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8
/It Ease, The Battalion
Friday, September 10, 1982
Walk in woods
vanishes woes
staff photo by Dana Smelser
The arboretum in Bee Creek Park offers an escape into
nature, complete with the names of those trees that shelter
the wanderer from the sun and worries of city life.
Brochures mapping the arboretum are available.
by Dana Smelser
Battalion Staff
After sitting in class and star
ing those four boring walls all
week, you need an escape. Why
not escape to nature by visiting
the Brazos Valley Arboretum?
As you take off along the
path, with a guide booklet in
hand, you'll soon enter a world
quite uncommon to that of cam
pus. Rustling trees and sounds
of scattering critters surround
you.
First, stop and see a Golden
Raintree — a tree from China —
which produces clusters of small
yellow flowers. At the next stop
stands a Mexican Plum tree
bearing an almost round, dark
purple fruit. Cross a bridge and
see the long narrow leaves of the
Black Willow.
The trail, following the old
channels of Bee Creek, winds on
for 53 other stops, passing cacti,
sweet gum, and dewberries.
Shadowed by towering trees,
the path is padded by the many
leaves wnich have fallen
throughout the year.
If you're quiet, you may see a
rabbit poke his head from the
brush or hear the slithering of a
snake on his way home. And if
you are the first to tread on the
path that day, you may bump
into a cobweb a spider spun the
night before.
Escape even further into na
ture and you hear crickets sing
while you stroll past a small
pond.
Sounds like life in the back-
woods? For a while you may be
lieve it is, but the rambling of
18-wheelers on Texas Avenue
will soon remind you that the
arboretum is in the heart of Col
lege Station.
The arboretum is one way to
learn about plants common to
the area, such as the giant Post
Oak and the yaupon. You can
also see greenery not normally
grown here, like the American
Hop-Hornbeam, which is native
of the eastern United States.
See the graminetum, a collec
tion of native grasses, or visit the
? ine plantation planted as a
exas A&M Forestry project.
And since there's so much to
see, you can spend a couple of
hours strolling and observing.
The arboretum is in Bee Creek
Park at the end of Anderson—
right past Southwest Parkway.
Maps are provided at the entr
ance to the paths.
Although it's relaxing to
simply walk in the woods, the
arboretum is more enjoyable if
you pick up a detailed guide to
the plants. The guides are avail
able at the College Station De
partment of Parks and Recrea
tion at 1000 Eleanor.
Lone Star shines on Brazos
by Susan Dittman
Battalion Staff '
Take a trip to a beautiful, clean
park on the banks of the Brazos
River and bone up on a bit of
Lone Star state history at the
same time.
Washington-on-the Brazos
State Historical Park, seven miles
out of Navasota, is where the
Texas Declaration of Independ
ence was signed and the Consti
tution of the Republic of Texas
was adopted in 1836.
The stae park also marks the
site where the capitol of the Re-
E ublic was located before Texas
ecame part of the United States.
For those never having the pri
vilege (or pain) of taking a Texas
history course in junior high
school, Washington-on-the-
Brazos State Park provides an in
teresting crash course.
February and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
dmis-
daily, March
sion is free
August. Ac
Independence Hall — Life-size
replica of the building where the
Texas Declaration of Independ
ence was signed on March 2,
1836. Painstaking research was
done to verify the site it is built
on. Hours are the same as the
And what would a park be
without picnic tables, grills and
playground equipment? These
are available free on a first come,
first serve basis. The best thing
about them is their location —
underneath the cool shade of
pecan trees on the bank of the
Brazos River.
An amphitheater, built in the
1930's, is also available free of
charge to the public.
Getting to the park from
Bryan-College Station is easy.
R
si
b
life th
Brazo;
Scienc
Th
the B]
active
natun
■ trails
Altho
-
Take Highway 6 to
stay on Business 6 g
Navasota and then take ^
way 105 West seven mifey
left on FM 1155 to Washif
on-the-Brazos State
Park.
museum.
Anson Jones Home—Jones, the
last president of the Republic of
Texas, lived in this home on his
farm a few miles west of the park.
In 1936 the home was moved to
the state park by a historical soci
ety. The furnishings in the house
typical of the the Early Texas
ioa. Hours are the same as the
Old homes rich in history
penoi
museum.
Star of the Republic of Texas
Museum — A wide panorama of
early Texas history is displayed
in this museum. A 15-minute
slide show about the history of
Washington-on-the-Brazos plays
every hour. The museum is open
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday
through Sunday, September —
Along with the history,
Washington-on-the-Brazos also
has modem day conveniences
such as an air-conditioned park
auditorium, which has kitchen
facilities, tables and chairs. The
auditorium can be rented for
$43.75 per day. Reservations
should be made by calling the
park superintendent at (713)878-
2214.
Old houses and antigues — and history — are
being restored by the Citizens for Historical Preser
vation as the group readies historic homes for Christ
mas tours and prepares an historic archive and
museum of the Brazos Valley.
"We're here to let people know that these places
can be saved and are worth saving," President Rand
Evans said. "Our programs are mostly educational
in nature. We try to show people how important the
architectural history is, along with how they can
preserve it."
The group, form«d seven years by Brazos County
residents, meets four or five times a year for work
shops, speakers and films. Although the organiza
tion doesn't restore homes, Evans said, it does buy
homes and resell them to people who will.
Last year, the group bought the Cavett Mansion
in Bryan to save it from demolition.
"The old Cavett Mansion is one of only two na
tionally registered historical homes in the area,"
Evans said. "To be registered on the nation^ 1
structure must be of some real significant
The Carnegie Library was another sir#
the Citizens for Historical Preservation#
save. When the structure in downtown $
vacated by the city this year, Evans said, th 1
will move its headquarters there.
"On the first floor, we will have an 1
museum of the area," he said. "The second^ Swa
have a photo archive and our offices. WeV'® (} ee ,
up a photo archive right now for research 3 !
others who are interested in the history of tltff
The houses that usually attract theatten#?
group range in age from the 19th century I 01 *
the 1930's, Evans said.
For those who want to tour historic honjf
organization will sponsor its Christmas
Homes Tour for the third year. The tour,wM|
the first week of December, will indude five 1,
on the west side of Bryan.