My Hometown: Explore San Felipe with the Town Mayor, a Descendant of a Slave from the Days of Stephen F. Austin’s First Colony
San Felipe, the hub of Stephen F. Austin’s original colony, may be the most historically significant Texas town you’ve never heard of. But that’s understandable: In 1836, residents burned San Felipe to the ground to keep it from the hands of the advancing Mexican army after the fall of the Alamo. The entire town—homes, taverns, one of the earliest print shops in Texas—was left in ashes, and few of its citizens returned. Read More »
On the West Texas Frontier, Judge Roy Bean Doled Out Justice as the ‘Law West of the Pecos’
Perched on a dusty ridge overlooking the Rio Grande, the tiny town of Langtry lies in the thick of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands, about 60 miles west of Del Rio. Langtry sprang up in 1882 as a railroad camp during the construction of the Southern Pacific line. Among the profiteers following the railroad was Roy Bean, a tent-saloon operator who became Langtry’s justice of the peace. Read More »
Fredericksburg Was a Tiny House Haven Long Before HGTV
Spanning 3.5 acres along West Main Street in downtown Fredericksburg, the Pioneer Museum chronicles the history of Sunday houses (among other vernacular architecture) and serves as an ideal launching point for a self-guided walking tour of the tiny historic homes, most of them within a few blocks of one another. For a broader overview, the museum offers a guided historical and architectural walking tour of the town on select Wednesday evenings. Read More »
Explore History at Frontier Texas! Museum in Abilene
At Frontier Texas!, interactive exhibits explore the century (1780-1880) when the Rolling Plains transformed from ... Read More »
Help Yourself to Sausage, Biscuits, and a Side of History at the King Ranch
My kids know I’m happy to travel for a meal, particularly when huevos are involved, but in their minds, this was pushing it. The night before, we’d driven more than three hours across the dark, South Texas landscape to Kingsville. Now, on a Saturday morning, they were back in the car just before dawn. “But look at the light, it’s beautiful!” I told them, pointing to the horizon. “Besides, this is not just any breakfast,” I promised. “It’s a chance to experience Texas history on one of the most famous ranches in the world.” Read More »
Explore Frontier Life in San Antonio at the Yturri-Edmunds Home
Before the first railroad line reached San Antonio in 1877, the villa was known as “the city of adobes,” according to an 1887 article in the San Antonio Daily Express. Along with rock, adobe was cited as the most common construction material. Another report in the Express noted that local adobe buildings would “endure forever almost.” Read More »
Any Day Above Ground Is a Good One at the Quirky National Museum of Funeral History
For the past eight years, the treasury of exhibits about the cultural practices and traditions surrounding death has hosted a haunted maze during the month of October. The president and curator of the museum, Genevieve Keeney, says it takes great pains to make sure the event is a good time for all ages. Read More »
These 10 County Courthouses Show off the Beauty and History of Small-Town Texas
Texas’ Historic County Courthouses shine with grandiosity and ambition. Often politically controversial because of their expense, courthouse projects in the 19th and early 20th centuries lasted years as counties selected architects and builders, quarried and imported materials, then painstakingly assembled the larger-than-life landmarks in the middle of town. It’s not hard to imagine a farmer stopping by a courthouse construction site to take in the scene, scratching his head at the columns, parapets, and towers rising from the prairie. Read More »
Find History and Romance on the Bridges of McLennan County
Despite its title, this story is not a parody of a famous novel with a similar name. It is about a love affair, however, one that endures between the people of Waco and their bridges. And this love story begins with a tortilla. Read More »
Before There Were Mavericks, There Was Texas Legend Sam Maverick
Deep down, every true Texan wants to be a maverick. Whether your folks have been here for centuries or you just ... Read More »
Who Wouldn’t Love a Buckarita in the Company of a Crossbred Longhorn-Buffalo?
The “Buckarita” at San Antonio’s Buckhorn Saloon serves up the kick you’d expect from a mix of Cuervo 1800 ... Read More »
Exhibition Coming to the African American Museum in Dallas Will View Jefferson’s Monticello Through the Eyes of Slaves
An upcoming museum exhibit in Dallas will explore life on one of the nation’s most historic plantations—from the perspective of slaves who lived there. Dallas’ African American Museum will debut the newly updated Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello: Paradox of Liberty in mid-September, the museum announced this week. The exhibition will feature more than 300 works of art, documents, and artifacts. Read More »
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