Site of Norman Springs & Norman Grove

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm going to do it justice. There's a willow tree standing out in Johnson County that doesn't look like much at first glance. But that tree is marking something: the ghost of a spring that once kept people alive on the Texas frontier.

Let me take you back to where this story starts. In 1849, a man named William Balch claimed land around this site. He came in as a member of the Peters Colony, which is how a good many folks put down roots in this part of Texas.

Now Balch didn't stay right away; he returned with his family in 1851, and when they arrived, they found a group of Caddo Indians already camped on one side of the springs. The Balch family built their cabin on the other side. And here's the part worth sitting with for a moment: they lived peaceably with their neighbors.

That's what the record says, and it's worth saying plainly. Other Caddo were living further along in the area that would become Alvarado. Same draw that pulled everybody out here: fresh water, and plenty of it.

These springs sat right on the road running from Birdville and Fort Worth down toward Hillsboro, Waco, Fort Graham, and beyond. If you were movin' through Johnson County in those years, chances are you knew this water. William Balch founded the town of Alvarado in 1854, and the family moved into town not long after.

The land around the springs passed to new hands. Joe Shaw, born 1798, and Sarah Shaw, born 1797, along with their family, settled here and farmed it. Joe Shaw wasn't just a farmer, either.

He served three terms as county sheriff. Sarah, for her part, lived all the way to 1897, which means she saw more of this county's history than just about anybody. Meanwhile, settlers kept coming in increasing numbers, and the Caddo Indians moved to the Oklahoma Territory or further west.

By 1860, the area was dominated by the new settlers. Then came Lafayette Norman. Tennessee-born, 1826.

He was a veteran of the U.S. war with Mexico, and later he served in the Confederate Army. In 1872, he and his third wife Julia purchased 245 acres around this site. The Normans did something worth remembering: they gave thirsty and weary travelers access to their spring.

No small thing on a long, dusty road. That generosity is why the place came to carry their name: Norman Springs, Norman Grove. And for a while, that was the story.

Water flowing, travelers drinking, the land doing what good land does. But then the droughts came. A seven-year drought hit in the 1930s.

A five-year drought followed in the 1950s. Each one pulled the water table down a little further. Norman Springs, that once free-flowing source that had sustained Caddo Indians and pioneer settlers alike on the Johnson County frontier, slowly became little more than a muddy patch.

By the dawn of the 21st century, all that was left to mark the spot was a willow tree. A willow tree grows where its roots can find water, even when nobody else can. So maybe that tree knows something we've forgotten.

Or maybe it's just standin' there, keepin' the story alive the only way it can.

What the marker says

William Balch (1804-1870) claimed land around this site as a member of the Peters Colony in 1849. When he returned with his family in 1851, they found a group of Caddo Indians camping on one side of the springs. The Balch family built their cabin on the other side and lived peaceably with their neighbors. Other Caddo were living in the area that became Alvarado. Like the new settlers, they were attracted by the abundance of fresh water. The springs were located on the road from Birdville and Fort Worth to Hillsboro, Waco, Ft. Graham and other destinations. William Balch founded the town of Alvarado in 1854 and the family moved into town. Joe (1798-1882) and Sarah (1797-1897) Shaw and their family settled here and farmed the land. Joe Shaw was a three-term county sheriff. With settlers coming in increasing numbers, the Caddo Indians moved to the Oklahoma territory or further west, and by 1860 the area was dominated by new settlers. Tennessee native Lafayette Norman (1826-1904), veteran of the U. S. war with Mexico and later the Confederate Army, purchased 245 acres around this site with his third wife Julia In 1872. The Normans supplied thirsty and weary travelers with access to their spring; the site became known as Norman Springs and Norman Grove. A seven-year drought in the 1930s and a five-year drought in the 1950s significantly reduced the water table in this region. Norman Springs slowly became little more than a muddy patch. By the dawn of the 21st century, the once free-flowing spring that provided priceless fresh water to the early Indians and pioneer settlers of the Johnson County frontier was marked only by a willow tree. (2000)