Home of Col. Stephen William Blount

Duane's take

The way the State of Texas told it in 1936, here's how I'm bringing it to you now. Col. Stephen William Blount came into this world on February 3rd, 1808, in Burke County, Georgia.

Now, a man born in 1808 in Georgia has got a whole continent of choices in front of him, and Stephen Blount, he looked west. He came to Texas in 1835, and Texas, well, Texas was about to need every man it could get. He didn't just show up and watch from the sidelines.

He put his name on the Declaration of Independence, signed it, and then joined the Army of Texas. That's a man who understood that some documents require more than ink to back them up. When the dust settled and San Augustine County needed somebody to keep its records straight, they turned to Blount.

He became the first county clerk of San Augustine County. And it didn't stop there. He was also the first district clerk of the First Judicial District.

First, and first again. Some men are present at the founding and then drift off into the ordinary. Blount stayed, held the pen, kept the books, made the institutions work.

He lived in San Augustine, and that is where he died, February 7th, 1890. From Burke County, Georgia, to the Declaration of Independence, to the foundational offices of a new Texas county, Stephen William Blount touched the frame of this state right at the moment someone had to.

What the marker says

Born Feb. 3, 1808 in Burke County, Georgia. Came to Texas in 1835. Joined the Army of Texas after signing the Declaration of Independence. First county clerk of San Augustine County First district clerk of the First Judicial District Died, February 7, 1890 at San Augustine, Texas. Erected by the State of Texas 1936