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BARCLAY
GIBSON
Statewide Photographer
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Williams
Ranch 6-3-13
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Culberson County
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Finding
the Polancio Grave Marker 3-22-10
"Back in the 1870s a stage was attacked by Indians and a man,
Jose Maria Palancios, was killed. He was buried right where he fell,
at the base of the Peak and a crude rock slab had the information
scratched on it."
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The Quest
Mr. Gibson has driven all over Texas many times in search of the 1936
Texas Centennial Markers. Here are a few of his stories: |
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Searching
for the Pulaski Historical Marker 9-6-10
Where to start describing how I visited the five foot tall granite
1936 Panola County Centennial Historical Marker for the defunct
town site of Pulaski, former seat of Panola County?
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"I
Want to See Your Machete" 5-29-12
It was a momentous occasion for me... I was finally going
to meet Ruthie Cade. Literally minutes before, I had been able to
find, after a previous failed attempt, the gray granite Centennial
Marker placed at the grave of Perry Alsbury in a hidden, overgrown
area within earshot of I-10. That marker was the 1,089th marker
I have seen of the 1,136 placed way back in 1936 to memorialize
the multi-year celebration of Texas' Independence from Mexico. Here
I was, after having seen nearly 96% of that total, meeting the one
person who made a lot of that search possible.
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The Journey
Begins
“Do you want these?” My sister, Peggy, had walked into our partnership
office with three Walmart bags under each arm. Each bag contained
a year of Texas Highway Magazines. She was clearing out her closet
and decided not to keep them any longer. Rather than just toss them
out, she asked me if I wanted them.
For the past several years three of my sisters and I had taken road
trips around Texas. Peggy did all the planning while I did the driving.
Ann and Betty Jean tagged along not caring particularly where we went
but just enjoying our time together. Peggy used the magazines as a
resource of places to visit. On different trips we went to the usual
tourist spots like Sea World, The Big Bend, Galveston, Port Aransas
and Jefferson. It was in Jefferson that I first began to really appreciate
the uniqueness of Texas, but it was no big deal to me at the time.
Peggy had decided she didn’t need to keep the magazines any more,
and not using better judgment, I said that we could just put them
in our office attic. About that time, I began reading James Michener’s
novel, “Texas”, so it was natural that in a few months I began to
drag out a few copies of the old magazines to see if I could find
anything familiar that I might have read about in the book.
That’s how it all started. Now, ten years later I have driven over
120,000 miles in Texas and taken over 70,000 pictures of everything
from old country churches to courthouses and jails to bridges and
signs, and finally of nearly all of the Texas Centennial markers that
were placed all around the state back in 1936. But that’s a whole
‘nother story.
One can only wonder what I would be doing right now if my sister had
just tossed those magazines without asking me about them. I’d probably
be working on a stamp collection or such but not having nearly as
much fun.
- Barclay Gibson, April 2013 |
Three Poems
by David Knape:
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Bar-Clay
God was thinking
one fine day,
why not another
man of clay
so he took some parts
he'd thrown away,
and formed them into
a bar of clay
he rolled them up
into a batch,
though the parts
would not all match
still it was good
in its own way,
God kept the thing
named it Bar-Clay
now Bar-Clay
wasn't satisfied,
he wanted
something else to try
God got upset
at Bar-Clays nerve,
sent him to Texas
with time to serve
now Barclay's doomed
his dreaded fate,
to ride the backroads
of the state
and in his travels
can be found
forever lost
and turned around
yet who can say
his penance done
Bar-Clay's the one
who's havin' fun
for Bar-Clay now
accepts his fate,
travelin' the state
for Texas Escapes!
- d.knape
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THE PICTURE-TAKIN'
MAN
O'er hills he roams
in his trusty truck
with his camera on
and a little luck
He'll photograph
a town or two
takin' pictures of all
without revenue
Following trails and rumors
ghost stories too
each town like a treasure
found out of the blue
Still the search is his passion
Oh the memories he makes
for love of Texas
and its wild escapes!
- d.knape
Upcoming Attractions
He plied the highways
always blessed
to travel Texas from
one end to the next,
An inquiring mind
the lone pretext
to photograph
what might come next.
- d.knape
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Special
Feature
Four
Bridges / Three States 11-3-08
Chevelon Canyon Bridge Winslow Arizona, Querino Canyon Bridge on
Old Route 66 Houck Arizona, Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay Redding
California, and Yaquina Bay Bridge Newport Oregon.
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| Texas Towns
- Courthouses, Jails, Centennial Markers, Churches, Signs, Murals... |
"Thanks
for posting such great collection of photos from all round Texas---enjoy
surfing some of these. Recently traveled to DFW area on business
and had a weekend to drive around----Waco, Cleburne and TX-67, no
freeways --visited some great spots, met a series of friendly folks
and saw some of South Texas. Your photos helped me realize a bit
more about Texas, its spirit and its people----thanks. Keep up the
effort--clearly you bring some excellent skill to the effort. Kind
Regards," - CC, March 06, 2015
"I love
everything about what you do-from the concept to the execution.
I will be trying to keep up with your work. I'm anxious to see what
you do next." - Dianna, Sept. 11, 2013
"You have
some wonderful marker photos. There is so much information. I even
learned some things about my home town of Taylor. Before taking
my grandchildren on a family history tour, I found the picture on
the internet of the Jackson County Texana
marker you photographed. We descend from both F.F. Wells and his
son-in-law Clark Owen. I also descend from the Brackenridges of
Jackson County, so we wanted to see the marker. It had been temporally
moved to lie under a tree at the administration building, something
of a let down." - Genie, Sugar Grove, Illinois, August 02,
2013
"Thank
you for sharing your photos taken at Cedar
Hill, Floyd County, Texas. I grew up there and although there
is mostly nothing left there, your photos were fantastic shots of
familiar landmarks. Thank you! I am thoroughly enjoying looking
at even more of your photos of familiar places. Thanks so much for
all your efforts." - Stephanie, July, 2013
"I came
across your photos during a search on Roaring
Springs Cemetery. My dad is buried there and I have not been
there. I plan on going in the near future but in the meantime these
photos are precious to me. They give me a sense of connection to
my dad and thus means so much to me. Thank you so much!" -
Mona, May 2013
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