Topic · Page 7
History & Culture
Local Notes
History & Culture notes
Lamar County · Local History
Paris Burned Twice and Rebuilt Both Times
Major fires in 1877 and 1916 destroyed much of Paris, which is why most of the older downtown buildings date from the early 20th century.
Lamar County · Education & Community
Paris Junior College Has Served the Area Since 1924
Paris Junior College is a long-established community college in Lamar County that offers both academic and workforce programs.
Lamar County · State Historic Site
The Sam Bell Maxey House Preserves a Slice of Reconstruction-Era Texas
A state-owned Victorian home in Paris interprets how a prominent local family lived through Reconstruction and into the early 20th century.
Lamb County · Agriculture
Cotton and Grain Farming Still Shape Lamb County's Economy
Lamb County transitioned from open-range ranching to irrigated farming in the early 1900s, and cotton and grain remain the backbone of the local economy today.
Lamb County · County Seat History
Littlefield Was Built on a Ranch Sale and a Railroad Stop
Littlefield grew from a single railroad station on a giant cattle ranch into the county seat and commercial center of Lamb County.
Lampasas County · County History
How Lampasas County Came to Be
Lampasas County was formed in 1856 from parts of three older counties. Its name comes from the river and mineral springs that drew early settlers.
Lampasas County · Agricultural History
Lampasas Helped Start a National Farm Movement
In 1875, Lampasas County farmers formed the first Farmers' Alliance. It grew into a national movement for rural economic reform.
Lavaca County · Settlement History
Lavaca County has deep Czech and German roots
German and Czech immigrants shaped Lavaca County in the late 1800s and their influence is still visible in local towns, churches, and food traditions.
Lavaca County · Historic Landmark
Lavaca County's 1899 courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places
The Lavaca County Courthouse in Hallettsville was built in 1899 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
Lee County · Historic Courthouse
Lee County's 1899 Courthouse Was Designed by a Celebrated Architect
The Lee County Courthouse in Giddings was built in 1899 in Romanesque Revival style by James Riely Gordon, who designed several notable Texas courthouses.
Lee County · Immigrant Heritage
Serbin: A Wendish Settlement That Still Stands in Lee County
In 1854, more than 500 Wends from Lusatia (in present-day Germany) settled near what is now Serbin and built the first Missouri Synod Lutheran church in Texas.
Leon County · County History
Leon County was formed in 1846 and Centerville has been county seat since 1851
Leon County was carved out of Robertson County in 1846, and Centerville replaced Leona as county seat in 1851 because the law required the seat to be near the county's geographic center.
Liberty County · Oil and Gas
Liberty County has a long oil and gas production history
Oil exploration began in Liberty County around 1901, with major fields at Daisetta and Hull producing hundreds of millions of barrels over the twentieth century.
Liberty County · County History
Liberty County traces its roots to a Spanish colonial settlement from the 1750s
The area that became Liberty County was settled by Spanish colonists in the 1750s and set up as a municipality in 1831 under Mexican rule.
Limestone County · Texas History
Fort Parker and Cynthia Ann Parker: A Pivotal Texas Story
In 1836, a Comanche and Kiowa raid on Fort Parker in what is now Limestone County changed Texas history and the life of Cynthia Ann Parker.
Limestone County · Local History
Why Groesbeck Became the County Seat (and Springfield Disappeared)
Limestone County was formed in 1846 with Springfield as its seat, but the railroad era moved power to Groesbeck by 1873.
Lipscomb County · Local History
Lipscomb County Grew from Open-Range Cattle Ranches
Lipscomb County was carved from the Texas Panhandle in 1876, and its first economy was dominated by large cattle operations before wheat farming and later oil changed the land.
Live Oak County · County History
George West Built a Town by Donating Land and a Railroad
The town of George West was literally built by its namesake, a rancher who donated land, cash, and railroad right-of-way to move the county seat there in the early 1900s.
Llano County · History & Identity
Llano County's Granite Geology and German Settlement Roots
Llano County sits on an ancient granite formation called the Llano Uplift. Its first settlers were mostly German immigrants who came in the 1840s after a peace treaty with the Comanche.
Loving County · County History
Loving County Was Organized Twice — Oil Made It Stick
Loving County was first organized in 1893 under fraudulent circumstances and collapsed; it was reorganized in 1931 after oil was discovered, and its population has remained among the smallest of any county in the country.
Lubbock County · Disaster History
A 1970 Tornado Reshaped the City
A tornado struck Lubbock on May 11, 1970, killing 26 people and prompting major changes to the city's downtown.
Lubbock County · Agriculture
Lubbock County Is One of Texas's Top Cotton Producers
Cotton farming has shaped Lubbock County's economy and landscape for nearly a century, making it one of the most productive cotton-growing regions in the state.
Lubbock County · Regional Role
Lubbock Serves as the Hub for a Large Surrounding Region
Lubbock is the main place to shop, see a doctor, and get services for about 51 counties in West Texas and eastern New Mexico.
Lubbock County · Higher Education
Texas Tech Has Shaped the City Since 1925
Texas Tech University has been in Lubbock since 1925. It drives the city's growth, jobs, and identity.
Lubbock County · County History
The County Was Named for a Confederate Ranger, Not the City
Lubbock County was created in 1876 and named after Colonel Thomas S. Lubbock, a Texas Ranger who later served as a Confederate officer.
Lynn County · County History
Lynn County grew from open range to cotton fields in just a generation
Lynn County was created in 1876 but sat unorganized for nearly 30 years, then transformed quickly from cattle ranches into one of the High Plains' major cotton producers.
Madison County · County History
Madison County was carved from three counties in 1853
Madison County was formed in 1853 from parts of Grimes, Walker, and Leon counties, and its seat of Madisonville was named for U.S. President James Madison.
Marion County · Historic District
Jefferson's downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places
A 47-block area of Jefferson was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, preserving dozens of 19th-century buildings from the town's days as Texas's leading inland port.
Marion County · County Origins
Marion County was carved from Cass County in 1860 and named for a Revolutionary War hero
Marion County was created on February 8, 1860, from the southern part of Cass County, and named for Francis Marion — the 'Swamp Fox' of the American Revolution.
Marion County · Historic Courthouse
The 1913 Marion County Courthouse was restored and reopened in 2021
The Marion County Courthouse in Jefferson was built in 1913 and underwent a full historic restoration — finishing with a ribbon-cutting in May 2021 — under the Texas Historical Commission's courthouse program.
Martin County · Local History
Stanton Has Worn Three Names and Has Deep Roots in Oil and Farming
Martin County's county seat has a layered past — railroad settlers, German Catholic immigrants, a cotton boom, and then oil all shaped the town now called Stanton.
Mason County · County history
German Settlers and Fort Mason Shaped This County
Mason County was carved out of frontier territory in 1858 and settled largely by German immigrants whose influence still shows in local family names, architecture, and culture.
Matagorda County · Major Industry
A large nuclear power plant operates in this county
The South Texas Project nuclear power plant, about 12 miles south of Bay City, is one of the largest nuclear stations in the country and a major local employer.
Matagorda County · Local History
Bay City replaced an older town as the county seat in 1894
Bay City was founded in 1894 on the Bay Prairie between the Colorado River and Caney Creek, then quickly grew into a railroad and rice-farming hub.
Matagorda County · County History
Matagorda County was one of Texas's first counties
Organized in 1836, Matagorda County is among the original 23 counties created when Texas became a republic.
Maverick County · Culture & Community
Eagle Pass Is a Deeply Bicultural Border City
Eagle Pass and its sister city Piedras Negras, Mexico share deep economic and cultural ties across the Rio Grande.
Maverick County · Civil War History
Eagle Pass Was a Key Confederate Cotton Port
During the Civil War, Eagle Pass became an important shipment point for Confederate cotton exports after Union forces occupied Brownsville, making it one of the most active border crossings in the South.
Maverick County · Military History
Fort Duncan Shaped Eagle Pass From the Start
Fort Duncan, established in 1849, was the military anchor that turned a river crossing into the city of Eagle Pass.
Maverick County · County Origins
The County Is Named for a Man Who Didn't Brand His Cattle
Maverick County was created in 1856 and named for Samuel A. Maverick, a Texas land owner whose unbranded cattle gave the English language a new word.
McCulloch County · Agriculture History
McCulloch County built its economy on cattle, sheep, and goats
Cattle drives, wool, mohair, and later turkey farming shaped McCulloch County's farm economy from the 1870s onward.
McCulloch County · Local Landmark
The geographic center of Texas is in McCulloch County
The geographic center of Texas is 16 miles northeast of Brady in McCulloch County. Brady has embraced that fact as part of its local identity.
McLennan County · Higher Education
Baylor University Has Called Waco Home Since 1887
Baylor University relocated to Waco in 1887 and remains a major presence in McLennan County's economy and culture.
McLennan County · County History
McLennan County Was Created in 1850
McLennan County was established in January 1850 and named after Neil McLennan, a Scottish settler who came to Texas in 1835 and moved to the Bosque River area in the 1840s.
McLennan County · Disaster History
The 1953 Tornado Killed 114 People in Downtown Waco
On May 11, 1953, a tornado struck downtown Waco, killing 114 people and destroying hundreds of buildings in one of Texas's deadliest tornadoes.
McLennan County · Indigenous History
Waco Gets Its Name From the Waco Indian Village
The city of Waco is built on the site of an agricultural village of the Waco (Huaco) people that had hundreds of residents in the early 1800s.
McLennan County · Local History
Waco Grew Up as a Cattle Town on the Chisholm Trail
After the Civil War, Waco became a major cattle crossing point, with hundreds of thousands of cattle driven through town by 1871.
McLennan County · National Monument
Waco Has a National Monument With Mammoth Fossils
Waco Mammoth National Monument preserves the fossils of at least 24 Columbian mammoths, including a rare nursery herd, discovered starting in 1978.
McMullen County · Local History
How Tilden Became the County Seat
Tilden started as a rough frontier settlement in 1858 and became the county seat when McMullen County was organized in 1877.
Medina County · History & Settlement
Castroville Was Built by Alsatian Settlers in 1844 and Still Shows It
Castroville, about 25 miles west of San Antonio, was founded by mostly Catholic Alsatian immigrants in 1844 and retains 97 historic buildings from that era.
Medina County · History & County Seat
Hondo Became the County Seat After the Railroad Arrived in 1881
Hondo replaced Castroville as the Medina County seat in 1892, largely because the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway passed through Hondo, not Castroville.
Menard County · Spanish Colonial History
A Spanish mission and presidio once stood near present-day Menard
In 1757, the Spanish built Mission Santa Cruz de San Sabá and Presidio San Luis de las Amarillas on the San Saba River near what is now the town of Menard.
Menard County · Historic Site
Fort McKavett preserves a frontier Army post in Menard County
Fort McKavett State Historic Site sits in Menard County and preserves one of West Texas's best-surviving frontier Army forts, with ties to the Buffalo Soldiers.
Midland County · Prehistoric History
Ancient human remains found near Midland hint at early inhabitants
Fossilized human remains called Midland Minnie were discovered in Midland County and are tentatively linked to late Pleistocene-era people who lived in the region thousands of years ago.
Midland County · County Origins
Midland County got its name from the railroad running halfway across Texas
Midland County was organized in 1885 and named for its location at the midpoint of the Texas and Pacific Railway between Fort Worth and El Paso.
Midland County · Oil Boom
Oil transformed Midland from a small ranching town into a regional city
Midland County's first major oil production came in 1945, and by the 1950s the city had become the corporate headquarters of the Permian Basin petroleum industry.
Midland County · County Seat
The city of Midland is both county seat and the business hub of the Permian Basin
Midland is the county seat of Midland County and serves as the corporate and administrative center for the oil and gas industry across the broader Permian Basin region.
Midland County · Permian Basin Geology
The Permian Basin beneath Midland County holds some of the deepest oil deposits in Texas
Midland County sits atop the Midland Basin, part of the larger Permian Basin that formed when an ancient sea retreated and left thick layers of rock that trapped oil and gas.
Milam County · Local History
Cameron's 1890 Courthouse Is on the National Register
Cameron, the Milam County seat, was founded in 1846 on the Little River and its 1890 courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mills County · Local History
Goldthwaite was born from a railroad land auction in 1885
The county seat of Goldthwaite was founded when the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway arrived and a railroad official auctioned off town lots.
Mills County · Local Economy
Mills County's economy runs on livestock, not crops
Cattle, sheep, and goats make up about 90 percent of Mills County's farm income, shaping the land and community.