200. Huntsville, Walker County

Not the Huntsville with the Space Camp, the one with the prison. I was a little surprised, though. With its reputation for its prison, I had thought that the town would be more oriented toward that and would be more drab as a result. That was very much not the case, which says more about how assumptive I am than anything about the town itself. It’s also my 200th Texas county and that’s a big round number, so there’s that, too…

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I, of course, feel the need to give props to the courthouse grounds and their monument game. So many courthouses don’t impress in that regard, which disappoints me somewhat. And it’s weird how scattershot and random that is. I’ve been to small towns with next to nothing and others with epic monuments, more modern courthouses with nothing but a skyscraper but others with a well kept and decorated square to go along with. Of course, I take issue with how rebels can be considered “patriots” but I’m not playing the part of Canute right now.

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When it came time to find a cache, there were signs and portents all over town that would lead me to it. And once I saw them, I knew that only one cache would do. It was in a cemetery, though that was not my original intent on deciding on one, and it was pretty picturesque on its own. Heck, there was a traditional at the cemetery that I could easily have grabbed, but I opted for the virtual therein contained. As I mentioned, only one would do for my purposes and so, ladies and gentlemen, I give you…

…the grave of Sam Houston, general, senator, President of the Republic and Governor of the State of Texas. In no world would there not be a virtual here. The rest of the cemetery was nice without a doubt, but this was the prize. That, and I feel a little admiration for the man. His relationships with the native populations were quite good and his anti-slavery (or, at least, not pro-slavery) stances were well known. His unwillingness to swear loyalty to the Confederacy, resulting in his removal from the Office of Governor, was the cherry on top. A lot of the founding fathers of Texas can be a bit questionable for a number of reasons, but this is one I get behind wholeheartedly. I did what was required and got on my way. Maybe one day I’ll make it to Tennessee and visit his birthplace. I bet there’s a virtual there and once I claim it, the circle will be complete. Sleep well, Sam. I’ll leave you be and soon I will arrive in…