DeWitt Colony honored with tree planting ceremony

Seventh graders from Gonzales Junior High School traveled to Kerr Creek Park last Friday, May 13, for a history lesson about the DeWitt Colony.

The DeWitt Colony was one of the many major established colonies within Gonzales in 1825.

An oak tree was planted and donated by the Gonzales Spade and Trowel Garden Club with them and the Gonzales County Historical Commission sponsoring the event.

Leslie Patteson, a Texas history and social studies teacher and part of the historical commission, brought her seventh graders to the park to get them to learn about their town’s history.

Patteson said Glenda Gordon of the historical commission asked her if she can bring her students out to be part of the event.

“I thought it was just a really cool opportunity for them to be a part of the history of their town….So I mean, it's a nice way of educating them and letting them be a part of what is for several of them, their own history and ancestry.” Patteson said.

Patteson is a seventh generation Texas and in her 16^th year working with Gonzales ISD, and she was thrilled to show her genealogy to her students.

“To be able to teach Texas history in Gonzales and be a descendant and everything, it just rocks.” Patteson said.

Lillian Barta, of the Garden Club, was surprised of the detail the students went when reading about the colony.

She grew up in Gonzales and remembered her time as a seventh grader, but didn’t remember going into detailed about the colony as the current seventh graders did, Barta explained.

The tree planting ceremony was a time to show the students how important local history is to Gonzales.

“I think it's really important. I think they'll have a new appreciation for their town. And many of them probably this will be the first they've ever heard of it.” Barta said.

Gordon explained they’ll have more events with the seventh graders leading up to the bicentennial year of the city in 2025.