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Blacksmiths
on a beer break c1890
Courtesy Schulenburg Historical Society |
Texas
| Columns
"They shoe
horses,
don't they?"
Texas and Texans
Observed
by 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
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George
Olsson Short
(1920-2003)
Chapter Three
Surviving
WWII, and Arriving Home
How his soldier brother became his savior and how he managed
to get home to a post-war Texas life
3-15-13 |
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London,
Texas Dance Hall by Kathern Hogan 12-21-12
Oldest ongoing Texas dance hall providing live bands and dances
on Saturday Nights
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Combat
Over Texas by Dan Heaton 6-8-12
No listing of the key locations in the early days of flight – particularly
the development of military air power – would be complete without
a reference to the southern Texas city of Brownsville. It was from
there that America’s first combat mission was flown, way back in
1915.
Aviation pioneers Byron Q. Jones & Thomas D. Milling
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Bar
Art by Brewster Hudspeth
A sampling of what now passes for art in and around drinking establishments.
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Vashti
by William Holmes
Don Quixote believed that the very essence of adventure was in “letting
his horse take whatever path it chose...”
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| Editors: |
Guest
Columnists: |
Editors'
Columns, see
John Troesser
›
"Falling
Behind" ›
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 Collection
Pedro
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
Eagle Befriends the Stork
Port Arthur's legend of F. B. Wright, A Hurricane Story
The
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 Koudelka
Ten
Things You Should Know About George Campbell Childress
Author of the Texas Declaration of Independence and namesake of
Childress County
Tree
Murder in La Grange, and "... a bad haircut that can kill."
Austin's
Newsboy Statue
Etta
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, Texas
Miss
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 Spinachville
Three
Bean Salad
Tom Bean, Peter Ellis Bean and Judge Roy Bean
Killer
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 meaning
Ten
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
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.
The
Bride, He Wore White
Or How Men Wed in 1953 Waco
The
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
Ghost
Towns for Sale:
Valuable Properties and Invaluable (Free) Advice
Plutoed
in El Paso!
The World's Largest Blue Horse as White Elephant
The
Savage Life of Herman Lehmann
or Ich bin ein Apache
The
Jourdanton Dog Drownings
Small Town Finds Way to get International Attention
An
Extremely Informal* History of Penitas
*Written as an entertainment and not recommended for school reports
How
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 Vice
The
Anatomically Incorrect Cowboy Silhouette
One Bar -Two Dimensions
Remembering
Memory
“Thanks for the Whatchamacallits.”- Bob Hope
Quarry
Quandary
Texas’ Untoward Underground
Bison:
It's not just for Native Americans anymore
Limestone
Fence Posts
They Aren't just in Kansas Anymore
The
Short but Eventful Life of Adrián J. Vidal 1840-1865
Luke Warm
Bank
Robberies in Wingate 11-18-16
Home
Demonstration in Texas
From Tomatoes to Environmental Issues: The evolution of the Texas
Association for Family and Community Education
Prada
Marfa
West Texas gets a Long-overdue Infusion of Whimsey by German-based
Artists
The
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
Hyperbole
Pixilated
in Port Arthur & Reincarnated in Luling
Alfred Stillwell and Edgar Davis
Is
There an Edna Ferber in Your Mailbox?
or What’s a nice girl like you doing on a stamp like this?
The
Naming of Chili
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
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
|
Guests
A
Visit to the Chicken Ranch by Lois Zook Wauson
Dance
Halls in Texas by Lois Zook Wauson
Smithville's
Dexter - From Underdog to Best of (Picture) Show by Ted R. Krueger
A
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 Wauson
Heartbeat
of a Small Town by Alicia Lohberger
Cadillac
Ranch by M.M. Harris
Desperately
Seeking Permission: A Coryell County Adventure by M.M. Harris
Delightful
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 Wauson
Quanah:
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 Chamness
Bura
Handley by Phil Handley
Mister Wellington
Living
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. Rampy
A
Man's Vision... Swinney Switch! by Robin Sellman
My
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 Holmes
The
Gillette Cowboy by Lois Zook Wauson
Beeville
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. Howell
Grin
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, Texas
Lucius
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 Blair
Tracks
by Billy B. Smith
Houston
Airport Story by Ken Rudine
Texas
Panhandle Mystery Monument
The
Lee House
A letter from George Benoit
Wings
Over Notrees Texas by Mike Moore
The
Joy Theater of Shreveport by Billy B. Smith
Judge
Leonard W. Scott of Caldwell County by Wayne & Rick Scott
My
Father's Desk by Wayne Scott
My
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 Parsons
I
Remember a Faded Love by Ken Rudine
Coolidge,
Texas
An excerpt from the unpublished manuscript of Archibald Flint Watkins,
1956
Orla,
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 Drownings
Memories
of the Hall County Courthouse
by Wes Reeves
Dignity,
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 Sellers
Street
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 Mineola
Taken
on the Road by Charles Kuralt by James Feagin
Collin
County Courthouse: Architecture The Embodiment of Human Endeavor
by Guy R. Giersch
Area
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. Mitchell
The
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) Wright
Consider
the Lowly Canna and Where It Grows
Horticultural Mongrels Number 12 by Sylvan Wilt
Kyle:
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
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