Camille's "Scary Riding" Stories

​I made contact with  Camille because there was a picture of her name attached to the Concord Cemetery in Rusk County. It took some convincing to prove to her that I wasn't a scam artist, but once she trusted me, she became my most important guide in Texas.  Camille happened to be a local historian and an expert in all things Concord in Rusk County.  
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"My momma used to call them 'Scary Riding' stories."  These were the local stories, perhaps stretched a bit, that Camille's mother used to tell when they traveled around town.

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Click on the link below to hear Camille tell of  " Crawford Hamilton's dead arm"

Up there is where a mountain lion leap on top of a rider.  He got away, but the horse was clawed all down its back side....

"So two riders were out late one night, and they were caught out in a fierce storm so they dismounted and hound shelter in the church.  They brought their saddles in to dry out.  While they were resting, lightning flashed, and then flashed again and a third time, and when they looked up there was a lady with a a butcher's knife coming at them.  They  hightailed it and rode bareback all the way home."
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Mr. Thomas Cook always kept a special breed of day lilies around his house.  One night as he was going to bed, he dropped his kerosene lamp and his flannel night shirt caught fire.  Tom made it as far as back porch, where he collapsed.  According to Camille, when she was a child  the outline of the charred body was clearly visible  until the porch finally fell apart.
There are still day lilies sprinkled around the foundation.

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Cook House - Blacken reminders of the events from 96 years ago still linger in the corner of room off the porch.

The house of Thomas Cook

To see more images from Concord in Rusk County, please click here