Topic · Page 15
History & Culture
Local Notes
History & Culture notes
Smith County · Oil History
The 1930 East Texas oil discovery transformed Smith County
The discovery of the East Texas oilfield in 1930 triggered a major economic boom in Smith County and made Tyler a regional hub for oil companies.
Smith County · Railroad history
The Cotton Belt line helps explain Smith County's old rail map
The Cotton Belt railroad started in Smith County in the 1870s as the Tyler Tap Railroad, and the lines that grew from it helped make Tyler more than a county seat.
Smith County · Annual Event
The Texas Rose Festival in Tyler has run every October since 1933
Tyler's Texas Rose Festival is an annual October celebration tied to the rose industry that built the region's economy.
Smith County · Rose Industry
Tyler became the center of U.S. rose production in the 20th century
By the 1940s, Smith County growers produced around half of the rose bushes sold in the United States, earning Tyler its nickname as the Rose Capital.
Smith County · Rose garden
Tyler Rose Garden turns the rose story into a public place
The 14-acre Tyler Municipal Rose Garden, open since 1952 and on the National Register, was built as a living catalog of the roses Smith County grew.
Somervell County · Local History
Glen Rose grew around mineral springs before dinosaur tracks made it famous
Somervell County was carved out of Hood County in 1875, and Glen Rose became its only county seat.
Starr County · Local History
An Old Fort Became Part of Rio Grande City's School Campus
Fort Ringgold's brick barracks and parade ground now sit inside Rio Grande City's school grounds, where Army and school history share the same campus.
Starr County · Tejano History
Long Ranch Strips Came Before Rio Grande City's Streets
Long, narrow porciones carried river access into grazing land before Rio Grande City's broad street grid crossed the old ranch country.
Starr County · Labor History
The Melon Strike Went From Starr County to the Supreme Court
Starr County's 1966 melon strike moved from farm fields to Roma's international bridge, a march to Austin, and a federal civil-rights case.
Stephens County · Local History
Breckenridge Grew from a Small Town to a Boomtown Overnight
The 1920s oil boom turned Breckenridge from a quiet ranching town into one of the most chaotic boomtowns in Texas history.
Sterling County · County History
How Sterling County Got Its Start
Sterling County was carved out of Tom Green County in 1891 and built its early economy on cattle ranching.
Stonewall County · County Seat History
Aspermont: The County Seat With a Latin Name
Aspermont has been the county seat since 1898, when it replaced the earlier town of Rayner after a contested election, and its name is Latin for 'rough mountain.'
Stonewall County · Geography and Landmarks
Double Mountain and the Brazos Forks Shape the County
Stonewall County's most recognizable landmark is Double Mountain, and two forks of the Brazos River, the Salt Fork and the Double Mountain Fork, run through the county.
Sutton County · County Origins
How Sutton County got its name and county seat
The Texas legislature created Sutton County in 1887 from part of Crockett County, and Sonora won the county seat competition in 1890.
Sutton County · Economic History
Sutton County was built on sheep, goats, wool, and mohair
Sheep and goat ranching drove Sutton County's economy for most of the 1900s, and a local wool and mohair cooperative handled millions of pounds of product.
Swisher County · County History
How Swisher County Got Its Name and Why Tulia Is the Seat
Swisher County was carved from the Texas frontier in 1876 and formally organized in 1890, named for a Texas Revolution veteran.
Tarrant County · Cattle History
Fort Worth's Cattle Trail Still Hides in the Street Grid
Herds entered near today's South Hemphill Street, followed Commerce and Jones streets, and turned Fort Worth into the last major supply stop before a long northern drive.
Tarrant County · County History
How Tarrant County Got Its Name
Tarrant County was established in 1849 and named for General Edward H. Tarrant, a Republic of Texas militia commander.
Tarrant County · Population
Tarrant County Is One of the Fastest-Growing Counties in Texas
Tarrant County has grown from 664 residents in 1850 to more than 2 million people today — driven by cattle, railroads, aviation, and technology industries.
Tarrant County · Historic Courthouse
Tarrant County's Courthouse Looked Extravagant Before It Opened
The courthouse's cost became an election issue while it was still rising, but its red-pink granite, clock tower, and curious cornerstone collection survived.
Tarrant County · Gas Boom History
The Barnett Shale Boom Brought Gas Drilling Into Tarrant County Neighborhoods
The Barnett Shale put gas wells beside homes and businesses, making drilling records and mineral ownership part of ordinary Tarrant County property research.
Tarrant County · Indigenous History
The Battle of Village Creek Shaped Tarrant County's Early History
In 1841, Republic of Texas militia forces fought Native tribal communities at Village Creek, in eastern Tarrant County near present-day Arlington, and the county was later named for the militia commander.
Tarrant County · Fort Worth History
The Fort Behind Fort Worth Never Saw a Battle
Fort Worth began as a small rope-fenced Army post that never came under attack, yet its abandoned buildings became the center of the town that kept its name.
Tarrant County · Stockyards History
The Fort Worth Stockyards Were Once the Livestock Hub of the Southwest
Fort Worth built permanent stockyards after the railroad arrived, and Armour and Swift made the district a major livestock and meatpacking center by 1903.
Tarrant County · Railroad History
The Railroad Transformed Fort Worth in 1876
When the Texas and Pacific Railroad reached Fort Worth in 1876, the city shifted from a cattle trail stop to a regional trade center.
Taylor County · City History
Abilene Began With a Boxcar Office and 178 Lots
The railroad opened a station from a boxcar in 1881, sold 178 town lots in one day, and gave Taylor County a new center of gravity.
Taylor County · Military History
Abilene Helped Build Dyess From a One-Dollar Airfield
An old training field sold to Abilene for one dollar became the starting point for a locally backed campaign to bring an active air base home.
Taylor County · Historic Site
Buffalo Gap Kept Its Courthouse After It Lost the County Seat
Buffalo Gap's original courthouse and upstairs jail survived the county-seat move, then became the heart of a village built from real historic structures.
Taylor County · Economic History
Cotton remade Taylor County before oil took hold
Taylor County's cotton acreage climbed from 4,000 acres in 1890 to more than 101,000 in 1910, then drought and depression showed the cost of relying on one crop.
Taylor County · County Origins
Taylor County waited 20 years for a government of its own
Texas created Taylor County in 1858, but the thinly settled county did not organize its own government at Buffalo Gap until 1878.
Taylor County · Education & Culture
Three church traditions planted universities across Abilene
Hardin-Simmons, Abilene Christian, and McMurry grew from Baptist, Churches of Christ, and Methodist efforts to build colleges in Abilene.
Terrell County · Flood History
Flash Floods Are a Real Danger in Sanderson Canyon
The town of Sanderson was nearly destroyed by a flash flood in 1965, and the canyon geography still makes flooding a serious risk today.
Terrell County · County History
How Terrell County Was Built Around the Railroad
Terrell County was carved out of Pecos County in 1905, and the town of Sanderson grew up as a Southern Pacific Railroad stop in the 1880s.
Terry County · County Seat History
Brownfield Gave Every Voter a Lot and Won the County Seat
Brownfield's founders measured a townsite with 100 feet of wire, offered every county voter a lot, and narrowly beat Gomez for the courthouse.
Terry County · Gomez / Local History
Gomez Lost the County Seat by Three Votes but Kept Its Name
Terry County's earlier town had a public well, stores, a school, and civic ambitions before Brownfield edged it out in 1904.
Terry County · Meadow / Railroad
Meadow Moved Twice Before the Railroad Made It Stay Put
The town began as Primrose, shifted once, then moved to the rail line in 1917 and built a wonderfully practical tank in Main Street.
Terry County · Local History
Terry County Was Built on Cotton and Oil
Terry County was organized in 1904 and built its economy first on ranching, then cotton, and later oil — all three still shape the county today.
Terry County · Tokio / Local History
Tokio's Paper Trail Runs From Harvest to Natural Gas
A 1920 community column and a 1989 state permit notice preserve two sides of Tokio's story: farm harvests and energy work.
Terry County · Wellman / Local History
Wellman's Schoolhouse Once Held Ballot Box 16
A 1925 courthouse-bond election put ballot box 16 in the Wellman schoolhouse; later state oil records added another layer to the town's identity.
Throckmorton County · History
Throckmorton County grew up around cattle ranching
Cattle ranching shaped Throckmorton County from the 1870s onward, and the SMS Ranch became one of the most significant operations in the region.
Titus County · County Origins
How Titus County Came to Be
Titus County was created in 1846 and named for an early Red River County settler; Mount Pleasant has been the county seat since the beginning.
Titus County · Local Hub
Mount Pleasant: The County Seat
Mount Pleasant is the economic and civic center of Titus County, sitting at the junction of Interstate 30 and U.S. Highway 271.
Titus County · Railroad Era
Railroads That Built Titus County
Multiple railroads reached Titus County in the late 1800s, turning Mount Pleasant into a regional trade and shipping center.
Tom Green County · History
Early Tom Green County Covered 60,000 Square Miles
Created in 1874 without a northern boundary, early Tom Green County spread across land now divided among 66 Texas counties.
Tom Green County · Population & Community
Five Out of Six Tom Green County Residents Live in San Angelo
The 2020 Census counted about five of every six Tom Green County residents inside San Angelo, a compact city in a broad county.
Tom Green County · History
Fort Concho's Story Is Also a Buffalo Soldier Story
San Angelo grew across the river from Fort Concho, where soldiers from all four Buffalo Soldier regiments served during the post's active years.
Tom Green County · Economy & Resources
Oil Came Late to Tom Green County's Story
Oil was discovered in Tom Green County in 1940, decades after cattle, sheep, wool warehouses, and railroads had shaped San Angelo.
Tom Green County · History
The Courthouse Survived the Flood That Ended Ben Ficklin
Tom Green County's early seat had just finished a stone courthouse when four swollen waterways sent a deadly flood through town in August 1882.
Tom Green County · Agriculture & Economy
The Railroad Made San Angelo a Wool-and-Mohair Market
Sheep grazed the country around San Angelo, but rails and warehouses made the city a wool-and-mohair market for a much wider region.
Travis County · Capitol & Civic History
Congress Avenue and the Texas State Capitol
Congress Avenue was the main street in Austin's original 1839 city plan, running from the Colorado River to the Capitol.
Travis County · Economic History
How Austin Became a Tech Hub
IBM's arrival in 1967 launched a tech economy in Austin that grew into one of the largest in the country.
Travis County · Dam History
How Mansfield Dam Made Lake Travis
Built from 1937 to 1942, Mansfield Dam tied Austin's water supply to a lake designed with room for Colorado River floods.
Travis County · County History
How Travis County Was Founded and Named
Travis County was created on January 25, 1840 and named for William Barret Travis, the Alamo commander.
Travis County · Texas Republic History
The Archives War: Austin Fights to Stay the Capital
In 1842, Austin residents blocked President Sam Houston from moving the republic's government records to Houston.
Travis County · Presidential & Cultural History
The LBJ Library and Lady Bird Johnson's Legacy in Travis County
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library opened in Austin in 1971 and sits on the UT campus.
Travis County · Austin Growth History
The Railroad Changed Austin's Economy in the 1870s
The Houston and Texas Central Railway reached Austin in 1871 and doubled the city's population within five years.
Travis County · UT Austin History
The University of Texas at Austin: A County Anchor Since 1881
Austin won a statewide competition to host the University of Texas in 1881, and it has shaped the county ever since.
Travis County · County Boundaries
Travis County Once Covered 40,000 Square Miles
Travis County started huge, nearly the size of Kentucky, and was later carved into more than a dozen other counties.
Travis County · Geography
Travis County's Landscape: East Flat, West Hill Country
The Balcones Escarpment splits Travis County into two distinct landscapes: flat east and hilly west.
Travis County · Demographics
Travis County's Population and Diversity
Travis County grew from a small farming region to a metro area of over a million people, with significant Hispanic, Black, and Anglo populations.