DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Pilot Knob, out in DeWitt County. Now, some hills just sit there. Pilot Knob was not that kind of hill.
This rise could be seen for miles across the Texas coastal plain, and that made it something precious to early travelers — a fixed point in a wide, uncertain land. During the 19th century, it guided pioneers moving inland from Old Indianola on the coast, steering them toward Helena and San Antonio like a natural compass needle planted in the earth. When those early travelers climbed up to take a look around, they found they weren't the first ones to appreciate the view.
Charred rocks and artifacts told the story of an Indian campground that had been there before them. The hill had been a gathering place long before anyone thought to name it. The Goliad Land District ran the first official survey of the area in 1838, putting it on the map in the way that Texas was doing to itself piece by piece in those years.
Then in 1886, the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad came through this region, and with the railroad came Weldon Switch — the depot that would later be known as Nordheim. For years, a sign at that depot made a point of telling passengers that its four-hundred-foot elevation was the highest on the line running between Houston, San Antonio, and Waco. Four hundred feet of bragging rights, and they were happy to claim every inch of it.
In 1895, Nordheim was platted, and after that, German immigrants were drawn to the area in considerable numbers. And here is where the story of Pilot Knob takes its warmest turn. Under the sturdy oaks on that hill, the community gathered — young and old together — for band concerts and shooting matches, for harvest festivals and May festivals and Easter egg hunts.
They built a refreshment stand and a dance platform right there on the knob, and for a good long while that hill was the center of social life for Nordheim citizens. It was the place where people celebrated, where they competed, where they danced. But communities also mark their sorrows in the places they love, and the townspeople of Nordheim buried their dead on Pilot Knob too.
By about 1910, most of the festivals and dances and celebrations had moved into town. The hill grew quieter. And Pilot Knob, which had once called travelers home from miles away, which had rung with music and laughter and the crack of a shooting match, gradually settled into what it is today — the community cemetery.
A beacon, right to the end.
What the marker says
A beacon for early Texas pioneers. Because this hill could be seen for miles, it guided travelers from Old Indianola (on the coast) inland to Helena and San Antonio during the 19th century. On the hill, they discovered charred rocks and artifacts from a previous Indian campground. The area was first surveyed in 1838 by the Goliad Land District and in 1886 the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad was built through this region. For years a sign at the Weldon Switch (present Nordheim) Depot proclaimed its 400-foot elevation was highest on the line between Houston, San Antonio, and Waco. In 1895 Nordheim was platted. Afterward numerous German immigrants were attracted to the area. Under the sturdy oaks on Pilot Knob, young and old enjoyed typical German and pioneer activities, including band concerts, shooting matches, harvest and May festivals, and Easter egg hunts. A refreshment stand and dance platform were built on the hill, which became the center of social life for Nordheim citizens. Here the townspeople also buried their dead, and since most activities had been moved into town by about 1910, Pilot Knob gradually settled into its present use as the community cemetery.