George B. Erath - Waco, TX
Posted by: 
WalksfarTX
N 31° 33.337 W 097° 07.131
14R E 678550 N 3492715
Robert Summers’ sculpture of George B. Erath as surveyor stands in front of the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
Waymark Code: WMPDYZ
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 08/15/2015
Views: 3
In 1848, two years after Texas statehood, General Thomas J. Chambers sold his Mexican grant of land, which surrounded the old Waco Village site, to a group of businessmen from Galveston. In early 1849, surveyor George B. Erath laid out the first streets of Waco. Erath, is known to scholars as the “Father of Waco” for the crucial role he played in its settlement.
He was born Jan. 1, 1813, in Vienna, Austria. He immigrated to the New World, landing in New Orleans in 1832. In March 1833, at age 20, he moved to Texas. The young immigrant already had apprenticed as a surveyor when he joined John H. Moore’s ranger company in 1835 to deal with marauding Indians. On March 1, 1836 — Texas Independence Day — he enlisted as a private in Capt. Jesse Billingsley’s Company C of Col. Edward Burleson’s First Regiment, Texan Volunteers, for service in the Texas Revolution.
After fighting in the battle of San Jacinto, Erath joined Capt. William H. Hill’s ranger company and continued surveying, platting several small towns in the young Republic in between battles with bands of Native Americans.
Erath represented Milam County as a member of the House of Representatives from 1843-45. After Texas gained statehood, he was elected to the First Legislature. He returned to surveying in 1946.
The statue of Erath is life size. It is bronze on a limestone base. He is standing on his left leg with his right foot resting on a rock. He is wearing tall boots with his pants tucked into the tops. He is in shirt sleeves with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow. He has a fringed pouch on his left hip along with a powder horn. A pistol is tucked into his waistband. In his right hand is a musket with the stock resting on the ground, in his left hand is his surveyor's tripod which is resting on his shoulder. He is wearing a hat and he has a beard. Tucked under his right arm is another pouch.
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