Even though I lived in Texas for most of my life, whenever I visit from Thailand, I am constantly discovering new and interesting things.
On one of the first days of my visit to Texas, I discovered a map and guide on the website of my hometown, Arlington, Texas. The map was a guide to the "Historic Arlington Pioneer Trail", and was a self-guided tour to several spots in town I had never seen or even heard of before!
Looking for something fun and new to do while the rest of my family was busy, my fiancée and I printed out the map and set off to discover a new side to a city that I thought I knew well.
Several of the sites listed were old, gated-up cemeteries, which, while historically significant, weren't all that impressive to explore or photograph. Soon, however, we found ourselves at Bone Marrow Spring Park.
It was a beautiful day, and surprisingly not so hot, despite being the last week of July. Bone Marrow Spring Park was quiet and green, and I was surprised I had never even heard of this beautiful green space before, despite having spent 21 or so years of my life in Arlington.
We hunted through the park to find the historical marker, nearly grown over in leaves and vines. Long ago, Bone Marrow Spring was an important gathering place for the Native American tribes who lived in the region, and more recently, was the site of one of Johnson Station's (now Arlington) first post offices (1851-1905).
Next, we came to a site which was actually familiar to me, but which I didn't have any idea the significance of. Woods Chapel Baptist Church (located just down the road from Wat Buddhamahamanee), is a picturesque whitewashed wooden church, looking like it came out of a picture postcard of Americana.
I had seen the church tons of times growing up, but didn't realize that it is actually the oldest surviving church in Arlington!
In 1901, Rev. Washington Woods established a small congregation in the area, performing baptisms in the nearby Rush Creek. In 1910, the little chapel was constructed, becoming the center of religious and civic life in one of the small villages that would eventually become a part of Arlington.
A stone pillar at Village Creek Historical Park marks the crowning jewel of the Pioneer's Trail. Village Creek is another beautiful park I had never heard of before. It's a lovely shaded area with trails, picnic spots, and a creek running through it.
An archaeological dig at the historical park revealed evidence of Native American tribes dating back nearly 9000 years at this location. More recently (relatively), Spanish explorers made camp here in 1542.
The area is called Village Creek due to the great concentration of Native American villages built along the fertile riverbanks in the mid-1800s
We made a picnic, and spent the rest of the morning exploring the park.
While some of the places on the historical marker trail were difficult to find, and others weren't all that interesting to me, the places that we did visit were both historically fascinating and interesting to discover. I learned more about my hometown, and discovered some amazing places that I never would have found on my own.
I've appreciate the opportunity to look at my own home as a tourist rather than a local. It's a wonderful way to gain some new perspective.
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