Edward R. Burleson
General Edward R. Burleson was born in 1798 in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. His military career began in the War of 1812 when, at the age of 13, he kept the muster rolls for the Tennessee Volunteers company for which his father, James Burleson, served as captain. He married Sarah Griffin Owen in Madison County Alabama on April 25, 1816.
The Burleson family, including four children born in Tennessee, moved to Texas in 1830. Burleson, who had served as a Colonel in the militia in Tennessee, held a variety of civil service positions in Texas under Spanish Colonial rule.
More stimulating stuff goes here.
Burleson Cabin Excavation
Lots of stimulating stuff here, too.
Burleson Dam
The Burleson Dam, which created the present-day Spring Lake, was constructed in 1949 by Gen. Edward R. Burleson. Its original purpose was to provide power for a saw and grist mill operated on a 40 acre parcel of land later known as the Mill Tract. The original dam was about 400 feet long and 15 feet high. It was a military breastwork construction of wood, soil, and rock. The eastern section of the dam crossed the channel at a right angle for two-thirds of the length. The rest of the dam ran parallel to the right bank of the river, forming a forebay.
The Mill Tract property was sold in 1855 by Gen. Burleson's heirs and changed hands a number of times. It was eventually purchased by the San Marcos Water Company, which operated an ice factory and sawmill on the property. It came under the control of the San Marcos Utilities Company in 1909. The entirety of the Mill Tract was eventually sold to A. B. Rogers and became part of the Aquarena Springs Amusement Park, with the old ice factory building housing a restaurant. Currently, the Mill Tract is owned by Texas State University, which bought Aquarena Springs in 1994.
The dam was damaged during the 2015 Memorial Day flood, and again in subsequent flooding in October of the same year. Because of this damage, the US Army Corps of Engineers is planning to replace the structure.
Material excepted from Bousman and Nickels, 2003