Topic · Page 6
History & Culture
Local Notes
History & Culture notes
Franklin County · Historic Roads
Old Bankhead Highway Still Runs Through Mount Vernon's Story
Mount Vernon sat on the Texas path of the Bankhead Highway, the old auto route that helped turn Main Street into a road-era business district.
Franklin County · Small Communities
Scroggins Began With a Sawmill and a Railroad Stop
Scroggins grew from an 1850s settlement into a sawmill-and-rail shipping point southeast of Mount Vernon.
Freestone County · Community Names
Cotton Gin Is a Place Name That Means Exactly What It Says
West of Fairfield, Cotton Gin keeps the memory of a mule-powered gin that once drew stores, churches, and a newspaper.
Freestone County · Courthouse Square
Fairfield's Square Still Carries the County-Seat Fight
Fairfield began as Mound Prairie, then held on to the county seat through two courthouse election fights.
Freestone County · Local History
Freestone County is the birthplace of blues musician Blind Lemon Jefferson
Blues pioneer Blind Lemon Jefferson was born near Wortham and is buried at what is now Blind Lemon Memorial Cemetery.
Freestone County · Old Crossroads
Stewards Mill Was a Grinding Place Before It Was a Quiet Crossroads
North of Fairfield, Stewards Mill keeps the memory of the gristmill that pulled people to the crossroads.
Freestone County · Railroad History
Teague's Railroad Depot Still Tells the Town's Origin Story
Teague grew around railroad shops, and its old depot still gives that story a building you can picture.
Freestone County · Town Names
Wortham's Name Starts With a Five-Dollar Railroad Right-of-Way
Wortham's older names - Tehuacana and Long Bottom - tell a rail-town story before the oil boom.
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 · Bigfoot
Big Foot Wallace's Marker Is in Bigfoot, but His Grave Is in Austin
Wallace spent his later years near the Frio County village of Bigfoot, where a roadside marker remains; Texas moved his grave to Austin in 1899.
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.
Frio County · Historic Jail
Pearsall's Old Jail Kept Bootleg Liquor Behind Bars
The 1884 Frio County jail doubled as the jailer's home, drew water from its own well, and once held confiscated bootleg liquor in a cell.
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 · Historic Homes
Bishop's Palace Has Creatures Carved into Its Stone
In Galveston's East End, Bishop's Palace pairs a complex roof and carved creatures with a documented survival story from the 1900 storm.
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 · Historic District
The Strand Once Met Wagons at Raised Sidewalks
Galveston's old commercial district sat four to five feet below today's street level, letting drays and wagons load at raised sidewalks beside the port.
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 · Old Courthouse
Fredericksburg Turned Its 1882 Courthouse Into a Library
The native-limestone courthouse served Gillespie County until 1939, then kept its public life through county offices and a library.
Gillespie County · Main Street
Fredericksburg's Historic District Extends Beyond Main Street
The National Register district stretches roughly from Elk to Schubert to Acorn to Creek streets, gathering several eras of Fredericksburg into one frame.
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 · Civil War Site
Fort Waul Was Planned for an Advance Up the Guadalupe
An 1863 Confederate earthwork near Pioneer Village was designed against a possible Federal advance and built in part by enslaved laborers.
Gonzales County · Courthouse Square
Four Cupolas Ring the Gonzales Courthouse Tower
After an 1893 fire, Gonzales County built a red-brick Romanesque courthouse with four domed cupolas gathered around a central tower.
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.
Gonzales County · Railroad Communities
Railroads Recentered Waelder, Smiley, and Nixon
Waelder drew people south from Hopkinsville, Smiley shifted its business district, and Nixon rose from ranch lots as tracks reorganized three county communities.
Gray County · Former County Seat
A log-cabin stage stop became Gray County's county seat
A log-cabin stage stop grew into Gray County's seat before oil-driven growth carried the courthouse to Pampa.
Gray County · World War II
A wartime flight school rose east of Pampa in 1942
Pampa leaders recruited an Army airfield about 11 miles east of town, where twin-engine cadets and mechanics trained until 1945.
Gray County · Roadside History
Alanreed tried on Spring Tank, Prairie Dog Town, and Gouge Eye
Alanreed's old names remember a spring-fed tank, prairie dogs, a saloon fight, and the railroad that fixed the townsite in place.
Gray County · Route 66
McLean grew around a railroad well before Route 66 arrived
McLean began around a railroad well, then Route 66 filled 1st Street with gas stations, garages, and passing traffic.
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 · Water History
Denison Dam Turned a Red River Reach Into Lake Texoma
Authorized in 1938 and completed in 1944, Denison Dam remade the Red River northwest of Denison for flood control, water conservation, recreation, and hydropower.
Grayson County · Historic Site
Eisenhower Was Born in a Railroad Family's Denison Rental
Dwight Eisenhower's 1890 birthplace was a rented frame house near Denison's railroad yards, and the community made it a hometown landmark before he became president.
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 · Military History
Perrin Field Went From Basic Trainers to Jets
The 1941 training base closed in 1971, but its name and aviation footprint remain at North Texas Regional Airport/Perrin Field.
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's city map still carries the oil boom
Gregg County has nine cities wholly or partly within it. Kilgore and Gladewater tell two versions of the oil-boom story.
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.