DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Powell Sanctuary in Walker County. Now settle in, because this one isn't a tale of gunfighters or wildcatters — it's something quieter, and maybe more lasting than either of those. Benjamin Harrison Powell was born in 1881, and by the time he hit his stride he was a successful lawyer in the area for fifteen years.
That kind of steady reputation tends to catch the right eyes, and sure enough, Governor Hobby appointed him in 1918 as Judge of the 12th District Court — and subsequently to the Commission of Appeals up in Austin. Meanwhile, Marian Rather Powell, also born in 1881, was building her own record. She taught at Huntsville High School and at Sam Houston Normal Institute, served as a Huntsville School Board member, and carried the title of Walker County Women Suffrage Chairperson.
Two people who could have coasted on their credentials — and then grief found them anyway. Their son, Rawley Rather Powell, was born in 1918. He was five years old when he died in 1923.
There's no pretty way to say that, and the marker doesn't try. What it does say is this: Benjamin and Marian wanted to create a place that could help others in times of grief. Not just endure their loss — turn it into something for other people to lean on.
So they got to work. In 1925, the Powells purchased one point eight-six acres of forested land adjoining Powell Family Cemetery tracts at Oakwood. In 1937, they acquired the Walkway, public gathering place, and driveway rights for access and gatherings from the cemetery.
Two more acres came in 1939. Piece by piece, they were building something. And at the heart of it — well, here's where the story takes a turn that even the most well-traveled Texan might not expect.
This sanctuary features one of the few full-sized American copies of the Christus, a world-renowned piece of art by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. The statue of Christ was created from bronze, with southern Georgian granite used for the pedestal on which Christ stands. Granite benches were installed nearby so visitors could sit, meditate, and read a Sidney Lanier poem called The Trees and the Master.
On October 10, 1934, a man named Dr. Harry F. Estill put it into words.
He wrote that the Christ figure — and I want you to hear this the way he wrote it — is, quote, a benediction to the citizens of Huntsville and to strangers who in the years to come will gaze upon it, and who will be inspired — as was I — by an overwhelming feeling of reverence and of worship. Placed within Huntsville's Oakwood Cemetery, Powell Sanctuary has offered solace to those seeking comfort since 1934. A judge and a teacher lost a child, and instead of closing that wound up tight, they opened a door for every stranger who might need the same kind of quiet.
That's the story the marker tells. And out here on a Texas road, I think that's worth stopping for.
What the marker says
Benjamin Harrison Powell (1881-1960) was a successful lawyer in the area for fifteen years until he was appointed in 1918 by Governor Hobby as Judge of the 12th District Court and subsequently to the Commission of Appeals in Austin. Marian (Rather) Powell (1881-1974) taught at Huntsville High School and Sam Houston Normal Institute, was a Huntsville School Board member and the Walker County Women Suffrage Chairperson. Following the death of their five-year-old son Rawley Rather Powell (b. 1918) in 1923, Benjamin and Marian wanted to create a place that could help others in times of grief. The Powells purchased 1.86 acres of forested land adjoining Powell Family Cemetery tracts at Oakwood in 1925 and the Walkway, public gathering place and driveway rights for access and gatherings from the cemetery in 1937, with an additional two acres in 1939. This sanctuary features one of the few full-sized American copies of "the Christus," a world-renowned piece of art by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. The statue of Christ was created from bronze with southern Georgian granite used for the pedestal on which Christ stands. Granite benches were installed for visitors to meditate and read the Sidney Lanier poem, "The Trees and the Master." As Dr. Harry F. Estill wrote on October 10, 1934, the Christ figure "is a benediction to the citizens of Huntsville and to strangers who in the years to come will gaze upon it, and who will be inspired - as was I - by an overwhelming feeling of reverence and of worship." Placed within Huntsville's Oakwood Cemetery, Powell Sanctuary has offered solace to those seeking comfort since 1934.