Cedar Park & Leander - Community Impact Newspaper

Joseph M. deLeon
Local History | Leander founder’s rock
A slab of limestone found in 2008 welcomes The Highlands of Crystal Falls residents to a recreation area. Some of Leander’s
founding family names are etched into the rock, which is dated 1871.
By Joseph M. de Leon
About 150 years ago, outdoor recreation
near what is now Crystal Falls Parkway
and Lakeline Boulevard was not so different
from today.
After residents worked, many spent
time lounging and playing near a cool
body of water. Back then, some of the
area’s founders sought relief from the
scorching heat and harsh terrain in a
limestone gully near what is now The
Highlands at Crystal Falls neighborhood
in Leander.
People with last names such as Bittick
and Murray carved their names and
scratched drawings into a roughly 3-by-5foot
slab of limestone that cleaved from an
overhang near the swimming hole. Other
scratches take the form of a bird and two
hearts encircling names. Someone carved
the date 1871 near the edge.
In August 2008, City Engineer Wayne
Watts was exploring the undeveloped
tract of land to become familiar with its
geography ahead of construction of the
neighborhood. He did not expect to find a
piece of history scratched into limestone.
“When I realized what it was, it just
amazed me,” he said. “I just thought about
those people sitting there memorializing
their names. In those days, it wasn’t the
friendliest place to live.”
Life in Central Texas during the 1870s
was often perilous. The Civil War ended
five years earlier, and many battle-hardened
settlers picked Texas to build their
homesteads. Clashes between settlers and
Native Americans were widespread.
Bill Hinckley, president of Houstonbased
The Lookout Group, is developing
the Crystal Falls area. He likes to call
the stone “the original guest registry for
Crystal Falls.”
Recent construction has changed the
way water flows through the area. What
used to be a rainwater-fed pool looks
more like a dry channel today. A trail may
someday connect residents with the area.
“When you look back, you can imagine
stagecoaches going through and people
stopping off to take a dip,” Hinckley said.
“Back then, you were a pretty hardy soul
to be hanging around that water hole.”
The limestone block with names carved
in it now welcomes the area’s residents to
a modern-day watering hole—a junior
Olympic swimming pool, which is part of
the amenities for The Highlands residents.
“This is a way to pay homage to the
past, and we want people to show pride
in their community and its heritage,”
Hinckley said. “We’re not trying to build
another cookie-cutter development—we
want a surprise around every corner, and
this rock helps us do just that.”
For more pictures, a video and an extended version of the story,
visit more.impactnews.com/8394
Names carved in limestone
The rock that weights about 2 tons was found
broken in two pieces. Work crews used rocks
from the surrounding area to build a support to
display the limestone slab. A sheet of Plexiglas
protects the rock’s etched surface from damage.
In addition to a bird and heart shapes, some of the
engravings include names and initials:
• J.B. Bittick • HHA
• J.R. Garner • JC
• John Hampton • JLA
• Arthur Jennings • MF
• Murray
Crystal
Falls Pkwy.
Lakeline
Blvd.
Osage Dr.
Bagdad Rd.
1431
New Hope Dr.
183
Map indicates were rock is located today.
N
Community Impact Newspaper • impactnews.com May 2010 | 15
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