The Oakville Escarpment has sweeping views
Magnet for peoples throughout the years
But this Texas Park preserves other news
Tales of joy and commerce -- yes, and tears.
San Jacinto didn't end the tale
Of Texas' Independence from Mexico
Other battles have their travail
With lads and elders whose track ended at 'go'
Dawson's men should have better beware
On Salado Creek outside San Anton
Ambushed, 36 fell and were buried there
And "Avenge Dawson's Massacre" was rally to own.
The Mier Expedition took the next strides
Ill-conceived plan -- rode on vengeance's trail
Ending in tragedy, as the tale still abides
The "Black Bean Lottery" only part of travail.
36 and 17 -- well, most anyway
Are here interred in their monument's shade
You'll find crypt and all if here you do stray
Hallowed ground with a view of which dreamtime is made
But the tale's not all woe if you ramble by here
For the living go on near the bones of the dead
Henry Kreische made a fortune in beer
And you can wander the grounds of his stately homestead.
House is intact: due to Hank's skill
Though in ruins the brewery stands
So spend ye some time wand'ring down/up the hill
Testamonial to the work of Henry Kreische's hands.
There are several waymarks at this location which go into deep detail about Kreische and, especially, the Dawson & Mier Expeditions. All worth reading if you're into detail. Rather than repeat -- after all, there's a Wiki article -- here's the thumbnail and a informational cornucopia of links. Or simply click "nearest waymarks" once you've logged and peruse more flotsam of my local research.
Anyway. To the thumbnailed grit of the locations....
The Monument Hill/Kreische Brewery State Historic Sites are worth a visit for the scenery alone. Situated on Monument Hill, this Miocene era (23.03 to 5.332 million years ago) sandstone bluff is the northern limit of the Oakville Escarpment. This escarpment or "cuesta" marks the boundary between the "Upland Post Oak Woodlands" and the "Fayette Prairie" environments. Here, along the bluff, "eastern" plant and animal communities of the woodlands and prairie coexist with an isolated colony of "western" species.
Quoting a State Park site (
visit link) :
"Numerous plants and animals common to the limestone-based soils of the Hill Country, 70 miles northwest, have been transported and deposited in this locale by the Colorado River, located at the base of the 200-foot bluff cliff. These species flourish in pockets of alkaline soils produced through erosion of the calcareous sandstone cap of the escarpment. The occurrence of such biological diversity at one location is not singularly unique, but is uncommon, and lends itself to a beautiful place in Central Texas. Oak and cedar forests and predominately little blue stem prairie environments are intermixed throughout the park, with Mr. Kreische's old roads, trails, retaining walls, and buildings adding beauty and places of shelter to the environment. The park's nature trail has a list of more common plant and animal species and is available at the park headquarters for further study."
When you're done looking at the sweeping views, you can't help but be drawn to the monument of Monument Hill. The 48 foot “shellcrete” Art Deco shaft, erected as one the Texas Centennial projects, was dedicated in 1936. In its shadow is a granite crypt, built over the original sandstone tomb that houses the remains of the majority of the "Dawson Massacre" and "Black Bean Lottery" dead.
The story of both is intriguing -- again, rather than repeat all that detail, I would point you to the other waymarks in this vicinity (WM9P4V in particular), and a handful of links, listed below.
In brief: In 1842 Texan forces battled at Salado Creek to repel the Mexican Army who had captured nearby San Antonio. Nicolas M. Dawson's advance militia company of 54 men was jumped by 500 Mexican soldiers. 36 fell and were buried there. 15 men were taken prisoner, and marched over 1,000 miles to Perote Prison near Vera Cruz in southern Mexico.
In the winter of 1842, Texans set out to avenge the "Dawson Massacre." Over 300 soldiers ignored official orders, attacking the border town of Ciudad Mier -- thus 'the Mier Expedition.' 250 were captured. Within six weeks 181 escaped -- but the Chihuahua Desert is a harsh place. 176 surrendered within days. Santa Anna wanted to annihilate them all, but was persuaded, for diplomacy's sake, to relent to a "mere" decimation. One in ten would be executed -- the 17 chosen by lottery: 17 black beans amid 159 white in a pot. This became known as the Black Bean Death Lottery -- a tale of poignant details, related in several links noted below.
In a curious twist of fate the survivors were marched to Perote Prison, where they were reunited with the Dawson survivors. Not all lived to return to home -- but that is stuff of other tales.
In 1847, during the Mexican War, white bean survivor & Texas Ranger Lt. John Dusenberry launched a daring raid to exhume the 17 Black Bean victims and returned them to Texas. The home of Captain William Eastland, the only officer executed 'by black bean, ' La Grange was chosen as a final resting place. Sparked by Dusenberry's fervor, the people of La Grange retrieved the Dawson bodies from the San Antonio area. On September 18, 1848, the 6th anniversary of the Battle of Salado Creek, the remains of these Texas volunteers were reburied in this common tomb on Monument Hill. Over 1,000 people attended the funeral, including Sam Houston.
Over the years, the sandstone tomb fell into appalling disrepair. Time and tourists (can you imagine desecrating a grave for souvenirs? They DID!!!) had taken their toll. In the early 30s a state official surveyed the site and wrote: "It was surrounded by a rusty, neglected barbed wire fence. A tree growing out of the side floor of the tomb with cactus and other plants growing indiscriminately around it showed the neglect." Before leaving La Grange, the official mentioned that the remains were to be relocated to the new state cemetery in Austin.
"This announcement spurred the creation of the Monument Hill Memorial Association. When the state returned to begin the move it found that 'the ground around the vault cleared off clean as a whistle...the cracked walls repaired and an iron fence with a concrete curb erected around it.' Within two months a fitting granite cover was built over the old sandstone tomb. The 1936 Centennial was a boon for Texas history as the state spent large amounts of money to honor and preserve its heritage. Ten thousand dollars was appropriated for a monument to be placed next to the tomb. The forty foot shaft with the bronze angel at the base was soon completed on the small plot."
Source: (
visit link) [Note: the park brochure (
visit link) lists the monument as 48 feet tall. I'll take their word on it.]
As you walk around the tomb, you'll notice several plaques which feature 'corrections' to the information on the tomb. Barcley is respelled Barkley. Names that were missing have been since discovered. One individual may not have even been there ... so much for hindsight being perfect, eh?
Now, to the other half of our story.
In 1849 German immigrant Heinrich (Henry) Kreische purchased 172 across on the bluff, including the Dawson/Mier tomb. He built a 3 story house in stages (its additions a testament to his growing prosperity). Recognized as a master stonemason, he even built the Fayette County Courthouse that precedes the current structure. [History says his work was so strong, it had to be dynamited to clear the way for the current building -- worth a visit on its own! But I digress.]
In 1860 Kreische began building his brewery, and by the 1870 census his profession was recorded, not as stonemason, but brewmaster. By the middle of the Civil War, "Kreische's Bluff Beer" was being produced on a commercial scale. An ingenious water system, aided by gravity, transferred ingredients through the nine step brewing process, and by 1879, this was the 3rd largest brewery in Texas.
By 1884, it was all over. And all that remains of the brewing operation is a dry spring and stone-lined artificial 'streambed' leading from its hillside perch to the brewery site. The rock walls of the brewery ruin stand in eloquent testimony to Henry Kreische's stone masonry skills.
Again, fine detail can be found in many places, starting with the park's official brochure, available online at (
visit link) Other official sites pertaining to the park can be found at
(
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(
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(
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A full, and highly recommended read regarding the Dawson/Mier events can be found in the article "The Black Bean Lottery: October '97 American History Feature" (
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See also:
Texas National Press: "Texas force decimated after black bean lottery" (
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"Monument Hill" a Footprints of Fayette article and photographs by Gary E. McKee (
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"THE BLACK BEAN LOTTERY ATROCITY" (
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The Mier Expedition (
visit link) a comprehensive site that includes several eyewitness accounts -- including Gen. Ampudia's Report.
Handbook of Texas Online (
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Texas GenWeb also has an informative article at (
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Regarding the Kreische Complex:
BeerHistory.com Texas' First Brewery ....reprinted from the January 1959 issue of Brewers Digest. This is interesting because it was written prior to the site becoming a state park --"The Kreische home still retains the old-world trappings and dignity. The view of the fuming brewery it once commanded is now completely obliterated with dense, unkempt foliage. This baronial estate has not been vacant many years, as the last maiden daughter clung to the traditional life until finally passing away. She was the last of the strain. I had the privilege of being escorted through the fascinating brewery ruin by George Adamcik, who knew the Kreische family and who persuaded the last heir to deed the land to the Hostyn Catholic Church. The property is not only closed to the public, but the ruins of the plant are almost inaccessible because of the overgrowth of jungle. The crumbled stone structures of the brewhouse, cellars and lime kiln are in a deep ravine below the sturdy old Kreische homestead. From the size of the tree trunks, vines and roots that have overwhelmed what used to be a busy industry, this brewery has been idly abiding its time for quite awhile. Still intact are some of the well-laid stone walls.
Read the rest at (
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Handbook of Texas Online MONUMENT HILL-KREISCHE BREWERY STATE HISTORIC SITE (
visit link)
Texas Escapes The Kreische Brewery Ruins & The Kreische Homestead (
visit link)
Austin Explorer Monument Hill and Kreische Brewery - History Trail (
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Travel Texas Kreische Brewery State Historic Site (
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BEER The Legacy of the Kreische Brewery by Pancho Howze (
visit link) "When he emigrated from Saxony at age 25, he came as a stonemason," Dale explained. "By 1849, he was living in La Grange, boarding with Andreas Amman who later founded Ammansville south of here. Together they built the jail in 1853. Later that decade, Kreische built the third county courthouse on the square where the current one now stands. It was so well built that when they decided to build a larger one years later, they had to blast it with dynamite to bring it down."
And, of course, there's the Wikipedia article....
=grins=