| |
Blacksmiths
on a beer break c1890
Courtesy Schulenburg Historical Society |
Texas
| Columns
"They shoe horses,
don't they?"Texas
and Texans Observedby
Editor & Friends |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, and vintage/historic
photos of Texas, please contact
us. |
Learning
news lingo as 2nd language
by Wanda Orton 1-27-12Baytown's
Post Office Mural
by Wanda Orton 1-9-12
For too many years, this BIB (Born
in Baytown) didn't know what her hometown had in a certain familiar work of art...
‘Pistol
Packin Mama’ right on target
by Wanda Orton 12-23-11Thank
you from Montana by Brian J. McIntyre 9-17-11
"The
history of many of the communities is sad in some cases and in others it can be
very inspiring... I think it's great that you've included the photo's of what
once was and in some cases still is, so that younger folks can see what beauty
still exists and what beauty was once there... History is indeed very important
and I hope our school children and their teachers will all realize this and use
sites like this to learn more about their country and their surroundings..." Schulenburg
Preacher Honored as Bike Bug Brother of 2011 – Building A Church
by Mike Schneider 7-3-11
Reverend Johnny Moore of Schulenburg,
Texas Thank
you from San Francisco Susan Fry 6-2-11
"...Thanks
for bringing her back into the room for a moment... I do have to visit the Panhandle
some day. My mother said it was awful -- yet all her life she had an affection
for the people and the culture... she never lost that. And, reading about the
place now, I realize how enormously who she was had to do with where she was from..."
Texas
pride and heritage comes alive in Heart of the Tin Trunk
by Christy Claxton 5-7-11
It is the stories that are
the heart of a people's heritage. In a world where homogeneity is the expected
norm, a descendent of the Czech people who settled South Central Texas is bringing
the pride and history of her people to the stage in Summer 2011. Heart of the
Tin Trunk is an original musical that focuses on 150 years of Czech settlement
in a new land.The
Port Arthur/Lapland Connection
by Christy Nilluka Broussard 4-15-11
"Great Grandpa
MIK Nilluka did not just herd reindeer; he made two incredible journeys with the
reindeer."
Texas
and the California Gold Rush by Frank W. Lewis 4-11-11
What
does Sam Houston have to do with the California Gold Rush of 1848-49? The
Wolf Girl of Devil's River by Gary Humphreys 4-4-11
The
story begins on the Chickamauga River in Georgia. John Dent was a trapper working
with his partner, Will Marlo... Busted
Flat in Jayton, Texas by Mary Mathias 4-2-11
"I will
always treasure the years I lived where we had a sand storm every Friday and where
the people would get up in the middle of the night to help people they didn’t
know." |
| Smithville's
Dexter - From Underdog to Best of (Picture) Show by Ted R. Krueger 3-12-10
"Adena Lewis called asking us to bring our dogs to a casting call for
the movie "The Tree of Life" that was soon to be filmed in Smithville. The director,
Terrence Malick, wanted the "hero dog" (to be called "Shep" in the movie) to be
an untrained dog..." |
Muenster
- Old Europe in Frontier Texas by John Hellman 3-3-11
(Professor of History, McGill University, Montreal, Canada)
When I was a boy,
there was something monastic about the attitude of Muenster people to their silent
spaces, and their obligation to work hard, every day...Post
War Slaton - A Migrant Family's Story by James Villanueva 1-30-11
In
Slaton, Ben showed Delfina the town surrounded by cotton. He showed her the town
square, the small shops, and the movie theaters that had welcomed thousands before.
Two years after World War II had ended, the town had returned to its small and
humble atmosphere. The troops that once passed through by train were now long
gone and were only memories in post-war Slaton. “I would like to stay here,” Ben
said to his wife as the two discovered the town. |
| | The
Tar and Feathering of Father Joseph M. Keller, Slaton, Texas, 1920's by James
Villanueva 10-1-10
On
a Saturday night, March 4, 1922, in Slaton, what may have begun as a whisper,
an aside, a comment, or just mindless chatter amongst neighbors, transformed the
community... |
Roy
Bean Before His Law West Of The Pecos Days
by Lois Zook Wauson 8-2-10
What you didn’t know about
Judge Roy BeanDance
Halls in Texas by
Lois Zook Wauson 3-11-10
I loved going to dances in South
Texas, during the 1940s. Every one went, from mothers and fathers to the children.
It was our social life. I lived in Wilson County, 20 miles southwest of Floresville.
Every week there was a dance at Three Oaks Hall. The week before there would be
one at Hobson... A
Lock of Bonnie Parker's Hair by Johnny Hughes
In 1963, I formed a strange
friendship with this old gambler named Soft Shoe O' Shea... |
| |
Bar
Art by Brewster Hudspeth
A sampling of what now passes for art
in and around drinking establishments. |
| Editors: | Guest
Columnists: |
Editors'
New Columns, see Fifteen
Minutes of Separation
John
Troesser
Brewster Hudspeth
Luke Warm
Johnny Stucco
Raoul Hashimoto
John Troesser
El
Paso’s Beautiful People: 1921-1946
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
ArtGhost
Towns for Sale:
Valuable Properties and Invaluable (Free) AdvicePlutoed
in El Paso!
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
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
Helpful
Tips So You Won’t Feel You've Missed Anything
The
Bones in the Courthouse Crawlspace
What the exterminator saw...“Witch’s
Gate”
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
“Anguish and Disappointment at a Mexico City Bus Stop”
Border
Patrol Shootout on the Rio Grande
from "Border Patrol: With the U.S. Immigration Service on the Mexican Boundary
1910-54" by Clifford Alan Perkins
Editors'
New Columns, see Fifteen
Minutes of Separation
|
Mel
Brown next page
Robert Cowser
next page
Dwight
Young
Fred B. McKinley
Audrey A. Herbrich
More Guests
Guests
Dance
Halls in Texas by
Lois Zook Wauson 3-11-10
Smithville's
Dexter - From Underdog to Best of (Picture) Show
by Ted R. Krueger 1-27-10A
Lock of Bonnie Parker's Hair by Johnny Hughes
Monumental
Texas: The Stolz Name Is Written In Stone by H.H.Howze
Ina Knowles Has a Brush With Bonnie and Clyde
by Lois Zook WausonHeartbeat
of a Small Town
by Alicia Lohberger
Cadillac Ranch by
M.M. HarrisDesperately
Seeking Permission: A Coryell County Adventure
by M.M. HarrisDelightful
Detour by Billy B. Smith
"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 WausonQuanah:
Bread Buttering, Cotton Ginning and Bop Dancing by Darrell Gilliam
"Little did I know at that time how much I would eventually miss my times
in Quanah."Waiting
for Elvis A story by Shere ChamnessBura
Handley by Phil
Handley
Mister WellingtonLiving
on The New Mexico State Line and getting Mail in Texas
A Bronco Memoir by Loretta Caraway
A
Railroad Adventure by Maj. General Thomas R. RampyA
Man's Vision... Swinney Switch!
by Robin SellmanMy
Town: Twin Sisters by Johon
Haas
Skunk
Oil, Jackrabbits, and Red Roosters by Lois Zook Wauson
My Aunt Fay Goode
Newhouser had the best memory of anyone I know who talks about the 1930’s...
Vashti
by William Holmes
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 HolmesThe
Gillette Cowboy by Lois Zook WausonBeeville
Memories by Yvonne Hastings (Winfrey)
German Spies, Flim-Flam Men and
Stolen Tortillas Shootout
at Shafter
Ranger Meets His End on New Years Day 1940
Story and photos
courtesy of William G. HowellGrin
and Bear It by Milton
Babb
"There's nothing worse than a drunken bear in a department store..."Stately
Memories by Billy
B. Smit
The old State Theater in Winnsboro, TexasLucius
Seneca Hine, M.D.
A Yankee Doctor in Oakalla, Texas after the Civil War
Longview:
A Memoir by Mike
Campbell Remembering
Sabine Pass by Stan Weeber, Ph.D.
Railroad
Interlocking Towers of Texas
by Jim King
The railroad towers, "signal towers" or "switch towers"Kopperl,
Bosque County, Texas
by Steven Fromholz
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 BlairTracks
by Billy B. SmithHouston
Airport Story by Ken RudineTexas
Panhandle Mystery MonumentThe
Lee House
A letter from George BenoitWings
Over Notrees Texas
by Mike Moore
The
Joy Theater of Shreveport
by Billy B. SmithJudge
Leonard W. Scott of Caldwell County by Wayne & Rick ScottMy
Father's Desk by
Wayne ScottMy
Afternoon with Jack Johnson
by Ed "Brock" Brockman
I remember Bartlett by Carolyn Ripper
Memories
of Uncle Bob and a Wooden Box
by Delores Miles
"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 Freddy
Fender by Ken Rudine
"Freddy Fender is probably the greatest singer,
writer and musician of Mexican-American heritage." Not
Remembering the Monahans Sandhill Rangerettes by Rex ParsonsI
Remember a Faded Love
by Ken RudineCoolidge,
Texas
An excerpt from the unpublished manuscript of Archibald Flint Watkins,
1956Orla,
Texas Michael E. Beckham
Bubba's Bus Route and the Day the Water Tank
Fell The
Osburn Saga by Caroll Osburn Zerkle
Melungeons in Wizard Wells
In
Its Own Way by Kathleene S. Baker
A
Texas Tragedy by Kathleene Baker
Jourdanton Dog DrowningsMemories
of the Hall County Courthouse
by Wes ReevesDignity,
Decorum and Justice Mark Texas' Courthouse Histories, Except for the Fights, Arsons,
Thefts, etc by Bill Morgan
Remembering
Beattie by Harland Moore
Beattie, Comanche County, Texas
“Brenham
to Sweetwater and the Big Town of Blair”
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 SellersStreet
Name Trivia by Joe Foster
Austin, Fredericksburg, McAllen and Weslaco
TUMBLEWEEDS'
TALES: Ghost Towns and Town Ghosts
by Stephen Osmon
“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
Lt. Rip Masters of "Rin
Tin Tin"The
Picture Show Years by Darrell Loyd
The Select Theatre in MineolaTaken
on the Road by Charles Kuralt by James FeaginCollin
County Courthouse: Architecture The Embodiment of Human Endeavor by Guy R.
GierschArea
citizens join protest in Austin against Texas corridor by Barry Halvorson,
Victoria Advocate
"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
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
Romance at the mailboxes, smuggled
books and why pregnant women couldn't teach. Bentsen-Rio
Grande Valley State Park by Ken Rudine
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.
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
"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. MitchellThe
naming of Marfa - The Last Word on "Marfa" by Lee Lowry Remembering
Grandma & Dado (Elmer F. and Clara B. Sanders) in Quemado, Texas by O. Polly
(Ford) WrightConsider
the Lowly Canna and Where It Grows
Horticultural Mongrels Number 12 by
Sylvan WiltKyle:
Growing with Thought by Veranda Mansard
"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
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
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
Donna Reed and the Granada Theater in Plainview, Texas
Sagging
Symbols
"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
Who says that oil, wool—and sheep manure don’t mix?Frank
Yount, Godfather of Beaumont
Audrey A. Herbrich
English
instructor at Blinn College in Brenham and Schulenburg
San
Angelo’s (Semi-) Old Five-and-Dime Running
of the Sheep
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
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 |
More
Columns
History,
Regional and Humor - Weekly, biweekly and monthly columns |
| |
