Today@Sam: Gibbs Students Become A Part Of History

"You'll be a part of history," Sam Houston IV, great-grandson of Sam Houston, told fourth graders from Gibbs Elementary School Thursday afternoon.

Four classes of students and Houston helped plant a "Stephen F. Austin" live oak tree that was grown from acorns found on land Austin led in settling in West Columbia, Texas, also the site of his death on Dec. 27, 1836. A friend of Houston's purchased the land and grew approximately 600 trees from the acorns that were confirmed by the Texas Forestry Service as having been on Austin's land while he was living. Trees have been planted for the past nine years on every courthouse square in Texas, all schools bearing Austin's name, Stephen F. Austin State University, Texas A&M University, and now at SHSU in the front yard of Houston's Woodland Home on the Sam Houston Memorial Museum Grounds. "I can't think of a better person to have a tree named after on the Sam Houston grounds," Houston said.

For more on the Sam Houston/Stephen F. Austin relationship, see Today@Sam's Houston & Austin: The Men.