"Delila’s Rose"

While I am not a historian or life-long resident of Kendall County, my family has ranched here for many years, and I am a dedicated ‘Rose Rustler’, with deep and abiding feelings for the Hill Country. As such, I have come to know some of the ‘Old Timers’ of this area quite well — wonderful Old Garden Roses that have survived and endured for generations in Kendall County and the surrounding Hill Country, bringing beauty and fragrance to countless lives.

 

Up the road a bit, is the resting place of Delila Bishop, where a beautiful old rose has been growing since she passed away in 1885. Her husband, Alfred, lived five years after her death, and then was buried beside her and her rose.

Now, what could be said people like Alfred and Delila Bishop, who lived, and loved and overcame for most of a century in a wild and untamed land? What tales could be told about their lives, the adversities they faced, and the adventures that they experienced?

How does Alfred's headstone account for his life? It simply says -

"Husband Of Delila Bishop"

And how does Delila's headstone account for her life? It says -

"Wife Of Alfred Bishop"

What a tribute - at the end of their lives, the most important thing to each of them was each other.

A cutting of "Delila’s Rose" graces my garden, along with "Gilbert’s Rose", reminding me of these remarkable lives in the history and heritage of Kendall County and the surrounding Hill Country.

The flower fades, the petals fall, but the fragrance endures.

For more information, contact -

Joe Cooper
E-Mail