To Live Again
Archeology and History of the Robinson-West River Plantation 1857-2011
by
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Chapter 1 Coming Home The deep snow and raging waters of Oak Creek Canyon in northern Arizona had finally sent us packing to return home to our beloved east Texas. It was 1978, and my days in Arizona as an educator, coach, and United States forest ranger were over. Sedona was beautiful, but home was Texas, so my wife Barbara, and I, and four little ones embarked on the 1200 mile journey, driving two U-haul trucks, day and night. There was never any doubt, after an absence of twenty years, we would find our new home in the sweet fragrance of the piney woods. Childhood memories of hunting and fishing in the thickets and along the rivers ran rampant in my reminiscent mind as we rolled on down the highway. Our families were buried there, and there would be our final resting place. Selling our house in beautiful Oak Creek gave us a little nest egg so that we could begin the search for a new home. We wanted something traditional and out in the country. The long hours of coaching had prompted us to live life at a slower pace. Albeit, employment would come in the form of continuing to teach physical education in Coldspring, Texas. After securing a job, the search for a home began. ''I know, I'll take a short cut to Coldspring on State Highway 156. It's a country road and there won't be much traffic. Besides, it parallels Lake Livingston. I hear it's a scenic drive.'' Within a few miles of Coldspring on 156 in Point Blank, I glanced to my right and there it was---a stately looking two story southern style home quietly hidden behind lazy oak trees and facing the Trinity River. It was for sale. The gate was locked, so I parked and walked up to the peaceful setting. The home sat on a hill with an over grown pasture in the front, and thick woods all around. Long veils of Spanish moss hung from towering oaks everywhere. It appeared lonely and abandoned, and yet it stood proud as though it needed no one to speak of its value. There was an eerie silence as I approached the large columns supporting the structure. Somehow I had the strange feeling that I was walking on hallowed ground, and the eyes of the Victorian home were watching my every step. A Texas historical marker proclaimed a history which dated back to 1857. It read 'The Robert Tod Robinson House,' and explained that it was once a cotton plantation. ''Interesting,'' I thought. I sat down on the front porch steps, layed back, and enjoyed the warm Texas sun which I had not known since my high school days. I thought,'' Will this be our home? Will this be where I choose to continue raising my family? No, it's too expensive. Not on a school teacher's salary. But, maybe if I talk to the owner...'' The Texas senate was in session in Austin, and Bill Blythe (Robinson), who was a state representative was obligated to his duties. He also represented the family for sale of the plantation. We would have to wait. Lucky for us, the Robinsons preferred a young couple with children to buy the estate. They knew the plantation was virtually dead, and hoped the laughter of little children would liven up the estate once again. When Bill returned from Austin, it took a month of negotiations with ten members of the Robinson family to conclude the deal. I didn't realize it at the time, but when I placed my signature on the final papers, 120 years of blood, sweat, tears, joy, and happiness for the Robinson family came to an end on this plantation. The place was ours. I called my mother in Arizona, and told her that we had bought a place in Point Blank, located in east Texas. She replied, 'Oh no, not in Point Blank. People there live very poorly, and everyone lives in the country. Don't you remember going there as a child to visit your Aunt Lillie and Uncle Ivan Jones in their two room log house? Remember how Aunt Lillie struggled to put a decent meal on the table. She had to kill a chicken and gather a few peas out of the garden. Don't you remember taking a bath in a No. 3 washtub after drawing water from a well? Son, I raised you to be educated, and now you want to go right back to your country roots.'' It was bad enough that I had taken her grandchildren away from her, so I reassured her that things had changed in deep east Texas, and now maybe I could help bring education to these little Texans. Yet, when I toured the local country roads, I saw three things which reminded me of those youthful days of the past---an occasional outhouse, a deep well where water was still drawn by bucket and pulley, and an old fella still plowing his field with a mule. I also looked for the log house, and found that it was still there. When we moved into the plantation house, we had to battle our way. The old house was infested with hornets, and roaches, and rats, and spiders, and a few other critters. The electrical system was the original and scary to look at, and the plumbing was the old galvanized pipe, and difficult to repair. Also, the foundation of sandstone pillars were starting to crumble. There was an old carbide plant buried and rusting in the back yard, which had provided for gas lights in the house. The once proud and historic home stood ailing, sick, and lonely, hurting for repair and desperate for the return of the laughter of children and family. But we were young, proud to have what we had bought, and looking forward to the task. I looked square in the eye of my new found friend, the old house, and whispered, ''Don't worry, Tara will rise again.''
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About the Book
The reader of this book will be taken on a fascinating journey from the earliest days of the historic Robinson plantation of 150 years ago, to its present day name of the West River Plantation. Carved out of the wilderness of east Texas , the estate rose to immense prosperity during the industrial revolution, only to fall into inevitable decline and tragedy. Reduced to a few acres, and the home in disrepair in the late 1970s, the estate would be sold to the West family. The era of the once great plantation of 3500 acres was fast fading into history, as well as the memory of the Robinson family. But with the recent discovery of a multitude of artifacts by the West family, and the building of a museum on the estate, the dying plantation, and the memory of the Robinsons is beginning to live once again. The book delivers eye-witness accounts of life changing events in the Robinson family, and lists many of the artifacts found, and follow-up research done by the author. From the days of General Sam Houston dancing in the foyer of the Victorian house, to the sounds of many children laughing and playing, to the designation of the plantation as a State Archeological Landmark, the reader will be captivated by this account of early Texas history.
About the Author
The reader of this book will be taken on a fascinating journey from the earliest days of the historic Robinson plantation of 150 years ago, to its present day name of the West River Plantation. Carved out of the wilderness of east Texas , the estate rose to immense prosperity during the industrial revolution, only to fall into inevitable decline and tragedy. Reduced to a few acres, and the home in disrepair in the late 1970s, the estate would be sold to the West family. The era of the once great plantation of 3500 acres was fast fading into history, as well as the memory of the Robinson family. But with the recent discovery of a multitude of artifacts by the West family, and the building of a museum on the estate, the dying plantation, and the memory of the Robinsons is beginning to live once again.
The book delivers eye-witness accounts of life changing events in the Robinson family, and lists many of the artifacts found, and follow-up research done by the author. From the days of General Sam Houston dancing in the foyer of the Victorian house, to the sounds of many children laughing and playing, to the designation of the plantation as a State Archeological Landmark, the reader will be captivated by this account of early Texas history.