Smithwick, Texas

     Smithwick. I love the name. It sounds old-timey. Smithwick, though, has been a thorn in my sides for years. I've always wondered where the actual 'town' part of it was, if it still existed. Generally, Smithwick is on FM 1431, one of my favorite roads between Lago Vista and Marble Falls. Once you see the sign for Smithwick, though, you don't see much else besides a church, a graveyard, and the Smithwick Store, which was open and then closed and is now open again. I would pore over Google Maps looking around the county roads hoping to see something that looked like it might have structures.
     Recently, while going over the map again I thought I would take a Street View tour down one road because it came off a road that branches off of 1431 and is labelled on Google Maps as "Farm To Market 1431 Business." It's funny because there are no businesses there. At least, there isn't now. There might have been one situated on the island created by the "1431 business" and FM1431. There are a couple of old buildings, a stone sign, a fire pit, and steps that lead to nowhere.
     Near the center of 1431 'business' is county road 344 that heads south for quite a ways. It's a really nice drive if you like narrow roads with curves, hills, and some really nice views of the hills that remind you of why this area is called the Hill Country. I imagine at night it would be pretty scary if Camp of the Hills wasn't located back there. When you get to the end of it there are a couple of buildings that comprise at least part of what Smithwick was.

     It turns out it's a Freemason Lodge. It's been one since 1876, not long after the building was erected. There was a store on the first floor so I'm guessing this was probably "Smithwick" itself. It's still active, too.
     More pictures can be found here.

Deadman's Hole

     Dead Man's Hole is in Marble Falls, TX. On the outskirts. Well, I say 'outskirts' but sometimes I think these towns (cities) take up a whole lot more space than is generally recorded. Anyway, getting to Deadman's Hole isn't all that difficult: take 281 south out of town, make a left onto RM 2147, make a right onto Shovel Mountain (county road 401), and then make a left onto Deadmans Hole. It's the sign right up at the top of this post.
     Going by oral histories, this hole in the ground was used as a hanging and body disposal spot used against people with sympathies to the Union. The Daily Trib has an article on it. While once a dark and looming pit it is now a hole in the ground with a steel cover.

You can no longer "bring your own"

     If you made it here, though, you may as well see the rest of Marble Falls. There are quite a few places to eat and you can always stop in at The Blue Bonnet and take home a pie with about a mile of meringue topping it.

[Addendum] I shouldn't have been so short with this one. I have a few questions about this place and I don't see any place that answers them. For instance, the hole wasn't explored until the 1950s but there's no mention of if anything was found in it. I would expect that there would be remains of some kind down there so for that to not be mentioned is a little odd. Are there remains still down there? Personal effects? There is a hole in the steel cover so if someone had the equipment (small camera, a light, and a way to lower them down) I suppose it would be possible to get a look at something down there now. I kind of wish I had something to do that with.