Topic · Page 13
History & Culture
Local Notes
History & Culture notes
Nueces County · Agriculture
Sorghum and cotton are key crops in Nueces County's farming history
Nueces County shifted from being one of Texas's top cotton producers in the early 20th century to relying more on sorghum and beef cattle as agricultural mainstays.
Nueces County · Local Institution
TAMU-CC's Island University Name Is Literal
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi sits on Ward Island, with Oso Bay to the south and Corpus Christi Bay to the north.
Nueces County · Bayfront
The Corpus Christi Marina Pulls Downtown to the Water
Corpus Christi Marina has more than 560 wet slips and sits within a short walk of downtown restaurants and nightlife.
Ochiltree County · Local History
The Railroad Created Perryton and Made the County Seat Move
Ochiltree County's original county seat was abandoned when the railroad arrived in 1919, and the new town of Perryton was built on the rail line instead.
Oldham County · Local History
Old Tascosa: From Wild Cowtown to Boys Ranch
The ghost town of Tascosa was Oldham County's rowdy first county seat, and it survives today as the campus of Cal Farley's Boys Ranch.
Oldham County · Ranching Heritage
The XIT Ranch and Oldham County's Cattle Roots
Oldham County was shaped by massive cattle ranches in the late 1800s, and ranching still defines the land and culture today.
Oldham County · Local Identity
Vega: County Seat on the Mother Road
Vega became the county seat in 1915 and grew along Route 66, which is now Interstate 40. It remains the commercial and government hub for Oldham County.
Orange County · Historic bridge
Cow Bayou's Swing Bridge Still Explains Bridge City
The 1940 Cow Bayou Swing Bridge is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and part of the bridge story behind Bridge City's name.
Orange County · Architecture
Lutcher Memorial Church Turns Orange Lumber Wealth Into Stone and Glass
The Lutcher Memorial Church building at 902 W. Green Avenue is a 1912 landmark filled with marble, Llano granite, art glass, mahogany, mosaic work, and a copper cupola.
Orange County · County History
Orange County Was Formed in 1852 Along the Sabine River
Orange County was carved from Jefferson County in 1852 and takes its name from a grove of orange trees that once grew near the county seat.
Orange County · Arts and Culture
Orange Is Home to the Stark Museum of Art and Shangri La Gardens
The Stark Museum of Art and Shangri La Botanical Gardens are two cultural institutions in Orange funded by the Nelda C. and H. J. Lutcher Stark Foundation.
Orange County · Regional Identity
Orange Is Part of the Industrial Golden Triangle
Orange, Beaumont, and Port Arthur form a regional cluster known as the Golden Triangle, one of the most concentrated industrial areas in the United States.
Orange County · Local Economy
Petrochemical Plants Are a Major Part of Life in Orange County
Orange County has been a center for oil refining and chemical plants since the early 1900s. Industry still shapes jobs and daily life here.
Orange County · Wartime housing
Riverside Addition Shows How Shipbuilding Remade Orange
Riverside Addition was the federal housing project built in 1942 as shipyard work pushed Orange from a small city into a wartime boomtown.
Palo Pinto County · Water Pavilions
Mineral Wells Turned Drinking Water Into a Night Out
Mineral Wells built a resort economy around its odd-tasting water, complete with pavilions for movies, dances, games, and even skating.
Palo Pinto County · Brazos Lake
Morris Sheppard Dam Made Possum Kingdom Lake
Behind Possum Kingdom's coves and cliffs stands a 2,700-foot dam built across the Brazos River from 1938 to 1941.
Palo Pinto County · County History
Palo Pinto County Was Built on Cattle, Brazos River Land, and Mineral Wells
Palo Pinto County has roots in cattle ranching, Brazos River settlement, and a health-resort town that drew visitors from across Texas.
Palo Pinto County · A Name in the Ground
Strawn Became a Town Name and a Rock-Layer Name
Strawn's name traveled from an 1880 railroad stop to petroleum-bearing rock formations beneath Palo Pinto County and beyond.
Panola County · Beckville
Beckville Shifted When the Railroad Chose Different Ground
Beckville began east of its present site, then the business district shifted after the railroad bypassed the older settlement.
Panola County · Music History
Carthage Keeps a Texas Country Music Story
The Texas Country Music Hall of Fame grew from the Tex Ritter Museum into a Carthage landmark for Panola County music history.
Panola County · Courthouse Square
Carthage's Square Grew from the Courthouse Ground
Carthage became the permanent county seat because it sat near the middle of Panola County, and the old courthouse ground is now Anderson Park.
Panola County · Gary
Gary Grew from Zuber into a Railroad and Sawmill Community
Gary's older Zuber business area, railroad depot, cotton gin, sawmills, and Panola County-born names all sit in the same local story.
Panola County · Local History
How Panola County Got Its Name and Economy
Panola County was created in 1846, named from a Cherokee word for cotton, and its economy shifted over the decades from cotton and timber to natural gas.
Panola County · River History
Pulaski Was an Early Panola County Seat on the Sabine
Before Carthage took the county-seat role, Pulaski worked as a Sabine River ferry, port, and short-lived government center.
Parker County · Indigenous History
Kiowa and Comanche raids shaped early Parker County
Kiowa and Comanche bands controlled the Parker County area before and during early European settlement, with raids continuing into the early 1870s.
Parker County · County History
Parker County was formed in 1855 and named for a settler leader
Parker County was carved out of Bosque and Navarro counties after settlers petitioned the state legislature in 1855.
Parker County · Historic Courthouse
The Parker County Courthouse is a landmark in Weatherford
The Parker County Courthouse was completed in 1886 using local limestone and still stands at the center of Weatherford.
Parker County · Railroad History
Three railroads transformed Parker County in the late 1800s
The Texas and Pacific Railway arrived in 1880, followed by two more lines, turning Weatherford into a regional trade hub.
Parker County · Agriculture History
Watermelons and peaches put Parker County on the map
Parker County became known for fruit farming, and twelve county-grown watermelons won a world prize at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.
Parker County · Local Tradition
Weatherford's First Monday trade days draw buyers from across the region
Weatherford holds a monthly First Monday trade day event that evolved from the courthouse court days of the 1800s.
Parmer County · Bull Town
Bovina was Bull Town before it was Bovina
Spilled cottonseed and XIT cattle gave the railroad stop an early nickname; the XIT name still marks Bovina's recreation center.
Parmer County · Local History
Farwell Was Born From the XIT Ranch Land Sales
The town of Farwell grew from XIT Ranch land sold by the Capitol Syndicate, the group that traded 3 million acres of Texas land to fund the state capitol building.
Pecos County · Local History
Comanche Springs and the Story of Fort Stockton
Fort Stockton grew beside Comanche Springs, whose steady flow faded under groundwater pumping but whose site still anchors Rooney Park and the old fort.
Pecos County · Oilfield Town
Iraan's Name Still Carries the Yates Boom
A 1926 oil strike turned ranch country into a boom town, and the winning name joined Ira and Ann Yates into one word.
Polk County · Local History
Moscow began with a post office called Green's
A rejected post-office name, two railroads, a lumber mill, and a Masonic academy all left their marks on Moscow.
Polk County · County History
Polk County Was Built on Timber, Cotton, and Oil
Polk County was established in 1846 and built its economy on cotton farming, then timber, and later oil production.
Polk County · Local Economy
Polk County's working forest is also a tax category
Logging helped shape Polk County; a working forest may get timber appraisal only when the land meets state use tests.
Polk County · Indigenous History
The Alabama-Coushatta story in Polk County reaches beyond the reservation map
Two peoples who came to the land now called Texas before statehood share an 11,000-acre home east of Livingston.
Potter County · City History
Amarillo Grew as a Cattle and Railroad Hub
Railroad construction helped establish Amarillo in 1887, and cattle shipping quickly gave the new town a reason to grow.
Potter County · Economy
Amarillo Is a Regional Hub With a Diverse Economy
Amarillo is a regional center whose economy reaches well beyond one industry, from food processing and ranching to health care and defense.
Potter County · Industrial History
Amarillo Was Once the Helium Capital of the World
A major natural gas field was discovered northwest of Amarillo in 1918, and the high helium content of the Cliffside field led to a federal helium plant opening in 1928.
Potter County · Archaeology
People Have Quarried Flint Near Amarillo for Thousands of Years
Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument preserves more than 700 quarry sites along the Canadian River where people have mined colorful flint for tools since the Ice Age.
Potter County · County History
Potter County Was Carved Out of the Panhandle Frontier in 1876
Potter County was established by the Texas legislature in 1876 and organized in 1887 when Amarillo was chosen as the county seat.
Potter County · Courthouse
The 1932 Courthouse Carries Amarillo's Art Deco Era
Amarillo's eight-story Potter County Courthouse turns local history into geometric Art Deco stonework.
Presidio County · County History
How Presidio County and Marfa Came to Be
Presidio County was one of Texas's largest counties when it was organized in 1875, and Marfa became the county seat in 1885 after the railroad arrived.
Rains County · African American History
A.C. McMillan's Career Ran Through Sand Flat School
A 36-year educator's path from Sand Flat School to Rains County Junior High anchors a museum collection built largely from community donations.
Rains County · Lake Community
East Tawakoni Arrived After the Reservoir Did
Dam construction ended in 1960; the residential community on SH 276 began during the decade that followed.
Rains County · County Origins
Rains County Was Named for a Man Who Refused to Join the Confederacy
The county and its seat are both named for Emory Rains, an early Texas lawmaker who wrote the state's first homestead protection law.
Rains County · Farm Organizing
Ten Rains County Neighbors Started a Farmers' Union
Newt Gresham and nine neighbors organized a farmers' union in 1902, then used newspapers in Point and Emory to carry the idea farther.
Rains County · Courthouse Square
The Vault Survived, Then Emory Built Around It
The 1908 fire spared one steel vault, and Emory's next courthouse rose around it with crushed brick below and Rains County clay outside.
Randall County · County Seat
Canyon Is the County Seat of Randall County
Canyon, founded in 1889, is the county seat of Randall County and home to West Texas A&M University and the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum.
Randall County · Indigenous & Exploration History
Coronado May Have Camped in Palo Duro Canyon in 1541
The area that is now Randall County has been inhabited for roughly 10,000 years, and the Spanish expedition led by Coronado likely passed through in 1541.
Randall County · County History
How Randall County Was Founded — and How It Got Its Name
Randall County was created in 1876 and named after a Confederate general, with a misspelling of his name that stuck.
Randall County · Natural Landmark
Palo Duro Canyon: A 800-Foot-Deep Gash in the High Plains
Palo Duro Canyon, carved by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River, runs through Randall County and reaches depths of up to 800 feet.
Randall County · Cultural Event
TEXAS Outdoor Musical Runs Summers in Palo Duro Canyon
A professional outdoor musical drama about Panhandle history runs Tuesday through Sunday each summer at the Pioneer Amphitheater inside Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
Randall County · History Museum
The Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon
The Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum on the campus of West Texas A&M University in Canyon is a state museum focused on the natural and cultural history of the Texas Panhandle.
Randall County · Higher Education
West Texas A&M University Anchors Canyon's Economy
West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) in Canyon has been a central part of Randall County's economy and community life since it opened in 1910.
Randall County · Agriculture
Wheat and Cattle Drive Randall County's Farm Economy
Randall County shifted from open-range ranching to mixed farming after 1900, with wheat becoming the top crop and cattle remaining a key part of the economy.
Reagan County · County History
How Reagan County got its name and its county seat
Reagan County was carved from Tom Green County in 1903 and named for a Texas senator who also served as the first head of the Railroad Commission.
Reagan County · History
The oil well that changed Texas — and funded UT
The Santa Rita No. 1 well blew in near Big Lake in 1923, opening the Permian Basin to oil production and pouring money into the University of Texas.