David Crockett -- Ozona TX
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Benchmark Blasterz
N 30° 42.625 W 101° 12.066
14R E 289212 N 3399577
A large relief sculpture memorial to David Crockett in the seat of the county that bears his name, in downtown Ozona TX
Waymark Code: WMPNY6
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 09/28/2015
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member lumbricus
Views: 12

This soaringly heroic Art Deco relief sculpture of Davy Crockett, a hero of the Alamo, stands in a place of pride on the south side of the plaza in downtown Ozona. The sculptor, William McVey, created this artwork for the Texas Centennial celebration of 1936. It was installed in 1939.

This relief sculpture is carved out of a solid block of Texas pink granite. It depicts the familiar figure of Davy Crockett in his buckskin clothes holding his flintlock rifle, facing west with a steely gaze. Could this be the moment he decided to leave Tennessee for Texas, with his famous quote "You may all go to Hell. I will got to Texas!" Or could it be the day he died in the siege of the Alamo, staring down the Mexican Army from the Long Barracks of the Alamo.

This is a mythic and heroic statue, definitely NOT life-sized. His flintlock rifle is as tall as he is -- everything about this legendary figure in Texas history is outsized, and this elegant sculpture captures the mythic qualities of the man and the legend of the man, perfectly.

On the front of the bottom of the sculpture his name is carved: CROCKETT

On the front of the base, one of his famous quotes: "BE SURE THAT YOU ARE RIGHT, AND THEN GO AHEAD

On the back of the sculpture, a brief (but epic) biography appears:
DAVID CROCKETT
WAS BORN IN
TENNESSEE ON
AUGUST 17, 1786
PARTICIPATED IN
THE CREEK INDIAN
CAMPAIGN 1813-1814
MEMBER OF THE
TENNESSEE HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES
1821-1823.UNITED
STATES CONGRESSMAN
FROM TENNESSEE
1827-1831 AND 1833-1835

ARRIVED IN TEXAS
IN JANUARY 1836
DIED A HERO AT
THE ALAMO MARCH
THE SIXTH 1836

Oddly enough -- according to the Crockett County Museum, this statue was not even supposed to BE here. It was supposed to be in east Texas, which is the place that Crockett camped on his first night in Texas. Blasterz guess this explains the time lag -- most centennial sculptures were installed in 1936, but this one is why it was carved for the centennial but not installed until 1938: (visit link)

"Davy Crockett Memorial

A memorial to David Crockett, a hero of the Battle of the Alamo, stands at the south end of Ozona’s town square.

The statue, carved from a block of native Texas granite, was set at the town square park on Dec. 31, 1938, the last of a number of memorials to Texas heroes paid for from funds left from money appropriated by the state to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 1936. The Texas Centennial Commission allowed $7,500 for the memorial.

Ozona Stockman stories of the time gave statistics of the statue. The figure is carved from a block of granite some 12 feet in length and three feet square. The figure stands on a foundation slab of granite nearly the same size. The granite used in both pieces weighed nearly 20 tons. At the base of the statue is the name Crockett and the words “Be sure you are right, then go ahead.” A brief outline of outstanding facts of Crockett’s life appears on the back of the statue.

The statue was placed on its base Dec. 31, 1938. Dedication was accomplished with great fanfare on the opening day of the 12th annual Rodeo, Race Meet, Stock Show and Sale June 27, 1939. Rep. Dorsey Hardeman, himself a native of Crockett’s home state, Tennessee, delivered the principal address. Judge C.E. Davidson accepted the memorial on behalf of the county.

It was later learned that the statue was originally scheduled to be erected in Crockett, Texas, but when a suitable location was not available in Crockett it was offered to Crockett County and accepted.

The statue remains in the park as a tribute to David Crockett for whom the county was named. Many a traveler has been photographed sitting on the statue’s base."
Your impression of the sculpture?:

Date Sculpture was opened for vewing?: 12/31/1938

Website for sculpture?: [Web Link]

Where is this sculpture?:
South side of Courthouse plaza
Ozona, TX


Sculptors Name: William McVey

Visit Instructions:
1. Provide a tasteful picture of the sculpture, with another point of view from the original(no pictures of GPSr or yourself).

2. Provide your thoughts on the sculpture and your impression of it.

Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest Relief Art Sculptures
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
Khoda visited David Crockett -- Ozona TX 01/20/2022 Khoda visited it
tnwave visited David Crockett -- Ozona TX 04/16/2019 tnwave visited it
Castor007 visited David Crockett -- Ozona TX 07/28/2018 Castor007 visited it
Team 57 visited David Crockett -- Ozona TX 02/19/2018 Team 57 visited it
Six Little Spookies visited David Crockett -- Ozona TX 03/09/2017 Six Little Spookies visited it
Mean1_MrGrinch visited David Crockett -- Ozona TX 01/27/2017 Mean1_MrGrinch visited it
Raven visited David Crockett -- Ozona TX 09/21/2016 Raven visited it
Benchmark Blasterz visited David Crockett -- Ozona TX 07/22/2015 Benchmark Blasterz visited it
WalksfarTX visited David Crockett -- Ozona TX 09/01/2014 WalksfarTX visited it

View all visits/logs