FORWARD
"Listen to the Echoes"
The present is a cup which contains not
only itself, but the past as well. It is a curious fact that in many sections of our
country the imprint of the past upon the present is so strong as to be noticeable even to
the casual passer-by. Those of an inquiring mind and sensitive spirit are led by this
atmosphere to explore the records which reveal the history of the area. There, in a blend
of fact and legend, one finds that the lives of the past never die, but illuminate with
truth and warm with romance the hearts of those who turn their eyes backward upon time.
Such an area is East Texas, in fact such an area is Rusk County. Feeling the impact of
past events the observer's mind teems with questions such as:
Whose spilled blood darkened these red and
sandy hills? Who were the dreamers, the travelers, the hardy pioneers who lingered a
moment in the sapling shadows of these now towering trees? Whose laughter and whose sobs
echo now on the wandering breeze that blows where it wills?