who designed many opulent Texas buildings. Opening performance, "As in a Looking Glass", starred famous Lillian Russell. Magician Houdini also played here as did other prominent entertainers. On performance days, special trains ran from distant towns.
Entered in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973
RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK


                                                                                                     The Historical Marker for the Stafford House

The Colorado County Courthouse The Columbus Courthouse, in the form of the Greek Cross, is one of the oldest existing courthouses in the state of Texas, being built in 1891. In 1909, the courthouse was severely damaged by a tornado and thirty years later, it was completely remodeled. It was recorded as a historical landmark in 1969.
Before 1909                               Present Day (2006)

The Watertower
The tower was built in the late 1880's to provide the city with a water system. The tower was made of 400,000 locally made bricks by R.J. Jones. The walls four inches shy of being three feet thick. There was a metal water tank on top of the two story water tower. Underneath the tower, the volunteer fire department had their office and stored their equipment there. The top of the tower was damaged by the same tornado in 1909 that damaged the courthouse. Three years later, the water tower was left for a better improved water system. It was later tried to be destroyed, but failed. It eventually became the use of the officers of the John Shropshire and John C. Upton chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy for their meeting place. In 1962, after being remodeled, it became the Columbus' Confederate Memorial Museum and Veteran Hall.
                           Before (with tank)             After (without tank)

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EVENTS:

Columbus has a variety of events throughout the year. On every third weekend of May, the Live Oak Festival is held at the courthouse square. It has been a tradition since 1955 To celebrate the holiday spirit, the town hosts Christmas on the Colorado on the first weekend in December. There is also a county fair which hosts rodeos, parades and much more. This fair is held annually. To spook things up a bit, the town has a Live Oaks and Dead Folks Cemetery Tour. The dates vary on this tour. In this tour, they have re-enactments of people who lived in the past in Columbus, Texas. There is also a 4th of July celebration Columbus has. It is the oldest independence celebration in Texas.

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INTERVIEWS: Click here to view interviews.

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PHOTOS:

This is a picture of William B. DeWees grave.

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STORIES:

Although Columbus is a town many like to visit because of its historical value, it also holds an unjust story deep within its soul. In October of 1935, a woman by the name of Geraldine Kollmann was found in Cummins Creek face down with her pants half removed. Shortly after the investigation began,, two black teen males were questioned and within a day, arrested for the murder of Geraldine Kollmann. After long hours of questioning, the two boys confessed to the murder and signed false statements. Because the two were under eighteen, the law would prohibit the death penalty. They were taken to Houston for their safety and returned about a month later with a court hearing set for November 13, 1935. The two were snuck back to Columbus the night before the trial. The two officers transferring the teens were stopped by an armed mob of white men forced to surrender Mitchell and Collins. The teens were driven away and the officers were left behind. The boys were taken to the area where Kollmann's body was found and were hung from the tree shown below.

Since then, this tree stands strong and bold in the town, taking us from a time when racism ruled our country to a time where Whites and Blacks can co-exist in a same time and space.

Today, there are some issues concerning whether the hanging tree should be cut down or left standing. Today, it is the memorial site for a teenager who was killed after running his car into the tree. For more information regarding this controversy, please click on the Hanging Tree link at the bottom of the page.

For more detailed information regarding the Columbus lynching, please click on the photo below to view the article written by Bill Stein of Columbus, Texas.

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Links: Columbus, Texas

Links: Nesebitt Memorial Library

Links: Hanging Tree

Links: Columbus Feud

Links: Stafford-Townsend Feud

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Bibliography

Stein, Bill. Personal Interview. 14 October 2006.

Bill Stein was an excellent resource for this project. He knew an enormous amount Columbus history. For every question I asked, he had an answer. He currently works at the Nesbitt Library which was were our interview was held.

City of Columbus : Historical Marker Guide. Columbus: Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2006.

This pamphlet contained all the historical markers Columbus has. The information written is just as it is written on the actual marker.

“Columbus, Texas Visitors Guide.” Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau. October 2006.

“ Should Columbus “Hanging Tree” Be Cut Down?” October 2006. Cannon, Len. 19 October 2006 <html://www.khou.com/news/local/spotlights/stories>.

By Len Cannon, this story was done recently concerning the significant meaning behind the tree and how people felt about the issue.

“Columbus Texas 1823-2003” .Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau. October 2006.

“Colorado County’s” October 2006. Tell the history of Colorado County’s Court House in Columbus.

Nesbitt Memorial Library. 19 October 2006. <html://www.columbustexas.net/library>.

“Columbus Texas Sesquecentennial, Inc.,” 1977. Massengill, Fred I.

Historical and building and events which took place in Columbus.

City Cemetery. November 2006.

This is where the photos of the gravesties were taken. At this burial site, some of the founding fathers, such as William B. DeWees, are buried there.

“ Columbus, TX.” Handbook of Texas Online. 7 October 2006 <html://www.tshu.utexas.edu/handbook/online>.

This website had useful information on the history of Columbus in may aspects.

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