Topic · Page 5
History & Culture
Local Notes
History & Culture notes
Frio County · Local History
A Railroad Built Pearsall and Made It the County Seat
Pearsall was founded in 1882 when the International-Great Northern Railroad arrived, and it replaced the older Frio Town as the county seat within a year.
Frio County · Oil & Gas History
Oil Was Discovered in Frio County in the 1930s
Commercial oil production began in Frio County around 1930, and the Pearsall and Bigfoot fields became significant producers over the following decades.
Gaines County · County History
Gaines County went from open range to oil country in about 50 years
Gaines County was carved from open plains in 1876 and grew through ranching, cotton farming, and then oil — all within a few generations.
Gaines County · Seagraves history
Seagraves still carries cattle, railroad, and oil history
Seagraves called itself 'The City That Oil Built,' but it started with the J. C. Sartin family driving in 800 head in 1905, and took its name from a Santa Fe railroad man.
Gaines County · Youth center
The M.S. Doss Youth Center is a Seminole recreation landmark
Built in 1961 from the Doss family's money and named for Mr. and Mrs. M.S. Doss, Seminole's youth center has been the after-school place for generations, and at $10 a year, it still is.
Galveston County · Geography
Galveston County Is a Mix of Island, Bay, and Mainland
Galveston County is not one kind of coast: it holds a barrier island, a peninsula, bay water, marsh, and mainland cities.
Galveston County · County History
Galveston County's First Jail Was a Shipwreck
When the Republic created Galveston County in 1838, its first officers organized around the harbor and the sheriff used a storm-stranded brig as the first jail.
Galveston County · Historic Engineering
Galveston Lifted Buildings Before It Raised the Ground
After the 1900 storm, Galveston raised more than 2,100 buildings and the ground beneath much of the city.
Galveston County · Industry
Texas City Is a Major Industrial and Petrochemical Hub in Galveston County
Texas City's port, refineries, and chemical plants bring jobs and give nearby residents a reason to check air records.
Galveston County · Historic Disaster
The 1900 Galveston Hurricane Remains the Deadliest U.S. Natural Disaster
The September 8, 1900 hurricane killed thousands, broke apart much of Galveston, and changed how the city would rebuild.
Galveston County · Local Economy
The Port Sent Cotton Out and Brought Newcomers In
Galveston's harbor moved farm goods toward the world while supplies, news, businesses, and thousands of new arrivals came through the same waterfront.
Galveston County · Healthcare & Economy
UTMB Is a Major Employer and Medical Center in Galveston County
UTMB began in one Galveston building in 1891 and grew into the island's academic medical anchor.
Garza County · Local History
How C.W. Post built the town of Post and shaped Garza County
Garza County's county seat was built by cereal magnate Charles William Post, who bought a large stretch of land to create a planned farming colony in the early 1900s.
Gillespie County · Frontier History
Fort Martin Scott Put the Frontier Road Beside Fredericksburg
The Army established Camp Houston beside Barons Creek in 1848, putting a frontier post two miles from the young town of Fredericksburg.
Gillespie County · Town Square
Fredericksburg Built Its Public Life Around Marktplatz
Fredericksburg's central park began as a two-block civic square, with one octagonal building serving as church, school, meeting hall, and shelter.
Gillespie County · Local History
Gillespie County Was Built by German Immigrants in the 1840s
German settlers founded Fredericksburg in 1846 and shaped the county's culture, architecture, and farming traditions in ways still visible today.
Gillespie County · Luckenbach
Luckenbach Was a Creek Settlement Before It Was a Music Legend
Luckenbach grew from German settlement along Grape Creek, where a post office, store, cotton gin, blacksmith shop, saloon, and dance hall made a rural center.
Glasscock County · County History
Glasscock County was built on sheep, cotton, and oil
This small West Texas county was organized in 1893 and shifted from ranching to farming to oil production over its first century.
Goliad County · Local History
Goliad's name is an anagram — here's why that matters
The town of Goliad was renamed in 1829 as a tribute to Father Hidalgo, the priest who sparked Mexican independence.
Goliad County · Historic Site
Presidio La Bahia is a nationally recognized Spanish fort in Goliad
A Spanish colonial fort built in 1749 still stands in Goliad and holds status as a National Historic Landmark.
Gonzales County · Texas History
Gonzales Fired the First Shot of the Texas Revolution
On October 2, 1835, colonists in Gonzales refused to hand over a cannon to Mexican troops, starting the Texas Revolution.
Gray County · Local History
Pampa Became the County Seat Because of an Oil Boom
Gray County was organized in 1902 with Lefors as its seat, but a 1926 oil discovery made Pampa grow so fast that it took over as county seat in 1928.
Grayson County · Historic Site
Denison Is the Birthplace of Dwight D. Eisenhower
Denison, Texas is where the 34th U.S. President was born in 1890, and the Texas Historical Commission operates his birthplace as a public historic site.
Grayson County · County History
Grayson County Was Created in 1846 from Fannin County
Grayson County was established by the Texas legislature in 1846 and named for Peter W. Grayson, an attorney general of the Republic of Texas.
Grayson County · Water History
Lake Texoma Was Created by a Federal Dam Authorized in 1938
Denison Dam on the Red River created Lake Texoma. It is a major federal water project that changed the county's economy and landscape.
Grayson County · Military History
Perrin Air Force Base Operated in Grayson County from 1941
Perrin Air Force Base near Sherman opened in 1941 and was a major military presence in Grayson County for decades. It shaped the local economy.
Grayson County · County Seat
Sherman Is the County Seat and Largest City in Grayson County
Sherman serves as the county seat of Grayson County, where county government offices, courts, and the appraisal district are located.
Grayson County · Civil Rights History
The 1930 Sherman Riot Destroyed the Courthouse and Left a Mark on Local History
On May 9-10, 1930, a mob attacked the Grayson County courthouse, burned it, and lynched a Black man awaiting trial, one of the most violent racial incidents in Texas during that era.
Grayson County · Economic History
The Railroad Arrived in 1872 and Transformed Grayson County
When two railroads reached Grayson County in 1872, the region's population and economy expanded rapidly over the next decade.
Gregg County · Downtown
Downtown Longview Still Works From the Original 100 Acres
Longview's Main Street district keeps the city's early downtown blocks active with museums, the library, local businesses, and weekend events.
Gregg County · Gladewater
Gladewater Went From Railroad Stop to Oil Boom to Antique Streets
Gladewater's city history runs through an 1873 railroad stop, a 1931 oil strike, Lake Gladewater, and a downtown antique-shop identity.
Gregg County · Communities
Gregg County has several cities beyond Longview
Gregg County includes Longview (the county seat) plus several other incorporated cities, each with its own government, services, and school district.
Gregg County · County History
How Gregg County got its name
Gregg County was created in 1873 and named after John B. Gregg, a Confederate general killed during the Civil War.
Gregg County · Early History
Indigenous peoples lived in Gregg County before Anglo settlement
The area that is now Gregg County was home to Caddo peoples and later Cherokee immigrants before Anglo settlers arrived in the 1840s.
Gregg County · Industrial History
Industry came to Gregg County after World War II
After World War II, major industrial employers, including LeTourneau and Texas Eastman, set up in Gregg County and built an economy beyond oil.
Gregg County · Cultural district
Kilgore's Cultural District Links Downtown and the College
Kilgore's Cultural District pulls historic downtown, Kilgore College, museums, landmarks, food, shopping, and performance spaces into one close cluster.
Gregg County · Railroad History
Railroads built Longview — and Gregg County
Longview was founded in 1870 as a railroad town, and the arrival of multiple rail lines shaped the early economy of Gregg County.
Gregg County · Oil Boom History
The East Texas Oil Field transformed Gregg County
The discovery of the East Texas Oil Field in 1931 turned Gregg County from a quiet farming area into one of the most active oil regions in U.S. history.
Grimes County · Railroad history
A Stage Stop Became Navasota's Railroad Town
Navasota grew from a cabin near the La Bahia Road crossing into the rail and shipping center that gave Grimes County a second old hub.
Grimes County · Historic site
Fanthorp Inn Shows the Full Cost of Anderson's Stagecoach Years
Fanthorp Inn grew from an 1834 dogtrot cabin into a busy stage stop, post office, store, and farm sustained in part by enslaved labor.
Grimes County · County History
Grimes County Was Named for a Signer of Texas Independence
Grimes County was formed in 1846 and named after Jesse Grimes, who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and represented the area in the first state senate.
Grimes County · Music history
Navasota's Blues Capital Name Begins with Mance Lipscomb
The Legislature's 2005 Blues Capital designation tied Navasota directly to Mance Lipscomb, the local festival, and a high-school scholarship.
Guadalupe County · Agricultural History
Cotton, Cattle, and Crops: Guadalupe County's Farm Roots
Farming and ranching shaped Guadalupe County from its earliest days, with cotton once dominating and diversified agriculture continuing today.
Guadalupe County · Immigration History
German Settlers Shaped the County's Early Character
German immigrants began arriving in Guadalupe County in the mid-1840s and made up a large share of the population by the late 1800s.
Guadalupe County · County History
How Guadalupe County Was Created
Guadalupe County was established in 1846, carved from parts of Bexar and Gonzales counties after Texas joined the United States.
Guadalupe County · Oil History
Oil Was Discovered in Eastern Guadalupe County in the 1920s
Oil production began in eastern Guadalupe County during the 1920s at the Darst Creek fields, diversifying the local economy.
Guadalupe County · City History
Seguin: Named for a Tejano Hero of the Republic
Seguin was founded in 1838 and renamed in 1839 to honor Juan N. Seguín, a Tejano leader who fought for Texas independence.
Guadalupe County · Education & Culture
Texas Lutheran University Has Called Seguin Home Since 1912
Texas Lutheran University relocated to Seguin in 1912, anchoring the city as an education center in South Central Texas.
Hale County · Archaeology
A 9,000-year-old spear point found near Plainview changed American archaeology
In 1941, workers near Plainview found ancient bison bones and a uniquely shaped spear point that showed people lived here thousands of years ago.
Hale County · Agriculture & Economy
Cotton and irrigated farming built Hale County's economy
Hale County became one of Texas's leading farming counties, built on cotton, grain sorghum, wheat, corn, and Ogallala-fed irrigation.
Hale County · County History
Hale County was carved from open range in 1876 and organized in 1888
The county is named for a soldier who died at San Jacinto, and its seat Plainview was named for the vast treeless landscape its founders saw.
Hale County · Education & Culture
Wayland Baptist University has anchored Plainview since 1909
Wayland Baptist University is a four-year private university in Plainview that has shaped the town's identity for over a century.
Hall County · Music History
Bob Wills and the Town of Turkey
Bob Wills, the king of Western Swing music, grew up in Hall County near the town of Turkey, which still holds an annual tribute event in his honor.
Hall County · Historic Landmark
The 1922 Courthouse in Memphis
The Hall County Courthouse in Memphis was built in 1922 and is designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.
Hamilton County · Historic Landmark
Hamilton County Courthouse and Its History
The Hamilton County Courthouse was built in 1887. It blends three architectural styles and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Hamilton County · County History
How Hamilton County Got Its Start
Hamilton County was founded in 1856 and named for a South Carolina governor who put his own money into Texas independence.
Hansford County · County History
How Spearman Became the County Seat
Hansford County was organized in 1889 with one town as its seat, but a railroad town founded in 1917 eventually took over that role.
Hardeman County · County History
How Quanah Became the County Seat
Quanah replaced Margaret as the Hardeman County seat in 1890 after the railroad arrived and drew new settlers.
Hardeman County · History & Place
Medicine Mounds: A Comanche Sacred Site Near Quanah
Four cone-shaped hills about 10 miles east of Quanah were considered sacred by the Comanche people for generations.
Hardin County · County History
Kountze became the county seat by a close vote after a courthouse fire
Kountze is the county seat of Hardin County, a title it won only after losing the first vote by eleven ballots and winning a rematch after the original courthouse burned.