Topic · Page 9
History & Culture
Local Notes
History & Culture notes
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 · Museum
The Mayborn Is Waco's Rainy-Day Museum: Mammoths, Fossils, and an 1890s Village
On Baylor's campus, the Mayborn Museum tells the natural and human story of Central Texas, with a walk-in mammoth diorama, hands-on discovery rooms, and a relocated 1890s village out back.
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.
McLennan County · State history
Why the Official Home of the Texas Rangers Sits in Waco
The state of Texas named the museum just off I-35 in Waco the official historical center of the Texas Rangers, and a working Ranger company still keeps its headquarters there.
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 · Settlement & Railroads
D'Hanis Still Carries the Split Between Old D'Hanis and the Rail Town
The D'Hanis people drive through today grew after the railroad bypassed the older settlement about a mile east.
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.
Medina County · Wartime Hondo
Hondo's Airfield Footprint Came From 1942
Hondo added a 3,675-acre Army airfield in 1942, and the closed base kept shaping the town after the war.
Medina County · River Commerce
Landmark Inn Was a Store, Stage Stop, Mill, and Power Plant
One Castroville river lot carried a store, a stage stop, a gristmill, a cotton gin, hotel rooms, and later electric power.
Medina County · Community Identity
Quihi Is a Small-Place Thread You Can Still Follow
Quihi's creek crossing, church, school history, and old shooting club give Medina County a small-community layer beyond the larger towns.
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 · Blackland Town
Buckholts Grew from Blackland Soil and a Donated Townsite
Buckholts started with railroad land, then drew farm families to the blackland soils northwest of Cameron.
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.
Milam County · Oilfield Footnote
Minerva Adds a Small Oilfield Chapter South of Cameron
Minerva began as a rail stop south of Cameron, then had a brief oilfield boom after a shallow field was found nearby.
Milam County · Railroad Town
Rockdale Grew Where Railroad, Cotton, and Lignite Met
Rockdale's shape comes from the 1870s railroad, area farms, and coal mines that gave the town more than one reason to grow.
Milam County · Spanish Missions
Spanish Mission History Runs Through the San Gabriel Near Rockdale
Near present-day Rockdale, the San Gabriel River once held a cluster of Spanish missions known as the San Xavier missions.
Milam County · Downtown Theater
The Kay Theater Turns a Quonset Hut into Rockdale Memory
Rockdale's Kay Theater began in a World War II surplus Quonset hut and still gives downtown a distinctive old-movie outline.
Milam County · Small-Town Name
Thorndale's Name Came from Thorny Brush
Thorndale got its name from thorny vegetation, then shifted east to sit tighter against the railroad.
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.
Mitchell County · Local History
Colorado City Grew Around Cattle Drives and a Railroad
Mitchell County was organized in 1881 when the Texas and Pacific Railway arrived, turning Colorado City into a major cattle shipping point in West Texas.
Montague County · Indigenous History
Spanish Fort marks an ancient settlement site in Montague County
Before European settlers arrived, the area near the Red River was home to Taovayas and Wichita peoples whose village became known as Spanish Fort.
Montague County · County History
The Chisholm Trail crossed Montague County in the 1800s cattle drives
Montague County was a cattle country corridor — the Chisholm Trail passed through here starting in 1867.
Montgomery County · Downtown history
A 1911 Fire Helped Push Conroe Toward Brick
Conroe's 1911 downtown fire destroyed dozens of buildings and led city leaders toward fire-resistant construction rules.
Montgomery County · Local History
An Oil Strike in 1931 Changed Montgomery County Forever
A wildcatter named George W. Strake struck oil southeast of Conroe in 1931, turning a struggling timber town into one of Texas's most important oil fields.
Montgomery County · City Origins
Conroe Was Named for a Lumberman Who Built a Sawmill in 1881
The city of Conroe takes its name from Isaac Conroe, a Houston-based lumberman who established a sawmill on Stewarts Creek in 1881.
Montgomery County · Courthouse history
Conroe's Courthouse Tells the County Seat Story
The courthouse square in Conroe carries the story of a county seat that moved west to east before settling downtown.
Montgomery County · Local history
Fernland Keeps Montgomery's Oldest House in View
The Arnold-Simonton House at Fernland Historical Park gives Montgomery a porch-level look at its 1840s town story.
Montgomery County · Founder story
Isaac Conroe's House Once Held the County Offices
Before Conroe had a finished courthouse, county records and offices moved into Isaac Conroe's own property.
Montgomery County · Name story
Magnolia Went from Mink to Melton to Magnolia
A Texas historical marker traces Magnolia's name from Mink's Prairie to a railroad name to the trees along Mill Creek.
Montgomery County · Railroad history
Magnolia's Depot Still Carries the Farm-and-Sawmill Era
The old Magnolia depot was built in 1902 and once moved cotton, sweet potatoes, cattle, lumber, and other local freight.
Montgomery County · Demographics
Montgomery County Has Grown Rapidly as a Houston Suburb
Montgomery County grew from about 128,000 people in 1980 to over 620,000 by 2020, driven largely by Houston's suburban expansion northward.
Montgomery County · County Origins
Montgomery County Was Created by the Republic of Texas in 1837
Montgomery County is one of Texas's older counties, established by the Congress of the Republic of Texas in December 1837.
Montgomery County · Railroad history
Montgomery's Old Railroad Marker Explains a Lot
A historical marker on SH 149 traces how a 25-mile railroad connection changed old Montgomery's reach.
Montgomery County · Community roots
New Caney's Name Grew Out of Cane Brakes and a Rail Stop
New Caney's historical marker connects the community to early settlement, cattle, farming, rail shipping, and nearby cane brakes.
Montgomery County · Local History
Sawmills Once Shaped the County's Economy
Railroads arrived in the 1870s and triggered a logging boom that turned Montgomery County into a major Texas lumber producer.
Montgomery County · Community history
Tamina-Sweet Rest Cemetery Keeps a Community's Memory in Place
Tamina-Sweet Rest Cemetery is an officially recorded African American cemetery with burials dated from 1879 to 2006.
Montgomery County · Local History
The County Seat Moved Three Times Before Landing in Conroe
Montgomery County was established in 1837 and went through three different county seats before Conroe became permanent in 1889.
Montgomery County · Master-planned community
The Woodlands Was Planned Around Forest, Not Just Streets
The Woodlands' official history frames George Mitchell's 1974 plan as a community built around greenbelts, forest preserves, and setbacks.
Moore County · History
Oil and Gas Shaped Moore County Starting in the 1920s
Moore County went from a cattle-ranching area to an oil and gas hub after commercial production began in 1927, reshaping the county's towns and economy.
Morris County · Industrial History
Iron ore and steel shaped Morris County's economy through the mid-20th century
Morris County sits on iron ore deposits that drew a federal steel plant during World War II, and that plant became a major employer for decades after the war.
Morris County · County History
Morris County was formed in 1875 from Titus County and has had Daingerfield as its seat ever since
Morris County was created by the Texas Legislature on March 13, 1875, carved from Titus County and named for a Virginia-born planter and judge.
Motley County · Place Identity
Motley County: Below the Caprock, Thin Soil, Big Sky
Motley County sits just below the Caprock escarpment in northwest Texas, and its rolling plains, dry climate, and ranching roots define life here today.
Motley County · Ranch History
The Matador Ranch Shaped This County for Decades
The Matador Land and Cattle Company, once owned by Scottish investors, controlled a vast stretch of Motley County land from the 1880s until 1951.
Nacogdoches County · Downtown
Downtown Nacogdoches Keeps Its Old Street Life Visible
The whole downtown is listed in the National Register, and its Main Street district still gathers shops, galleries, museums, events, and the old hitch-lot market.
Nacogdoches County · Oil History
Nacogdoches County Is Home to Texas's First Commercial Oil Well
On September 12, 1866, Lyne T. Barret brought in the first producing oil well in Texas, right here in Nacogdoches County.
Nacogdoches County · Colonial History
Spanish Missions Founded in 1716 Gave Nacogdoches Its Start
The Domingo Ramón expedition established Spanish missions at present-day Nacogdoches in 1716, making it one of Texas's oldest continuously occupied sites.
Nacogdoches County · Education and Economy
Stephen F. Austin State University Shapes Life in Nacogdoches
Founded in 1923, SFA State University is the dominant force in education and cultural life in Nacogdoches, and a major draw for new residents.
Nacogdoches County · Indigenous History
The Caddo Hasinai People Were Here Long Before European Settlement
Four Hasinai Caddo groups lived in the Nacogdoches area for centuries. They built earthen mounds that can still be seen at a nearby state historic site.
Nacogdoches County · Historic Village
The House at Millard's Crossing Crossed Town to Survive
Millard's Crossing Historic Village on North Street is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, and the Millard-Lee House shows how moved buildings can still hold local memory.