A new Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) Camp has been organized in Lampasas County. These men adopted the name “SALTWORKS CAMP,” taken for the old nearby salt works located near Bend. During the War For Southern Independence (1861-1865) a great amount of salt was mined for the Confederate Army from this saltworks, which was abandoned after several postwar attempts at private operation. (See Texas Historical Marker in Lometa on US 190 in 55 mph zone.)
The next SCV meeting will be Tuesday, April 23rd, at Bella Italia Restaurant, located on 208 North Key Street in Lampasas. Dinner is at 6 p.m., and the meeting starts at 7 p.m. The public is invited. Jan Harris, President of the Burnet United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) Adam R. Johnson Chapter No. 2498 of Burnet, will present a program about the UDC, their purpose, history and what they do.
Formed in 1894, the UDC is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated to their particular objectives which are historical, benevolent, educational, memorial, and patriotic. Those eligible for membership are women at least 16 years of age who are lineal or collateral blood descendants of men and women who served honorably in the Army, Navy, or Civil Service of the Confederate States of America, or who gave Material Aid to the Cause. Also eligible are those women who are lineal or collateral blood descendants of members or former members of UDC.
Membership in the SCV is open to all male descendants of any veteran who served honorably in the Confederate armed forces. Membership can be obtained through either lineal or family lines and kinship to a veteran must be documented genealogically. The minimum age for full membership is 12.
A UDC Chapter was organized in San Saba in 1900, named the George Washington LaFayette Fly Chapter No. 377. The chapter was named in honor of a former officer, who served under Col. William P. Rogers. The chapter was active with the old United Confederate Veterans Camp (UCV) and often met with them. As the old Confederate soldiers passed away, so did the activities of the chapter. By 1928, the chapter ceased to exist.
For more information concerning the UDC contact Jan Harris at 512-422-4151. For information about the SCV and the new Saltworks Camp, contact Commander Michael Oliver at 254-432-0322, or csfarm@centex.net.