Crockett, Texas

First timer? In this (hopefully) once-a-day blog, I have my computer select a random latitude and longitude that puts me somewhere in the continental United States (the lower 48). I call this “landing.” I keep track of the watersheds I land in, as well as the town I land near. I do some internet research to hopefully find something of interest about my landing location. To find out more about A Landing A Day (like who “Dan” is and what the various numbers and abbreviations mean), please see “About Landing,” (and “Abbreviations” and “Cryptic Numbers”) above.

Dan – No doubt about it, I was over due for landing here, my far-and-away most US state . . . TX; 120/152; 5/10; 15; 159.1. And new record low Score, at that!!!

A new “river,” Hurricane Bayou; on to the Trinity R (10th hit); on to the G of M.

Check out this landing map . . I landed almost dead center in Crockett, a round town, my first round town that I recall in TX:

Here’s a broader view:

From The Austin Chronicle, reporting on this “Day Trip” to Crockett:

Camp Street Cafe & Store proves that Crockett, Texas, is one happening place. The music often starts in the afternoon on Saturdays and goes until the last guitar player is standing.

A town of more than 7,000, Crockett wears its Southern charm with a distinct East Texas accent. Stately mansions serve as a welcoming committee to the town square. The entire area is surrounded by tall pine trees on the edge of the Davy Crockett National Forest. The town has lots of soul.

David Crockett passed through here on his way from Tennessee to the Alamo.

A block off the southeast corner of the town square where the African-American business district once thrived. Musicians like Blind Lemon Jefferson and Lightnin’ Hopkins could easily draw a crowd on the street corners.

Here’s a picture of a statue of Lightnin’ Hopkins playin’ his guitar an’ lookin’ over at the Café:

Back to the article:

During segregation, the Camp Street Cafe & Store was a hub of activity. By day the store sold groceries and haircuts; at night the moonshine and guitars came out. The music had faded from the pine floors of the sheet-metal building when brothers Guy and Pipp Gillette restored the place in 1998 as a music venue.

As with many teenagers, seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 inspired the brothers’ musical talents. From 1968 until 1983, the pair played at folk clubs on the eastern seaboard, including a stint in a band with a young singer named Diane Keaton.

A love for the community and its musical legacy led the brothers to restore the old building. They also helped finance a bronze statue of Hopkins that looks across the street into the front door of a place he often played.

The Camp Street Cafe & Store is a misnomer in every way. Years ago the city changed the name of Camp Street to Third Street. The only food available is a variety of candy bars, and the store is a gift shop selling an assortment of books, T-shirts, music CDs, and bird decoys carved by Pipp.

The name painted on the red tin siding may not be entirely accurate, but the character of the room is authentic. A small stage cuts the hall in half. Folding chairs and tables fill nearly every available space. On a recent Saturday afternoon, the David Crockett Dulcimer Society’s class turned into a jam session filling the rafters with foot-tapping music.

The stage has hosted an impressive list of traveling and regional musicians over the years. Of course, the Gillette Bros. make regular appearances.

The Camp Street Cafe & Store is at 215 S. Third St., a block east of TX 21. There is music almost every Saturday night and sometimes on Friday night. For information, call 877/544-8656 or go to www.campstreetcafe.com.

Moving on to the town of Crockett:

From Wiki:

The town was named after Davy Crockett who reportedly had camped nearby on his way to the Alamo; the site was very near the Old San Antonio Road. A family from Tennessee donated the land for the town and named it after Crockett, whom they had previously known. The town was incorporated in 1837. In 1839 raids by the Alabama-Coushatta and Cherokee Indians forced the town’s residents to take shelter in the fortified log courthouse.

Oh my!!  Coushatta!!    Coushatta LA was only six landings ago!!   Anyway, back to Wiki:

By 1885 the town was thriving with a population of 1,200. The population was over 3,000 in the mid 1920s and by 1936, it was nearly 4,500. The population of Crockett increased while most of East Texas declined after World War II. It reached 5,000 by the 1960 census.

Blues singer Lightnin’ Hopkins was once arrested in Crockett, Texas.

Funny that the only reference to Lightnin’ Hopkins is that he was arrested . . . anyway, so, how about Davy Crockett? Obviously, there is an immense amount of information about him on the web. But for me, it was all about the Davy Crockett show with Fess Parker that aired on TV when I was a little kid.  I had a coonskin cap and toy rifle when I was about six years old . . .

Click here to link to a great video of Fess singing the Davy Crockett theme song (back in the mid-1950s).  As is my custom, I’ll print the words, so you can listen & following along. (Remember, hit “Ctrl” when you hit the link and that’ll open up a new window tab; then you can go back & forth between the words and the video as you see fit.)

Born on a mountain top in Tennessee,

Greenest state in the land of the free.

Raised in the woods so’s he knew every tree,

Killed him a bear when he was only three.

Davy, Davy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier.

Fought single handed through the Injun war,

Till the Creeks was whipped and peace was restored.

And while he was handling this risky chore,

Made himself a legend, forevermore.

Davy, Davy Crockett the man who don’t know fear.

He went of to Congress and served a spell

Fixin’ up the government and laws as well.

Took over Washington, I heard tell,

And patched up the crack in the Liberty Bell.

Davy, Davy Crockett, seein’ his duty clear.

When he come home, his politickin’ done,

While the western march had just begun.

So he packed his gear, and his trusty gun

And let out a grinnin’ to follow the sun.

Davy, Davy Crockett, Leadin the Pioneer.

He heard of Houston & Austin and so,

To the Texas plains he just had to go.

Where freedom was fightin’ another foe,

An’ they needed him at the Alamo.

Davy, Davy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier.

I’ll close with this shot of the Tchoupitoulas Hotel in Crockett.  It took a lot of effort to get all of those cowboys & horses together . . .

By the way, Dan, as you should know being more-or-less a native New Orleanean, there’s a famous Tchoupitoulas Street in New Orleans, as well as a Tchoupitoulas Planatation that was in Destrehan, just upriver from New Orleans.  Both were named for the Chopitoulas (or Tchoupitoulas) Indians.  Chopitoulas means “River People.”

KS

Greg

© 2009 A Landing A Day

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