| |
Blacksmiths
on a beer break c1890
Courtesy Schulenburg Historical Society |
"They shoe horses,
don't they?"
Texas
and Texans Observedby
Editor & Friends |
A
Clerk's Tale of Murder by Robert G. Cowser 8-29-09
Years
later when I reflected on the experience I realized a person’s life might end
anywhere at any time. Listening
to the Tumbleweeds by Robert G. Cowser 8-1-09
My
purpose in contacting Willard was to get permission to hear his string band, the
Tumbleweeds, perform at the nursing home... Segregation
in Two Texas Towns
by Robert G. Cowser
5-28-09
More
than twenty-five years ago Bill Moyers won an Emmy for a PBS documentary featuring
the “two worlds” of Marshall, Texas, his home town...The
Claims of the Wilderness by Robert G. Cowser 5-9-09
"As
I stood on the site, I realized that the land that day may have looked much the
same when the Caddo Indians built their village..."
A
Lock of Bonnie Parker's Hair by Johnny Hughes 10-10-08
In
1963, I formed a strange friendship with this old gambler named Soft Shoe O' Shea... |
| |
Bar
Art by Brewster Hudspeth 2-10-08
A sampling of what now passes for art in and around drinking establishments. |
| Editors: | Guest
Columnists: |
John
Troesser
Brewster Hudspeth
Luke
Warm
Johnny Stucco
Raoul Hashimoto
John Troesser
El
Paso’s Beautiful People: 1921-1946 6-5-08
Photographer Alfonso Casasola and The Casasola Photo CollectionPedro
Gonzalez-Gonzalez
A Guy So Nice - They Named Him Twice
During his career he performed alongside such actors as Glenn Ford, Lee Marvin,
Karl Malden, James Garner and James Arness. The
Saddest Valentine in Houston
The
Eagle Befriends the Stork
Port Arthur's legend of F. B. Wright,
A Hurricane StoryThe
Day the Elephant died in Flatonia
“It wasn’t beauty that killed the beast – it was railroad-strength pesticide.”
Told to the Editor by Flatonia Historian George KoudelkaTen
Things You Should Know About George Campbell Childress
Author
of the Texas Declaration of Independence and namesake of Childress CountyTree
Murder in La Grange, and "... a bad haircut that can kill." Austin's
Newsboy StatueEtta
Moten Barnett
November 5th, 1901 - January - 2004
"Life does not
owe me one thing."Mollie
Bailey
"Circus Queen of the Southwest"September
11th Memorial in Austin, TexasMiss
Rita of Beaumont's Dixie Hotel
The Philanthropic Madam of Oil City Don't
Mess with Oklahoma Either!
"That ain't my sidekick, that's my lawyer."
as told to the Editor by Ex-Ranger X Flat
Tire in SpinachvilleThree
Bean Salad
Tom Bean, Peter Ellis Bean and Judge Roy BeanKiller
Trees of the Texas Panhandle and The Noble Quest for a "Forgiving Roadside"Ten
More Things Your Should Know About Judge Roy Bean
The Jersey Lilly: Where
"sidebar" has a very literal meaningTen
Things Your Should Know About Judge Roy Bean Texas
War Casualties
Delhi, Smithville and Praha. Stone markers and chapels
quietly reveal where America gets its soldiers. Buildings
inside Buildings
It happened more often than you would think. Murder
at Camp Swift 1942 - The Tragic Death of Little Lucy Maynard 4-11-04
The
Texas Onion
Turning Bermudas into Vidalias with a Little Help from
Cotulla
"It's generally accepted that sweet onion production in Texas
can be traced back to a single packet of seed from Bermuda being planted near
Cotulla in 1898. ..."Marshall
"High Pockets" Bailey of West, Texas
"The Long Arms of the Law" and
Pioneer Consumer Advocate
If bootlegging couldn't be controlled,
then
at least it could be monitored for quality. "The
Day the Monkey Got Loose from the Carnival and Bit the Sheriff" Lost Treasures
mined from County Histories
County histories agree on two unspoken points:
Every life is interesting and the harder the times, the more interesting they
seemed. "Struck
on the head by a Locomotive" Early Waco Obituaries 1874-1908.
Judging
by these entries, the good old days didn't quite live up to the reputation.
The
Bride, He Wore White
Or How Men Wed in 1953 WacoThe
Worst Book on Texas Ever Written by a Man or His legs were a little bowed
from being in the saddle since boyhood.
Bring
Me the Head of My Least Favorite Nephew Getting what you wish for in Marlin,
Texas, 1908
The
Texas Pudding Solution
or Are we having flan, yet?
"If no good
deed goes unpunished, and every silver lining needs a dark cloud, then every solution
needs a problem. In this case the solution is pudding - the problem is chili..."
Brewster Hudspeth
Bar
Art
2-10-08Ghost
Towns for Sale:
Valuable Properties and Invaluable (Free) Advice
12-6-07 Plutoed
in El Paso! 1-7-07
The World's Largest Blue Horse as White ElephantThe
Savage Life of Herman Lehmann
or Ich bin ein ApacheThe
Jourdanton Dog Drownings
Small Town Finds Way to get International AttentionAn
Extremely Informal* History of Penitas
*Written as an entertainment
and not recommended for school reportsHow
to Demolish a Texas Courthouse in 14 Days
Brazos County Hires an Iowan
to Raze their 1892 Building
The
Capitol Goddess or
What's a girl like you doing on a Capitol like this?Austin's
"Guy Town" 1870-1913
Contemporary Name / Traditional ViceThe
Anatomically Incorrect Cowboy Silhouette
One Bar -Two DimensionsRemembering
Memory
“Thanks for the Whatchamacallits.”- Bob Hope
Quarry
Quandary
Texas’ Untoward UndergroundBison:
It's not just for Native Americans anymoreLimestone
Fence Posts
They Aren't just in Kansas AnymoreThe
Short but Eventful Life of Adrián J. Vidal 1840-1865
Luke
WarmHome
Demonstration in Texas 11-24-07
From Tomatoes to Environmental Issues: The evolution of the Texas Association
for Family and Community Education The
Streets of Reynosa
A Walk Down Pinata RowPrada
Marfa
West Texas gets a Long-overdue Infusion of Whimsey by German-based ArtistsThe
World's Heaviest, Fastest and Most Beloved Hailstone
or "I Can't Believe It's Not an Ice Cube"Texas
on a First-name Basis
Of the roughly 2,000 town names on the official
state map, over 400 of them are first names.
"The
Sound of One Hand Counting Money"Reconstituted
Yankees with Embalmed Smiles
125 year-old Kansas “Tooth Wash” Bottles
Reveal Early Advertising HyperbolePixilated
in Port Arthur & Reincarnated in Luling
Alfred Stillwell and Edgar DavisIs
There an Edna Ferber in Your Mailbox?
or What’s a nice girl like you
doing on a stamp like this? The
Naming of ChiliThe
Crash at Crush
The field that once was Crush, Texas is now occupied by
cows, but a recently replaced historical marker south of West, Texas tells the
story of one of the most bizarre publicity stunts of all time. Texas
Guinan
She may have been Waco's Answer to Mae West - but no one remembers
the question...
Johnny Stucco
How
to Explore a Small Town 1-9-08
Helpful
Tips So You Won’t Feel You've Missed Anything
The
Bones in the Courthouse Crawlspace 10-24-07
What the exterminator saw...“Witch’s
Gate” 10-11-07
In Cold Blood: Clay
County, Texas 1975
A needless killing for a fortune that wasn’t there. Midday
at the Oasis
Photos by Erik Whetstone
"Having
never pumped a pint, let alone a gallon of gasoline, this station-that-never-was
has become our symbol for a particular period in Texas history."Like-New
Sidewalks and a Paper Historical Marker
Photos by Lou Ann Herda
"Wink
qualified as a perfect example - the "poster child" for Urban Renewal in Texas...
The whole operation was a tremendous success - except for one minor point. Nearly
the whole town had left."
The
Ugliest Courthouse in Texas
Inside a modern monster, a 19th Century beauty
is crying to come out.Interview
with the Gargoyle
Behind the grimace beats the heart of a young boy. Sailors
in Limestone
The Cystal City Statue That Might’ve Been
Raoul
Hashimoto The
Most Memorable Teacher I Never Had
9-2-07
“Anguish and Disappointment at
a Mexico City Bus Stop”
Border
Patrol Shootout on the Rio Grande
4-3-07
from "Border Patrol: With the U.S.
Immigration Service on the Mexican Boundary 1910-54" by Clifford Alan Perkins
|
Mel
Brown > next page
Robert
Cowser > next page
Dwight
Young
Fred B. McKinley
Audrey A. Herbrich
More Guests
Guests
A
Lock of Bonnie Parker's Hair by Johnny Hughes 10-10-08
Monumental
Texas: The Stolz Name Is Written In Stone by H.H.Howze 10-8-08
Ina Knowles Has a Brush With Bonnie and Clyde
by Lois Zook Wauson 1-15-08Heartbeat
of a Small Town
by Alicia Lohberger 12-16-07
Cadillac Ranch by
M.M. Harris 12-15-07Desperately
Seeking Permission: A Coryell County Adventure
by M.M. Harris 11-24-07Delightful
Detour by Billy B. Smith 11-17-07
"The sixteen-mile delightful detour reminds me that there once was another
America, a wistful place full of pleasant and pensive scenery..."Sundays
in Floresville During the 30's
by Lois Wauson 11-19-07Quanah:
Bread Buttering, Cotton Ginning and Bop Dancing by Darrell Gilliam
11-15-07
"Little did I know at
that time how much I would eventually miss my times in Quanah."Waiting
for Elvis A story by Shere Chamness 9-2-07Bura
Handley by Phil
Handley 8-21-07
Mister WellingtonLiving
on The New Mexico State Line and getting Mail in Texas
8-19-07
A Bronco Memoir by Loretta Caraway
A
Railroad Adventure by Maj. General Thomas R. Rampy
8-15-07A
Man's Vision... Swinney Switch!
by Robin Sellman 7-13-07My
Town: Twin Sisters by Johon
Haas 7-12-07
Skunk
Oil, Jackrabbits, and Red Roosters by Lois Zook Wauson 7-2-07
My Aunt Fay Goode Newhouser had the best memory of anyone I know who talks about
the 1930’s...
Vashti
by William Holmes 6-1-07
Don Quixote believed
that the very essence of adventure was in “letting his horse take whatever path
it chose...” So do I. On July 2, 2005, I happend to be in Vashti, Tx for their
annual fireworks...Mosier
Valley "Garden of Angels"
by William Holmes 5-1-07
The
Gillette Cowboy by Lois Zook Wauson 5-1-07Beeville
Memories by Yvonne Hastings (Winfrey) 4-1-07
German Spies, Flim-Flam Men and Stolen Tortillas Shootout
at Shafter 2-1-07
Ranger Meets His End on
New Years Day 1940
Story and photos courtesy of William G. HowellGrin
and Bear It by Milton
Babb 1-5-07
"There's nothing worse than a drunken
bear in a department store..."Stately
Memories by Billy
B. Smith 1-1-06
The old State Theater in Winnsboro,
TexasLucius
Seneca Hine, M.D. 1-1-07
A Yankee Doctor
in Oakalla, Texas after the Civil War Longview:
A Memoir by Mike
Campbell 12-4-06Remembering
Sabine Pass by Stan Weeber, Ph.D. 11-11-06
Railroad
Interlocking Towers of Texas
by Jim King 11-10-06
The railroad towers, "signal towers" or "switch towers"Kopperl,
Bosque County, Texas
by Steven Fromholz 11-1-06
I was neither born nor reared in the very small
town of Kopperl, Bosque County, Texas, but as we Texans say, "Mom 'n 'em were."...
Chisholm
Trail: Fording the Brazos at Kimball Bend Bosque County Texas
by Angela Blair 11-1-06Tracks
by Billy B. Smith
10-1-06Houston
Airport Story by Ken Rudine 10-1-06Texas
Panhandle Mystery Monument
10-1-06The
Lee House
A letter from George Benoit 9-16-06Wings
Over Notrees Texas
by Mike Moore 8-7-06
The
Joy Theater of Shreveport
by Billy B. Smith 7-1-06Judge
Leonard W. Scott of Caldwell County by Wayne & Rick Scott 6-15-06My
Father's Desk by
Wayne Scott 6-15-06My
Afternoon with Jack Johnson
by Ed "Brock" Brockman 6-5-06
I remember Bartlett by Carolyn Ripper 5-10-06
Memories
of Uncle Bob and a Wooden Box
by Delores Miles 5-6-06
"Really he must have been a most intelligent
man for how else could he have known to give a child joy you must let them have
it a little at a time." Remembering
Alexander and the "Fattest Kitten" in Erath County
by Duby Joe Moore 3-17-06
Freddy
Fender by Ken Rudine 3-9-06
"Freddy Fender is probably the greatest
singer, writer and musician of Mexican-American heritage." Not
Remembering the Monahans Sandhill Rangerettes by Rex Parsons 2-3-06 I
Remember a Faded Love
by Ken Rudine 11-22-05Coolidge,
Texas 11-22-05
An excerpt from the unpublished manuscript of Archibald
Flint Watkins, 1956Orla,
Texas Michael E. Beckham 9-17-05
Bubba's Bus Route and the Day the Water
Tank Fell The
Osburn Saga by Caroll Osburn Zerkle 9-4-05
Melungeons in Wizard Wells
In
Its Own Way by Kathleene S. Baker 9-4-05
A
Texas Tragedy by Kathleene Baker 8-27-05
Jourdanton Dog DrowningsMemories
of the Hall County Courthouse
by Wes Reeves 8-3-05Dignity,
Decorum and Justice Mark Texas' Courthouse Histories, Except for the Fights, Arsons,
Thefts, etc by Bill Morgan 6-9-05
Remembering
Beattie by Harland Moore 7-24-05
Beattie, Comanche County, Texas
“Brenham
to Sweetwater and the Big Town of Blair” 7-8-05
Railroad Memoir. A letter
from Johnnie Stokes, Morse Telegraph Operator, Colorado, Gulf and Santa Fe railroad“When
Robert Lee Gets a New Railroad"
A letter from Ruth Elliott Sellers 7-8-05Street
Name Trivia by Joe Foster 6-23-05
Austin, Fredericksburg, McAllen and
Weslaco TUMBLEWEEDS'
TALES: Ghost Towns and Town Ghosts
by Stephen Osmon 6-22-05
“When you get there you’ll know. Then you will have to decide, will you
stop or will you pass by? It could change your life forever; but you gotta make
the first move....”James
Brown, Desdemona's Celebrity Actor by Linda Ruhl 6-19-05
Lt. Rip Masters
of "Rin Tin Tin"The
Picture Show Years by Darrell Loyd 6-11-05
The Select Theatre in MineolaTaken
on the Road by Charles Kuralt by James Feagin 6-10-05Collin
County Courthouse: Architecture The Embodiment of Human Endeavor by Guy R.
Giersch 6-3-05Area
citizens join protest in Austin against Texas corridor by Barry Halvorson,
Victoria Advocate 5-5-05
"We need to say no to the largest land grab in Texas
history, say no to freeways being converted to toll roads and say no to TxDot
being replaced by EuroDot." - Fayette County Judge Edward Janecka Bend,
Texas by Harland Moore 4-19-05
San Saba County Chronicles
"In
this account of the history of Bend, Texas, it may sound like that my ancestors
invented the earth, inhabited it, created Bend, Texas, and hung the moon..."
Bethel
Community by Shirley Thompson Mohler 4-18-05
Romance at the mailboxes,
smuggled books and why pregnant women couldn't teach. Bentsen-Rio
Grande Valley State Park by Ken Rudine 3-1-05
All
Texans are being deprived of their usual access by the Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department empowerment of The World Birding Center.Dick
Dowling Statue by Edward T. Cotham, Jr. 3-1-05
Dick Dowling Statue,
First Public Monument in Houston, Turns 100 Years Old on St. Patrick’s Day"Mary,
Mary, Once of Perry" by Toney Urban 1-25-05
"In the late 40s and
early 50s, there was a Black lady named Mary (last name unknown), that would arrive
out in the countryside near Perry, Texas and dispense some incredibly amazing
medicine and conversation....."Purple
Martins by Judith D. Mitchell 10-16-04 The
naming of Marfa - The Last Word on "Marfa" by Lee Lowry 10-6-04
Remembering
Grandma & Dado (Elmer F. and Clara B. Sanders) in Quemado, Texas by O. Polly
(Ford) Wright 9-25-04Consider
the Lowly Canna and Where It Grows
Horticultural Mongrels Number 12 by
Sylvan Wilt 7-7-04Kyle:
Growing with Thought by Veranda Mansard 4-19-04
"With all that's
going wrong in the world of development - it's nice to know that something is
going right." Your
Simplified Horrorscope by Sister Latrina 2-3-04
Herein you shall find
no mythological creatures and no placemats telling you who you should or shouldn't
have married. To get your simplified horrorscope, just ...
Dwight Young
Originally published in Preservation magazine, National Trust for Historic
Preservation:
Right Here 3-16-05
Keene, Texas
"There's something incredibly
powerful about being able to walk into a building and say, "This is where it happened,
within these walls, right here."
That's what a landmark does: It tells you,
"Right here." Perfect
Worlds 2-1-05
Donna Reed and the Granada Theater in Plainview, Texas
Sagging
Symbols 1-12-05
"In the midst of the vast, windswept West
Texas landscape, the courthouse ... offered tangible evidence that our town was
here to stay and that the residents were a civilized lot who knew what a public
building ought to look like."
Fred B. McKinley Oil
Field Humor 6-14-05
Who says that oil, wool—and sheep manure don’t mix?Frank
Yount, Godfather of Beaumont 9-25-04
Audrey A. Herbrich
English
instructor at Blinn College in Brenham and Schulenburg
San
Angelo’s (Semi-) Old Five-and-Dime 6-16-05Running
of the Sheep 2-16-05
On the last Saturday in September, San Angeloans
showcase their idea of “fun” by releasing a herd of sheep in the downtown streets.Hollywood
Soot 11-24-04
Photos by Boyd Photography, La Grange
The fire in La
Granger.
The
“Perdiest” Falls in Texas
or Falling for You: Central Texas Travel
Pedernales Falls State Park near Johnson City |
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