DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker says, standing right here in San Augustine County. Now, if you want a life that reads like three novels stacked on top of each other, pull up a chair and let me tell you about Sam Houston. He was born March 2, 1793.
By 1809 — still a young man — he left home and went to live among the Cherokees. Not for a weekend. Not for a season.
He stayed two years. Then he returned to the Anglo world, opened a school, fought the British under Andrew Jackson, and climbed all the way to governor of Tennessee. Governor.
Of Tennessee. That's not a small thing. And then — well — there was the marriage.
Three weeks long. After that three-week marriage, Houston left the governorship and went back to the Cherokees. Three years later, he came to Texas.
When he arrived in San Augustine, Sam Houston opened a legal practice right here, on this very site. And for the next thirty years, he used what folks called The Redlands as a place of business, a residence, or a refuge. That word — refuge — carries some weight when you think about the life this man was living.
The marker says Houston is said to have recuperated from the Battle of San Jacinto in the home of Colonel Phillip Sublett, right here in San Augustine — and that he issued his report of that battle from this town. Let that settle in. One of the most consequential moments in Texas history, and the man at the center of it was healing here, putting words to paper here.
After his term as President of the Republic of Texas, the people of San Augustine weren't done with him. They elected him to serve in the Texas House of Representatives during the Fourth and Fifth Congresses. The Redlands kept calling him back, and he kept answering.
His divorce from Eliza Allen took place in San Augustine in 1837. Then in 1840 he married Margaret Lea. Her health wouldn't permit her to live in San Augustine, but she made frequent visits.
The town wove itself into his life at every turn. Sam Houston died July 26, 1863. But what this marker is really about isn't just the man — it's the bond.
The early and strong support of the people of The Redlands for Sam Houston, and Houston's love for them in return, is documented in the history and lore of San Augustine and its people. Some places just claim a man. San Augustine and Sam Houston claimed each other.
What the marker says
Sam Houston (March 2, 1793 - July 26, 1863) left home in 1809 and lived among the Cherokees. After two years he returned to the Anglo world; he opened a school, fought the British under Andrew Jackson, and was governor of Tennessee. After a three-week marriage, Houston left the governorship and returned to the Cherokees; three years later, he came to Texas. Upon his arrival in San Augustine, Sam Houston opened a legal practice on this site. For the next thirty years he used "The Redlands" as a place of business, residence, or refuge. Houston is said to have recuperated from the Battle of San Jacinto in the home of Colonel Phillip Sublett, issuing his report of the battle from San Augustine. Following Houston's term as President of the Republic of Texas, the people of San Augustine elected him to serve them in the Texas House of Representatives during the Fourth and Fifth Congresses. Houston's divorce from Eliza Allen took place in San Augustine in 1837. He married Margaret Lea in 1840; though her health would not permit her to live in San Augustine, she made frequent visits. The early and strong support of the people of "The Redlands" for Sam Houston and Houston's love for them is documented in the history and lore of San Augustine and its people. (1998)