DUANE
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Duane's take
Here's how the official marker at Grapevine Springs Park tells it, and it's worth every word. Now, some places earn their history quietly, just sittin' there, doin' their thing for a couple thousand years. Grapevine Springs is one of those places.
Those springs have been drawing visitors in for more than two thousand years, feeding right into the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, cool and steady, the way a good story just keeps on flowing. In 1843, Republic of Texas President Sam Houston himself made camp right here during treaty negotiations with Native Americans. Think on that a moment; Sam Houston, at this very spot, working the kind of diplomacy that shaped a republic.
The treaty that came out of those negotiations was later signed at Bird's Fort, but the groundwork got laid right here at these springs. Then the story goes quiet for a while, the way Texas stories sometimes do, before they come roaring back. In 1936, Dallas County accepted the donation of Houston's campsite as park land, and the federal Works Progress Administration (the WPA) got to work.
They built rock walls, picnic facilities, footbridges, and other features, turning this ancient campsite into something folks could gather around again. But then the war came. During World War II, ownership of the land reverted to prior owners, and the park slipped away.
The Baptist Foundation of Texas eventually obtained the land, and in 1991 they donated it back to the county. Today it's the City of Coppell that maintains this place, and efforts to restore those WPA features are ongoing. More than two thousand years of visitors, and Grapevine Springs is still pulling people in.
What the marker says
The Grapeving Springs, which flow into the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, have attracted visitors for more than 2,000 years. In 1843, Republic of Texas President Sam Houston camped here during treaty negotiations with Native Americans. The treaty was later signed at Bird's Fort. In 1936, Dallas County accepted the donation of Houston's campsite as park land, and the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) built rock walls, picnic facilities, footbridges and other features. During World War II, ownership reverted to prior owners. The Baptist Foundation of Texas later obtained the land and donated it to the county in 1991. Today, the City of Coppell maintains it, and efforts to restore WPA features are ongoing. (2005)