Andrew Edwards Gossett

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Andrew Edwards Gossett, right there in Houston County. Now, every town has a founding story, and some of those stories involve grand gestures. Andrew Edwards Gossett made one of the grandest kind a man can make.

He simply gave the land away. Gossett was born July 19, 1812, and he lived a long life, passing on March 24, 1890. But somewhere in between those two dates, he did something that outlasted him considerably.

He donated the townsite of what would become the city of Crockett. Here's how it came together. Houston County was created on June 8, 1837, carved out of the territory of Nacogdoches.

A brand new county needs a county seat, and that seat needs to sit somewhere central, somewhere every corner of the county can reach without too much grief. Gossett had just the spot. It came from his colonist's grant, land that was his by right of settlement, and he donated it.

Just like that. A centrally-located county seat, provided by one man's act of giving. There's something worth sitting with in that.

A man receives land as a colonist's grant, and rather than hold it close, he opens his hand and says, here, build something. Andrew Edwards Gossett did exactly that, and the city of Crockett stands on it to this day.

What the marker says

(July 19, 1812 -- March 24, 1890) Donor of land for city of Crockett. After Houston County was created on June 8, 1837, from territory of Nacogdoches, a centrally-located county seat was provided by donation of this townsite by Gossett from his colonist's grant.