Mr. Smithwell - Whitesboro, TX
N 33° 38.976 W 096° 58.543
14S E 687717 N 3725142
Signs indicating a "Point of Interest" along US 82 through the area will point you towards this reconstructed draw well, known as "Mr. Smithwell," dug by Henry Crowsey in the 1890s.
Waymark Code: WMT5MJ
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 09/30/2016
Views: 4
The well itself is a reconstruction, over the site of the old well, and is itself unusable, save for trash thrown into it by passers-by. A sign at the well provides some background:
Frontier Spirit
Henry Crowsey - A well digger
Born Prussia 1851
Died 1943 Cooke Co.
Dug Mr. Smithwell 1890's
Served families, hobos & Army mules of World War I and thousands of migrants to California during the Great Depression of the 1930's. Dedicated to Henry Crowsey and the honorable profession of well diggers.
January 2002
- Embrace the spirit -
Mr. Crowsey is buried not far from here in the Mt. Zion Cemetery in rural Cooke County, Texas, southeast of Gainesville.
Visit Instructions:
Please share a self-made picture of the Draw Well and tell us something about it. Did you taste the water? You do not have to be in the picture, neither does your GPSr.