Town of Dawson

Duane's take

The way the marker tells it, here's the story of the town of Dawson, out in Navarro County. Now, before there was a Dawson, there was Spring Hill — and Spring Hill wasn't just the beginning of this story, it was the beginning of everything in Navarro County. The oldest settlement in the county, sitting about four miles to the northeast of where we're headed.

It got its start in 1838, when a Republic of Texas Indian agent by the name of Dr. George Washington Hill set up a trading post there, looking to improve relationships with the Indians. That's the seed of it all.

Into this picture, eventually, rides Britton Dawson — born in 1817, and a man who had already earned his place in Texas history before he ever laid eyes on Navarro County. He'd fought at the Battle of San Jacinto, and the Republic didn't forget that. When he came to Texas, he landed first in Jasper County, but by 1846 he'd made his way to Spring Hill, settling on land he received as bounty for that San Jacinto service.

A man twice married, the father of thirteen children — Britton Dawson was not a man who did things small. By 1847 he'd moved again — just a bit, to the very spot where this town would one day carry his name. And he built a large home out here, the kind of home that becomes a landmark all on its own.

Stagecoaches stopped there. Travelers passed through. Life organized itself around it.

Now, for a good while, Spring Hill was still the center of things. But then came 1881, and with it, the Texas and St. Louis Railroad — a line folks would later know as the Cotton Belt — pushing its route from Tyler all the way to Waco, right through this ground.

Railroads had a way of reshaping the world, and this one was no different. Britton Dawson's sons, David E. and W. H., saw what was coming.

They and their wives gave one hundred acres in 1881 for a townsite right there on the new railroad. The town was named for the Dawsons, and it did not waste any time. It grew rapidly.

The railroad set up a boxcar for a depot — which, if you think about it, is the most railroad thing imaginable, and somehow it worked. Churches went up. Schools followed.

Merchants arrived. The Masonic Lodge packed up and moved over from Spring Hill. And that right there is what sealed it for poor Spring Hill.

All that energy, all those people, all that commerce — it walked four miles to the southwest and didn't look back. Spring Hill declined. Dawson flourished.

One community's momentum became another community's story. Britton Dawson himself lived until 1905. He got to watch it all unfold — the railroad, the town, the name.

Not a bad thing, to see a place rise up and carry your name while you're still around to hear it said.

What the marker says

This community grew out of Spring Hill (4 mi. NE), the oldest settlement in Navarro County. A Republic of Texas Indian agent, Dr. George Washington Hill, started Spring Hill in 1838 as a trading post to improve relationships with the Indians. When Britton Dawson (1817-1905) came to Texas, he lived first in Jasper County. He settled at Spring Hill in 1846 on land he received as bounty for his service in the Battle of San Jacinto. Married twice and the father of 13 children, Dawson moved here in 1847 and later built a large home that served as a stagecoach stop. In 1881 the Texas & St. Louis Railroad, known later as the "Cotton Belt," came through here on its route from Tyler to Waco. Dawson's sons, David E. and W. H., and their wives gave 100 acres in 1881 for a townsite on the new railroad. Named for the Dawsons, the town grew rapidly. Residents of Spring Hill, excited about business prospects, moved here. The railroad promptly set up a box car for a depot. Churches and schools were established immediately. Many merchants as well as the Masonic Lodge moved here from Spring Hill. This shift of population caused the Spring Hill community to decline while Dawson flourished.