Historical markers are great but by necessity limited in the amount of information that can be inscribed in the space of a couple square feet. That's where the marker application proves to be a valuable source of information for historians.
This article is based on the application for the George Washington Davis’ “Old Quarry Site” historical marker application submitted to the Texas Historical Commission. The marker was sponsored by Mrs. Nolan Harvey & the Travis County Historical Commission, approved by Texas Historical Commission (Marker Number 14442) and erected in 1982. The text here is pretty much as it appears in the original application.
Several interesting facts show up in the application, e.g. the use of drill holes and blasting as part of the quarry process.
Information including location and directions to the marker is available here https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=161611
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| Old Quarry Site historical marker Beverly S. Sheffield Northwest District Park |
The Old Quarry Site
The Old Quarry Site is located in what is now Beverly S. Sheffield Northwest District Park, which belongs to the City of Austin. It extends for about 150 yards along the east bank of Shoal Creek near the intersection of Vine Street and Pegram Street. Sixty years ago the limestone face still showed to a depth of 10 to 15 feet, and the drill holes for blasting still could be seen. Now the whole face of the bluff is covered with dirt, and only parts of the boulders that were blasted off show (1).
Limestone quarried here was used to build the Capitol of Texas. This was the structure built in 1853, which served the State until it burned in 1881. (2) According to Mr. Roy Davis, great-grandson of George Washington Davis, the stone was quarried by convicts who camped at the site.
Site of the Old Quarry was part of the headright grant of a league and a labor of land (4,605 acres) received by George Washington Davis for service in the Battle of San Jacinto. (3) Mr. Davis built his home near this site, and lived there the rest of his life. In 1873 he deeded the "home place", approximately 160 acres on which the quarry site is located, to Elvira T. Davis, wife of his son Blackstone H. Davis. (4)
George W. Davis continued to live at the "home place" with his daughter-in-law and her family until his death March 7, 1884. Family tradition has it, according to a letter from Mr. Roy Davis dated March 15, 1978, that Elvira T. Davis sold land she owned in Manor and paid off a mortgage on the "home place" to keep George W. Davis from losing it.
When Elvira T. Davis died September 12, 1918, her heirs inherited the property. The executors of her will, Walter L. Davis and Alden T. Davis, sold the farm, approximately 160 acres, to Wilbur P. Allen, an Austin attorney. (5) Allen in turn sold it to John Whatley (6); and Whatley to W.E. Wilson.(7) In 1955 approximately 30 acres (on which the site is located) were purchased from W.E. Wilson by the City of Austin for the proposed north west park. Northwest Park was opened July 28, 1956.
About one fourth of a mile southwest of this site is the Davis Cemetery. This began as a private burial ground for the George W. Davis family and many members of the family are buried there, but later it was used by other early settlers of the area. Descendants of the Davis family estimate that at least 100 people were buried there - some graves marked with wooden crosses and field stones. Many are unmarked or completely indistinguishable now. About 40 graves remain. Mary E. Davis, child of George W., and little Emma A. Bacon were buried there in 1851; Edith Robinson was buried there in 1907. Among the familiar pioneer names there are Rev. A. J. Adkisson, brother of William Adkisson who was killed by Indians near Hornsby's Bend, Hugel Walden, L.T. Vann, and Wayman F. Wells. (8)
George Washington Davis
"George Washington Davis was born in Tennessee on March 20, 1806. In 1830-31 he came to Texas and settled in Gonzales, which he represented in the Convention of 1833 and the Consultation. He participated in the battle of Gonzales, was a member of Captain John M. Bradley's company during the siege of Bexar, took part in the battle of Concepcion and the battle of San Jacinto. He was discharged from the army on May 29, I836, and probably returned shortly to Gonzales County for he was elected justice of the peace there in 1843 and associate justice of the county in 1844." (The Handbook of Texas)
After leaving Gonzales, Davis went to Bastrop County and resided in the fort at Webberville until the Indian troubles subsided enough to allow him to build on his land grant. The Republic of Texas granted all veterans of the Texas Revolution a league and a labor of land, an amount of 4605 acres. George W. Davis located his in what is now (1961) the north west part of the City of Austin. His brother, James P. Davis, located his on adjoining land. To select the site for his home, George iV. Davis came up from the fort at Webberville, the nearest settlement. As he came to the top of a ridge near what was later Fiskville, he saw Indians camped in the large liveoaks. They sighted him and gave chase, but as he had a two mile start, he easily outdistanced them back to the fort. He built his home sometime in the 1840's, located on Shoal Creek on what is now Twin Oak Drive in Allandale. This house burned in 1944.
The wife of George W. Davis was Emiline P. Wells, who was born in
Kentucky, or Tennesseean 1810. They had eight children: James 3., Blackstone
PI., Sarah PI., Richard M., William J., Glen 0., Mary, and Martha A. George W.
Davis died March 7, 1884; Emiline Davis died October 13, 1872. Both are buried
in the Davis Cemetery which is on Wilbur Drive, south of the location of the
old homestead and south east of the old quarry site.
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Footnotes
1. Letter and map from Mr. Roy W. Davis, great-grandson of George Washington Davis, dated February, 19772. Annals of Travis County & the City of Austin by Frank Brown XV, 38.
3. Deed Book of Travis County; Orig. land grant #15, Book C, p. 264, 6/8/1841.
4. ibid., Book X, p. 397, Jan. 3, 1873.
5. ibid., Vol. 338, p. 10 & 11, Jan. 16, 1922.
6. ibid., Vol. 388, p. 575 et seq
7. ibid., Vol. 1612, p. 157 et seq
8. AF - CEMETERIES - DAVIS CEMETERY Austin-Travis Col., Austin Pub. Library (Austin History Center)
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