Muster Oak
The historic live oak in Fayette County stands as both a monument to fallen soldiers and the central part of a tradition that extends back to 1842. That year, under the oak that still stands today, Captain Nicholas Mosby Dawson recruited about a dozen local men to join Captain Mathew Caldwell and the Texas Army at Salado Creek. Unfortunately, a Mexican cavalry attacked Dawson and his men en route to join Caldwell and all were killed just days after they volunteered in what would come to be known as the Dawson Massacre. Nevertheless, Caldwell ultimately triumphed over General Adrian Woll, and so it has become tradition for local men departing to defend their country to bid adieu to their sweethearts and loved ones under the gnarled limbs of Muster Oak.