DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Way out in Cherokee County, near the town of Alto, there's a spot called Cold Springs — and if you've ever wondered what a hundred years of family loyalty looks like, well, pull up a camp stool and listen. George Creagor Holcomb made his way to Texas from Arkansas back in 1842.
Now, that alone takes a certain kind of nerve — but George wasn't finished. He came back, in a manner of speaking, because he went and brought his father Joseph and his uncle Zachariah Holcomb, along with their whole families, right on down to Texas with him. The Holcombs took root in Cherokee County, acquired land, got involved in the local churches, got woven into the communities.
They were the kind of people who showed up. Then comes 1897 — and somebody had the idea, the inspired and apparently unstoppable idea, to hold a reunion. The purpose was straightforward and fine: honor Joseph and Zachariah Holcomb, and give kin who'd drifted apart a chance to look each other in the eye again.
So they came. About two hundred Holcombs arrived at Cold Springs near Alto — by horse and buggy, mind you — and they camped out in tents right there at the site. Two hundred people.
Tents. Horse and buggy. That first gathering had the feel of something that knows it's going to last.
And sure enough, it did. Year after year the reunion came back, and it drew more family members from near and far. By the 1950s, the family put their own money into building a pavilion out there — a permanent shelter for a permanent tradition.
They also shifted the schedule from a Tuesday through Thursday run to a weekend gathering on Saturday and Sunday. Held the second week in July, every year. Six generations of Holcombs have made that trip to Cherokee County, sharing food and entertainment, trading news about the events and accomplishments of the family.
More than a hundred years of showing up. George brought his people to Texas, and Texas kept them together.
What the marker says
Members of the Holcomb family have been holding reunions in this location since 1897. George Creagor Holcomb moved to Texas from Arkansas in 1842 and later brought his father Joseph and uncle Zachariah Holcomb and their families to Texas. The Holcomb family acquired land in Cherokee County and soon became active in local churches and communities. A family reunion was organized in 1897 to honor Joseph and Zachariah Holcomb and to allow kin to renew acquaintances with long absent family members. Held at Cold Springs near Alto, the first reunion was attended by about 200 Holcombs. They arrived by horse and buggy and camped out in tents at the site. The reunion continued year after year and drew more family members from near and far. In the 1950s family members contributed to the construction of a pavilion and changed the Tuesday through Thursday meeting to a Saturday and Sunday schedule. Held the second week in July, the Holcomb family reunion has met for six generations and more than 100 years to share food and entertainment along with the events and accomplishments of its members. (1997)