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Staff
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ABOUT TE
OUR MISSION
Texas Escapes -
online since 1998
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John |
Kate |
Celebrating
25 Years of Texas Stories and Photos
On our 25th Anniversary we would like to thank the hundreds
of contributors who have shared their memories, remembrances and experiences
of Texas. Our deepest gratitude to our longtime contributors
for their dedication and for allowing us to share their efforts with
our readers. We enter our 26th year with enthusiastic anticipation
for stories and photographs we have yet to share.
- John Troesser and Kate Wong Troesser, Editor and Webmaster, July
2023 |
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We are a husband
and wife team / staff of two. John Troesser is the editor, writer
and photographer while Kate is the webmaster.
Texas Escapes began as a labor of
love of two people, who happen to be fascinated by just about everything
that was or is Texas, just about every place in Texas, and who have
a driving passion to share Texas with the world.
Our visits to Texas
towns and ghost
towns lead us to a Texas we
never knew existed. Every town had at least one fascinating story
or two - if not 50. We decided to tell the stories of EVERY TOWN
in Texas and take it a step further by illustrating the stories
with both historical and contemporary images.
Telling the story of a town touches people in ways we could not
anticipate. A story of a West Texas ghost town brought letters from
three generations of citizens. We started getting letters from servicemen
homesick for the towns they once couldn't wait to leave. We heard
from people who remembered the importance of friendship during the
Great Depression - and a woman who remembered watering a lone mesquite
tree in her bare broom-swept West Texas yard.
These moving memoirs preserve personal history that would otherwise
have been lost. These memories are collected in TE as part of our
repository of the living history of Texas towns. Telling
the story of EVERY town and showing the images, past and present,
became our mission.
Living Histories
- We met people with fascinating tales of their hometowns. Stories
that no one now has time to hear. The need to record these stories
is paramount. When the storytellers are gone, they take their stories
with them. Recording their stories became
our mission.
WWII Chronicles
| WWI Chronicles
: The real stories about the sailors, soldiers and marines that
everyone in the war movies called "Tex." Stories that all too often
didn't have a happy ending. Stories of high school classes enlisting
en mass - and of heroes returning one at a time.
Telling their stories became our mission.
People:
Texans are often extraordinary personalities masquerading as everyday
citizens. TE is devoted to recording the stories of local people
who have exhibited the quiet virtue of character.
Cemeteries :
Our research takes us to many cemeteries. A society cannot call
itself civilized if it does not honor the final resting places of
its antecedents. With our expanding coverage we join forces with
others in their efforts to preserve and protect the state's scattered
and neglected cemeteries.
Architecture:
This became an important part of TE. Buildings were the dreams of
our ancestors in brick and mortar and the demolished
architecture alone is strong inspiration to record what's left.
Presenting images of Texas' unique architecture,
and telling its stories, became our mission.
Contributors
| Forum :
Towns, people, history, and architecture are
all threads in the Texas tapestry. Sharing stories and images, and
providing a forum for those with stories to tell and images to record,
that too, became our mission.
Authorities in their respective
fields share their knowledge with their contributions. Readers
open their family albums and share their stories. If you have
information, stories or images to share, please contact
us
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OUR MISSION
:
To
tell the stories of every Texas town.
To
examine and explore Texas architecture (to 1950).
To
record the living history and images of Texas, and
put this information in a format that's accessible and available
to all.
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| What Readers
Say About Us |
Texas Escapes
is a truly wonderful online magazine. You have done a great job
and you are so lucky to have contributors like Mr
Gibson. - Jane Littlejohn
Truly appreciate
ya'lls dedication to sharing the history of Texas ghost towns. -
Dan Whatley
I just wanted
to say how much I've enjoyed reading and learning about Texas...
Have you ever thought about compiling some of material into printed
books? Although I know there are many books on Texas history, some
of the material you have, along with photos and artwork, would make
for great reading!... Keep up the excellent work! - Chris Cordray
Just a note
to say thank you for your site. I came across it by accident and
wished I had seen it prior to now. I'm a native Texan and truly
appreciate all things Texas. Your site is very informative and interesting
as well. Hats off to ya'll. Thank you, Mark Howard
I just wanted
to let you know I ran across your site this evening through a search
for odd Texas town / city names ... What a wealth of historical
and fun information! One page kept leading me to another and another!
Thank you and all of your contributors for this great bounty of
Texas facts ... I have been sharing them with my son and we've been
in awe and been smiling with it all all evening. - Carol
I absolutely
love your prose (sometimes delightfully humorous) and photos of
Texas' many small towns. Thank you!!! - John J. Germann
I am a Texas
born writer/director... TexasEscapes.com [is] a wonderful site to
surf and has inspired me many times as I try and picture my scenes.
- Clark Childers
I want to express
my appreciation and admiration of the wonderful website, Texas Escapes.
The volume of history and information is overwhelming, yet easily
navigated. - Janis Crowder, Texas Panhandle
You have an
absolutely priceless site for all things "Texan'... - JL Weiss
Truitt
Thank you
for caring so much about historical preservation. My grandmother
would be so pleased if she were still alive. - Catherine Hiesiger
Thanks for
bringing [my mother] back into the room for a moment... And, reading
about [the Panhandle] now, I realize how enormously who she was
had to do with where she was from. Polite, hard-working big-hearted,
generous, spoke the unvarnished truth -- not a snobby bone in her
body and (whatalways surprised me) - no prejudice, either. Looked
everyone in the eye and accorded them the respect they deserve as
human beings... Well, this was an unexpected little essay! Hopefully
it will remind you of why you have your website and why you do the
work and why it's valuable. - Blessings, Susan Fry
Your Texas
Escapes site is a wonderful source of information on a vital and
infinitely interesting topic: small Texas towns. These small Texas
towns have so much to tell us it would be a crime not to listen,
and a greater crime for their stories to be lost. Please keep up
the good work. - Allen Lee Hamilton, Professor of History, St. Philip's
College, San Antonio, TX
Thank you for
these interesting vignettes of the small disappearing towns of Texas!
- Helen Bethel Williams
I have searched
for, and found, many places on your website, where we lived, lived
near, visited relatives or friends, played school sports in competition,
and for other occasions, that no longer exist. I printed most of
them out and have a stack that is very high. I read all of them
and treasure them. You have made my day on many occasions. Thank
you so much for that pleasure and for your good work. - Billie Mayhall
Freeman, Naples, Florida
Your web site
is wonderful and full of memories and fascination... You have turned
me on to water towers and I cant wait to start my own collection
of pictures from my travels. Thank you. - Bruce, Walnut Grove, Texas
That is such
a wonderful website for any kind of information. I use it for looking
up Texas structures in small towns all of the time. Texas is so
lucky to have it. - Jordan McAlister
The website
is fantastic, and no one can beat y'all for the humor you build
into everything. When I am down, I like to read snippets here and
there because I know I will be chuckling in just a minute! The photos,
the stories, and the information are all great. Keep up the good
work. - Joan Kilpatrick
I have stumbled
by total accident over your magazine and am in awe of the scope
of stories and features. Thank you. I wish there were a connection
for the email a day notice for each new publication. - Kate Lacy,
Fayetteville AR
I am really
enjoying your website and would like to suggest you start a blog,
nothing too time consuming, perhaps one post x week, even calling
up articles from the archives. It would be a nice break for myself
and I am sure many, many others would read it, comment, enjoy it,
and feel as I do. Thank you for taking time to consider this. -
Regards, Laura
Congratulation
on your online presentation of Texas. I was pleased to read a little
about the history of my birth town. Not having live there except
for the first four years of my now seventy two year life I appreciate
your efforts and contribution to general knowledge for public consumption.
- Raymond L Bellah
We are winter
Texans and enjoy the great state of Texas and your website has just
made it a lot easier to decide where to make our stops... Your website
has helped me, I know where to go and what to see. Thank you for
your great work. - Joe and Donna Carpentier
How can any
Texan who reads Texas Escapes not feel good about their state? Keep
up the great work! - Terry
I am a fan
of Texas Escapes, and I want to congratulate you on providing what
is surely one of the best organized and useful sites about Texas
on the web. (And I want to commend you for not cluttering your site
with “yeehaw” cheesiness that I have found on a few other Texas
websites.) Between your site and the online Handbook of Texas, I
could spend several lifetimes visiting places in Texas. Again thanks,
William Holmes, Arlington, Texas
I discovered
your web site quite by accident making me wish Mississippi had one
like this. What a treasure for the state of Texas and America! People
who fear the internet need only visit your site to find the perfect
example of the good it can do. What a great job!!! Thank you, Jerry
Grace, Satartia, Mississippi
I ran across
Texas Escapes more or less by chance, and I immediately bookmarked
your production. It is a wonderful resource for those who are interested
in Texas, its people, its geography, and its history... Thank your
for the effort you have put into making Texas Escapes such a good
[magazine]. - Dr. William R. Thurman, Jr.,Thomaston, Georgia
Thanks for
all you have done to make driving around so much fun for me. I don't
just take trips any more, I take <<<---T---R---I---P---S--->>>.
- BG, Carlsbad, New Mexico
Thanks for
the great work you are doing to preserve all that is so precious
to all of us, as we age along with everyone else. - William (Bill)
Knapek, Houston
Please keep
publishing your outstanding history lessons on and about Texas.
After all, we probably won't find much of any of this in a Texas
History book. Thank You. - Rod Harris
Thank you for
the work you're doing! What you are doing might not be interesting
to the generation under 40, but those of us who have traveled the
state appreciate the time, exposure, and excellent way you go about
your task. And, those under 40 will someday be grateful for what
you are doing. - Henry Adrion III
I sent some
friends to your site to check out the towns they were going to pass
through on their summer vacation and they wound up revising the
itinerary because they saw so many interesting side trips... - Gael
Montana, Comfort, Texas
I stumbled
upon your site quite by accident and found it fascinating... Thank
you for keeping history and memories alive. - Jon Vance, Dallas,
Tx
Just by luck
I came across your magazine. My jaw dropped when I found it and
can't believe the fantastic information. Good job!!! - Beverly Santos
Stumbling upon
your site has enabled me to remember some of the stories I remember
being told when I was a kid. I have even taken my son out to Bono
and told him the history behind Bono and why it is important to
our family. - Debbie Miracle
I love your
website. Flat-out, I love it. I'm a Californian but have done extensive
traveling through Texas, and, also I'm fascinated by the old Texas
towns. ... Thank you, and, keep up the good work, Doug Greenwald
Thank you
for your informative [magazine] and the smiles it brings - David
Buck
I happened
upon your website one day and can’t get enough! I’ve come to be
quite a history buff to Texas history and love reading about the
rich stories in Texas Escapes. - Barney Lee Douglas
Thanks for
compiling such a good source of information! I consistently find
myself being directed to Texas Escapes when looking for info on
Texas counties. - Kara R. Dotter, UT Austin
Thank you for
your site and the research that brought it together. - John Clawson
You're lovely
folks doing a great job at what you do! I just wanted to take a
minute and tell you so. - Jim Warsher, Rutland, Vermont
I spend the
majority of my time on the Internet researching places, towns, buildings,
etc and your magazine is a great help. Your writers are excellent.
- Sylvia Mills
Extremely interesting
and informative. Wonderful site – a true Texas Treasure - David
Malcolm
It’s amazing
how much work it must have taken to document all these communities.
Thanks - Robert Griffith, Burleson
I love this
site. I look at it every day. I appreciate all the wonderful work
you guys do. - Andrea, Corpus Christi
Your website
is absolutely fabulous. Every time I take a road trip across Texas
I always check your website first to see if there is something,
anything, a courthouse or ghosttown, that I should visit along the
way. - Bob Worley
I find it especially
moving that you would devote time and effort to such an obscure
(and mostly vanished) little burg as Draw, and I express gratitude
on behalf of all of us who once lived in or even passed through
that little hamlet and now years later find it embedded in our fond
memories.- Nolan Porterfield
You're helping
a number of good causes. - Bill Morgan
I just discovered
your website today and have been enjoying it immensely. I grew up
in Plainview and Lubbock but have lived away from Texas since 1966.
Your photos have sent me on a real nostalgia trip. - Dwight Young,
Preservation Magazine
I regularly
access Texas Escapes as a resource.
You continue to have the best history/heritage/travel website in
Texas, perhaps the world. - Bob Bowman, Lufkin
It’s good to
know that someone takes the time to keep up with the history of
the lesser known areas that are barely considered “towns.” Thanks
for that. - David Scheffler, Kosciusko, Texas
Yours is a
website I stumbled upon months ago rather than sought out. Sometimes
the things we find are better than the things we were looking for.
- Robert Griffith
I love the
writing style and the information makes it come alive. I have found
you and plan to read and read and read...then maybe mosey on down
the road a piece. - Sandy Knebel, Garland.... by way of Waxahachie
I LOOOOOOOVE
this website – just love it!
It was because of your website that I first started going to jail
museums and I am an absolute FANATIC about it! - Shannan Yarbrough,
Fredericksburg Chamber
Thank you!
Don't know how I've missed this website. It's definately a must-have!!
- T Meadors
I love your
site, and the way you find the beauty and value in parts
of Texas that don't usually make the tourism brochures.... Carol
Pirie, Assistant Director, Texas Film Commission
I only recently
discovered your site. I think it is fantastic! I have not even scratched
the surface of all that is in there. Bravo! - Mary Vonzastrow
Oh Boy!!!!
Loved this !!!!!! ... What a welcome site this was!!!!!
I am not a Texan but I sure spend an awful lot of time driving in
your fair state!! Love learning about what I am looking at and now
I am beginning to actually look FOR and know what it is I AM looking
at ... Thanks Again!! - Kathy Price, Ossian, Indiana
I enjoyed perusing
your site and judging by the contents, my guess is that Texas Escapes
has a lot of fans. - Kathy Murphy, Publisher, Texas Highways
This site was
a great site in giving insight to the town so I knew what to expect
when I got there.
A very useful
website almost like a maze, one fact leads to another. It is also
good for travel planning.
... unique
internet publication - J Lane, Austin, Texas
... informative
and funny site. - Rob Hann, London, England
I'm in tall
cotton since I found your web site! - C Schuetzeberg
Excellent content,
great historical narratives ... - M Williams, Austin, TX
What a delight!
... A refreshing breath of fresh air amidst the stale pages of the
usual travel web sites.
I appreciate your mission, dedication and the very high quality
of the site.
You're bookmarked and will become a frequent reference as (we drive)
through ... this beautiful and fascinating state. Thanks for what
you do. - Sue White, Rockwall, TX
This is a great
site. It has all I wanted without having to jump around to numerous
sites. - Thomas (Tony) Sprague, Norco, CA
Your site bowled
me over - it contained exactly the information I was looking for.
Not only is it written with wit, it also gives the travel bug in
me quite a boost. - R. Jett
I found your
site and loved it! We went on an ABC ride. After looking at your
site we decided to visit some of the towns. Thanks for your info.
We have had a great time using it to go and see Texas. We are now
off To Quicksand to see if it is there. - Rene' Smith Shaw, Houston
It makes me
just want to jump in a car and take off on a major texas roadtrip.
I know of some of those spots, but others I don't, and I'm now curious.
GOOD JOB! - Hargrove, Breckenridge
Your excellent
newsletter makes me spend more time than I can afford following
the links and planning another trip to Texas. - Chris Abbott, Chris
Abbott Architects, UK
I think yalls
website name should be Texastravel - G
This is the
most exciting thing I've seen for Texas devotees since the Texas
Almanac. - J. Barnes, Humble
I got to checking
out your site and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. - Stan
Cravatt
What an amazing
site. Absolutely the most informative site about Texas that I have
yet to see. ... Thanks so much for all of your selfless hard work
in making this site what it is. - With much gratitude, Ron Blodgett
I enjoy your
newsletter and get excited when I see a new one pop up in my e-mail
box. I even try to use the services of your advertisers when possible.
Keep up the good work. - Ron Duckworth, Arlington,TX
Being a Texan
is something special, it's a lot more than silly-ass cowboy boots
and hats. It takes a publication like yours to get it across. -
Stephen Long
This site is
absolutely the coolest thing to come down the pike ... Rest assured
I'll send your site on to friends and folks. Thanks... - Tim Jackson
What a fun
site! ... We've got you bookmarked as a reference for our future
travels through the state. - Carrie
This website
is perhaps the best of the Greatest, for folks interested in ...
TEXAS. Here you can go lots of places, some that you have been to
and then some that make you want to go there. Thanks for all the
hard work ... - Robert Castillo, Fort Worth
Great job on
the site. I send people to your web address when trips come up in
conversation..... - Scott
I'm in love
with your website! I have spent the past 2 week's worth of lunch
hours devouring everything I can find! - Donna Elrod
I'd like to
visit some of the places you show on your site. I love all the old
forgotten history. - Barry Kooda
Your site is
my favorite on the entire Internet.- Lois
This (site)
is great for all of us non Texans. - Dallas Bancroft, Lakeland,
Florida
How about a
link that will allow us to e-mail our favorite stories directly
to friends? A few other magazine websites have this, but I never
feel inclined to use theirs. If Texas Escapes had such a feature,
I'd use it often. There are plenty of out-of-state acquaintances
of mine who need to be reading this stuff! God bless you all! -
Jacob Wilson
Great site!
I check it often as it is most interesting and informative. Have
recommended it to all my friends. - M Krauss, Oakwood
A friend just
sent me your website--splendidly done! I've already sent it on to
a dozen pals. - Al Past
I enjoyed the
hell out of your whole site. I'm trying to think of the best way
to say "Go look at this cool site" to my readers at Houston.About.Com.
..... . - Aussie M
While traveling
many times conversations come up on the cb radio about different
things in the area -- I have given your website addy to many while
chatting about the scenery!! - Kathy Price Ossian, Indiana
Great site,
great looking, great content, I'm glad I found you - Peter French
This is the
greatest thing I have found on the web in ages. I love it.
- Kae R
For all of
us who love Texas with an undying devotion, this site is essential.
- Bonnie Kuykendall
Thanks for
providing an extremely thoughtful and insightful website. - Julie
McConnell
This site is
the most informative "where to go in Texas and what to look for
when you get there" site on the Internet! I love the historical
info and loads of photos. - Lou Ann Herda, Houston, Texas
I am new to
this site and have already passed it on to others. It is a vicarious
vacation each time I check it out. - A M Scott, Houston
I have spent
months at many Texas sites and I do mean many. Let me assure you
that when I say yours is excellent, I mean it. ...When you visit
your site, you HONESTLY feel like you're IN TEXAS! - Mike Gerrick
Subject: Wonderful
website!
Gentlemen: Just wanted to commend you on this GREAT website. I can
spend hours on it. ... - Carol Quattlebaum
Subject : Best
laugh-out-loud site
How do you do it? This is the best laugh-out-loud site I read! I
am sure all my co-workers think I am reading a joke book or the
comics. You always have the freshest, quirky, light-hearted look
at everything. - The gruntled
state employee, Joan K.
The story on
Brewster Hudspeth is hilariously fascinating, and oozing with charm
-- just like every issue of Texas Escapes. I feel like I should
remind you every so often of the excellence of your publication,
lest you forget.
Any plans on writing a book? ... Your features
are too interesting (and often amusing) not to be shared with those
who still read via the traditional method. - Jacob Wilson
... This is
someplace I'd like to visit. I'm an aspiring independent filmmaker
(director/writer), and I get so inspired reading various stories
on this site.... - Joyce Chasteen
Your web site
is unbelievable and watching it grow is the best. - Margaret Waring
Texas is a
beautiful state...and your online magazine certainly capture it,
especially all the small, out of the way locations that are often
overlooked. - Charlotte T., Midland, TX
You make history
so interesting, wish it could have been this way in school. - George
& Penny Lester
You have a
great site! This is something that every Texan should see and I
will pass it on to my acquaintances. - Ivey, Kerens
HOW do you
know all you know about Texas ... ? - Lori Glenn, editor, Preservation
Texas' Newsletter
I was both
impressed and enchanted with the variety of material and humor.
- Bill Rau SIDE ROADS
I am a professional
photographer ....and often find myself look for interesting places
to shoot. This site is excellent ... - Bill "Doc" Scott, Austin
Subject: Education
thank you
I am an 8th grade English teacher at Frankston Middle School.
I also teach our 8th grade Pre-Advanced Placement (honors) class.
I have been racking my brain for a six weeks project for them. I
started searching for small towns in Texas and ran across your site.
It is AWESOME!!!!! The kids are going to start a research project
on historical towns next week. This web site will be a great help
to them. Thank you - Jeana R. Pierce Brooks, Frankston Middle School
Somehow you
present the towns in a manner which causes the reader to
really feel like you're there. The well chosen photos also add to
this feeling of "being there". No glitter, no neon, no smog, you
present the "soul" of the town. ... - Mike Gerrick
Subject: Love
your website!!!!
I have been "stuck" in your website for almost 8 full hours now.
I am fascinated with all of it. - Chris Waring
I'm still amazed
with texasescapes.com, and the amount of time it must take to keep
this growing. - Chris Waring
What a delightful
website you have!! I had no idea there was anything like Texas Escapes!
..... fascinating!! - Hesketh
In looking
for information about Texas I stumbled upon your website. I have
been reading your material for hours. ... - Jerry Wakefield, Centerville
Very fascinating
historical stuff that helps to put my heritage into perspective.
Thanks. - Clayton H
It is great
to find such a treasure of info about these and so many other towns
in Texas. - Joe Haley
I was tickled
to death to find Rosebud and all the other small towns [on Texas
Escapes]. - Jesse Martinez .
I have just
revisited the towns of Balmoreah, Marfa, Ft Stockton, Ft Davis,
and Alpine via this internet site and wanted to tell you what good
memories the pictures brought to me..... Maybe I will be able to
visit you again some day, as there is surely no other place on earth
like West Texas. ... - R Bearden KY
Nifty site.
Love the humor which is uniquely Texas.. - D.G. Brock, Los Angeles
I'm enjoying
the Texas Escapes website ... I believe that four hours of laughing
so hard ... is not time wasted. - PJH
Subject :
Being Cheeky
Anne Cook of TxDOT steered me to your site, and I'm glad she did.
I love it! I especially like the cheeky voice. - Chandra Beal, author
of "Splash Across Texas."
I must say
that since you gave me the name of this website, I have been addicted.
I have learned more about Schulenburg, Fayette County and Texas
in general than I could have ever imagined. ... Thanks for the eye-opening
information about this Great State.... - Kim Hilscher
I'm an amateur
Texas history buff. I talk to my kids' school classes on Texas history
.... I will be using information from your site for future talks.
It is fantastic. ... - Stan Cravatt
Subject: I
love your site
I printed out part of the "swimming to mexico". As a swim coach
at a Texas school, I do try to give our children goals! - Svendiver
Enjoyed your
website ... ! - Marilyn Magaro, Texas Department of Agriculture
I enjoy your
magazine immensely... - Joan, General land Office
Your information
on Cuero is very helpful to this Chamber doing its job. ... Thanks
for helping us to show that life in Cuero is the way life ought
to be! - Sara Post, Executive Director, Cuero Chamber of Commerce
I just finished
reading your satire to my daughter. We both want more. - T. Baynham
This website
has made me utterly homesick for my home state! Tons of stuff I
never knew...Keep up the great work! - Erick Ellison, Lynn, MA
I was awed
by y'alls' work. Hats off - Rick, Asherton, Texas
This is a great
web site, very interesting. I am glad to see people from out of
state are enjoying it, too. - Michael J. Deel, Austin
(Texas Escapes)
is truly awesome, first class, second to none...WOW!. - Carlos A.
Arche, M.D. Harlingen, Texas
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| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories
and contemporary/vintage photos of their town, please contact
us. |
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