The Story of Block House Creek, past and present

By Susan VanDeWater Friday, 19 February 2010

CEDAR PARK — On the southern edge of Leander, the Block House Creek neighborhood is steeped in Texas history.

According to the historical marker at the entrance of the neighborhood, the land is the former site of a block house, or fort, built by Texas Rangers under Captain John J. Tumlinson in 1836.

“The history of this place is phenomenal,” said Cecilia Roberts, vice president of the Block House Municipal Utility District and a longtime resident. Roberts was the sixth person to move into the neighborhood in 1983.

American Indians occupied the land until settlers arrived in the 1800s. In 1835, Texas was building its army for the Texas Revolution. Little protection was offered to settlers, and Indian raids were common.

According to the Texas State Historical Association’s “The Handbook of Texas,” Tumlinson was a Texas Ranger who served in the Battle of Gonzales and the siege of Béxar. In January 1836, under the orders of the Texas provisional government to defend settlers from the Indians, Tumlinson organized a company of 60 Rangers to build and protect a fort in what is now Williamson County. The fort, also known as Tumlinson Block House, was located at the headwaters of Brushy Creek.

Upon hearing that Santa Anna had invaded Texas, the company abandoned its post to fight the Mexican Army. Left undefended, the Tumlinson Block House was burned by Indians in 1837.

After the Civil War, Alexander Stuart (A.S.) Walker, a prominent community leader and attorney, acquired the land where the block house once sat. Walker served as a district clerk, attorney and judge for Williamson County before being appointed Texas Supreme Court Justice. After his death in 1896, the land was passed to his son, A.S. Walker Jr., who served as a county attorney and judge for Travis County.

The original Walker family home remains in the Block House Creek neighborhood. The Walker House was renovated several years ago and is used for meetings and gatherings.

“It is important to us that we preserve the heritage of this land,” Roberts said. “We definitely want to teach our children what was here before us.”

As in the 1800s, the neighborhood has weathered some controversy recently.

In September, the MUD board asked residents to complete a survey about changing the neighborhood’s ZIP code from Leander to Cedar Park.

The neighborhood lies just outside of Leander’s city limits.

“We’re situated in Cedar Park’s extraterritorial jurisdiction,” MUD Board Assistant Secretary Stuart McMullen said. “Even though we have a Leander address, we contract with the City of Cedar Park for our water and wastewater services, fire protection and even the use of the library, parks and recreational facilities. The City of Leander provides no services to [us.]”

By changing the ZIP code and becoming an official part of Cedar Park, McMullen said they would enjoy the name recognition of Cedar Park.

Residents, however, voted to keep the Leander ZIP code.

“There was a lot of misinformation circulating about what the ZIP code change would mean,” McMullen said. “But we told the residents that it was their decision, not [the board’s].”

This is the second time the board has asked about changing the ZIP code. The board cannot request the change for another 10 years. While Cedar Park will eventually annex the land, the city currently has no plans to do so.