How shuttle shards changed three Texas towns

Driving the county roads around this East Texas town, Douglas Hamilton points out where he saw the first piece of the Columbia shuttle after it fell to earth. It was at 8:05 on a Saturday morning, in a cow pasture about five miles west of Hemphill.

The forest-service worker nods as he passes the spot where an astronaut's torso was found three miles out of town. Over there was the nose cone. And here at the rodeo grounds, hundreds of people gathered each morning to search the dense East Texas forest for clues that might help NASA make sense of one of the worst disasters in the space program's history.

It's hard for many here to remember what things were like before Feb. 1, when shuttle shards rained down on their homes and pastures and lives. While they've returned to daily activities, many say they've been forever changed. "Most of us didn't even know the shuttle was in the air," says Mr. Hamilton, swinging his Ranger around and heading back to town. "We'll never be that ignorant again."

As the law-enforcement agencies, NASA officials, and news crews vanished, the residents of Texas's piney woods stayed here with their memories. As time has passed, their priority has become making sure others don't forget.

Now, up and down a 200-mile stretch scarred with the Columbia's remains, three counties have proposed major plans for memorials to the Columbia shuttle and its fallen crew.

• Angelina County is considering a regional memorial center in Angelina National Forest, as well as a commemorative marker in the county seat of Lufkin.

• Nacogdoches County is working on a space-technology center at Stephen F. Austin State University and a memorial park in downtown Nacogdoches.

• Sabine County has already begun fundraising for a sculpture, museum, and interpretive trail outside Hemphill, where the nose cone was found.

"These communities were profoundly affected by the events that have take place since Feb. 1, and we believe they should honor the crew and their own communities in whatever way is most meaningful to them," says Peggy Wooten, NASA's community liaison. "It's important for them to grieve and heal, and that's what these memorials are all about."

Indeed, in some ways, these rural communities were more intimately involved in the shuttle disaster than, say, NASA officials or the thousands who flew in from around the country to comb the woods for three months.

Stories of the outpouring of support from residents are everywhere, and it's hard to find anyone who didn't contribute. That's why the idea of a memorial is so important to Sabine County residents. "We believe this is where the flight ended. This is where the nose cone and all seven of the bodies were found," says Sabine County Judge Jack Leath, chairman of the memorial committee. "It brought us together in such a way that I think it will have a lasting effect."

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