DUANE
Duane's take
The marker tells it this way, and I'm just the one passing it along. Now settle in, because this is a story about a man who covered a whole lot of Texas ground — most of it on the back of a mule. We're talking about the Reverend William Craig, born in South Carolina in 1785, who stepped into the Methodist ministry at the age of eighteen.
He married Rebecca Hortense Horton, and together they raised six children. By the time he was done moving, he'd gone from South Carolina to Mississippi, and then — around 1841 — he pointed himself toward San Augustine, Texas. Eight years after that, in 1849, he put down roots in the Oakland community right here in Rusk County.
Now, you might think a man with a home and a family would slow his roll a little. Not Reverend Craig. He had appointments to keep across East Texas, and he kept them.
His traveling companion on those long lonely circuits was a mule by the name of Tobe. Just Tobe. And that mule carried him up to three hundred miles on a single circuit.
Three hundred miles. Think about that next time you grumble about traffic. Over in Nacogdoches, Craig conducted services inside the Old Stone Fort — which is exactly as serious and storied a place as it sounds.
He organized the Henderson circuit, and somewhere in between all that riding and preaching, he served as chaplain for the Texas Senate. William Craig rode this land, prayed over it, and organized it, from 1785 all the way to 1865. Rebecca outlasted him by a year, gone in 1866.
But Tobe's legacy? Well. Three hundred miles at a stretch says everything that needs saying.
What the marker says
(1785-1865) A Methodist circuit rider, the Rev. William Craig was born in South Carolina and entered the ministry at age 18. He married Rebecca Hortense Horton (1785-1866) and had six children. About 1841, he moved from Mississippi to San Augustine, Texas. In 1849, he established a home in Oakland community in Rusk County. He served several appointments in East Texas, riding his mule, Tobe, up to 300 miles on one circuit. In Nacogdoches, he conducted services in the Old Stone Fort. He organized Henderson circuit and also served as chaplain for the Texas Senate.