How Post Office Murals Lifted Spirits During the Great Depression
First-Class Murals Post office artworks lifted spirits during the Great Depression By Robyn Ross In the ... Read More »
A Small-Town Enthusiast Embarks on the Revitalization of Bartlett in Central Texas
Robert Zalkin dares to dream small. Beginning in mid-2019, the native of the small town of Liberty, New York, began buying 15 buildings in Bartlett, a once-thriving cotton center 50 miles north of Austin on State Highway 95. He was drawn to Texas because of the welcoming people and economic feasibility of such a project. He intends to enliven the small town by preserving and repurposing its downtown, which he’ll document on Instagram at @downtownbartlett. “I drove through quite a few Texas towns,” Zalkin said, “but when I stepped out onto the red brick streets of Bartlett, it was magical. I felt the old ghosts and knew immediately this was the one.” Read More »
Get Your Chickens! A Vintage Vendor at Weatherford’s First Monday Market
Weatherford’s First Monday Trade Days began in 1900 when merchant A.H. Gernsbacher first advertised “Stray ... Read More »
How the ‘Grape Man of Texas’ Saved the French Wine Industry
When leading tours of Blue Ostrich, a winery and vineyard near Saint Jo, winemaker Patrick Whitehead likes to ... Read More »
A Down-on-His-Luck Wanderer Stumbles Upon the Port Arthur Moby Dick
Open Road | August 2020 In the Belly of the Whale A down-on-his-luck wanderer searches for answers on the ... Read More »
My Favorite Texas Trip: 15 Miles to Montrose
It took a few decades for me to realize that the most meaningful road trip of my life was a mere 15 miles long, ... Read More »
The Meditative Sounds of New Age Musician J D Emmanuel Will Ease Your Pandemic Anxiety
To listen to J D Emmanuel’s 1982 album Wizards, considered a standard of New Age and minimal electronic music, ... Read More »
Five Historic Texas Theaters Share Their Strategies for Survival
Since mid-March, theaters have been unable to book their usual slate of shows and special events resulting in lost ticket sales and lost revenue. Many theaters were expecting to reopen in June, and even put all of the necessary precautions in place to keep staff and guests safe. Then COVID-19 cases began to spike again in Texas, and reopening wasn’t feasible. Some theaters have postponed their reopenings until August, while others have canceled their seasons entirely. Read More »
Astronaut Neil Armstrong’s Out-of-This World House in El Lago is For Sale
Real estate agents often talk up their listings as “unique,” and in almost every case that claim is a little ... Read More »
Emily Gimble, 2020’s Texas State Musician, Grew Up On Western Swing
Making a name for yourself when you’re the granddaughter of a genuine Texas legend would be hard for anyone, ... Read More »
Texas’ First Film Studio Stood in San Antonio’s Padre Park
Star Film Ranch, a former silent filmmaking studio in San Antonio, is just dust in the wind, but author and ... Read More »
Doo-Wop Along to San Antonio’s Forgotten Golden Oldies on the Nonprofit Radio Station 97.9 KCJV
If you’re driving north on State Highway 16, and the sky is clear and you’re lucky, the radio signal for 97.9 ... Read More »