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Lake Creek Marker |
LAKE
CREEK SETTLEMENT OFFICIAL TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION MARKER IS DEDICATED IN
MONTGOMERY
A Texas Historical Commission Marker recording the history of the Lake Creek
Settlement, the earliest Anglo-American settlement in Montgomery County Texas,
was unveiled on February 25, 2017 at the Nat Hart Davis Museum and Pioneer
Complex in Montgomery Texas. The Lake Creek Settlement was a settlement in
Stephen F. Austin’s Second Colony located between the West Fork of the San
Jacinto River and the stream called Lake Creek. In 1837, the town of Montgomery
was founded in the middle of the Lake Creek Settlement. Many descendants of the
Lake Creek Settlement were on hand to celebrate, including Kameron Searle and
his family and Pat Spackey and family, who are descendants of W.W. Shepperd, the
Founder of the Town of Montgomery. Larry Forster, chair of the Montgomery County
Historical Commission thanked Kameron Searle for his tireless efforts of ten
years of research and introduced the Marker dedication Committee Chair, Sharon
Russell of the Montgomery County Historical Commission. The Lake Creek
Settlement had been forgotten by Texas Historians and Kameron’s research
culminated in this marker which was dedicated in a ceremony that included more
than 150 in attendance. The Montgomery Historical Society and the Texas Heritage
Society were proud sponsors of the marker. The ceremonies began when C.K.
Stephenson, bagpiper, played the “Eyes of Texas”, followed by Lynn Huff,
Minister of Montgomery Church of Christ who gave the benediction. Welcome was
given but Kirk Jones, Mayor of Montgomery Texas. Giving Remarks Larry Foerster,
Billy Ray Duncan, President of the Montgomery Historical Society, Craig Doyal,
Montgomery County Judge, Mike Meador, Montgomery County Commissioner, Precinct
1, Bob Steakley, KSJ, President General, the Sons of the Republic of Texas,
Barbara Stevens, President General-Elect, The Daughters of the Republic of
Texas, Pat Spackey, representing the Judge Nathaniel Hart Davis Chapter of the
Daughters of the Republic of Texas, the Texas Heritage Society, and a descendant
of Montgomery Town Founder, W. W. Shepherd, Mrs. Spackey thanked her cousin
Kameron Searle for his tireless efforts and introduced Coyla Holmes, District
Six Representative for the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and member of the
Judge Nathaniel Hart Davis DRT chapter and the New Kentucky DRT chapter, as well
as thanking the Charles B. Stewart Children of the Republic of Texas and the
Atascosita chapter Children of the Republic of Texas for being part of the
ceremonies wearing Period attire. Spackey welcomed the members of other Lineage
organizations, including members of the Daughters of the American Revolution and
fellow descendants of the Lake Creek Settlement and said how proud the Judge
Nathaniel Hart Davis DRT members are to have the marker at the Nat Hart Davis
Museum, the “Namesake” for their DRT chapter.
Greetings,Resolutions and Proclamations were brought by:
Will Metcalf, Texas House of Representative, District 16, Luine Hancock,
District Co-ordinator for Senator Robert Nichols District 3 Montgomery Office, a
letter from Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, and a proclamation from Greg Abbot,
Governor of the State of Texas. Jim Tiller, Ph.D, Professor of Geography at Sam
Houston State University brought greetings and the Texas Historical Commission
Marker was unveiled by Craig Doyal, Montgomery County Judge, Mike Meador
Commissioner, Precinct 1, Montgomery County, Larry Foerster, chair of the
Montgomery County Historical Commission; Kameron K. Searle. J.D., Marker
Historian and sponsor and President of the Texas Heritage Society and
descendants of Lake Creek and dignitaries from the Sons of the Republic of Texas
and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. The Sons of the Republic of Texas,
Lone Star Chapter, and the San Jacinto chapter brought their cannon to display
and as the Marker was unveiled soldiers fired their muskets to the delight of
the crowd. Sons of the Republic of Texas and Sons of the American Revolution
dignitaries in attendance were Tom Green, KSJ, Tom Houston, KSJ and descendants
Julia and Russell Cartwright represented the Cartwright family, descendants of
Lake Creek. Mike Wilson, John Meredith, John Hommann, Rusty and Debby Mc
Laughlin, and Doug and Elaine Collings were some of the members of the Sons of
the Republic of Texas and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas who bought the
cannon and participated in the ceremonies
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Kameron K. Searle gave great appreciation to
the Planning Committee: Larry Foerster, Montgomery County Historical Commission;
Billy Ray Duncan, Brenda Beaven, Shirley Schneider and Bea Rouse, Montgomery
Historical Society, Pat Spackey, Marisa A Searle, Kyle Whitley, Julia and
Russell Cartwright, Texas Heritage Society and Debra Black-Sloan, Harris County
Historical Commission.
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