Did You Know? Sissy Spacek is from Quitman, Texas
Whether the name Sissy Spacek makes you think of her remarkable performance as Loretta Lynn early in her career or you think of her as the matriarch of the Rayburn family in Bloodline, or for any of her other scores of performances, chances are you know that name.
An award-winning and celebrated actress and singer, she has remained a popular performer for decades. Her origins are less-known, however, and many are surprised to learn she was born on Christmas day in 1949 in Quitman, TX.
The Regions of Her Life
Spacek herself points out the importance of being born in Eastern Texas in her 2012 memoir, “My Extraordinary Ordinary Life.” She wrote the book in four sections, four geographic sections, separating Texas from her time in NY, California, and Virginia. The Texas section takes up the most pages in the book, and Spacek wrote of her life in Quitman in this way: “All the things that are most important to me, I had before I left that little town."
Quitman
Less than 80 miles from Dallas, the city was founded in 1850 and was a pioneer town until 1941, when it was incorporated. It takes its name from a hero in the Mexican-American War who was then named a Military Governor in Mexico City. He remained its leader until the end of the U.S. occupation of the city, and he then went on to be Governor of the State of Mississippi in the 1850s.
Many of the city’s activities focus on its history, including its Light Crust Doughboys Hall of Fame & Museum, the Heritage Foundation, and more.
For the Spacek family, it was about the ranching and farming in Quitman that gave them stability and prosperity. As Spacek said of her time in Quitman, “My values were formed in a community where material possessions didn’t count for much, relationships were everything, and were waiting for something you wanted could actually be better than having it.”
She recounts the many outdoor adventures the area provided for herself and her brothers, with hours spent walking, riding bikes, and exploring some of the grand buildings in town – including the courthouse. She has especially fond memories of the changing seasons and the beauty of the landscape throughout Wood County.
Some of the spots she recounts in her memoir include mainstays like the local grocery stores, the Westerner Café, and the town of Mineola where her family would shop for their best clothing at Hirsch’s Store. She reminisces about Tyler, TX, and visits to the salt mines in Grand Saline. She says her love of movies and acting began at the Gem Theater in downtown Quitman! She says it was while watching a screening of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” in the Mineola theater that she realized how much she wanted to act.
But it was a performance by the Coke, TX Coquettes that really sealed her fate as an actress. “It was the day I decided to go into show business," Sissy said. "As soon as I saw them on that stage, boys and girls twirling their batons, dressed up in shimmery silver cowboy outfits, hats, and white majorette boots, I knew show business was for me."
Reading that memoir or taking some time to watch a few of the classic films that have formed the foundation of her career is a good way to understand Spacek a bit better. Today, she and her family live on a horse ranch in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains. However, she recalled the joys of riding horses while growing up in Texas, too.
If you would like to experience some of the same views and landscapes from horseback, you will find an opportunity at Stable View Cottages in Lake Fork. Your stay puts you close to the water and the world-class fishing, but it also provides you with access to equestrian packages that let you experience East Texas and its beauty for yourself.