This statue to the “Father of Texas” is being constructed in the 10-acre Henry W. Munson Park adjacent to Manna Fields Farm. The 70-foot tall statue of Austin (with long rifle) is a work of sculptor David Adickes, and is scheduled for completion later this year.
(More on the park’s progress at StephenFAustin.org … )
The Austin statue is featured in a park which will include a lake and a Walk of Honor, commemorating heroes of Brazoria County, past and present. Land for the park was donated by Henry W. Munson, descendant of Henry William Munson (1793-1833), Brazoria County planter, stockman, and soldier. According to some sources he arrived in Texas as early as 1813. Munson was wounded at the battle of Medina near San Antonio and later named his son Mordello, after the Mexican officer who saved his life.
(More on Henry William Munson at The Handbook of Texas Online …)
Stephen Fuller Austin (1793-1836), founder of Anglo-American Texas, was the son of Moses and Maria (Brown) Austin. He came to Texas in 1821. Authorized by Governor Antonio MarÃa MartÃnez to carry on the colonization enterprise under his father’s original grant, Austin was permitted by the governor to explore the coastal plain between the San Antonio and Brazos rivers for the purpose of selecting a site for the proposed colony of 300 settlers.
Austin had complete civil and military authority over his colonists until 1828. Events moved towards a Texican revolt against the Mexican government, and Austin was discouraged by this but remained sided with his colonists. After the revolution, he served as Secretary of State and died in service on December 27, 1836, at the untimely age of forty-three.
Source: Eugene C. Barker/The Handbook of Texas
(More on the life on Austin at The Handbook of Texas Online)