ALL THINGS HISTORICAL: A LOOK AT EAST TEXAS HISTORY
The Big Thicket light
by Archie P. McDonald

Francis E. Abernethy, Father of Folklore in East Texas or otherwise, has explored the phenomenon of the Big Thicket Light more than anyone, though Archer Fullingim, publisher-editor of The Kountze News, first spread the light's fame.

The Big Thicket Light, a.k.a. the Saratoga Light, shows up at night on a sevenmile stretch of road connecting Farm Road 1293 and Saratoga, a former health spa/ oil town/Big Thicket gathering area in Hardin County.

The road itself originated as right-of-way for a branch of the Santa Fe line from Bragg Station to Saratoga laid in 1901. The rails remained until 1934, but as the path was a good one, their removal permitted auto and truck traffic access to Saratoga.

Stories of mysterious lights appearing to travelers began while the rails remained, then continued after their removal. Fullingim, apparently recognizing a gift horse when he saw one, publicized the light and naturally the curious flocked to the area to catch a glimpse of the ghostly light and thrill a bit in the Thicketdarkened night.

So what is the light? Take your pick. Says Abernethy, some believe the Big Thicket Light is: car lights approaching Saratoga through the woods; low-grade gas; a reflection or foxfire or swamp fire; or the result of a hysterical imagination.

So much for science. Abernethy the Folklorist continues with stories gathered from the folks: the light comes from Spanish treasure, buried but never reclaimed; fire unextinguished from the Civil War, when Union troops attempted to "burn out" renegade Confederates; a decapitated railroad brakeman's light by which he searches for his lost head; a long-dead hunter who carries a fire pan looking for a way out of the Thicket; or ...

To see light is to believe it, maybe. But what is the light? For one thing, it makes for a wonderful mystery.

Distributed by the East Texas Historical Association. Archie McDonald is executive director of the Association and the author of more than 20 books about Texas.