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August
2005
Texas Forum | Travel Forum
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Girvin,
Texas
I was
reading the article on Girvin, TX. I grew up in McCamey and my dad worked at the
Rio Pecos power plant which was owned by West Texas Utilities Co. When I graduated
high school in 1970 I too started working at the plant. Part of my job was to
go to Girvin each day to Helmer’s store (next to the Girvin Social Club in the
pictures), and get the mail. At that time it was the gas station, grocery store
and post office. The social club was then a café. I ate lots of hamburgers and
chili there for lunch. I understand now that the power plant has been shut down.
As the years go by it seems that another part of my life disappears. Thank you
for helping keep those memories alive. - Gary Staggs, Little Rock, Arkansas,
August 23, 2005
Taylor
Town, Texas
I
am trying to find Heather Gordon who put the article about Taylor town Tx. in
print. Just want to thank her for that. - Addie Mae Gordon Penny, August 19,
2005
Candelaria,
Texas
My grandfather Pablo Flores also known as (Don Pablito) lived
and raised a family there from before 1900 to 1978 when he passed away. I lived
there for about two years when my father moved us there from Arizona to be by
his side. I attended the two classroom school there in the fourth grade about
1977. I remember the two old ladies Nellie and Marianna that ran the only little
store in town. They used to go to Marfa and buy bulk items and sell them to the
rest of the townsfolk. I lived there with our family and then moved to Presidio.
I'll never forget all the nice memories of my grandfather as we sat in the dark
outside hearing stories of the soldiers that were living in tents at the base
of the mountain behind his adobe house. My father visited Candelaria often until
about five years ago when his vision started to go at the age of 83. - Paul
Flores, August 17, 2005
Norton,
Texas
Norton
Texas was the town where my grandparents lived most of their lives. My grandmother
was a Lilly (maiden name) and the farm just a couple of miles north of Norton
was owned by the Lilly family. My father moved there in the early 1980's to take
care of my grandmother and is buried in the norton cemetery next to my grandparents.
Most of my summers were spent there with my grandparents who lived at the west
end of town, across the road from the lilly girls and Mrs. Steele. - Zeke Allen,
August 17, 2005
Valentine,
Texas
I
love the article about valentine. I went to school there as a kid and loved playing
around the railroad tracks at the depot. My uncle Ramon Barragan worked there
many years. ... Even though our town was small we loved our school and enjoyed
living there very much. We eventually moved to Odessa, Tx and I now live in California
and work as a correctional officer. I have some very nice memories of Valentine
and am very thankful to the gentleman who took the pictures. Thanks - Paul
Flores, August 15, 2005
Clarendon
1927
I thought your website viewers would enjoy seeing some students
of Clarendon High School from 1927. Fortunately, my mother carefully wrote the
names of the students on the backs of the photos, so they are all identified.
Attached are "PepSquad1927" and "ClarendonHS1927." - Virginia Howard, August
13, 2005
Sissy
Spacek
Your
story about Rip Torn and Sissy Spacek is mostly true. They were cousins, and Rip
Torn played a very important role in Sissy becoming the star that she is. However,
she was born and raised in Quitman, Texas which is Wood County. They have streets
named after her there, I would be surprised if folks from Quitman haven't already
contacted you....they are very proud of their home town girl. I hear she was a
majorette and the home coming queen when she was a senior there. After she graduated,
she moved to New York with her cousin Rip Torn and the rest is history... -
James Neal, Mineola, Texas, August 12, 2005
Sissy
Spacek @ Mineola
One other note on Sissy Spacek: There was a write up in
the Dallas Morning News one time telling the story about the closest movie theater
to see her movies was the Select
Theater in Mineola. The funny thing was that the Select Theater didn't have
enough Ss to spell her name on the Marque out front. So, her name never was spelled
right.
I have lived in and around Mineola since the mid 60s. My dad worked
for the Texas and Pacific Railroad which became the Missouri Pacific Railroad
and is now the Union Pacific Railroad. He started to work for the railroad when
he was 18 years old. He is now 67 years young and still riding the rails....I
keep asking him when he is going to retire, and he always says "Oh, maybe after
another trip or two" - James C. Neal, Mineola, TX, August 13, 2005
Belton,
Texas
I
have the same memories Anna Thomas has of the Carnegie Library, which was my second
home from the time my big sister first took me there when I was in the second
grade. I spent many hours in the southwest corner looking at the stereo pictures,
and it was there I was introduced to the Bobbsey Twins. When I first started going
to the library Miss Lula Meyer was the librarian. She was a very proper lady in
the old sense of the word, and while she was very nice, I would not have dreamed
of ever misbehaving. When she retired Lena Armstrong replaced her, and she was
absolutely the nicest person I knew as I was growing up. I was there six days
a week, so Lena knew my taste in books and always knew what book to recommend
to me. I can't imagine the library without Lena Armstrong and > her sweet smile.
I have nothing but pleasant memories about her and the library. - Frances Barkley
Willess, August 11, 2005
Houston
Ghost
Hello,
I question why not one of your featured writers of ghost articles has failed to
investigate downtown Houston`s most noted haunting... "The Old Downtown Houston
Library" rumor has it that an old caretaker lived in the basement of that building
with his dog... this caretaker loved to play his violin (fiddle) after hours....
He no longer is alive.... but the tunes he played can still be heard softly coming
from the basement... this story was reported 20 maybe 25 years ago.... I have
not heard anything of it since.. however I did see it featured on a TV program,
but i don't recall which.. Could have been "Unsolved Mysteries"..... but I may
be wrong........If you go to the old Library... they won't let you down into the
basement if your only a visitor... but I think that someone with credentials can
surely gain access.. And write a story that needs to be told. Thanks for this
website, its GREAT!!! - Chris M Bird, August 10, 2005
The
Name Odessa
Quote from your site "The name supposedly comes from railroad workers who claimed
it reminded them of the Odessa region in Ukraine. ..." In its turn the name of
Ukrainian Odessa (established in 1794) has such a story: When the seaport was
planned, Russian Empress Catherine II the Great said - it should be named in Hellenic
style and feminine. While ancient Hellenic settlement Odessos situated nearby
- its name was taken as the base and transformed into Odessa ("Odess" Hellenic
part + "a" feminine end in Ukrainian and Russian) - the name of your Texas town
and of my city - The Black Sea Pearl :) - Eugene, Odessa, Ukraine, August 09,
2005
Capitan Theatre
and Long's Theatre in Pasadena, TX
I came across your web site as
I was seeking info on the El Capitan Theatre in Pasadena. You asked about the
other theatre in Pasadena, that is now a gun store. It was the Long's Theatre.
I went to the Capitan Theatre many times when I was a kid growing up in Pasadena
in the late 50's and early 60's. My sister and former brother-in-law met when
they both worked at the Capitan. Ronnie was a new usher and my sister, Lynda was
already working there in the concession stand. I remember Ronnie saying the first
time he laid eyes on my sister (at the Capitan) it was love at first sight. One
of my other sisters, Nancy also worked there behind the concession stand. I have
heard many stories of events that happened there.
I have good memories
of Saturdays spent at the Capitan. I always thought it was a grand place. It cost
about a quarter or dime to get in and you could stay all day and watch the movie
over and over. I loved the Junior Mints (for a dime). We lived in the oldest house
in Pasadena on Conrad Street, the first mayor of Pasadena (Mayor Conrad) lived
in our old house. Thanks for the walk down memory lane. - Patsy Watkins, August
09, 2005
Ellinger,
Texas
The
name changed from Ehlinger to Ellinger when the railroad came through the area.
In fact the town was originally up the hill (Live Oak Hill) near the church where
the graveyard is, and was moved to its current location to induce the railroad
to stop there - as my grandfather told me. It was easier for the people to phonetically
spell it. The silent "H" is a royal pain, believe me when I tell you as I have
to constantly spell it for people.
My grandfather was Dr. Rancier B.
Ehlinger, his father was Dr. Otto Ehlinger - both MD's born in Ellinger, TX, and
both were graduates of and the college doctors at Texas A&M (Tulane University
MD graduates), and both were descendants of Joseph Ehlinger. The hospital at Bryan
was owned at one time by my grandfather in partnership with another Dr., and given
to the nuns that now own it when he retired in ca. 1948. - Ladd P. Ehlinger,
AIA, August 09, 2005
Dell
City, Texas
I may be the only person alive today that helped clear the first rangeland near
the location where Dell City is today.
In 1946 a group of Lynn county
farmers went to Salt Flats to grub out the Mesquite trees and turn this ranch
land into farming land. ...
...all the folks that I went out there with
are all gone on but they are the ones that got it all started. more
- Glen Lowe, Lubbock, TX, August 08, 2005
Clara,
Texas
My
Dad went to school in the school house in Clara and was one of the students along
with his brother Harold and sister Mildred who were transferred from the school
in Clara when the consolidation with Burk was done. I can remember my brother
and I going to the grocery store just to the East of where the church now sits,
and how it looked. Eventually, the store was torn down with the help of my Dad,
as it was falling down and us kids would not stay out of there, and I went to
Sunday School in the school house and can remember it well. I also attended Sunday
services in the old church and remember when they actually got electricity there.
We kept the old pump organ for a very long time, you could never estimate when
the electricity would go off, and finally sold it to someone when the new church
was built, which my Dad helped build. My husband and I still attend services there
on Sundays.
I remember on Christmas Eve service, while still in the old
church, the electricity went off and there were still oil lanterns along the walls
of the church, so they were lit and even the candles on the tree were lit, probably
not a good idea, but it was forever stored in my most treasured memories of my
years growing up. I can picture that evening still today.
We still use
the originally baptismal bowl that was used in the old church and is over 100
years old.
... There is a lot of history at the church and it is very
pleasant to go through it and remember some of the people I knew and who are buried
in the Clara Cemetery.
I hope this information is helpful. It is a pleasure
to share this with someone. - Barbara Van Loh Peterson, Wichita Falls, Texas,
August 08, 2005
Orla,
Texas
I'm
one of those internet Yankees who bought some acres of land in West Texas, located
somewhere just outside of Orla.
My wife and I took a driving vacation,
in April, to see if we could locate a few of my impulse buys, including that one
around Orla. Well, you'd think you could find 87 acres of land but, in West Texas,
t'ain't all that easy. In fact, we never did.
We did stop by the Orla
Post Office, which was closed for the day, and by Miss Bessie's general store.
According to a handwritten "Orla's population today" sign hanging in the post
office, Miss Bessie is half of the town's population. I've never known everybody
in a town before, so we're looking forward to meeting the other fifty percent
of Orla, Texas -- maybe on our next visit.
PS The reason I wrote this
is 'cause you guys still carry Orla's population as it was in 1990, at around
200... Not any more... It is, to all intents and purposes, getting ready to join
your roster of Texas ghost towns. - Alan Koss, August 06, 2005
Calf Creek, Texas
My
mother was Minnie Mae Bradshaw. She was the youngest child of James Henery and
Minnie Ann. She had fond memories of attend the old school at Calf Creek. She
and her brother Claude would ride together on a horse in order to attend school.
My father, E H Gray, also attended the Calf Creek school. The Bradshaw farm is
still owned by a family member today and the family gathers yearly at Lake Brady.
- Jane Dumas, August 05, 2005
Ghost
Stories
I
have a Ghost
Story for you. There is a story of a man dressed in Army fatigues hitchhiking
by the overpass( going into Alice from Orange Grove). The story is if you are
going through the overpass at midnight and you see the hitch hiker dressed in
army fatigues,( he is trying to get home from the war) you better stop and pick
him up because if you don't he will appear in your back seat.
I was a
Senior from Orange Grove Tx. It was the summer of 1984. ... more
- Melisa Sammons, August 04, 2005
LOST
DOG - GERMAN SHEPARD,
I-35 South of Hillsboro
Yesterday, Sunday around 3:30 pm, while driving home
from an agility trial in Hutto, one of my Flyball Team mates, Mark Malone was
in a dreadful automobile accident. He had his two German Shepherd Dogs with him,
Steffi and Sasha. He rolled his SUV and the dogs were ejected. The SUV rolled
over Sasha killing her and Steffi ran off. Mark was Care Flighted to Ennis.
His
friends are trying to find Steffi for him. Steffi is a long
haired, German Shepherd with a black saddle and brown feet female, spayed 70 lbs
26" tall at the withers. She is a bit shy of people. This happened on I-35
just south of Hillsboro near exit 373 or Exit 367 on I-35. Mark was heading
north but someone saw a dog running from that exit 367 heading
south.
There
are folks from the Dallas County club that have driven to the accident site in
hopes of finding her but any and all assistance is welcomed. To join the search
or to give sighting information call Peggy Phelps at 214-912- 1655. Express permission
is given to post this far and wide to any groups or anyone who can help us locate
this dog. Anyone in the Waco, Hillsboro, Alvarado, and any
other town and city between I-35 and Midlothian (where Mark is from) please
please keep looking for Steffi. - Buckshottex@cs.com, August 03, 2005 |
Subject:
Re.
a signed Travis Alamo letter kept in a family in Bonham, TexasTravis'
Alamo Letter
I am sending a copy of a letter written by William B. Travis at the Alamo that
has been in my family for over 160 years. We allow you to use it in Texas Escapes
and hope that you [and your readers] appreciate it. We have never offered it for
sale and are not charging for its use. It had never been published ... next
page
- David London, Bonham, Texas, July 30, 2005
Travis
Alamo Letter
I have been studying William Barrett Travis for many years, and notice, I spell
it with two t's.... next
page
-
Betty Smith Meischen, August 14, 2005 |
Email Lost and
Found Bagby,
Texas Photo
"I AM SEARCHING FOR A PHOTO OF MY GRANDFATHER WILLIAM
GIBSON HOLT. I KNOW FOR SURE THE THIRD MAN ON THE RIGHT FACING YOU IS ONE
OF HIS BROTHER'S FRANCES MARION HOLT, AND THOUGH THE PICTURE IS NOT ALL THAT CLEAR
I AM SO HOPING SOMEONE CAN TELL ME WHO THE OTHER MEN IN THE PHOTO ARE. COULD ONE
OF THEM BE MY GRANDFATHER???? THANK YOU SO MUCH."
- AUSTINNETTA HOLT
BROWN, November 01, 2002 |
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