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Three Legged Willie LbNA #23754 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Boots Tex
Plant date:Jul 13, 2006
Location:
City:Georgetown
County:Williamson
State:Texas
Boxes:1
Found by: Annie&Tinkerbell
Last found:Oct 11, 2010
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFaaaaa
Last edited:Jul 13, 2006
The Republic of Texas, which existed only a decade, had its share of interesting characters, but few of them were as colorful as Three-Legged Willie. At the age of 15, Robert McAlpin Williamson was crippled by polio. The disease left his right leg permanently bent at the knee. He built a shortened crutch-like device, strapped it to his knee, and had his tailor sew an extra leg to the knee of his trousers to cover the crutch. Hence, his nickname. He was admitted to the Georgia bar at the age of 19 and fled to Texas after wounding an opponent in a duel. He met Stephen F. Austin, learned Spanish in less than a year, and began practicing law. Willie became a moving spirit in the Texas Revolution, fighting at Gonzales and San Jacinto. A skilled horseman, Willie wore a coonskin cap at San Jacinto, but it had a difference: his cap was attached with nine tails instead of one. He became a district judge and later served in the congress of the Republic of Texas. As a judge, Willie proved to be very creative. In one case, he arrived in town just as a lynch mob was about to hang a Cherokee Indian for raping a white woman. Willie rescued the Indian from the mob and ordered him to be tried the next day. Willie discovered there had been no rape and the Indian was only in town to buy some tobacco. It seemed that Comanche Indians had killed the woman’s brother and she wanted revenge on all Indians. Willie dismissed the rape charges against the Indian and ordered the woman’s husband to buy the man all the tobacco he could chew. Williamson County was named for Robert McAlpin Williamson.

Directions:
Going north from Austin on I-35, exit Georgetown/Andice and turn right on Williams. Turn right again on Business 35, which is Austin Ave. After crossing the river, turn right on 3rd St., cross Rock Street and park in the lot on the right for Blue Hole Park.

To the Letterbox:
Walk down Rock St. toward the river. Bend around past the spillway until you come to the bathroom building. Go behind the “Pickett Trail” sign. From the sign, take 152 steps and look for a social trail on the right that leads only a few feet to a rock outcropping overlooking the river. Standing at the base of the big rock and looking out over the river, turn around and look down and to the right for a flat rock standing almost on edge. Look under the rock to find Three Legged Willie. The perfect spot for a lawyer, don’t you think?

There are several other letterboxes in this immediate area, including "Georgetown - Quilt Block Series" by Lone Star Quilter. Don't miss out on them.