Abbott's Grove

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Abbott's Grove, out there in Hill County. Now settle in, because this one starts with trees. Pecan, hackberry, elm, and others, growing wild along the banks of Hackberry Creek in the early days of Hillsboro.

Nobody built that grove. It just grew there, patient as Texas itself, waiting for the town to catch up. And catch up it did.

Hillsboro residents started coming to those shaded banks for community celebrations and festivities, and they gave the place a name to match the man they were honoring. Joseph Abbott. Jo, to those who knew him well.

Born in 1840, passed in 1908, and apparently well-loved in the time between. He was a distinguished lawyer, a judge, a Texas legislator, and a United States Congressman, and if that weren't enough to keep a man busy, he and his brother-in-law George F. Sturgis operated what would become the Sturgis National Bank.

Abbott and his wife Rowena, born a Sturgis herself, built their family home on the land south of the creek, and two of their five children owned property right next door. The family had roots there, deep as those pecan trees. Now, Jo Abbott had opinions, and he was not shy about sharing them.

He was an avid anti-prohibitionist, and in the 1880s and 1890s he was often a speaker at rallies and barbecues held right there in the grove near his home. Picture that. The shade, the smell of barbecue, and Jo Abbott holding forth.

The grove hosted concerts, ball games, community and holiday picnics, and reunions for groups like the Old Settlers and Confederate Veterans Associations. Abbott's Grove was where Hillsboro came together. Then came 1908, and Abbott was gone.

A prominent businessman and banker named George Carmichael, born in 1855, purchased the Abbott home and the property. And here is where the story takes a turn worth noting. In 1921, Carmichael donated a thousand dollars to designate the grove as a city park.

The newly organized Hillsboro Rotary Club got behind the effort, and after a few months of raising funds, the Rotarians made it happen. The new municipal park kept the name. Abbott's Grove it had been, and Abbott's Grove it would remain.

The years rolled on, and the park's use fluctuated, as things do. There was even a stretch of underutilization, which is a polite way of saying the old grove went a little quiet. But Hillsboro came back to it.

Birthday parties. End-of-school celebrations. The scenic setting along that creek, the shade of those old trees.

Some places, it turns out, just refuse to stop being gathering spots. Abbott's Grove waited out the quiet, same as it always had, and the people of Hillsboro found their way back.

What the marker says

In the early days of Hillsboro, a grove of pecan, hackberry, elm and other trees grew along the banks of Hackberry Creek. Hillsboro residents came to the grove for community celebrations and festivities. They called it Abbott's Grove in honor of one of the city's popular leaders, Joseph Abbott (1840-1908). He and his wife, Rowena (Sturgis), built their family home on the land south of the creek. Two of their five children owned adjacent property. Jo Abbott was a distinguished lawyer, judge, Texas legislator and U.S. Congressman. He and brother-in-law George F. Sturgis operated what would become the Sturgis National Bank. An avid anti-prohibitionist, Abbott was often a speaker at rallies and barbecues held in the 1880s and 1890s in the grove near his home. Other events at the grove included community and holiday picnics, concerts, ball games, and reunions for groups like the Old Settlers and Confederate Veterans Associations. At Abbott's death in 1908, prominent businessman and banker George Carmichael (1855-1924) purchased the Abbott home and property, and donated $1,000 in 1921 to designate the grove as a city park. The newly organized Hillsboro Rotary Club got behind the effort, and after a few months of raising funds the Rotarians were successful in their campaign. The new municipal park continued the name of Abbott's Grove. Use of the park at Abbott's Grove fluctuated over the years, but after a period of underutilization the park is once again a source of community pride, and a place for birthday parties, end-of-school events and other celebrations. Hillsboro citizens enjoy the scenic setting and the many amenities found in historic Abbott's Grove. (2004)