Moses Austin (1761-1821) set off a chain of events that changed the world. Yet his grave in Potosi, Mo., is a modest affair that hardly mentions some of his accomplishments.
Born in Connecticut, Moses was a serial entrepreneur who helped found the American lead industry near Austinville, Va. In 1797, he moved to the lead mines 70 miles southwest of St. Louis, where he established Potosi. At the time, west of the Mississippi River was still Spanish Louisiana.
His last get-rich scheme was to bring American colonists to Spanish Texas. Late in 1820 he was in San Antonio at the Spanish Governor’s Palace asking for permission to establish a colony.
The trip home was four weeks of wet, cold weather, causing Moses to contract pneumonia. Before he died, he found out he was the first American impresario approved to bring colonists to Texas.
His last words were something like: “Tell Stephen it is his father’s dying request to prosecute the Texas venture.” And that is how Stephen F. Austin became the “Father of Texas.”
Jump ahead to 1938. Somebody in Austin had the idea of bringing Moses’ bones to the State Cemetery. The folks of Potosi rejected the plan, even when Texas offered a statue of Moses. Texas then sent a crew to Missouri to disinter the remains in the dead of night.
The grave robbers were quickly discovered. To deter future body snatchers, the town covered Moses’ grave at Pine and Breton streets with a 3-foot-thick concrete slab. The many Texans who visit Moses’ grave are still eyed suspiciously.
In the end, Texas got the statue of Moses Austin. Dedicated in 1939 in San Antonio, the 15-foot monument was done by renowned sculptor Waldine Tauch. The statue is behind City Hall, 100 Military Plaza, overlooking the Spanish Governor’s Palace where Moses applied to bring the first 300 American colonists to Texas.
1,770th in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere: Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/daily/travel.
This article appears in The 35th Annual Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival.