Everything Buda is known for
Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Buda.
Mustang Ridge might seem like just another blip on the map southeast of Austin, a quiet escape from the city's constant hum. But this little town, sitting up here at 545 feet, has a story to tell. It’s a story written in the blackland prairie soil, the same soil that once felt the thunder of wild mustangs, giving the place its name.
Mustang Ridge, even with Austin breathing down its neck, has mostly held onto that slower pace it's known for. But the last few years, you could feel things shifting, especially when Tesla decided to build its Gigafactory just north of town. Suddenly, all that blackland prairie soil, once good for little more than grazing, became prime real estate. It wasn't just the factory itself, but the ripple effect. The increase in traffic along 130, the new housing developments popping up like wildflowers after a good rain, the way folks started talking about "opportunity" and "growth" at the gas station. Of course, not everyone saw it as progress. Longtime residents, folks whose families had been here since before the town was even incorporated back in '85, worried about losing that rural charm, the quiet nights broken only by the coyotes down by the Colorado River. They remembered the floods of the early 1900s and wondered if all this new construction would put more pressure on the existing infrastructure. Even though it brought more jobs, the change felt like a trade-off. It's hard to say where Mustang Ridge will land, balancing its past with this new, electrified future.
Mustang Ridge, a place named for the wild horses that once roamed its prairie, has always been a quiet corner of Texas. It sits just a bit higher than the surrounding land, high enough to catch a breeze, a welcome comfort in this part of the Colorado River watershed. Life here hasn't always been easy. The blackland prairie soil, rich as it is, demanded hard work from those who farmed it. There were floods, like the ones in the early years of the last century that forced folks to build things back stronger. It’s a place where the echoes of the past are still felt. Even with Austin growing all around, Mustang Ridge has held onto its own character. Nowadays, many people make their living in the city, in the factories and warehouses that keep things moving. But come evening, they return to the Ridge, to the quiet of the country. The sounds of the city fade away, replaced by the crickets and the wind. The Longhorns and Austin FC provide common ground, but the heart of Mustang Ridge remains rooted in its own soil, a testament to the enduring spirit of a small Texas town.
John Coffee (Jack) Hays, Texas Ranger extraordinary and Mexican War officer, son of Harmon and Elizabeth (Cage) Hays, was born at Little Cedar Lick, Wilson County, Tennessee, on January 28, 1817. His father, of Scots-Irish descent, fought with Andrew Jackson and Sam Houston in the War of 1812. Hays became the prototypical Texas Ranger officer, and he and his cohorts- John S. (Rip) Ford , Ben McCulloch , and Samuel H. Walker established the ranger tradition. Hays joined the Texas Rangers in the formative years of their role as citizen soldiers. His rangers gained a reputation as mounted troops with revolvers and individually styled uniforms, who marched and fought with a noticeable lack of military discipline. This rough-and-ready image of an irregular force left its imprint on the chronicles of ranger history. In the thirteen years that he lived in Texas, Hays mixed a military career with surveying. At an early age he left home, surveyed lands in Mississippi, attended Davidson Academy at Nashville, and decided to cast his lot with the rebels in the Texas Revolution . In 1836 he traveled to New Orleans and entered Texas at Nacogdoches in time to join the troops under Thomas J. Rusk and bury the remains of victims of the Goliad Massacre . Houston advised Hays to join a company of rangers under Erastus (Deaf) Smith for service from San Antonio to the Rio Grande, under the orders of Col. Henry W. Karnes . In this role Hays took part in an engagement with Mexican cavalry near Laredo, assisted in the capture of Juan Sánchez, and rose to the rank of sergeant. After appointment as deputy surveyor of the Bexar District, Hays combined soldiering and surveying for several years. The more he learned about Indian methods of warfare, the better he protected surveying parties against Indian attacks. In the three-way struggle of Anglo colonists, Hispanic settlers, and Indians, Hays proved to be an able leader and fearless fighter (called "Devil Yack"), who gained the respect of the rank and file of the Texas Rangers. Yet his stature-five feet nine inches-his fair complexion, and his mild manners did not match the looks and actions of the legendary ranger in later popular culture. From 1840 through 1846 Hays, at first a captain, then a major, and his ranger companies, sometimes with Mexican volunteers and such Indian allies as Lipan chief Flacco , engaged the Comanches and Mexican troops in small skirmishes and major battles. Important military actions took place at Plum Creek, Cañón de Ugalde, Salado (against Mexican soldiers under Adrián Woll), and Walker's Creek. In these battles Hays and his rangers were usually outnumbered, and their effective use of revolvers revolutionized warfare against Texas Indians. The Texas Rangers gained a national reputation in the Mexican War. Into Mexico rode Hays's rangers. Out of Mexico came a mounted irregular body of rangers celebrated in song and story throughout the United States. This transformation in fact and fiction started with the formation of the First Regiment, Texas Mounted Riflemen, under Colonel Hays. Serving with the army of Gen. Zachary Taylor , the rangers marched, scouted, and took part in the attack on Monterrey in 1846. The next year Hays formed another regiment that participated in keeping communication and supply lines open between Veracruz and Mexico City for the troops under the command of Gen. Winfield Scott. In doing so, Hays's rangers fought Mexican guerrillas near Veracruz and at such places as Teotihuacán and Sequalteplán. Controversy between the rangers and the Mexican people still lingers, for they robbed and killed each other off the battlefields. In the years that followed the Mexican War, Hays pioneered trails through the Southwest to California and became a prominent citizen of that state. In 1848 he tried unsuccessfully to find a route between San Antonio and El Paso, and the following year he received an appointment from the federal government as Indian agent for the Gil
Antioch Colony was a rural farming community formed after the Civil War by a group of formerly enslaved African Americans. Although freed from slavery after the Civil War, African Americans still found it difficult to purchase land. In 1859, Anglo businessman Joseph F. Rowley purchased 490 acres in north Hays County, along Onion Creek. He began selling parcels to former slaves in 1870 at $5.00 per acre. Rowley, perhaps in an effort to protect the new landowners from losing their property, indicated in many of the deeds that the African American owners could not sell the property without Rowley’s consent. After moving to Missouri, Rowley rescinded the stipulation in 1893 but the document was not filed in Hays County until 1913. Community residents Elias and Clarisa Bunton donated property for a community school and church in 1874, and the building served as the school until 1939. The following year, the school was relocated to Black Colony Road and served Antioch until students were integrated into the Buda school system in 1961. A Baptist church and a Methodist church were organized in the community, and there was also an active Masonic lodge and Order of the Eastern Star chapter in Antioch. Antioch remained an active farm community through the 1930s and 1940s. By the 1950s, many residents had moved away in search of better employment opportunities and the community was virtually abandonded. Beginning in the 1970s former residents and their descendants began returning to Antioch, some purchasing the land that their ancestors had previously owned, and the community continues to grow. (2009)
The complex that includes the McElroy-Severn House/Stagecoach House and Onion Creek Post Office occupies a 51-acre tract of land on a high bluff above a branch leading into Onion Creek, about a quarter mile east of Buda. The post office and stagecoach house served the area’s residents and people traveling on the old San Antonio road beginning in 1875. Once mail service moved to the new railroad town of Dupre (Buda) in 1880, the former station house was converted to a private residence and served as headquarters for family ranching operations for more than a century. The McElroy-Severn House (stagecoach house) is an outstanding example of a late-19th century modified center-passage dwelling. It is a five-bay, side-gabled frame dwelling with a hipped roof porch that stretches across the entire south façade. Features also include limestone chimneys plastered with concrete and interior walls framed with cedar. Several major remodeling campaigns in 1885, 1900 and 1920 have substantially enlarged the house. The adjacent 1876 one-room post office is noteworthy for its fine craftsmanship, solid limestone construction and carved stone lintels. A single door faces the rear east wing of the stagecoach house and a small, single-pane window is cut out of its east wall. Other historic resources on site include a brick and limestone well, a concrete trough and concrete walkways and gardens. Together, these buildings recall Buda’s beginnings as a collection of isolated homesteads scattered along Onion Creek and reflect a century of Buda’s agricultural heritage.
Antioch Colony is a rural African-American community located off Farm roads 967 and 1626 within a mile northwest of Buda in eastern Hays County. On February 1, 1859, Joseph F. Rowley, who had emigrated with his family from California to Texas, purchased 490 acres near Onion Creek. After the Civil War he sold tracts to former slaves for the purpose of establishing a farming settlement. Many of the freedmen came from Missouri. They founded Antioch Colony, named for the Turkish city, in 1870 and 1871. Ten to fifteen families lived in the community, also known as Black Colony, in the early 1870s. Settlers included the Bunton, Champ, Harper, Beard, Taylor, and Kavanaugh families. Farmers raised corn and other grains, cotton, and sugar cane, and mule-powered mills processed corn, bran, and produced sorghum molasses. On July 15, 1874, Elias and Clarisa Bunton donated land for a school. Residents constructed a two-story building that soon served fifty-seven students as part of their own district—Antioch School District 5. The structure also hosted meetings of a Masonic Lodge and Eastern Star. Citizens established the African Methodist Church and the Antioch Cemetery. Antioch Colony remained an active farming community into the 1930s and 1940s. Social life centered around the school and church, which had some seventy to eighty members. By the mid-1950s, however, most residents had moved away in search of better jobs. Ironically, after this time, Antioch Colony finally received telephone and electrical service. The community became almost a ghost town of ramshackle structures and overgrown homesteads. In the late 1970s a few former residents returned to the area and bought back the land of their ancestors. Winnie Martha Moyer, a descendant of the Harper family, returned and was soon joined by other family members. This slow rebirth of the colony continued throughout the 1990s. LeeDell Bunton, a great-great grandson of one of the founders, bought back part of his family land. In 1997 residents established the Antioch Community Church, and in 1999 approximately 300 people attended the first Antioch Colony reunion. Local residents continued to maintain Antioch Cemetery located on Old Black Colony Road. By 2000 some twenty people, members of three extended families, lived in Antioch Colony. All were descendants of early settlers.
Buda, on Interstate Highway 35 seventeen miles south of downtown Austin in eastern Hays County, was formally established on April 1, 1881, when Cornelia Trimble donated land for a townsite at an International-Great Northern Railroad depot there. The area, originally a part of the Mexican land grant to Stephen vanRensslaer Egleston, had been settled as early as 1846 by Phillip J. Allen. The first community center in this part of the county, Mountain City, developed before the Civil War , but it was rapidly depopulated as its residents and businesses flocked to the new rail depot, which took the name of Du Pre. Folklore has it that this name originated in 1880, when, as the railroad pushed into Hays County, the postmaster at Mountain City approached a railroad official and requested, "Do, pray, give us a depot." In 1887, at the request of the post office department, the name was changed to Buda. The common explanation for the new name is that it derives from Spanish viuda , "widow." The town had gained a reputation as a popular eating stop for rail travelers, and the name may refer to a pair of widows who cooked at the Carrington Hotel in the 1880s. The provision of supplies and services to surrounding dairy farms and ranches was the basis of the local economy, and at different times the community supported mills, hotels, banks, a lumberyard, two newspapers, a cheese factory, a movie theater, and a skating rink. In 1928 local businesses organized a chamber of commerce. Buda remained an active commercial center and railroad depot until the Great Depression . In 1929 its population was estimated at 600, but by 1933 it fell to 300. Only in the mid-1980s, as the growth of Austin began to be felt in Buda, did its population once again approach predepression levels. The town was incorporated in 1948, and in 1967 Buda, Kyle, and Wimberley formed the Hays Consolidated Independent School District (only Buda and Kyle remained in the district after 1986). By the mid-1980s Buda had attracted a cement plant and some craft industry, but the community was still primarily rural and residential. Its population was 1,795 in 1990 and 2,204 in 2000.
Bridge No. 44, now known as the Bunton Branch Bridge, is located just north of Kyle on a north-south section of road that parallels Interstate 35, a remnant of the 1915 Austin-San Antonio post road. The bridge crosses Bunton Branch, an intermittent tributary of Plum Creek that runs in a southeast direction across Hays and Caldwell Counties. The creek has its headwaters east of Mountain City in Hays County and was named after the family of a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, Col. John W. Bunton. The 42-foot long concrete structure was built in 1915 by J.N. George & Sons Construction Company as part of the first federal aid highway projects in Texas. The bridge is composed of a single closed-spandrel arch forty feet in length supported by reinforced concrete abutments. The bridge’s deck, measuring 20 feet in width, is composed of concrete and carries one-lane traffic over an 18-foot wide roadway. Out of thirty-five bridges built within a distance spanning 78 miles, the Bunton Branch Bridge is the only known reinforced concrete arch bridge as part of this project. The improvements made to the Austin-San Antonio Road (later state highway 2) and the construction of bridges like this one resulted in a wave of travel and tourism for central Texas. By the 1920s, State Highway 2 was one of the heaviest traveled roads in the state. In the 1930s, the state highway department changed the alignment of the highway, abandoning the section of old post road over Bunton Branch Bridge. Today, this historic bridge is one of the few tangible links to this historic highway in Hays County. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2012
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892 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.
Buda's always been a place where the quiet hum of small-town life meets the wider world. You can feel it walking down Main Street, past that old water tower – a reminder of when the International-Great Northern Railroad…
You're driving through Buda, a town with a name that sparks curiosity. It all started back in 1881, when Cornelia A. Trimble donated land for the townsite along the railroad. Back then, it was called Du Pre. The name…
You're driving through Buda, and right here is the site of the town's first church. Established in 1880 by Reverend Thomas Garrett, a pioneering Methodist circuit rider, this congregation was the very first in the new…
The complex that includes the McElroy-Severn House/Stagecoach House and Onion Creek Post Office occupies a 51-acre tract of land on a high bluff above a branch leading into Onion Creek, about a quarter mile east of…
You're driving past the site of the Buda Christian Church, organized way back in 1893. They met in another church until they built their own in 1903. Disaster struck in 1909 when a storm ripped it apart, but they…
You're driving through Buda, and right here is the site of the first Methodist Church. It all started back in July of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1882</say-as>, just a year after this town was founded. A few…
Antioch Colony was a rural farming community formed after the Civil War by a group of formerly enslaved African Americans. Although freed from slavery after the Civil War, African Americans still found it difficult to…
Antioch Colony is a rural African-American community located off Farm roads 967 and 1626 within a mile northwest of Buda in eastern Hays County. On February 1, 1859, Joseph F. Rowley, who had emigrated with his family…
Buda, on Interstate Highway 35 seventeen miles south of downtown Austin in eastern Hays County, was formally established on April 1, 1881, when Cornelia Trimble donated land for a townsite at an International-Great…
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John Coffee (Jack) Hays, Texas Ranger extraordinary and Mexican War officer, son of Harmon and Elizabeth (Cage) Hays, was born at Little Cedar Lick, Wilson County, Tennessee, on January 28, 1817. His father, of…
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You're driving through Hays County, and right here is the site of Mountain City. It was a bustling supply center before the Civil War, serving farmers and ranchers. This spot even hosted one of the earliest stagecoach…
Bridge No. 44, now known as the Bunton Branch Bridge, is located just north of Kyle on a north-south section of road that parallels Interstate 35, a remnant of the 1915 Austin-San Antonio post road. The bridge crosses…
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You're driving through Kyle, a town named for Edwin Jackson Kyle's family. But Kyle himself was a giant of Texas agriculture and education! He graduated from Texas A&M, where he was the only student to ever hold both…
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You're driving past the site of Kyle's first permanent store, built in 1881 by D. A. Young. Young was one of many Hays County men who fought in the Civil War, even suffering a wound. When the railroad arrived, he and…
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You're driving past the site of a home built by John Claiborne Kyle, a pioneer who came to Texas from Tennessee in 1844 with his wife Lucy. They built this hand-hewn cedar log house soon after buying land in 1850. This…
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BYOB BBQ legend in Driftwood. Outdoor pit cooking since 1967. Cash only.
A 60-ton sculpture made entirely of junk in someone's Austin backyard.
You're driving near the approximate site of a 1709 expedition, a goodwill trip sent by Spain to check on its claim to Texas. Spain was worried about French traders sniffing around, so they sent Captain Pedro de Aguirre…
James White built the Broken Spoke out of cinder blocks on South Lamar in 1964 and stubbornly refused to let Austin grow up around it. Willie Nelson Bob Wills…
You're driving through Hays County, near the San Marcos River, the site of a Spanish settlement called San Marcos de Neve. Founded in 1808, this small villa was meant to be a buffer against American expansion and a…
Right here in Hays County, you're looking at Spring Lake, a place where history stretches back over 12,000 years. Imagine this: between 9,000 and 10,000 BC, the very first people known to live here, the Clovis people,…
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You're driving through what was once Hays County, Texas, where in 1861, a camp of instruction on the San Marcos River became the birthplace of the Fourth Texas Infantry. These Texans, originally planning to enlist for…
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You're cruising past Driftwood, Texas, where a little church has been a beacon for over a century. Early Methodist services kicked off in the area back in the 1850s, but the congregation built this very sanctuary in…
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You're driving past the Walter Tips House, a grand Victorian built in 1876 for a prosperous hardware merchant and Texas State Senator, Walter Tips. Tips was a German immigrant and a Confederate veteran. The house got a…
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Matt Martinez opened his Tex-Mex restaurant in Austin in 1952. The Bob Armstrong dip — a mound of queso topped with guacamole, ground beef, and sour cream — was invented on the spot when Texas Land Commissioner Bob…
You're driving through Austin, and just ahead is the former home of Walter and Mae Simms. They weren't just homeowners; they were the proprietors of Simms Fish Market, which they started way back in 1915. For almost…
You're driving past the Reuter House, built in 1934 for Louis Reuter and his wife. Reuter wasn't just any grocer; he came to Austin in 1918 and opened a self-service grocery store, a real innovation for its time!…
You're driving past the Mary Street Stone House in Austin, a home built in the 1890s by developer Nichols Dawson. He and his sister, Mary, a prominent educator, partnered in a real estate venture here. These houses were…
You're driving past Millbrook, the historic Roy-Hardin House. In 1894, William Carroll Roy and his wife Annie bought this old mill site. They raised five children here before selling it in 1939 to Ernest and Maurine…
You're driving past the heart of Austin, where the Texas Dental Association has been headquartered since 1971. But this organization’s roots go way back, to 1869! That’s when a group of dentists met in Houston, drafted…
You're cruising through Austin, and you might be passing the home of Robert S. Stanley, a skilled African-American stonemason. Stanley built this very house for his family in 1895, showcasing his craft with thick…
You're driving past the J.L. Foster Gravesite, a historic Texas cemetery. J.L. Foster was interred here in December of 1900.
You're driving through south Austin, passing the site of the Becker School. What started as a simple donation of land in 1935 by the Becker Lumber Company, named after Herman Becker and his downtown cafe, quickly grew…
You're driving through Elroy, a community founded by Swedish and German immigrants in the late 1800s. By 1918, about seventy families called this area home. Their lives revolved around cotton farming, with homes, farms,…
You're driving past the San Marcos-Blanco Cemetery, a resting place for the African American citizens of the Blanco community. Established in 1893, though burials began as early as 1886, this site served not only as a…
On the south-facing side wall of Jo's Coffee at 1300 South Congress Avenue, four words are scrawled in red cursive: "i love you so much." Austin musician Amy Cook painted the message in 2010 as a private love note to…
You're driving past the Dawson Stone House, a testament to Austin's early real estate boom. Built around 1900 by sisters Mary and Nannie Dawson, this home was part of their ambitious South Heights expansion. These…
You're driving past the historic grounds of the Texas School for the Deaf, Texas's first public school for deaf students. Established in 1856 as the Texas Deaf and Dumb Asylum, it opened its doors in 1857 with no…
You're driving past the site of what was once the magnificent "Norcliff" estate, built in 1922 by Ollie O. Norwood. Norwood was a big deal in Austin. After serving in World War I, he returned to Texas and became a major…
You're driving past the site of Polonia, a Polish settlement that thrived here in Caldwell County. It all started in 1893 with the burial of Simon Dzierzanowski, the first to be laid to rest in his family's cemetery.…
You're cruising through Austin, and you might just pass a house with a story. Built in 1889 for the president of the city's Water, Light & Power Company, this home is a Shingle style beauty. Some say it's partly built…
You're cruising through Austin, and right here is the Helena and Robert Ziller House. Built in 1937, this Mediterranean Revival home was designed by Lee M. Smith for Robert Ziller, whose family has deep roots in Austin.…
There's a long-running Austin tradition at Barton Springs Pool in Zilker Park: on full-moon nights, crowds gather along the grassy bank of the spring-fed pool, and at moonrise the whole place tips its head back and…
Barton Springs is the main outflow of the Edwards Aquifer right in the middle of Austin. Thirty-one million gallons of sixty-eight-degree water pour out of a…
Barton Springs Pool sits in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas — a spring-fed swimming hole about three blocks long, fed straight from the Edwards Aquifer and holding steady around sixty-eight degrees every day of the year.…
You're cruising past Barton Springs, a place so cool, it's drawn people here for centuries. Spanish friars set up shop nearby back in the 1730s. Then came William 'Uncle Billy' Barton in the late 1830s, patenting this…
You're driving past the home of Edward Burleson, Jr., a frontier fighter who built this place in the 1850s. It was right here that A. S. Burleson was born. He went on to serve as a member of President Woodrow Wilson's…
Westlake High School (Austin, TX): Most recent: 40-21 over Denton Guyer · 2021 6A Division 2 final.
Westlake High School in Austin, Texas (4100 Westbank Drive) sent an extraordinary trio to the pros. Drew Brees led the Chaparrals to the 1996 state title, then won Super Bowl XLIV MVP with the Saints. Nick Foles broke…
The building that made Austin a music city was a converted National Guard armory with no air conditioning, a dirt floor, and a capacity crowd that smelled like beer and patchouli. The Armadillo World Headquarters opened…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the birthplace of a Texas institution: The Austin Statesman. It kicked off in 1871 as the 'Democratic Statesman,' founded by the Democratic Party to push back against…
The bronze figure standing on the south shore of Lady Bird Lake, hat tilted, guitar slung low, is Austin's tribute to the man who brought the blues back from the dead. Stevie Ray Vaughan grew up in Dallas but made…
Every evening from March through November, roughly 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats pour out from under this bridge in a dark, swirling cloud that takes twenty minutes to clear the span. It's the largest urban bat…
You're driving past a piece of Texas history that started way back in 1838. That's when Swen Magnus arrived, the first Swede to settle in Texas. He made his mark, first on the coast and then right here in Austin, where…
When Austin rebuilt the Congress Avenue Bridge in 1980 the new design accidentally created perfect crevices for Mexican free-tailed bats. By the mid-1990s one…
You're driving down Congress Avenue in Austin, the heart of the city, designed way back in 1839 by Edwin Waller, who also signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and served as Austin's first mayor. For years,…
Get ready to explore a landmark that once powered Austin: the Seaholm Power Plant! Built in 1951, Seaholm provided electricity to Austin for decades. It was a crucial part of the city's growth and development during the…
You're driving through Austin, passing the former site of the F. Weigl Iron Works. Fortunat Weigl arrived from Germany in 1913, seeking work. He finally got his start in 1917, thanks to a local woodcarver who lent him a…
You're driving through Austin's Zilker Park, and right here, you're passing the Ashford McGill House. Built in the 1870s by a pioneer named Ashford McGill, this limestone home has seen quite a transformation. In 1931,…
You're driving past the site of J.P. Schneider's General Store in Austin, a real hub back in the day. Young Jake Schneider, just a teenager after the Civil War, started out working for another merchant. By 1870, he and…
You're cruising through San Marcos, and right here are the Sink Springs, a vital part of this city's history. Since the late 1800s, these springs, pushed to the surface by artesian pressure, have been the lifeblood for…
One Eleven Congress, formerly One Congress Plaza, is a skyscraper in Downtown Austin, the state capital of Texas in the United States. Standing 397 feet (121 meters) tall and containing 30 floors, the
The Willie Nelson statue, or simply Willie, is a bronze sculpture of singer-songwriter Willie Nelson, located in Downtown Austin, Texas. The statue was commissioned to artist Clete Shields by the nonp
Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater (ACL Live or Moody Theater) is the theater and studio for Austin City Limits, completed in February 2011 as part of the Block 21 complex. The Moody Founda
The Ashton is a 36-story residential skyscraper located in Austin, Texas. Completed in 2009, with a design by KTGY's Dallas Studio (formerly known as GDA Architects, LLC), it is 412 feet (126 meters)
Austin City Hall is the seat of Austin municipal government, located at 301 W 2nd St in downtown Austin, Texas. The current building was completed in 2004. It is the meeting place for the Austin City
Buford Tower (formerly the Austin Fire Drill Tower) is a tower standing along the north shore of Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin, Texas. The structure was originally built in 1930 as a drill tower f
The J.P. Schneider Store is a historic commerce building in downtown Austin, Texas built in 1873. Built along Second Street, the structure is the only remaining historic building in the immediate vici
You're driving past the site of what was once Del Valle Army Air Base, later known as Bergstrom Air Force Base. Right after Pearl Harbor, this area, once part of a Mexican land grant, was chosen for a vital Army Air…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is a marker for the Sing family, pioneers in the city's early Chinese community. Born in China in 1860, Joe Sing came to Austin around 1890, becoming one of the first…
Driftwood wasn't always Driftwood. Before the wineries and the destination barbecue joints, it was just another hardscrabble patch of the Texas Hill Country. The stagecoach rumbled through, sure, following a route that…
You're driving past Eanes Cemetery, a final resting place for folks in eastern Travis County who didn't have their own family plot. Established in 1874, the land was a donation from early settlers William and Sophia…
You're driving past the site of Austin High School, a place that represents a century of public education right here in the Texas capital. Back in 1881, Austin became the first in Texas to offer tax-supported public…
You're driving past the site of the Eanes School, which started as a humble log cabin back in 1872 on Robert Eanes' property. Just two years later, it moved to this very spot, in a one-room frame building on land…
The Austonian is a residential skyscraper in Downtown Austin, Texas, USA. At 683 feet (208 m) tall with 56 floors, the building is the third tallest in Austin, overtaking the 360 Condominiums and behi
The William P. Hobby, Jr. State Office Building - formerly known as Republic Plaza - is a three-building government office complex located in the Warehouse District of Downtown Austin, Texas, United S
The Real World: Austin is the sixteenth season of MTV's reality television series The Real World, which focuses on a group of diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city e
Block 21 is a $300 million mixed-use development complex located in the Second Street District of Downtown Austin, Texas. Austin's eighth-tallest building, the W Austin Hotel and Residences and Austin
W Austin Hotel and Residences is a 37-story hotel and residential skyscraper in the Block 21 mixed-use development in Downtown Austin, Texas, adjacent to the Second Street district. It opened in Decem
You're driving through Travis County, named for a legendary Texan. William Barrett Travis was born in South Carolina in 1809, arriving in Texas in 1831. He became the commander at the Alamo, where he died fighting on…
Imagine escaping the Texas heat in the oldest swimming pool in the state! That's Deep Eddy Pool. It started as a swimming hole in the Colorado River. Then, in the 1920s, it was developed into a resort. During the…
Hey road trippers! You're driving past a reminder of a different kind of Civil War battle: the fight for news. Back in the 1860s, Texas newspapers went from 82 publications to fewer than 20 in just a year. Why? Most…
You're driving past the site of an old lime kiln, right here near the San Marcos River. This spot was part of a land grant way back in 1834. Later, General Edward Burleson, a big name in early Texas, owned the land and…
You're driving through Barton Creek, a community that started in 1974 as a high-end development. It quickly became the center of a fierce battle between developers, environmentalists, and citizens. The fight was all…
You're cruising through Austin, and right here is a building that served as a grocery and dry goods store for almost a century! Built between 1850 and 1875 by German immigrant Henry Hofheintz, this place was a…
Mexic-Arte Museum is a fine arts museum in Austin, Texas. The Mission of the organization is to enrich and educate the community through the presentation and promotion of traditional and contemporary
The Frost Bank Tower is a skyscraper in Austin, Texas, United States. Standing 515 feet (157 m) tall with 33 floors, it is the 15th tallest building in Austin. It was developed by Cousins Properties f
Republic Square is an urban park in central Austin, Texas. Located in Downtown Austin, the park features a grassy area meant for festivals and events as well as shaded areas under live oak trees. The
Downtown station is a CapMetro Rail hybrid rail station in Austin, Texas, United States. It is located in Downtown Austin at the corner of Fourth and Neches Street behind the Austin Convention Center
Austin, Texas, eighteen eighty-four. The city was small, prosperous, and beginning to fill up with domestic workers from the surrounding countryside. Between December of eighteen eighty-four and December of eighteen…
Austin's unofficial motto — 'Keep Austin Weird' — was coined in 2000 by Red Wassenich, a local librarian who called into KUT public radio and tacked the phrase onto his pledge, meaning it as a rallying cry for local…
Clifford Antone was a kid from Port Arthur who loved the blues so much he opened a club on East Sixth Street in 1975 and spent the next thirty years flying…
Pulling up to the Driskill Hotel is like stepping back in time, and maybe even into a ghost story. This grand building was the vision of a cattle baron. Jesse Driskill, a wealthy cattleman, decided to build the most…
You're driving through northeastern Travis County, and right here is the site of Dessau Dance Hall. Built by German immigrants in 1876, this place has seen some wild times and a couple of fires. The most unique feature?…
You're driving through Travis County, and right here, in 1984, a legal battle began that would shake up Texas public schools. It's called Edgewood ISD v. Kirby. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund…
You're driving through Austin, near 24th and Rio Grande streets, in an area that was once Wheatville. This was the first Black community established in Austin after the Civil War, founded in 1867 by James Wheat, a…
The Balcones Escarpment is the fault scarp that defines the eastern edge of the Hill Country. It runs in a curving line from Del Rio through San Antonio up…
Barton Creek, a ribbon of limestone and cypress cutting through Austin, has long been a muse and a training ground. Before it was a destination, it was a backdrop for those honing their craft, whether it was a riff on a…
Austin's story begins long before the music and the tech. Imagine this place in 1839, a raw, untamed frontier chosen to be the capital of the Republic of Texas. Named after Stephen F. Austin, the man who brought…
Texas is the only state in the union that has existed under six different national flags, and that's not just trivia. It shaped everything about this place. Spain claimed the territory in 1519 and held it for three…
Jesse Driskill built this hotel in 1886 with cattle money and a determination to own the finest building in Austin. It cost $400,000, a staggering sum at the time, and nearly bankrupted him within a year. The Romanesque…
Right here in Travis County, back in 1971, a group of thirty lawmakers took on the powerful Speaker of the Texas House. They were called the 'Dirty Thirty' and they stood against Gus Mutscher, who was embroiled in the…
You're driving through what was once the Republic of Texas's frontier, near the Colorado River just west of Walnut Creek. Right here, in the fall of 1836, stood Fort Colorado, also known as Coleman's Fort. Built by…
You're driving through Central Texas, near Gilleland Creek in Travis County. Right here, Peter Hardeman raised a company of ninety Confederate mounted volunteers. His unit was the only one engaged with the enemy during…
You're driving through Travis County, and right here is Hornsby Bend, named for Reuben Hornsby. He arrived in Texas from Mississippi in 1830, seeking land. He surveyed his headright east of the Colorado River,…
You're driving through Travis County, just northeast of Austin. Right here is the site of Littig, said to be one of the oldest Black communities in Texas. It all started in 1883 when Jackson Morrow, a former slave,…
You're driving southeast of Austin, right near McKinney Falls State Park. This area was first claimed by Santiago Del Valle in 1832. But it's named for Thomas F. McKinney, who bought part of the land in 1839 and built…
You're driving near Austin, and right here is the site of Montopolis, a town that almost became the capital of the Republic of Texas! In 1838, Jesse Tannehill surveyed this 800-acre townsite on the north bank of the…
You're driving through what was once Penn Field, an early landing strip established in Travis County back in 1918. It was created for the University of Texas's School of Military Aeronautics, training pilots for the…
You're driving north of Austin, and right here, where Farm Road 1325 meets Loop 1, used to be a popular getaway: Waters Park. Originally called Summers' Grove, this spot transformed in 1882 when the Austin and…
Dating back to 1887, this stone arch bridge marks the site of Austin's first crossing of Shoal Creek. You're looking at one of Texas's oldest masonry arch bridges right here. Before this bridge, getting from west Austin…
You're driving past the site of the Confederate Men's Home, a place that opened its doors in 1886. This wasn't just any home; it was a refuge for disabled and indigent Confederate veterans who had served honorably. They…
You're driving past Emma West Flats, a building with a story of resilience. After her husband Robert died in 1904, Emma West, a widow with four children, needed a way to make ends meet. So, in 1905, she had this brick…
You're driving near Oak Hill, a suburb of Austin, and right here is where a short-lived railway once hauled stone for the Texas State Capitol! Chartered in 1883, the Austin and Oatmanville Railway was built specifically…
You're driving through Texas, a state that sent a lot of firepower to the Civil War. By the time the war ended, twenty-six different batteries of Confederate field artillery had been organized right here. These weren't…
You're driving through Travis County, and right here, nestled in a small river valley, is the Levi Site. This shallow rockshelter has offered clues to some of the earliest human activity in North America. While not…
You're driving through what used to be Lund, a community founded in the late 1880s by Swedish immigrants. It started as Pleasant Hill, but by 1899, a post office was established, named either for a local family or a…
You're driving past Oak Hill, a community that started life as Live Oak Springs. Back in 1865, there was an attempt to start a town called Shiloh, but it didn't quite take. The real boom for Oak Hill came in the 1880s…
You're driving south of downtown Austin, right here in Onion Creek. While this area saw settlement as early as the 1850s, the modern community really took shape in the early 1970s. Developers bought up land and…
You're driving through what used to be Richland, a community founded by German immigrants in Travis County. They arrived in 1849, seeking refuge from political turmoil back home, and were drawn to this area by the rich…
You're driving through Travis County, heading west of Austin, and you might be passing the entrance to Westcave Preserve. German pioneers called this area 'West Caves,' but today it's a privately operated natural area.…
You're driving through Texas, a state known for its oil and gas. Right here, in what is now Travis County, Joshua William Beede was once a key player in understanding the very ground beneath your tires. In 1917, Beede…
You're driving through Del Valle, a community born in the mid-1870s on land once owned by Santiago Del Valle. It officially got its start with a post office in 1878. By the 1880s, it was a small farming town with three…
You're driving through northeastern Travis County, in a place that used to be called Manda. It started in 1885 when J. V. Morell set up shop, followed by others who built a cotton gin and a blacksmith shop. By 1893,…
You're driving through what used to be Sprinkle, Texas, northeast of Austin. This community owes its existence to Erasmus Frederick Sprinkle, who settled here in the 1870s. He got a post office in 1885, and by 1890,…
You're driving through Travis County, and right here, back in 1856, Texas set up a special Court of Claims. Its main job? To sort out land claims, especially those tied to military service for the Republic of Texas.…
You're driving past the B.J. Smith Property in Austin. In 1853, B.J. Smith, a school proprietor, bought this land at auction from the State of Texas. He likely built this house in the 1850s, and it stands as one of…
Alpha High School is a private alternative high school in Austin, Texas, part of the Alpha School founded in 2014. The school has "guides" instead of teachers. Students spend two hours each day on "ap
The Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos metropolitan statistical area, or Greater Austin, is a five-county metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Texas, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget. The
The Texas Film Hall of Fame honors Texans who have made a significant contribution to film or filmmaking, as well as non-Texans who have made significant strides in the advancement of the Texan film i
Austin ( AW-stin) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. With a population of 961,855 at the 2020 census, it is the 13th-most populous city in the U.S., fifth-most populous city in Texas, an
The Bank of America Center is the 37th tallest building in Austin, Texas. It was built in 1975 and has 261,609 square feet (24,304 m2) of office space on 26 floors. It is 336 feet (102 m) tall and is
The Scarbrough Building is a historic commercial building in downtown Austin, Texas. Located on the corner of Congress Avenue and Sixth Street, the Chicago-style building was originally home to the fl
Congress Avenue is a major thoroughfare in Austin, Texas. The street is a six-lane, tree lined avenue that cuts through the middle of the city from far south Austin and goes over Lady Bird Lake leadin
600 Congress (formerly known as One American Center) is a high-rise office building located at the northwest corner of West 6th Street and Congress Avenue in the Financial District of Downtown Austin,
O. Henry Hall, formerly known as the U.S. Post Office and Federal Building, is a historic courthouse and post office in Austin, Texas, United States. It is located within the Sixth Street Historic Dis
Indeed Tower is an office skyscraper located at 200 West Sixth Street in Downtown Austin, Texas. The tower is the eighth tallest in Austin at 542 feet. It is the second largest office tower in Austin
Austin Central Fire Station 1, is a fire station at 401 East Fifth Street in Downtown Austin, Texas, United States. It is a part of the Austin Fire Department. The Austin Fire Museum is located in the
The William Sydney Porter House is a historic structure in Downtown Austin, Texas. William Sydney Porter, better known as the author and short story writer O. Henry, lived there between 1893 and 1895.
Sixth and Guadalupe is a 66-story mixed-use skyscraper in Downtown Austin, Texas. It is the second-tallest building in Austin (behind Waterline) and the seventh-tallest building in Texas.
You are rolling past one of the most unexpected comedy landmarks in America. Right there at 320 East 6th Street is the Comedy Mothership — Joe Rogan's club, which he opened in 2023 after he moved to Austin and decided…
You're driving past the former home of Ira Hobart Evans, a man whose life spanned the Civil War to the roaring twenties. He fought for the Union, earning the Medal of Honor, and stood guard at President Lincoln's…
Pull over here for a second; this church is a survivor. St. David's Episcopal Church is one of the oldest buildings still standing in Austin. The first attempt to establish an Episcopal church in Austin happened around…
The Texas State Cemetery sits on a hill east of downtown Austin, and buried beneath its live oaks are the people who built, governed, fought for, and occasionally embarrassed the state. It was established in 1851 when…
You're driving past a real Austin gem, the Robinson-Macken House. Built in 1876, it's a stunning example of Second Empire architecture, with a distinctive mansard roof. Imagine this: three of the Robinson children…
You're cruising past the historic Austin Woman's Club. This building started life way back in 1847 as a family home for Mrs. Catherine North. Fast forward to 1892, and it got a major makeover, transformed into a French…
You're driving past the Joseph and Mary Robinson Martin House, a beautiful home built in 1903 by prominent contractor George Fiegel. Joseph Martin was a key figure in Austin's business history, leading the Austin White…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the Randerson-Lundell Building. In 1896, Cornelius Randerson built this spot as a grocery, feed store, and wagon yard. Then, John and Claud Lundell bought it in 1898. By…
The Jones Center on Congress Avenue, formerly known as the AMOA-Arthouse at the Jones Center, is one of two museum sites of the Contemporary Austin, in Texas.
The Norwood Tower (previously known as the Capital National Bank Building) is a historic commercial building in downtown Austin, Texas. Built in 1929, the tower was named a Recorded Texas Historic Lan
The Southwest Tower Building is a 12-storey, 160,410-square-foot (14,903 m2) building at 211 East 7th St. in Downtown Austin, Texas and is located across the street from the historic Driskill Hotel an
The Paramount Theatre is a live theatre venue/movie theatre located in downtown Austin, Texas. The classical revival style structure was built in 1915. The building was listed in the National Register
Omni Austin Hotel Downtown is an Omni Hotel in Austin, Texas at Austin Centre. It opened in May 9, 1992, taking the space previously held by a Radisson Plaza.
The Austin Centre is a 16-story mixed-use hi-rise in Downtown Austin, Texas. The building, notable for its large enclosed glass atrium, contains office space, retail space, and Omni Austin Hotel Downt
The Brown Building is a ten-story office and residential tower in Downtown Austin, Texas. It is 137 feet (42 m) tall. Completed in 1938 at the southwest corner of 8th Street and Colorado Street, the b
The Austin United States Courthouse is a historic former federal courthouse in downtown Austin, Texas. Built between 1935 and 1936, the building exemplifies Depression-era Moderne architecture, while
The original Vulcan Gas Company (usually called Vulcan) was the first successful psychedelic music venue in Austin, Texas. The Vulcan opened its doors at 316 Congress Avenue in the fall of 1967, and c
The Royal Arch Masonic Lodge in Austin, Texas is a three-story beige brick Masonic building that was built in Beaux Arts style in 1926. It was designed by Texas architects J. B. Davies and William E.
The Bremond Block Historic District is a collection of eleven historic homes in downtown Austin, Texas, United States, constructed from the 1850s to 1910.
On a gentle hillside east of the Texas Capitol lies the closest thing the state has to a national cemetery, and the residents tell the entire story of Texas in granite and limestone. The Texas State Cemetery was…
You're driving past the last of Austin's historic Moonlight Towers! Back in 1894 and 1895, the city erected 31 of these giants, each topped with carbon arc lights. These towers were the talk of the town, illuminating…
You're driving past Hirshfeld Cottage, a piece of Austin's early Jewish history. Built in 1873 by German immigrant Henry Hirshfeld, this stone cottage was home to his family. Hirshfeld, who arrived in Texas after…
You're driving past the site of the Texas State Military Board, a unique agency born out of the Civil War. Created by the legislature, its job was to keep Texas supplied with essentials, even with a Federal blockade.…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is a piece of Texas Republic history! This is the French Legation, built in 1841 by Count Alphonse Dubois de Saligny. He was the French Charge d'Affaires, representing King…
You're driving past the William Green Hill House, built in 1890. William Hickman Hill settled here in the 1850s, and his family became cultural leaders. His grandson, William Green Hill, had this house constructed to…
You're driving past the old Austin Public Library, a grand Italian Renaissance building that served the city for decades. The site was set aside for a library way back in 1913, but this beautiful structure wasn't…
You're cruising through Austin, and right here is the Goodman Building. Built in the early 1890s, it's got some cool brickwork and an iron railing that'll catch your eye. Joseph Goodman ran his grocery store on the main…
You're driving past the historic Eanes-Marshall Ranch, a place with roots stretching back to the mid-19th century. Alexander Eanes arrived in Texas in 1845, building up this ranch by 1857. His brother Robert took over…
You're cruising past the Moore-Flack House, built back in 1887 for John M. Moore, who was serving as Texas Secretary of State. It cost two thousand dollars – a pretty penny back then! The house started out in a…
Located on the northeast corner of Brazos and Eighth Street, Central Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas. Central Presbyterian Church is a member of Mission Presbytery, in the Synod of the Sun regi
Downtown Austin is the central business district of Austin, Texas, United States. The area of the district is bound by Lamar Boulevard to the west, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the north, Inter
The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) is an American conservative think tank based in Austin, Texas. The organization was co-founded in 1989 by James R. Leininger and Fritz S. Steiger, who sought
The J.J. Pickle Federal Building is one of the largest mid-century modern buildings in Texas and has a rich political history. The eleven-story structure is a quintessential specimen of mid-century hi
The Millett Opera House, home of the Austin Club, is a historic building in downtown Austin, Texas. Built in 1878 by local lumber seller Charles Millett on one of his lots, the house was one of the la
The Henry Hirshfeld House and Cottage are two historic homes in downtown Austin, Texas, United States, originally inhabited by the prominent Hirshfeld family. The cottage, built in 1873, housed Henry
The German Free School is a historic building in Austin, Texas. Built in 1857, the structure was home to the German Free School Association, the first Austin school chartered by the Texas Legislature
Imagine the secrets held within those walls! The Texas Governor's Mansion has housed every Texas governor since 1856. Designed by architect Abner Cook, construction finished in 1854. For over 150 years, it's been the…
You're driving through Austin, and you're passing the site of a man who rose through the ranks of the Confederacy. John A. Wharton came to Texas and quickly became a prominent orator and jurist. But when Texas seceded…
You're driving through Austin, and just ahead is the final resting place of General Alexander Watkins Terrell. Born in Virginia in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1827</say-as>, Terrell came to Texas in 1852. He…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, you're passing the final resting place of Frances Lenoir McCulloch and her son, Benjamin. Frances was born way back in 1780 and lived until 1866. Her son, Benjamin, born in…
You're driving past the final resting place of John Ireland, a man who wore many hats in Texas. Born in Kentucky in 1827, Ireland came to Texas and served as an officer in the Confederate Army. After the war, he entered…
You're driving past the former home of George W. Sampson, a Confederate Army Captain and prominent Austin merchant. In 1872, he married Mary Goodwin Hall, niece of Governor Edmund J. Davis, in a wedding that was the…
You're driving past the Fischer House in Austin, a testament to a family's stonemasonry skills. Joseph Fischer, a Prussian immigrant, built this Italianate-style home in 1882 with his son, Francis. Together, they ran…
You're driving through Austin, and just off this road is the story of Xavier Blanchard Debray. A Frenchman who came to Texas in 1848, he first made his mark as a newspaper publisher. But when the Civil War broke out,…
You're driving past the Austin home of William P. Hardeman, a true Texas legend known affectionately as 'Old Gotch.' He wasn't just an Indian fighter and frontiersman; Hardeman was a veteran of the Texas Revolution, the…
You're driving past the historic Pease School in Austin. This building is one of the oldest in Texas constructed with public funds, on land set aside for education way back in 1839 by the Republic of Texas itself. The…
As you drive through Austin, look for the site of the German Free School. Education was a huge priority for German immigrants arriving in the 1840s and 50s. Since Texas didn't have free public schools then, they pooled…
You're driving past the building that once housed the Texas Highway Department, a place that helped pave the way for modern Texas. Back in 1917, farmers needed all-weather roads to get their goods to market, and cars…
You're driving past the Mathews School in Austin, a survivor from a trio of elementary schools built in 1916. Architect Dennis R. Walsh designed this building and its twin, Metz, on the east side. While Metz is gone,…
You're driving through Austin, heading past the final resting place of William E. Collard. Born in Montgomery County in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1839</say-as>, Collard served the Confederacy in the 10th…
You're cruising through East Austin, and right here is the George A. Peterson House, built around 1904. Peterson was a partner in a grocery and feed business on East 6th Street. Take a look at this place – it’s a late…
Legendary Austin BBQ with 2-3 hour waits. Obama waited in line here.
Underneath San Marcos lives a creature that has never seen daylight and never will. The Texas blind salamander, scientific name Eurycea rathbuni, exists in exactly one place on Earth: the San Marcos pool of the Edwards…
San Marcos Springs is the second-largest spring system in Texas and the longest continuously inhabited site in North America. Archaeologists found evidence of…
This isn't just any cemetery; it's the final resting place of Texas legends. Edward Burleson, a key figure in the Texas Revolution, was originally buried here. After Burleson's burial, the land was designated a state…
Ann Richards grew up in Lakeview, a tiny town outside Waco, in a house without hot running water. She became a schoolteacher, a Travis County Commissioner, the Texas State Treasurer, and in 1990, the Governor of Texas —…
When James "Pa" Ferguson was impeached and removed as governor of Texas in 1917 for misappropriating state funds and was barred from holding office again, the Fergusons found a loophole: Miriam "Ma" Ferguson ran in his…
Pull over for a second; you’re about to drive through history! This is Clarksville, one of the first freedomtowns west of the Mississippi. It was founded by freed slaves after the Civil War. In 1871, Charles Clark, a…
You're driving past San Marcos Springs, the source of the San Marcos River. For thousands of years, this incredible water has been a magnet for life. Indigenous peoples knew it well, and so did the Spanish explorers. In…
You're cruising past the site of Tillotson College, a place that helped shape education for African Americans right here in Austin. Founded way back in 1875 by Reverend George J. Tillotson, it started as a normal…
You're driving past the site of Post San Marcos. Back in 1838, the Republic of Texas Congress ordered military roads and forts built from the Red River all the way to the Nueces. A vital road was planned, connecting…
You're driving past the Henry H. and Bertha Sterzing Ziller House in Austin. German immigrants, the Zillers bought this property in 1881. A house was already here, built around 1877, but the Zillers made it their own.…
You're driving past the site of Austin High School's historic Rio Grande campus. Way back in 1839, Edwin Waller planned this area for schools. By 1881, the first grades were already using buildings here. The campus…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the site of the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, a cornerstone of the city's Black community for over a century. This congregation started meeting…
Stand in awe of the Texas State Capitol, a towering symbol of Texas independence and governance. Construction began in 1882 and finished in 1888, after the original capitol burned down in 1881. Designed by Elijah E.…
The Texas State Capitol is fourteen feet taller than the United States Capitol, and that is not an accident. When Texas commissioned its statehouse in the 1880s, the state was land-rich and cash-poor, having just…
The Texas Capitol in Austin is taller than the US Capitol in Washington -- three hundred and eight feet to two hundred and eighty-eight -- because Texas wanted…
You're driving past the site of Mission San Francisco Xavier de los Dolores, a Spanish outpost established way back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1746</say-as>. Franciscan missionaries hoped to convert and…
You're driving past the site of what was once Samuel Huston College, a beacon for African American education in Texas. It all began in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1876</say-as> in Dallas, as Andrews Normal…
You're driving through East Austin, and right here is Parque Zaragoza. In the early 1900s, Austin's Tejano population grew, and leaders pushed for a place to celebrate their unique heritage. In 1931, the city bought…
You're driving past the site of the second home built in San Marcos by Dr. Eli T. Merriman. He graduated from Yale in 1838 and settled in Texas that same year, becoming the area's first physician. Merriman was also one…
You're driving past Blackshear Elementary, a cornerstone of Austin's African American educational history. Opened way back in 1891 as School Number 3 in Gregory Town, it provided free public education when segregation…
You're driving through East Austin, and right here is a marker for Richard A. Overton. He was born way back in 1906 and lived to be 112 years old, becoming the oldest World War II veteran in the United States. Overton…
Founded by freedmen after the Civil War, this church stands as a testament to the resilience and faith of Austin's African American community. In 1865, just after the Civil War ended, Reverend Joseph Welch led a meeting…
You're driving past the Smith-Clark-Smith House in Austin, a building with a fiery past! When the State Capitol burned down in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1881</say-as>, Scottish immigrant James Baird Smith…
You're cruising past a house that's seen some serious Texas history! Built in 1867 by Friedrich Huster in a simple Greek Revival style, this place has been through a lot of changes. It was leased to the German-American…
You're driving past the birthplace of a true Texas titan, Price Daniel. Born in 1910, his career spanned six decades and touched all three branches of state government. He served in the Texas House, becoming Speaker in…
You're driving through Austin, and you're passing through a piece of history named for a Texas governor. Elisha Marshall Pease, who served from 1853 to 1857, once had his plantation right here. In 1875, he and his wife…
You're cruising past the Mauthe-Myrick Mansion in Austin. This grand home, built in 1877, was the creation of Rafael Mauthe, a German stonemason who bought the land way back in 1856. His wife Mary lived here for years…
You're driving through Austin, near the heart of Texas's legal history. Back on July 15, 1882, a group of Texas attorneys formed the Texas Bar Association in Galveston, with Judge Thomas J. Devine leading the way. They…
You're driving past the former home of Daniel H. Caswell, a businessman who arrived in Austin around 1895. He quickly bought into the local cotton industry, running a manufacturing company and trading cotton. By 1899,…
You're driving through Austin's historic Enfield neighborhood, a place born from the estate of Governor Elisha Pease. In 1922, Belmont and Florian King built their home right here, a beautiful example of Prairie School…
You're driving by the site of Ebenezer Lutheran Church. Organized in 1886 with 20 charter families, the congregation built this Gothic Revival church building in 1924. It was designed by architect Leo Dielmann.
You're driving past what used to be the industrial heart of San Marcos. This land, originally granted in 1831, was bought by Edward Burleson in 1844. He was quite a character – a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto, a…
You're driving past a piece of Austin history, the King-Tears Mortuary. Back in 1901, William M. Tears opened the first funeral home for African Americans in the city. His son took over, and in 1933, another funeral…
You're cruising past a house that's a piece of Austin's early real estate history! Built in 1917, it was one of the very first homes in the Enfield subdivision. The original owner, Carrie Graham Crusemann, was the…
Alright road trippers, keep your eyes peeled as you pass this spot. You're looking at the site of the Carrington-Covert House, a Greek Revival home built by Leonidas Carrington in 1857. He bought this land back in 1853…
You're driving past the Herblin-Shoe House, a survivor from Austin's 'Quality Hill' neighborhood. Built between 1899 and 1900 for the William Herblin family, this home cost a hefty $2,500 back then. Notice the massive…
Raise a glass to Texas history at Scholz Garten, one of the oldest continuously operating businesses in the state! In 1866, August Scholz, a German immigrant, established this beer garden shortly after the Civil War. It…
Ever wonder why there's a neighborhood near downtown Austin called Swedish Hill? In the 1870s, Swedish immigrants began building homes near their businesses in this area. S.A. Lundell and Carl John Swahn were among the…
You're driving past the site of a home that was once the nerve center of Texas politics. Edward Mandell House, a wealthy heir with a passion for statecraft, moved to Austin in 1885. He was a master political strategist,…
You're driving past the former site of the Hugh B. Hancock House, a Victorian beauty built in 1886. Hancock, a successful Black businessman, originally built this home on 7th Street in east Austin. Imagine it standing…
You're driving past the West Hill house, a landmark built around 1855 by architect Abner Cook for Ruben and Mary Runner. Imagine this place back then: it originally faced east and sprawled across more than an entire…
You're driving past the Southgate-Lewis House, a beautiful example of high Victorian architecture built in 1888 for John Southgate. Notice the distinctive bay window and the shingled bands on the second floor. Later, in…
You're driving through Austin, heading past the Matsen House. Built in 1953, this home was designed for Frederick Albert Matsen, a distinguished professor at the University of Texas, and his wife Cecelia. Influenced by…
You're driving past the Scottish Rite Temple, a building with a history as layered as its architecture. It started life in 1871 as the Austin Turn Verein, a social hub for German immigrants, hosting everything from…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the final resting place of Susanna Dickinson. She was one of the few survivors of the Battle of the Alamo. In March of <say-as interpret-as="date"…
You're driving through Austin, and you're passing the final resting place of Abner Cook, a master builder who arrived in this brand-new capital city way back in 1839. Cook was more than just a builder; he was an…
You're driving through Austin, and you're passing the final resting place of John Crittenden Duval. He was born in Kentucky in 1816, but Texas would become his home and the site of his greatest trial. Duval was a…
You're driving through Austin, heading past the legacy of Swante Palm. Born in Sweden in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1815</say-as>, Palm was a pivotal figure in bringing thousands of his countrymen to Texas.…
Ever wonder where Texas governors kicked back before the Capitol was built? This is it. Woodlawn, also known as the Pease Mansion, was home to two of them. Elisha Pease, who served as governor twice in the 1850s, bought…
This unassuming corner of the UT campus has a surprising past: it was once the Texas Asylum for the Blind. In 1856, the state of Texas established the asylum here, providing education and care for blind Texans. For…
You're driving past the site of Andrew Jackson Hamilton, a man who stood firm against secession. Born in Alabama in 1815, Hamilton moved his family to Texas in the 1840s. He served Texas in the legislature and as…
You're cruising through Austin, and right here is the Goodall Wooten House. Construction started in 1898 and wrapped up in January of 1900. It was designed by Dallas architect Charles O'Connell. Initially a simpler…
You're driving past the site of the first federal fish hatchery in Texas, right here in San Marcos! Established in 1893 on the old W. D. Wood place, this facility wasn't just about stocking local streams. Early on, it…
You're driving through East Austin, and right here is the site of Simpson United Methodist Church. This congregation started way back in December 1880 as the Simpson Mission Methodist Episcopal Church, named for Bishop…
You're driving through Austin, and you might catch a glimpse of a building designed by a legendary architect. The Cranfill Apartments, completed in 1960, were designed by Harwell Hamilton Harris, the former director of…
Lyndon B. Johnson attended Southwest Texas State Teachers College (now Texas State University) 1927-1930. Took 1928-29 year off to teach at segregated Mexican-American Welhausen School in Cotulla as teacher + principal.…
Every summer, tens of thousands of people show up in San Marcos to do something almost no other Texas town offers: float down a clear, spring fed river at a constant seventy two degrees, in an inner tube, with a beer.…
Del Valle, Texas – it's a place with a unique story etched into its landscape. Named for Don Santiago Del Valle, a prominent landowner back in the late 19th century, it started as a quiet farming community. You can…
You're driving through Austin, and we're passing the final resting place of Colonel Lewis Miles Hobbs Washington. Born in Georgia in 1813, Washington arrived in Texas around 1835 and immediately joined the fight for…
You're driving through Austin, and you might have just passed the home of Peter Henry Oberwetter. Born in Germany in 1830, Oberwetter arrived in Texas around 1849, settling first in New Braunfels before moving to…
You're driving past the Kappa Kappa Gamma house, a historic spot for University of Texas students. The Beta Xi chapter here was chartered way back in 1902, making it one of the earliest Greek organizations on campus. By…
You're cruising past a piece of presidential history in San Marcos! This beautiful house, designed by German architect Charles S. Sinz, was built in 1896 for the Beverly Hutchison family. But it earned its place in…
You're driving past the site of one of Texas's very first Anglo-American settlements in Hays County. William W. Moon was orphaned just two days after his birth in Alabama, but he made his own way to Texas. He first saw…
Check out that impressive Georgian Revival mansion! That's the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs Headquarters, or 'The Mansion' as many call it. Completed in 1931, this building became the official headquarters for the…
You're driving past the site of Hays County's very first public building, right here in San Marcos. Imagine this: back in 1847, early settlers threw up a simple log house. Built from elm, cedar, and cypress, it started…
You're driving past the Gerhard-Schoch House in Austin. Built in 1887 for merchant Philip Henry Gerhard and his wife, this was said to be the first two-story, brick veneer home in the city! Imagine that, a real…
You're driving past the original office building of the San Marcos National Fish Hatchery. Established in 1893, it was one of the first federal fish hatcheries in Texas, right near the headwaters of the San Marcos…
On a sweltering August morning in 1966, a 25-year-old engineering student named Charles Whitman hauled a footlocker full of rifles and ammunition to the observation deck of the University of Texas Tower. He had already…
You're driving past the former home of Charles S. Cock, a prominent figure in early San Marcos. He built this limestone, elm, pine, and cedar house in 1867. Cock wasn't just a farmer; he also served as the city's mayor…
You're driving through Austin, past the former home of Ireland and Mary Graves. Ireland Graves was a district judge and attorney who bought this property in the late 1930s. He hired architect Hugo Kuehne to design this…
You're driving through Austin, past the former estate of Malcolm and Margaret Reed. Malcolm Reed built his fortune as a leading cotton exporter. In 1929, he and his wife, Maggie, moved into this stunning home they had…
In 1950, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Sweatt v. Painter that the University of Texas Law School must admit Heman Sweatt, a Black applicant, laying groundwork for Brown v. Board of Education.
San Marcos owes its character to the land. Imagine layers of limestone, laid down over millennia when this part of Texas was the floor of a shallow sea. That porous rock is what gives rise to the San Marcos River, a…
The springs that feed the San Marcos River have been drawing people here for at least 12,000 years, making this one of the longest continuously inhabited sites in North America. Archaeological excavations from the lake…
The Texas Jamm Band is a traditional country and honky-tonk band from San Marcos, Texas, made up largely of the players in George Strait's Ace in the Hole Band. It started in 1993 as a Monday night jam at a club on the…
Pull over for a sec and check out that gorgeous house! It's the Littlefield House, and it's a testament to one man's dedication to Texas and the University of Texas. George Littlefield, a Civil War veteran and…
You're cruising past McGehee Crossing, a spot that’s seen some serious Texas history. This crossing on the San Marcos River was part of the Camino Real, the King's Highway, first traveled by Frenchman Louis Juchereau de…
You're driving past the heart of San Marcos, where a local legend in banking got its start. Back in 1879, Ed J. L. Green opened 'Green's Bank' right here on the Courthouse Square. It wasn't just a bank; he rented out…
You're driving past the Roberts-Teague Cemetery, established in 1898 when Joseph Roberts donated this land for an infant's burial. It holds the stories of the families who farmed, ranched, and worked these canyons for…
You're driving past the site of the Cheatham-Hohenberg Cemetery, a quiet resting place with a story stretching back thousands of years. Originally known as Indian Hill, this knoll was a strategic lookout for native…
You're driving past the John Matthew Cape House, built in 1902. Cape was a big deal in San Marcos, owning cotton gins along the river and helping start both the San Marcos Utilities and the State Bank & Trust Company.…
You're driving past the Robert Early McKie House in San Marcos. Built in 1906 for two thousand dollars, this home was constructed by local contractor H.C. Leffingwell for McKie himself, a San Marcos native, attorney,…
You're driving past the Edmund and Emily Miller House, a beautiful Mediterranean-style home here in Austin. Edmund Miller was a noted economist and UT professor, but it was his wife, Emily, an artist and descendant of…
You're driving through Austin, past the homesite of Gordon and Margaret Catterall Mills. Margaret, born in Galveston, married Gordon in 1933. They moved to Austin, where Gordon took over his father-in-law's company,…
You're driving through San Marcos, and right here is the site of the First Presbyterian Church. Back in 1848, Presbyterian settlers gathered in the old log courthouse to hear sermons from Reverend Nathaniel P. Charlot,…
You're driving by the San Marcos Cemetery, a place with roots stretching back to a Mexican land grant in 1834. While the first recorded burial was in 1876, local tradition says enslaved people were laid to rest here…
You're driving past the San Marcos Cemetery Chapel, a Carpenter Gothic beauty built around 1890. This isn't just any chapel; it's been the heart of remembrance for this community for over a century. Imagine the services…
You're driving through Austin, where a statewide competition that started as a simple idea in 1910 has grown into a Texas institution. The University of Texas wanted to reach more schools, so they encouraged teachers to…
Del Valle (Del Valle, TX) placed on the 6A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Andru Rodriguez (0.426 avg).
You're driving past what locals called the Calaboose, the first jail in Hays County, built way back in 1873. For years, it held prisoners, but it also served a different purpose. In the 1940s, this brick building got a…
You're driving past the site of the Coronal Institute, founded back in 1868 by O. N. Hollingsworth. This private school, coeducational and even offering military training for boys, got its name because it sat like a…
You're driving past the San Marcos area, home to Dr. Peter C. Woods. He wasn't just a doctor; he was a Confederate Colonel during the Civil War. Woods learned a revolutionary aseptic technique in New York, which he used…
You're driving past a real San Marcos landmark, the former Cumberland Presbyterian Church, now known as Fort Street Presbyterian Church. Look for its stunning Gothic Revival windows and those unique octagonal towers…
You're driving past the original site of Texas Wesleyan College, founded in 1912 by Swedish Methodists. <break time="400ms"/> This school offered a wide range of courses, sponsored sports teams, a newspaper, and various…
You're driving past the Burns Sons' Gravesite, established in 1879. This site was recognized as a Historic Texas Cemetery in 2008.
You're driving past the Austin home of J. Frank Dobie, one of Texas's most beloved authors and folklorists. He and his wife Bertha lived here on Waller Creek from 1926 until their deaths. Dobie taught a famous course at…
You're driving through Austin, past a church with a story that stretches back to a former Texas president. The land this building sits on was originally part of Mirabeau B. Lamar's 1840s grant. In 1897, a building…
You're driving past the Caldwell-Kone-Hyatt House, a place that's seen three prominent Texas families live within its walls. Robert M. Caldwell, son of early colonists, built this home in 1869. Later, it was acquired by…
You're driving through San Marcos, and right here is the story of Ulysses 'Boots' Cephas. Born in 1884, the son of freed slaves, Ulysses learned the blacksmithing trade from his father. He became so skilled that he…
You're driving past the former home of James Gray Storey, a man who wore many hats in Hays County. Born in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1830</say-as>, Storey served as district clerk and then captain of…
You're driving past Wesley Chapel A.M.E. Church, believed to be the oldest African American congregation in San Marcos. Its history traces back to 1875, and the first church building rose on this very spot in 1879. For…
You're driving past Buen Retiro, a grand Colonial Revival mansion built in 1902 for Austin financier Louis Nicholas Goldbeck. But this house soon took on a new life. In 1908, it was purchased by the Texas Association of…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the site of one of the most infamous mass shootings in American history. On August 1, 1966, Charles Whitman, a former Marine and University of Texas student, ascended the…
On Cheatham Street, right by the railroad tracks, sits an old weather beaten warehouse that birthed modern Texas country music. In June of nineteen seventy four, a man named Kent Finlay and his partner Jim Cunningham…
You're driving through Austin, the birthplace of one of the most influential psychedelic rock bands of the 1960s: the 13th Floor Elevators. Formed in 1965, this group, fronted by the electrifying Roky Erickson and…
You're driving through Austin, the Live Music Capital of the World, and right here, you're passing the legendary Antone's. For forty years, this club has been a sanctuary for blues music. Opened in 1975 by Clifford…
You're driving through Austin right now, and you might be cruising past the legacy of Clifford Antone. Born in Port Arthur, Antone moved to Austin and, disappointed by the lack of live music venues, opened Antone's…
You're driving through Austin right now, and you might not realize it, but you're passing through the heart of a musical revolution! Back in the 1970s, this was the Armadillo World Headquarters. Housed in a converted…
You're driving through Austin right now, and you're passing by the birthplace of a Texas institution: Austin City Limits. Founded in 1974 by KLRN-TV, this PBS program aimed to showcase distinctive music from around the…
You're driving through the heart of Texas, and right here is where it all began for Anglo-American Texas. Stephen F. Austin, often called the 'Father of Texas,' inherited his father's dream to settle families here.…
You're driving through Austin, the capital of Texas. Back in 1839, this was the wild frontier, and President Mirabeau Lamar wanted a new capital for the Republic of Texas. He sent a commission to find the perfect spot,…
You're driving through Austin, and right here on South Lamar is a place that's been keeping it country for over fifty years: the Broken Spoke. Established in 1964 by James White, it claims to be the last of the true…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the Texas State Capitol, a building that's seen its share of drama. Funded by a massive land grant of three million acres in the Panhandle, its construction between 1882…
You're driving through Austin, the city where Ann Richards made her mark. She started right here, elected the first woman county commissioner in Travis County back in 1976. But she didn't stop there. In 1982, she became…
You're driving through Austin, home of the legendary Darrell K Royal and the University of Texas Longhorns. Royal took over the team in 1957, transforming it into a national powerhouse. He coached the Longhorns to two…
You're driving through Texas, maybe heading towards Austin, the Live Music Capital of the World. Right here, you're in the land that launched Stevie Ray Vaughan. Born in Dallas in 1954, Vaughan taught himself guitar as…
You're driving through what is now Waller County, named for Edwin Leonard Waller. But this signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence was more than just a namesake. Back in 1836, he was a delegate at the Convention…
You're driving through Austin right now, and you're crossing the Colorado River over the Congress Avenue Bridge. Well, believe it or not, this spot was once called Waterloo. It was a tiny settlement, named after a…
You're driving through Texas, and right here, you might be passing the very roads that inspired one of the most terrifying films ever made. Marilyn Burns, raised in Houston and educated at UT Austin, landed a…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is where a half-century of gospel music tradition began. Elmer Akins, a janitor at the Texas Supreme Court, had a dream inspired by radio. In 1947, he convinced a local…
You're driving through Austin, the Live Music Capital of the World, and right here is where a legendary band found its permanent home. In 1971, Asleep at the Wheel, already making waves with their unique blend of…
You're driving through Austin, right past the historic Clarksville neighborhood. This area, established by freed slaves after the Civil War, was once an isolated community, neglected by city services. But right here,…
Right here in Texas, you're driving past history made by Annie Webb Blanton! In 1918, she became the very first woman in the state elected to statewide office. A teacher by profession, Blanton ran for state…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the site of Texas's oldest public hospital. Brackenridge Hospital, originally called the City-County Hospital, opened its doors way back on July 3, 1884. It started…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, the University of Texas once housed a collection of nearly 100 human brains. These weren't just any brains; they belonged to patients from the Austin State Hospital, dating…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is where history was made in 1950. Lettie June Harden Brewer was one of the very first African-American students admitted to the University of Texas at Austin, just days…
You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near Llano or Austin, where Vander Clyde Broadway got his start. Born in Trickham, Coleman County, in 1897, he became an international sensation as 'Barbette,' a daring…
You're driving near Austin, the heart of Texas. Right here, Edward Burleson wasn't just a soldier, he was a cornerstone of the Republic. Arriving in Texas in 1830, he immediately jumped into the fight, defending…
You're driving through what was once the wild Texas frontier. Right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1866</say-as>, Adna Romanza Chaffee arrived in Austin. He wasn't just any soldier; he became known as…
You're driving through Texas right now, a state that had a deep attachment to the Union, but faced a turning point in 1860. The election of Abraham Lincoln, who wasn't even on the Texas ballot, sparked fears about the…
You're driving through Austin, near what's now West 10th Street. Right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1871</say-as>, a man named Charles Griffin Clark bought two acres of land. Born a slave in…
You're driving through Austin, the state capital. Right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1861</say-as>, Edward Clark became governor of Texas. He took office when Sam Houston refused to swear allegiance…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, home of the Texas Longhorns since 1924. It started as Texas Memorial Stadium, built for just over a quarter-million dollars,…
You're driving through Austin, the birthplace of a tech giant. Right here, in 1984, an 18-year-old University of Texas freshman named Michael Dell started a company called PC's Limited out of his dorm room. While other…
You're driving through Austin, the heart of Texas legal battles. Right here, John Chrysostom Dougherty III, a lawyer born in Beeville, took on the federal government in a fight for control of Texas's offshore oil lands.…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the site of a Texas legend: the Driskill Hotel. It was built by Jesse Lincoln Driskill, a cattleman who made and lost fortunes. After a Civil War setback and rebuilding…
You're driving through Austin right now, and behind you, or maybe just around the corner, stands a piece of French history: the French Legation. It was built by A. de Saligny, a French diplomat sent to the Republic of…
You're driving through Austin, Texas, where one of the most unusual moments in state history unfolded. Right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1839</say-as>, Angelina Eberly ran the Eberly House, a popular…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is a place with a unique artistic legacy: the Elisabet Ney Museum. Built in 1893 by the renowned sculptor Elisabet Ney herself, this studio, called Formosa, was the earliest…
You're driving through Austin, a city known for its vibrant arts scene, and right here is where Marsha Anne Gomez made her mark. <break time="400ms"/> Born in Louisiana, Gomez moved to Austin in 1981 and quickly became…
You're driving through Austin right now, home of a true pioneer. John W. Hargis, born right here in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="M d y">1935</say-as>, was the first Black student to earn an undergraduate degree…
You're driving through Austin, the heart of Texas history and art. Right here, William Henry Huddle captured a pivotal moment in Texas lore. In 1886, he unveiled "The Surrender of Santa Anna," a monumental painting…
You're driving through Austin, the birthplace of a Texas musician who found fame on the other side of the Atlantic, not here at home. Calvin Russell, born Calvert Russell Kosler in 1948, was an Austin native who served…
Right here in Austin, Texas, you're driving past the birthplace of a legend: Dick "Night Train" Lane. He was born in 1928, abandoned as a baby, but found his calling on the football field. Lane’s story is incredible:…
You're driving through Austin, and right here in Travis County, you're passing through the legacy of Emilie Josephine Limberg. She wasn't just a resident; she was a trailblazer. In 1905, she became the first woman…
You're driving through Austin right now, and you're passing by history. Back in 1871, Henry Green Madison, a shoemaker and Union League leader, was appointed to the city council. He was the very first African American…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, you're passing the site of a legendary music venue: the Armadillo World Headquarters. In 1970, a local drummer named T.J. McFarland, nicknamed 'Tiny,' was the first…
You're driving past Mount Bonnell, overlooking the Colorado River, now Lake Austin. In 1838, journalist George W. Bonnell traveled this Texas frontier and recorded his observations from this very peak. He described a…
You're driving through Waller County, or maybe you're headed towards Austin. Right here, you're passing through the land once owned by Elisabet Ney, a remarkable sculptor who brought her European fame to Texas. Born in…
You're driving near Austin, and right here, lawyer James M. Ogden faced a grim fate. In 1842, he joined the ill-fated Somervell expedition into Mexico. When the main force turned back, Ogden pressed on, only to be…
You're driving through Texas, and right here, you're passing through the territory where James Pike, a Texas Ranger and Union soldier, made his mark. He arrived in Austin back in 1859, initially looking for work as a…
You're driving through Austin, the birthplace of Gene Ramey, a jazz bassist who helped shape the sound of music for decades. Born in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1913</say-as>, Ramey learned music in Austin,…
You're driving through Austin, Texas, the hometown of Norman Wilfred Scales, Sr. He was born here in 1918 and grew up in south and east Austin. Scales became a Tuskegee Airman, one of the famed African-American fighter…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is a place where history was made. In 1967, Vernice Tilford Smith broke a major barrier, becoming the first African-American teacher at Austin High School. This was thirteen…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the Texas State Cemetery. It started back in 1851 with the burial of Edward Burleson, a Texas hero. Lawmakers were inspired by a cemetery in Washington D.C. and decided…
You're driving through Austin, Texas, the hometown of Russell A. Steindam. Born in 1946, Steindam was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army serving in Vietnam. On February 1, 1970, his platoon was ambushed by Viet Cong…
You're driving through Austin, the live music capital of the world, and right here is where a truly unique band got its start. In 1979, the Big Boys exploded onto the scene, blending punk rock with funk, jazz, and even…
You're cruising down South Congress Avenue in Austin, and right here is the legendary Continental Club. Opened in 1957 as an upscale supper club, it was the first place in Travis County to sell liquor by the drink,…
You're driving through Austin, the birthplace of a punk rock band that shook up the scene back in 1980. The Dicks, they called themselves. Fronted by Gary Floyd, with his commanding, blues-inflected voice and a stage…
You're driving through Austin, the city where Ben Thompson became a legend. Born in England in 1843, Thompson's family moved here when he was just eight. He started out as a printer, but his real talent lay with a gun.…
You're driving through Travis County, Texas, and right here in Austin is where notorious gambler and outlaw Billy Thompson’s troubles really kicked off. Back on March 31st, 1868, after a drunken fight, Thompson shot and…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is a place that was the heart of the city's music scene for decades: Threadgill's Tavern. Kenneth Threadgill opened this spot in 1933, right after Prohibition ended, and it…
You're driving through Austin, a city that owes a lot to John Treviño, Jr. Right here, in the early 1970s, Treviño, along with other activists, became known as the 'Young Turks' or the 'Brown Machine.' They were a…
You're driving through Austin right now, passing by the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum. This place is home to the incredible works of Charles Umlauf, a sculptor who shaped Texas art for decades. He arrived here in…
You're driving through Austin, the heart of Texas higher education. Right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1916</say-as>, Robert Ernest Vinson took the helm as president of the University of Texas. But…
You're driving through what was once Harrisburg County, but right here, in the early days of the Texas Revolution, a man named Thomas William Ward lost his leg. He was part of the New Orleans Greys, fighting in the…
You're driving through Texas, maybe near Austin, and right here, you're passing by a legend of Texas construction. Gustav Wilke wasn't just any builder; he was the man who actually built the Texas State Capitol! He came…
You're driving through Central Texas, and right here is a place that remembers Lizzie Johnson Williams, a true Texas cattle queen. Born in Missouri in 1840, her family moved to Texas when she was just a child. She…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is where a prominent lawyer and former state legislator met a violent end. Blackstone Davis, a man who served in the Texas House and even voted for secession, was walking…
You're driving through Austin right now, and you might be passing near where a new wave of roller derby kicked off in 2001. It started in the punk rock scene on Red River Street, with local musician Daniel Policarpo. He…
You're driving through Austin, Texas, a city that became the unlikely stage for the rise of a truly unique artist: Daniel Johnston. Born in California, Johnston found his way to Austin in the early 1980s, recording his…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1956</say-as>, Barbara Smith Conrad made history. A talented mezzo-soprano, she was cast as Dido in an opera at the University of…
You're driving through Austin right now, a city with a rich history of innovation. Back in the 1870s, Joseph Carl Petmecky, already a renowned gunsmith, turned his attention to a cowboy's essential gear: spurs. He…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, you're passing the University of Texas. In the mid-1970s, this major research university was looking for a new leader. After a contentious search, Lorene Rogers, a…
You're driving through Austin, the hometown of Major League Baseball legend Don Baylor. Born in 1949, Baylor grew up in the Clarksville neighborhood and attended Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church. In 1962, he was one…
You're driving through Austin, where Ruth Mae Taubert Seeger made a huge impact on deaf athletes. Born deaf herself, Seeger moved to Austin after marrying a fellow Gallaudet University student. Right here, at the Texas…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, you're passing through history made by Cora Eiland Hicks. In 1953, she shattered a barrier at the University of Texas Press, becoming the first African American hired for a…
You're driving through Austin right now, the heart of Longhorn country. And right here, in the early 1980s, Fred Akers took over the University of Texas football program. He famously ditched the legendary wishbone…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1974</say-as>, the Austin Rape Crisis Center opened its doors. It was the very first of its kind in Texas. Back then, victims of…
You're driving through Austin, a city that was at the forefront of a major social movement. Right here, in the late 1960s, Judith Hart Smith, a biologist and activist, co-founded the Women's Liberation Birth Control…
You're driving through Austin, the heart of Texas, where the aroma of Tex-Mex history fills the air. Right here, you might be passing by the legacy of Matt Gayton Martinez, Sr. He was a boxer nicknamed the 'Battling…
William Charles Akins, African American educator, administrator, sportscaster, and community leader, was born in Austin, Texas, on November 9, 1932. He was the son of gospel radio announcer Elmer Akins and Mattie…
Emma Serrato Barrientos worked as a political activist, community organizer, and cultural leader with her husband Gonzalo Barrientos, the first Mexican-American state representative from Travis County. The Emma S.…
Emma Pauline Jackson Long, civic leader, journalist, and first woman to serve on the Austin city council, was born on February 29, 1912, in Lefors, Texas. She was the second of six children born to Robert Rudd Jackson…
James Jarrell (Jake) Pickle, who styled himself as one of the "LBJ Boys," served thirty-one years in Lyndon Johnson 's Central Texas Congressional seat and became one of the nation's foremost experts and defenders of…
Margaret (or Margarita) Muñoz Simon, journalist, radio disc jockey, and social activist, grew up in Eagle Pass, Texas, and attended early schooling in Piedras Negras, Mexico. She moved to the city of Austin about 1942…
Stanley Hall, renowned ballet choreographer and dancer, was born in Birmingham, England, on June 16, 1917, to Sarah (Lang or Long) Hall and John Hall. At the age of twelve, Hall began learning ballet at what later…
You're driving past the Ragsdale-Jackman-Yarbrough House in San Marcos, built in 1868 by a veteran of the Texas Republic army. His wife actually ran a school for girls right here after he passed. Later, this house…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, in the mid-20th century, lived Wayman Adams, a portrait artist so good he could finish a painting in a day or two. He painted presidents Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover,…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is a place connected to John T. Allan, a Scottish immigrant who became known as the "Father of Industrial Education in Texas." He arrived in Austin in 1850, eventually…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1884</say-as>, John Andrewartha designed the city's first public hospital. It was an imposing Queen Anne style structure, built at…
You're driving near Austin, and right here, the Austin and Northwestern Railroad once hauled a monumental load: granite for the Texas State Capitol! Incorporated in 1881, this railroad's main job was to connect Austin…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the site of the Austin State School. It opened its doors in 1917 as the State Colony for the Feebleminded, Texas's first facility dedicated to individuals with…
You're driving through Austin, home to one of the oldest major orchestral ensembles in Texas: the Austin Symphony Orchestra. Founded way back in 1911, its creation was part of a huge movement across the Southwest to…
You're driving through Austin, where James Robinson Bailey, a brilliant chemist, worked at the University of Texas. During World War I, Bailey took a leave of absence to work in New York. There, he cracked German…
You're driving through Hays County, and right here is Barton Creek, a place that's been a natural wonder for centuries. Comanche and Spanish explorers marveled at its beauty long before William Barton built his home…
You're driving near Austin, and right here is where William Barton, often called the 'Daniel Boone of Texas,' carved out a life on the frontier. He arrived in Texas in 1828, settling west of the Colorado River in what…
You're driving through Central Texas, maybe heading towards Austin. Right here, you're passing through the area where T.D. Bell, known as 'Little T-Bone,' helped define the Austin blues scene. Born in Lee County in…
You're driving through Austin, a city that owes so much of its early musical soul to Carl William Besserer. Born in New Braunfels in 1851, Besserer made Austin his home and became its most prominent musician and…
You're driving through Texas, and right here in Austin, George John Beto was transforming the state's prison system. Appointed to the Texas Prison Board in 1953, Beto, a Lutheran minister and educator, believed in…
You're driving through Texas, and right here, in Austin, the story of Black higher education in our state gets its start. After the Civil War, many Texans were against educating former slaves, fearing it would make them…
You're driving through the heart of Texas, and right here, you're passing through the territory where Abner Pickens Blocker made his mark. Born near Austin in 1856, Blocker wasn't just any ranch hand; he was a legendary…
You're driving through Central Texas, near Austin, where Colonel Alfred Wainwright Bloor made his mark. He was a lawyer, a National Guard officer, and a decorated World War I commander. Bloor recruited the Seventh Texas…
You're driving through what is now Austin, Texas, a city known for its vibrant culture and music scene. But back in the 1840s, it was the frontier, and George Bonnell was right in the thick of it. He arrived in Texas in…
You're driving through Austin, the heart of Texas politics during a turbulent time. Right here, in the Texas Senate, Marmion Henry Bowers, a lawyer who arrived in Texas with just a few dollars, stood up. On June 20,…
You're driving through Austin, the heart of Texas politics during a turbulent time. Right here, Frank Britton, Adjutant General under Governor E.J. Davis, was caught in the crossfire of Reconstruction-era feuds.…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, in what was then the Twenty-Sixth Judicial District, Judge Victor Lee Brooks presided over one of Texas's most famous antitrust cases. The Waters-Pierce Oil Company was…
You're driving through downtown Austin, and right here on the bank of the Colorado River stands Buford Tower. Originally built in 1931 as the 'Old Fireman's Practice Tower,' this sixty-seven-foot brick structure was…
You're driving past the University of Texas at Austin, and right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1969</say-as>, Henry Allen Bullock made history. He became the first Black professor appointed to the…
You're driving near Austin, and right here, in what is now Travis County, a significant frontier battle took place. It's February 25th, 1839, and the Comanche are raiding the upper Colorado settlements. Aaron Burleson,…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is Camp Mabry. Established in the early 1890s, it started as a summer training ground for the Texas Volunteer Guard. It was named for Woodford Haywood Mabry, the Adjutant…
You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near Austin, and you might be cruising past the legacy of a legendary musician. Camilo Cantú was the king of the accordion here from the 1930s through the early 60s. Born in…
You're driving through Austin, and right here on East Sixth Street, you're passing the site of a true Texas landmark. Edward H. Carrington, a former slave, opened a grocery store in 1872 that became a cornerstone of the…
You're driving through Central Texas, and right here, in Austin, a remarkable legal mind was shaping Texas law. Mary Joe Carroll, born in Wichita Falls, didn't even start law school until 1944, juggling it with family…
Right here in Austin, Benjamin F. Carter was a prominent lawyer and even served as mayor. But when the Civil War broke out, he answered the call to arms. Just days after Fort Sumter fell, Carter helped organize the…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is where William Leslie Cazneau made his mark. Arriving in Texas in 1830, he quickly joined the fight for independence. After the Battle of San Jacinto, Cazneau was tasked…
You're driving through Austin right now, a city with a history as colorful as its modern skyline. Back in 1847, this was the young capital of the Republic of Texas, and John Gordon Chalmers was a prominent figure. A…
You're driving near Austin, Texas, and right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1944</say-as>, a brand new Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber was delivered to the U.S. Army Air Forces. This state-of-the-art…
You're driving through what was once the wild frontier of Texas, maybe near Austin. Right here, Louis P. Cooke lived a life straight out of a frontier drama. After serving in the Texas army and even as Secretary of the…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1967</say-as>, Allen Damron made history. He was performing at the Chequered Flag club when Jerry Jeff Walker's song "Mr.…
You're driving through Travis County, and right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1838</say-as>, a young runaway named John Washington Darlington arrived in Texas. He'd run away from an apprenticeship in…
You're driving through Austin, the heart of Texas baseball country. Right here, for over thirty years, Billy Disch coached the University of Texas Longhorns. From 1911 to 1940, his teams dominated, winning twenty-one…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is where Nell Gertrude Horne Doom made her mark. While not a famous politician, she was the "ramrod" of the Texas woman suffrage movement. In 1918, after Texas women won the…
You're driving through Texas, and right here, in Austin, lived Thomas Howard DuVal, the first U.S. judge for the vast Western District of Texas. Imagine a district stretching from Tyler all the way to El Paso and…
You're driving through Texas, and right here, the story of electricity unfolds. Back in the early 1880s, Galveston saw the state's very first electric power plant. But it was Austin that tried something ambitious in the…
You're driving through Austin, right on Lady Bird Lake, and you're passing the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. This place wasn't built overnight. It was conceived back in the late 1970s by artists…
You're driving through Austin, the heart of Texas activism. Right here, Erminia Thompson Folsom, a suffragist and teacher, was a driving force behind women's right to vote. In 1908, she helped found the Austin Woman…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is where Jacob Fontaine, born enslaved in Arkansas in 1808, built a remarkable life. After emancipation, he founded the First Baptist Church here in 1867. But Fontaine…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, the University of Texas was home to a true pioneer in education. Mary Edna Gearing arrived in 1912, tasked with building the university's home economics program from…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, at 507 East 10th Street, stands a piece of history. This building was constructed in 1857, and in 1858, it was chartered as the very first school in Austin. It was called…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1927</say-as>, a prominent public health official named Charles Walter Goddard committed a shocking act. Goddard had reorganized…
You're driving through Austin, where Dr. George Malcolm Graham spent his life as a pioneering pathologist and bacteriologist. He could have gone pro in baseball, but chose medicine instead. In one of his biggest…
You're driving through Texas, and the roads beneath your tires? Many of them owe their existence to Dewitt C. Greer. He started as an engineer for the Texas Highway Department in 1928, laying out roads in Henderson…
You're driving through Fayette County, or perhaps near Austin, and you're passing through the story of Andrew Jackson Hamilton. He was a Texas politician who stood against secession, even fleeing the state in 1862 when…
You're driving through Austin right now, and you're passing by a piece of Texas Revolution history. George Duncan Hancock was a private in the fight for Texas independence, serving in Colonel Sidney Sherman's Second…
You're driving through Austin, the state capital, and right here is where a Texas legislator made a stand. In March of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1861</say-as>, John Hancock, a Unionist, refused to take the…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, near Capitol Hill, you're passing the site of Jacob Harrell's home. He was one of the very first settlers in this area, arriving in Texas in 1833. Harrell was here in 1836…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1951</say-as>, Harwell Hamilton Harris arrived to shape the future of Texas architecture. He became the first director of the…
You're driving through Austin, a city that became home to a significant voice in American folk music: Tim Henderson. Born in West Virginia, Henderson moved here in 1972 to attend graduate school at the University of…
You're driving through Travis County, and right here is the story of Bird Holland, a man who served Texas in war and peace. He fought in the Mexican-American War as a captain, but fell ill and resigned. Later, he became…
You're driving through Travis County, maybe even past Austin, and right here is where Rachel Hamilton Hornsby lived a life that defied the odds. Born into slavery in Alabama in the 1830s, she was brought to Texas in…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, you might have passed the site of one of the most incredible mansions in Texas history. Built in 1892, Edward Mandell House's mansion at 1704 West Avenue was a Shingle…
You're driving through Austin, the city where Nannie Carver Huddle found her artistic voice. After her husband's early death, she stepped away from art for eight years. Then, in 1894, she returned to painting, seeking…
You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near Austin, and you're passing through history. Right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1842</say-as>, Judge Anderson Hutchinson was holding court in San…
You're driving through Austin, the city that became home to Swen Jaensson, better known as Swante Palm. Arriving from Sweden in 1844, Palm became a key figure in promoting Swedish immigration to Central Texas. He worked…
You're driving through Austin, the very place where a dramatic showdown almost happened. It's December of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1840</say-as>, and Samuel W. Jordan, a soldier who'd fought in the Texas…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the site of a unique experiment in higher education: Juárez-Lincoln University. Founded in 1971, it was born from the Mexican American Youth Organization's fight for…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, you're passing by a place that holds the legacy of Helen Marr Kirby. She was the very first dean of women at the University of Texas, starting in 1884. Imagine the scene:…
You're driving through Austin right now, and you're looking at Lake Austin. But this wasn't always here. Back in 1890, construction began on the first big dam on the Colorado River, the Austin Dam. It was finished in…
You're driving through Austin, a city known for its live music scene. Right here, you might have heard of Johnny Dee. Born Keith Landers in Abilene, he reinvented himself as a 1950s rocker in Austin, complete with…
You're driving through Austin right now, a city shaped by the vision of Jacob L. Larmour. He arrived in 1871, just as this town was exploding after becoming the permanent state capital. Larmour was the only architect…
You're driving through Austin, and right here on these streets, a man named Mark B. Lewis met a violent end. Lewis, a captain in the Texas army, was involved in raids, chasing Indians, and even the Archives War. But his…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the legacy of Clyde Littlefield, a man who shaped Texas track and field for over four decades. Arriving at the University of Texas in 1920, he took over as head track…
You're driving through Austin, Texas, and right here is the site of Samuel Huston College, founded in 1900. Its first president, Reuben Shannon Lovinggood, faced incredible challenges. On opening day, there was just one…
You're driving through Austin, the live music capital, but did you know it's also a hub for traditional Mexican dance? Right here is where Roy Lozano, born in Alice, Texas, founded his Ballet Folklórico in 1975. After…
You're driving through Austin right now, where John F. Marshall turned the Texas State Gazette into a fiery voice for extreme Southern states' rights. He wasn't shy about his views, advocating for the annexation of Cuba…
You're driving through Austin, the heart of Texas politics, and right here is where Jane McCallum made her mark. Born in La Vernia, she moved to Austin and became a powerhouse suffragist. In 1915, she was elected…
You're driving through Austin, the Live Music Capital of the World, and right here, Townsend Miller helped make it happen. From 1972 to 1983, Miller wrote for the Austin American-Statesman, covering the city's booming…
You're driving through Central Texas, perhaps near Austin, and you might be passing the site of a monumental decision that shaped the Lone Star State. Right here, Nimrod Lindsay Norton, a former Confederate congressman,…
You're driving through Austin, right past Brush Square, and this little house holds a big literary secret. This was home to William S. Porter, better known as O. Henry, from 1893 to 1895. He wrote some of his most…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is where William James Oliphant learned his craft. He came to Texas as a boy in 1853, but when the Civil War broke out, he enlisted at just fifteen. He was shot seven or…
You're driving through Austin, a city that became a hub for folk music thanks to folks like Tary Kelly Owens. Back in the early 1960s, Owens, a budding music historian, was at the University of Texas. He befriended…
You're driving through Texas, maybe near Austin, and you're passing through a time of intense division. George Washington Paschal, a lawyer and newspaper editor, was a fierce Union man. In 1860, he stood with Stephen…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the University of Texas, where Daniel Allen Penick spent fifty-six years of his life. He arrived in 1899, a scholar of ancient Greek, but became legendary as a tennis…
You're driving through Austin, the city where Harvey Penick learned the game of golf. He started caddying at the Austin Country Club when he was just eight years old. By thirteen, he was an assistant pro, and by…
You're driving through Austin, the city where Anna J. Hardwicke Pennybacker spent her final years. She was a true Texan powerhouse, a clubwoman, author, and advocate. In 1888, she wrote a textbook, 'A New History of…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is where William Copeland Philips, Texas Secretary of State, set up his medical practice in 1853. Philips was a staunch Unionist who even wrote under a pseudonym. His…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, you're passing by buildings designed by Jasper Newton Preston, one of Texas's first professional architects. He arrived in Austin in 1875, bringing his unique vision to the…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the heart of a literary and cultural revolution, thanks to Harry Ransom. Born in Galveston, Ransom became a titan at the University of Texas, eventually serving as its…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is a place that remembers Friendly Rudolph Rice. He was an educator during segregation, and at Blackshear Elementary in East Austin, he didn't just teach kids – he…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, you're passing by the legacy of Frederick Ernst Ruffini, a prominent architect who left his mark all over Texas. He arrived in Austin in 1877 and designed some of the…
You're driving through Austin right now, and you're passing by a spot that was once the heart of the Republic of Texas's first capital. Back in 1839, Alexander Russell, a prominent early settler, bought the most…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the site of what was Samuel Huston College. <break time="400ms"/> It began as a plan in 1876 by the Methodist Episcopal conference to educate African American youth.…
You're driving through Austin, home to a massive, government-backed effort to revive American chip manufacturing. Right here, SEMATECH was founded in 1987. Think of it as a technological Avengers, a partnership between…
You're driving through Austin right now, and you're passing by a place with a powerful history of breaking down barriers. In 1946, the University Baptist Church here made a bold move, becoming the very first church in…
You're driving through Austin, where Nelda Ann Wells Spears made history. Right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1991</say-as>, she became the first African American in Texas to be elected county tax…
You're driving through Austin right now, and you're passing by a piece of the old Texas frontier. Samuel Theophilus Stone arrived here with his family in 1845, after moving from Missouri. He'd already established the…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, Dr. Richard Montgomery Swearingen made a name for himself during a national health crisis. In 1878, a devastating yellow fever epidemic swept through Memphis and Holly…
You're driving through Austin, where Alexander Watkins Terrell made his mark. He was a judge, a Confederate officer, and a powerful state senator. But Terrell is perhaps most remembered for his role in shaping Texas…
You're driving through Texas, and right here, the very documents that shaped this state have been on the run! Back in 1836, as Sam Houston's army retreated, Texas officials frantically moved the state archives to keep…
You're driving through Austin, the birthplace of a tech giant. Right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1955</say-as>, Tracor started as Associated Consultants and Engineers. Three University of Texas…
You're driving through Travis County, right near the heart of it all: Austin. But did you know this capital city, and the county it anchors, was almost a different place entirely? Back in <say-as interpret-as="date"…
You're driving through Austin, home of the University of Texas. Right here, the university's Waggener Hall stands as a reminder of Leslie Waggener, a man who faced down bullets and budget cuts. Waggener fought for the…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is a place that was once led by Anna Elizabeth Leger Walker, a French immigrant who became a fierce advocate for women's right to vote. Arriving in Texas around 1907, she…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the story of William C. Walsh. He came to Texas as a boy and served in the state's General Land Office. But when the Civil War broke out in 1861, Walsh resigned to become…
You're driving through Texas, perhaps near Austin, and you might be passing the legacy of Lala Fay Watts. She was a powerhouse reformer who spent nearly fifty years fighting for Texas women and children. In 1918, she…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is where Mattie B. Haywood White made history for African-American girls. In 1892, she founded Austin's very first private school for them, right out of her own home. Then,…
You're driving through Texas, and maybe you've noticed the wildflowers blooming by the roadside. Well, right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1936</say-as>, Eula Whitehouse published one of the first…
You're driving through Travis County, near Austin, where Dr. Jacob T. Wilhite dedicated his life to fighting one of the most terrifying diseases: rabies. Born in 1875, Wilhite became the director of the Pasteur…
You're driving through Austin, the birthplace of Teddy Wilson, a jazz piano legend. Born in 1912, Wilson brought a new level of elegance and sophistication to jazz. He rose to fame in the 1930s, touring with Benny…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, we're remembering Mary Askew Thompson. Born into slavery in Alabama in the 1850s, her life wasn't fully documented until 1937, when she was interviewed for the WPA Slave…
You're driving through Texas, maybe near Austin or Tarrant County, and you might be passing by the legacy of Elizabeth Speer. In the early 1900s, Speer was a force. As the field secretary for the Texas Social Hygiene…
You're driving through Austin, the heart of Texas politics, and right here you're passing the Governor's Mansion. But did you know the First Lady who lived here from 1899 to 1902, Orline Walton Sayers, set standards…
You're driving through Austin, a city known for its music scene, and right here is where a legendary jazz and gospel singer spent her final years. Donna Hightower, born Luebertha Hightower in Missouri, found her voice…
You're driving through Austin, a city known for its culture, and right here you might have passed the studios of Edna Gertrude Collins. During the Great Depression, when many artists struggled, Collins found a unique…
You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near Dale or Austin, and right here, for over thirty years, Eltea Eppright Armstrong was drawing the maps that defined this state. She started her career in the 1930s, a woman…
You're driving through Austin, home to a powerful organization fighting sexual violence across the state: the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, or TAASA. Founded in 1982, TAASA works tirelessly to eliminate…
You're driving through Austin right now, and you might not realize it, but you're passing through a city shaped by Sally Raye Stevens Shipman. It all started in the late 1960s when she petitioned the city council for…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, you're passing the legacy of Lois Peña Villaseñor. Born to migrant farmers in Cuero, she became a trailblazer right here in Austin. In 1959, she and her husband opened…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, near Camp Mabry, was once the largest school of its kind in the entire country. In 1918, during World War I, the School of Automobile Mechanics, or S.A.M., trained…
Mary Elizabeth Branch, college president, was born near Farmville, Virginia, on May 20, 1881, the daughter of Tazewell and Harriett Branch. Although few African Americans received a public education in the late…
Jeremiah Hamilton, a Black political and civic leader, was born in July 1838 in Tennessee. He arrived in Texas as a slave in 1847. After emancipation he married a woman named Ellen in 1867, and they had seven children,…
Jorge Lara-Braud, Presbyterian minister and founding director of the Hispanic American Institute in Austin, Texas, was born in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, on April 3, 1931, to Luis Lara Castro and Maria Artemisa…
George Isidore Sánchez, Mexican-American leader and professor, son of Telesfor and Juliana Sánchez, was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on October 4, 1906. Both of his parents' families had been in New Mexico since…
Ezekiel B. Turner, lawyer and judge, was born at Putney, Windham County, Vermont, on May 24, 1825. He was educated in local common schools and at Townsend Academy and read law with a brother in Michigan. He was admitted…
You're driving past the former home of O. T. Brown, built way back in 1878. Brown, a Civil War veteran and lawyer, bought this place in 1882. He'd been a prisoner of war, but found success here in San Marcos as a civic…
You're driving past the Heard-Baker House in San Marcos, a beautiful example of Queen Anne architecture. This home was built around 1889 by William Green, but it's named for the rancher Samuel McGehee Heard, who bought…
Driving past San Marcos, you're looking at the Kone-Cliett House, a home with deep roots in Hays County history. Edward Reeves Kone, a man who wore many hats – county attorney, sheriff, judge, and education…
You're driving past the former home of George Thomas McGehee, a true pioneer who arrived in San Marcos way back in 1846. He wasn't just a settler; McGehee fought with Terry's Texas Rangers in the Civil War and later…
You're driving past the former home of Eliza Pitts Malone, a woman who saw Texas through immense change. Arriving in 1842 as a young girl, she became a charter member of San Marcos' First Methodist Church and a devoted…
You're driving past the George Henry Talmadge house, a beautiful Victorian built in 1889 right here in San Marcos. Talmadge himself was a Union Army veteran who moved to Texas after the Civil War. He was also a…
You're driving past the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, but its roots go back to 1884. Reverends Richmond Smoot and Robert Dabney started the Austin School of Theology, hoping to train ministers who’d stay…
You're driving past the site of the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. President T.R. Sampson dreamed of a close relationship with the University of Texas, and in 1906, the seminary bought land right here. By…
You're driving past the Donnan-Hill House in Austin, a home with a story that spans over a century. It started in 1876 when Gustavus Johnson, a carpenter, built this house for his daughter, Jennie, as a wedding gift. It…
You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near Austin, and you might be passing by a piece of living Texas history. Roy Wilkinson Aldrich wasn't just any Texas Ranger; he served longer than any other ranger in…
You're driving through Austin, the state capital, and right here is where Josephine "Joe Betsy" Miller Allred made her mark as the youngest First Lady of Texas. She was married to Governor James V. Allred, and during…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the birthplace of Amigos En Azul, or AEA. Founded in 1982 by five Austin police officers, AEA was created to bridge the gap between the department and the city's Hispanic…
You're driving through Austin right now, the heart of Texas politics and culture. And right here, the Austin American-Statesman has been telling the story for over a century. It started way back in July 1871 as the…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, you're passing near the old route of the Austin Dam and Suburban Railway. Built originally by the city in 1891 to connect Austin to the dam, it was electrified and ran as a…
You're driving through Austin, a city famous for its live music. Right here, you're passing the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Center for the Performing Arts, home to the Austin Music Memorial. This memorial started in…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. It opened its doors way back on October 1, 1902, at Ninth and Navasota streets. The first president, Thornton Rogers…
You're driving through Matagorda County, near Palacios, on the site of a Texas town that almost was: Austin. Moses Austin, Stephen F. Austin's father, dreamed of a community here, but died before it happened. Instead, a…
You're driving through Austin, the live music capital of the world. Right here, you're passing through the hometown of Martin Banks, Jr. Born in Austin in 1936, Banks became a world-class jazz trumpeter. He played with…
You're driving through Austin, the state capital. Right here, James Hall Bell served as an associate justice on the Texas Supreme Court. From 1858 to 1864, he was one of the highest legal minds in Texas. Later, he even…
You're driving through Austin, and right here on the University of Texas campus, you can find Bellmont Hall. It's named for L. Theodore Bellmont, who arrived in 1913 to lead UT's athletic program. He found it in debt,…
You're driving past what used to be Bergstrom Air Force Base, just east of Austin. Activated in the summer of 1942 as Del Valle Army Air Base, it was built on land leased from the city. The name was changed to honor…
You're driving through Central Texas, and right here, in Austin, a battle for the future of Texas education was fought. It's 1920, and Texas voters are deciding on the Better Schools Amendment. Led by Annie Webb…
You're driving through Travis County, heading into Austin, the state capital. Right here, you're passing through the political stomping grounds of Mary Jane Goodpasture Bode. She wasn't your typical politician; she was…
You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near Austin, and you might pass one of the many locations of Jack Brown Cleaners. This business, founded by Jack Taylor Brown right here in Texas, grew from a single cleaner…
You're driving through Central Texas, perhaps near Austin, where Andrew Bell Burleson lived after his service. Burleson was a farmer in Travis County before the Civil War, but answered the call to arms. He helped…
You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near San Marcos or Austin, and you're passing through the legacy of Emma Kyle Burleson. Born in 1869, she came from a prominent Texas family, but she forged her own path as a…
You're driving through East Austin, a place Lorraine Castro Camacho called home for nearly fifty years. Born in 1917, she moved back to Austin in 1950 with her husband Daniel. While working for the school district and…
You're driving through Travis County, near Austin, where Thomas C. Cater made his mark during the Civil War. In mid-1864, Cater became the first commander of Cater's Texas Cavalry battalion, holding the rank of major.…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, you're passing the former stomping grounds of Martha Melissa Evans Clark, Texas's First Lady for a whirlwind six months in 1861. She wasn't exactly thrilled about the…
You're driving near Austin, and right here, you're passing the site of the Confederate Woman's Home. Opened in 1908, this was a place for widows and wives of Confederate soldiers who had no other means of support. It…
You're driving through Austin, where back in 1979, a major cultural event took place. The International Plástica Chicana Conference brought together artists, critics, and scholars from across the U.S. and Mexico right…
You're driving through Austin, a city Pauline Lynch Evans Creighton worked to improve. Born in Mississippi in 1868, she moved to Austin and became a driving force in civic life. She led the Civic Improvement Club,…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, Dr. Caroline Crowell served as one of only two doctors on the University of Texas campus. Arriving in 1926, she was also the *only* woman physician in the entire city. For…
You're driving through Texas, and right here, we're talking about Olin Culberson. He started out in Hillsboro, even served as county clerk where he exposed a massive road-bond fraud. But his real impact came later, in…
You're driving through Austin, where Robert Hamilton Cuyler was born back in 1908. He grew up here, eventually earning not one, but three degrees from the University of Texas. Cuyler became a professor of geology,…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is where a controversial figure in Confederate history found his final academic home. Robert Lewis Dabney, a Presbyterian theologian and former chief of staff to Stonewall…
You're driving through Austin, Texas, the birthplace of Damita Jo DeBlanc, a soul and pop singer who found her voice right here. Born in 1930, she showed incredible talent early on. After a stint in California during…
You're driving through Austin, the birthplace of Spencer Cornelius Dickerson. Born right here in 1871, Dickerson wasn't just a doctor; he was a decorated military man. He started his service in the Illinois National…
You're driving through Central Texas, and right here, you're passing through the territory once served by Francis T. Duffau. Born in New York in 1808, Duffau came to Texas in 1836, joining the fight for independence.…
You're driving through what was once Matagorda County, the birthplace of Samuel Rhoads Fisher, Jr. He was a Confederate infantry officer who saw heavy action in the Civil War. Fisher enlisted as a captain in the Sixth…
You're driving through Austin, the very place where George M. Flournoy stood in September of 1860 and declared, "What will you do if Lincoln is elected? I say, secede from the Union." Flournoy, a state official and…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, Mariana Folsom was a force for change. Born in Pennsylvania in 1845, she became a Universalist minister and a passionate advocate for women's suffrage. In the late 1800s,…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is where Zachary Taylor Fulmore spent much of his life. He arrived in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1870</say-as>, a lawyer fresh from Virginia. He served as Travis…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is where Dr. Joseph Gilbert helped shape the health of generations of Texans. Born near here in 1873, Gilbert was a physician who became a pioneer in student health…
You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near Austin or Houston, and right here is where Charles Gillette, an Episcopal clergyman, made his mark. He arrived in Houston in 1843, leading services in a Presbyterian…
You're driving through Austin, home to a truly unique archive: The H. J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports. It's not just a library; it's a 27,500-square-foot museum dedicated to the history of…
You're driving through Austin, the city where architect August "Watt" Harris spent most of his life. Born here in 1893, Harris studied architecture at the University of Texas before serving as an officer in France…
You're driving through Austin, the heart of Texas, and right here, you're passing through the life of Samuel G. Haynie. He arrived in Texas in 1837, settling first in Independence before moving to Austin. Haynie wasn't…
You're driving through Austin, a city that owes much to Dr. Henry Louis Hilgartner. He arrived here in 1891, a young physician ready to make his mark. He became the oculist for the Texas School for the Blind and later…
You're driving through Austin right now, and you're passing through the lens of Samuel B. Hill, a photographer who captured this city as it transformed. Arriving in 1877, Hill set up shop on Congress Avenue, documenting…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is a place shaped by the vision of Hugo Franz Kuehne. Born right here in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="m">2</say-as>/<say-as interpret-as="date"…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the home of La Peña, an organization dedicated to celebrating Latino culture. Founded in 1982, La Peña was inspired by the South American tradition of 'peñas' –…
You're driving through what is now Travis County, and right here in Austin, a remarkable woman made history in the 1890s. Dr. Frances Elizabeth Daniel Leak wasn't just a physician; she was a powerful voice for change.…
You're driving through Austin, the heart of Texas, and right here, a pivotal moment in its early days unfolded. In the winter of 1842, tensions were sky-high with threats from Mexico. President Sam Houston wanted to…
You're driving through Central Texas, and right here, you're passing through the legacy of Walter Ewing Long. Born near Ladonia in 1886, Long never practiced the law he studied at the University of Texas. Instead, he…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, John Dodd McCall saw the very last land battle of the Civil War. He was just a young private in January of 1865, enlisting in Cater's Texas Cavalry. The fighting happened…
You're driving through Central Texas, and right here, you're passing through a place that saw service from Hamilton Wilcox Merrill. He was an army officer who graduated from West Point and fought in the Seminole Wars…
You're driving near Austin, Texas, where Tejano music legend Roy Montelongo was born in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1938</say-as>. His father played clarinet in the famed Beto Villa Orchestra, and Roy himself…
You're driving through Austin, the state capital. Right here, George Fleming Moore served as Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court. But his tenure was cut short in 1867. Federal military authorities removed him,…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is a place connected to Charles Berkeley Normann, a Norwegian immigrant who became a celebrated Texas artist. He arrived in Austin in 1928, and developed a deep love for…
Right here in Texas, you're driving past the legacy of Williamson Simpson Oldham, a Confederate senator during the Civil War. He was elected to the Confederate Senate and served until the Confederacy collapsed. Oldham…
You're driving through Austin right now, and you might be passing by streets named after the Pease family. Julia Maria Pease, born in Brazoria back in 1853, became a major Austin art patron and clubwoman. After her…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is a place that was once the heart of a remarkable Texas woman's life. Lucadia Niles Pease, wife of Governor E.M. Pease, arrived in Texas from Connecticut in 1850, initially…
You're driving through Austin, a city that owes a lot to community leaders like Maria Teresa Rabago. Born in Edinburg in 1951, she moved to Austin in 1980 and quickly became a champion for young Latinas. In 1987, she…
You're driving through what was once Washington County, Texas, where lawyer Willis L. Robards settled in 1853. Though he opposed secession, Robards joined the Confederate Army in 1862. He served as a major under Henry…
You're driving through what is now Bastrop County, and right here, in 1836, Dr. Joseph William Robertson arrived. He's said to be the first physician in this county, setting up shop before even bringing his family from…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is where John H. Robinson, a New York transplant, made his mark. He arrived in Texas in the 1850s, eventually opening a billiard saloon on Congress Avenue. When the Civil…
You're driving through Texas, maybe near Austin, and you might be passing the site of a remarkable act of bravery. Back in 1900, during the devastating Galveston hurricane, a young medical student named Zachary Thomson…
You're driving through Austin, the birthplace of Zachary Scott, Jr., a Hollywood actor who got his start right here in town. After honing his craft in local theater and even working as an oilfield hand, Scott made his…
You're driving through Texas, a state with a long military history. Right here, you might be passing through land once patrolled by the Second Texas Cavalry. Originally formed in May 1861 as the Second Texas Mounted…
You're driving through Austin, the city where Elias Howard Sellards spent the last 43 years of his life, making incredible discoveries. Sellards was a geologist and paleontologist who moved here in 1918. He helped Texas…
You're driving near Austin, the birthplace of the Seventeenth Texas Infantry. Organized in March of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1862</say-as> right here, this Confederate regiment spent its entire career…
You're driving through Austin, where a legal and military showdown unfolded during the Civil War. Thomas Eskridge Sneed, a lawyer and soldier, found himself at the center of a controversy in 1863. General John Bankhead…
You're driving east of Austin, near Hornsby Bend, where from 1941 to 1946, a unique boarding school for boys operated. St. Luke's School aimed to be the only Episcopal preparatory school in this part of the country,…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, you're passing the site of a landmark educational institution that served the city for nearly a century. It began in 1874 as St. Mary's Academy, operated by the Holy Cross…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, in 1876, a brand new girls' school opened its doors: Stuart Seminary. It was a private school, founded by Rebecca and George Red, who had previously taught in Washington…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, you're passing through what was once known as Swede Hill. Back in the 1870s, a wave of Swedish immigrants began building their homes in this central Austin neighborhood.…
You're driving through Travis County, near Austin, where you can still see T. U. Taylor Hall. Right here, Thomas Ulvan Taylor began his legendary career at the University of Texas in 1888, as its *only* engineering…
You're driving through Austin, the heart of Texas agriculture's official business. Right here, the Texas Department of Agriculture was born in 1907. Before that, official farm business was pretty much ignored. The new…
You're driving through Texas, and right here, you're passing the birthplace of a state institution that keeps us all safe: the Texas Department of Public Safety. Established back on August 10, 1935, it was created to…
Right here in Austin, back on January 17th, 1853, thirty-five doctors from across Texas gathered. They wanted to raise the bar for medicine in the young state. Just months later, they officially chartered the Medical…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, in what's now the University of Texas Law School area, stood Texas Wesleyan College. Founded by Swedish Methodists in 1907, it was a unique institution. They even operated…
You're driving through Austin, and right beside you flows Waller Creek. This waterway is intrinsically linked to the very founding of Texas's capital city. In April of <say-as interpret-as="date"…
You're driving through Texas, and right here, you might be near where William Martin Walton, known as 'Buck,' served during the Civil War. He started as a private secretary to the governor, but soon enlisted and became…
You're driving through Central Texas, perhaps near Austin, where Thomas Benton Wheeler made quite a name for himself. After serving in the Civil War, Wheeler returned to Austin and became the county attorney. But his…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, you're passing through the legacy of Alexander Penn Wooldridge. He was an attorney and a bank president, but his real impact came in shaping this city's future. In 1880,…
You're driving through Austin, a city known for its vibrant culture and community leaders. Right here, you're passing through the legacy of Dr. Goodall Harrison Wooten. He wasn't just a physician, practicing medicine…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, you're passing the historic First Presbyterian Church. For over thirty years, from 1872 to 1907, this was the heart of ministry for Reverend Edward Bingham Wright. He…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, in the heart of the city, Theodore Roosevelt Youngblood Sr. spent decades serving Texas's most prominent figures. From the 1930s to his retirement in 1968, Youngblood was…
You're driving through Central Texas, and right here, in Austin, you're passing the Governor's Mansion during a time of great change. It's World War I, and First Lady Willie Hobby is making the mansion a vibrant hub.…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, you're passing the Governor's Mansion. In the early 1900s, Fannie Irene Bruner Campbell, wife of Governor Thomas Mitchell Campbell, believed this mansion belonged to the…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1910</say-as>, Alice Colquitt helped organize the big celebration for the Hood's Texas Brigade monument. But Alice was more than…
You're driving through Texas, and you might be passing the Governor's Mansion in Austin right now. Merle O'Daniel, First Lady from 1939 to 1941, was known for her grand hospitality. When her daughter Molly married…
You're driving through Central Texas, and right here, you're passing through the story of Myrtle Mainer Neff, the First Lady of Texas from 1921 to 1925. When she and her husband, Governor Pat Neff, moved into the…
You're driving through Austin, the state capital, and right here is where Frances Roberts served as First Lady from 1879 to 1883. When the Capitol building burned down in 1881, she personally oversaw the rescue of…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is a place that Ima Mae Smith called home. She was the First Lady of Texas when her husband Preston Smith was governor from 1968 to 1973. Ima was known for her interest in…
You're driving through Texas, and right here, you're passing through the story of Adele Françoise Baron Lubbock, the First Lady of Texas during the Civil War. Born in New Orleans, she married Francis R. Lubbock in 1835.…
You're driving through Austin, right past Camp Mabry, home of the Texas Military Forces Museum. This place tells the story of Texas's own fighting forces, all the way back to the first volunteer ranger companies in…
A. Caswell Ellis, teacher and reformer, son of Orren Littleberry and Mary Louisa (McKnight) Ellis, was born on May 4, 1871, in Franklin County, North Carolina. He received his B.A. degree in classics at the University…
Edmund Heinsohn, lawyer and Methodist minister, son of Charles and Louise (Schwecke) Heinsohn, was born in Fayetteville, Texas, on July 17, 1888. The family later moved to Bartlett, where Edmund graduated from high…
Isaiah Quit Hurdle, African-American minister and public school educator, son of Rev. Andrew Jackson Hurdle and Viney James (Sanders) Hurdle, was born in Greenville, Texas, on August 12, 1886. Raised on a farm in Hunt…
James Winfield Crayton, Jr., state representative and newspaper publisher, son of James Walter Crayton and Permelia E. (Thomason) Crayton, was born on December 4, 1861, in Itawamba County, Mississippi. He lived in…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is Camp Mabry, home to the Texas Military Department. Back in 1905, the state legislature re-established the office of the Adjutant General. This office, which had existed…
You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near Austin, and right here is where Walter Scott Adkins made his mark. Born in 1890, Adkins had a fascinating career, shifting from genetics to geology. He taught at TCU and…
You're driving through Austin right now, a city that owes part of its beauty to Irl Leslie Allison, Sr. While best known as the founder of the National Guild of Piano Teachers, Allison also had a hand in developing…
You're driving through Austin, a city that was home to Pearl Amster, a remarkable classical pianist and teacher. Born in New York in 1917, she moved to Austin in 1967 and quickly became a beloved patron of youth music…
You're driving through Austin, the city where Charles Flinn Arrowood spent the latter part of his academic career. Born in North Carolina, Arrowood earned multiple degrees, including a PhD from the University of…
You're driving through Austin, and right here at 810 Guadalupe Street stands the Austin History Center. This isn't just any library building; it's a 1933 limestone structure, built in the Italian Renaissance style.…
You're driving through Austin, the heart of a Catholic diocese that was officially formed in nineteen forty-seven. But the Catholic Church's roots here run much deeper, stretching all the way back to the late…
You're driving through Austin, a city that owes a piece of its modern identity to Robert J. Brackenridge. After serving in the Civil War and studying medicine, Brackenridge settled in Jackson County before moving here…
You're driving through Austin, the capital city, and right here is a story of a man who saw much of its history unfold. Frank Brown was born in Tennessee in 1833, but came to Texas as a boy. He worked for newspapers in…
You're driving through Austin, and right here on the University of Texas campus, you might be near a building named for J. Alton Burdine. He was a longtime administrator at UT, serving as vice president from 1941 to…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is a story of entrepreneurial spirit. Edward Christian arrived in Texas in 1851, a young carpenter looking for opportunity. He partnered with Simon Loomis, and together they…
You're driving through Austin, the heart of Texas government. Right here, Doris Hayne Connerly spent thirty-four years, from 1928 to 1962, as director of the Legislative Reference Division of the Texas State Library.…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, Alonzo Bettis Cox made a name for himself in the cotton industry. After earning his doctorate, Cox took charge of cotton-marketing research for the U.S. Department of…
You're driving through Austin, Texas, a city that owes a lot to educators like Matthew Simpson Davage. Davage, a prominent Black educator and Methodist churchman, served as president of Samuel Huston College here from…
You're driving through Austin, home to a remarkable scholar who spent over four decades at the University of Texas. George Charles Engerrand, born in France in 1877, came to Texas in 1920 after a career teaching geology…
You're driving through Austin, a city that owes some of its financial stability to Richard Watson Finley. Born in Mississippi in 1851, Finley came to Texas as a child. After working his way up from store clerk to…
You're driving through Austin, a city that remembers Hugh Nugent Fitzgerald, a journalist who shaped Texas newspapers for decades. Born in South Carolina, Fitzgerald arrived in Texas in 1889, quickly becoming a…
You're driving through Austin, and right here at the University of Texas, you're passing by a place that was shaped by Dorothy Gebauer. She arrived in 1927, becoming the assistant dean of women. By 1937, she was the…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, you're passing through the legacy of Samuel Edward Gideon. He was a scholar who fell in love with early Texas architecture and culture. In the 1920s and 30s, Gideon…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is where William Francis Gidley spent nearly a quarter-century shaping the future of pharmacy education. He arrived in 1924 to become the dean of the University of Texas…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is where George H. Gray, Jr. made his mark. <break time="400ms"/> Arriving in 1849, Gray quickly became a prominent lawyer, even serving as chief justice of Travis County.…
You're driving through what is now Austin, Texas, a city that was once the mission field for Alexander Gregg, the first Episcopal bishop of Texas. He moved here in January of <say-as interpret-as="date"…
You're driving through Austin, the state capital, but did you know this city was once home to a newspaper publisher who was a key player in Texas politics? Joseph Wade Hampton arrived in Texas in 1848, eventually…
You're driving through Austin, home of the University of Texas Law School, where for decades, a professor with a distinctive handlebar mustache taught the intricacies of civil procedure. Gus Macey Hodges, Jr. returned…
You're driving through Austin right now, home to the University of Texas. Back in 1883, this city became the academic home for Milton Wylie Humphreys. He was a Civil War veteran who'd earned a PhD from Germany. Here in…
You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near Austin. Right here, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, William Mercer Key built a legal career. He moved to Austin as a young man, read law, and was admitted to the bar…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is where Bishop George Herbert Kinsolving left his mark on the city's religious and educational landscape. Arriving in Texas in 1892, he immediately saw the potential for…
You're driving through Austin, a city that was home to Christian Klaerner for decades. Born in Germany in 1861, he came to Texas in 1880. While teaching in Austin County, he directed a Brenham singing club for nearly…
You're driving through Hays County, or maybe you're heading into Austin. Right here, you're passing through the life story of Edward Reeves Kone. He started studying law at Coronal Institute, and before he was even…
You're driving through what is now Travis County, but back in the day, Sister M. Claude Lane was making history right here in Austin. She wasn't just a nun; she was the first professionally trained archivist for the…
You're driving through what is now Lipscomb County, named for Abner Smith Lipscomb. He was a big deal in Texas law, serving as Secretary of State under President Mirabeau Lamar and later as a justice on the Texas…
You're driving through Austin, a city that owes a lot to early printers and publishers like William Brownlow McClellan. He arrived here in August of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1839</say-as>, joining the…
You're driving through Austin, where Joel Miner helped launch the very first newspaper here, the Austin City Gazette, back in 1839. He was a printer by trade, arriving in Texas in 1837. Miner then moved on to Houston…
You're driving through Austin, birthplace of Oscar Frederic Moore, a jazz guitarist who changed the sound of the instrument. Born right here around 1912, Moore grew up in Phoenix but soon moved to Los Angeles, where he…
Right now, you're driving through a part of Texas that Trueman O'Quinn helped shape. He served in the Texas Legislature representing Jefferson County back in the early 1930s. But O'Quinn wasn't just a politician; he was…
You're driving through Austin, the city where James Edwin Pearce spent much of his career. He arrived in Texas as a boy in 1871, eventually becoming a professor at the University of Texas. In 1919, he established one of…
You're driving through Austin, the state capital. Right here, in the late 1870s, a lawyer named Anderson James Peeler was making his mark. After a distinguished military career in the Civil War, where he was wounded and…
You're driving through Austin, the birthplace of Justo S. Penn, born October 4, 1875. Penn would go on to a varied career, serving in the Texas legislature and as chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee in Webb…
You're driving through Texas, a state that owes so much of its early mapping to German surveyors like Karl Wilhelm Pressler. He arrived in Galveston in 1846, seeking a new life away from Prussia. Working for Jacob De…
You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near Caldwell, and you're passing through the territory where Samuel G. Ragsdale spent much of his life. Born in Mississippi in 1839, Ragsdale moved with his mother to Austin,…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is where John B. Rector, a lawyer and judge, navigated some wild political waters after the Civil War. He fought for the Confederacy, but by 1871, he'd switched parties and…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, you're passing the site of a significant victory for Texas education. Reverend William Stuart Red, a Presbyterian minister and historian, saw that Texas needed its own…
You're driving through Texas, and chances are you've benefited from the work of Octavia Fry Rogan. Born in Brownwood in 1886, Rogan dedicated her life to bringing books and knowledge to Texans. She started at the Texas…
Right now, you might be driving through Austin, Texas, the city where Howard Vance Rose, Jr. spent much of his life. Rose was a brilliant lawyer, graduating from the University of Texas School of Law in 1953 and scoring…
You're driving through Travis County, not far from Austin, where William A. Ryan spent his post-war years. Ryan was a Confederate officer who joined the Eighteenth Texas Cavalry Regiment in 1862. He saw action in major…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is where Thomas Hall Shelby made a huge impact on education in Texas. From 1925 to 1951, Shelby served as Dean of the Extension Division at the University of Texas. Under…
You're driving through Austin, the heart of Texas, and right here is where Nathan George Shelley made his mark. He came to Texas in 1855, seeking a healthier climate, and quickly became a prominent figure. He served as…
You're driving through Austin, and right here on Congress Avenue, back in the 1870s, was the music store of Charles T. Sisson. He wasn't just a shopkeeper selling pianos and organs; Sisson was a composer himself! He…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the story of a legendary Texas lawyer, Sebron Graham Sneed. He arrived in Austin in 1848, a man described as 'large and portly, fiery and tempestuous.' Sneed was known…
You're driving through Austin right now, and you're passing by a piece of its educational history. Back in 1869, Sebron Graham Sneed, Jr. founded the Austin Normal Military School, a place for boys. It operated for five…
You're driving through Bell County, Texas, the birthplace of Sam Sparks. He wasn't just a banker, but also served as Bell County Sheriff and later as Texas State Treasurer from 1906 to 1912. While in Austin as…
You're driving through Austin, a city shaped by architects like Roy Leonidas Thomas. Born in San Marcos in 1887, Thomas eventually made his way here and opened his own practice in 1911, specializing in homes. By the…
You're driving through Austin, a city that was home to John Charles Townes, a pivotal figure in Texas legal education. Born in Alabama in 1852, Townes moved to Travis County, Texas, as a child. He practiced law in…
You're driving through Austin, and right here, not far from Mount Bonnell, is where Robert J. Townes, a Texas secretary of state, met his end in 1865. He was a judge, a state representative for Travis County, and even…
You're driving through Austin, the capital city, and right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1840</say-as>, citizens organized the Travis Guards. Their mission? Home protection and swift campaigns against…
You're driving through Austin's Zilker Park right now, and beneath your feet lies a treasure trove of Texas history – the Vara Daniel Site. This isn't just any patch of ground; it's one of the best-preserved…
You're driving through Austin, the state capital, where Alexander Stuart Walker spent much of his career. Born in Virginia in 1826, Walker came to Texas in 1852. He was licensed to practice law in January 1853. He…
You're driving through Washington County, not far from where Arthur Osborn Watson was born near Brenham back in 1864. After studying at Texas A&M, Watson set up shop in Austin in 1887, first with partner Jacob Larmour,…
You're driving through Austin, the birthplace of Thomas Henderson Wells, a naval officer and respected historian. Wells served aboard the carrier Hornet when it was sunk in the Pacific during World War II, earning…
You're driving through Austin, the city where Elizabeth Howard West made history in the Texas State Library. In 1918, she became the first woman in Texas to head a state government department. She championed better…
You're driving through Austin, the heart of Texas's rich history. Right here is where Ernest William Winkler, a pivotal figure in Texas librarianship, spent much of his career. Born in 1875, Winkler dedicated his life…
You're driving through Austin, the city where James Pinckney Hart was born and spent most of his life. He was a brilliant legal mind, serving as Travis County's district attorney and later as an associate justice on the…
You're driving through San Marcos, and right here, you're passing the legendary Cheatham Street Warehouse. <break time="400ms"/> This is where Kent Finlay, a true Texas music guru, nurtured countless careers. <break…
You're driving through San Marcos, the birthplace of a legendary sound. Back in 1975, right here, George Strait, then an agriculture major, auditioned for a band called Ace in the Hole. They met at Southwest Texas State…
You're driving through Hays County, and right here in San Marcos is where James Dell Cummings, known as 'Mr. Pipeliner,' spent his later years. Born in Kansas, Cummings was a farmer who hated seeing men struggle with…
You're driving through San Marcos, the hometown of Eddie Durham, a titan of the Swing Era. Born here in 1906, Durham wasn't just a musician; he was a groundbreaking composer and arranger who shaped the sound of jazz. He…
You're driving through San Marcos, Texas, the birthplace of Cleto Luna Rodríguez. Back in February of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1945</say-as>, during the brutal battle for Manila, Sergeant Rodríguez…
You're driving through Hays County, and right here, you're passing the San Marcos Springs, the second largest natural springs in Texas! These waters, first seen by Europeans in 1709, were a vital stop on the Old San…
You're driving through Austin, passing the site of a truly impactful Texan. John Elbridge Hines, born in South Carolina, found his calling early, witnessing the struggles of the Great Depression. He believed his…
You're driving through San Marcos, and right here are the famous Aquarena Springs. Long before it was an amusement park, these springs were known to the Tonkawa Indians as 'warm water.' Explorers likely stumbled upon…
You're driving through San Marcos, and right here is the site of Gary Air Force Base. It started as San Marcos Army Air Field back in 1942, training thousands of navigators during World War II. After the war, thanks to…
You're driving through San Marcos, a city founded by a man named William F. Lindsey. Lindsey arrived in Texas in 1836, and after surveying Galveston Island and serving as a surveyor in San Antonio and Fayette County, he…
You're driving past San Marcos, and right here is where the town itself got its start, thanks to a doctor named Eli T. Merriman. He was the very first physician in town, arriving in 1847 and building his log cabin. But…
You're driving through Hays County, and right here is where William Washington Moon, a man who saw his share of Texas history, decided to settle. Born in Alabama in 1814, his parents died shortly after his birth. He…
You're driving through Hays County, and right here is the San Marcos River. For over 10,000 years, people have called this place home, from ancient Clovis hunters to the Tonkawa Indians. When Spanish explorers arrived…
You're driving through San Marcos, a city with roots stretching back to Spanish Texas. Long before it was a bustling hub on I-35, this area was the site of ambitious Spanish colonization attempts. In 1755, the San…
You're driving through San Marcos, and right here, you're experiencing a living piece of Texas music history. This is the home of the Texas Natural and Western Swing Festival, an annual celebration born in 1988. It…
You're driving through Hays County, and right here is San Marcos, the hometown of Colonel Peter Cavanaugh Woods. When the Civil War broke out, Woods raised a cavalry company from this area, which became Company A of the…
You're driving past the site of the Farmers Union Gin Company in San Marcos. In 1908, local farmers pooled their resources to buy this land and establish the gin. Led by Oscar Calvin Smith, it became the first…
You're driving past the John F. McGehee house, built in 1889. McGehee himself was a veteran of Hood's Brigade during the Civil War. He hauled the pine for this home all the way from Bastrop, adding cypress siding and…
You're driving past the San Marcos home of Alexander Gates and Lillian Johnson Thomas, a couple who blended their passions for Texas folklore and art into their very own dwelling. Alexander, an English professor, and…
You're driving through North Texas, and right here in San Marcos is where Boston P. Grant, Jr. got his start. Born in 1924, he grew up to be a decorated army medic in World War II and later, a legendary track and field…
You're driving through Hays County, a place with a history stretching back thousands of years. Indigenous peoples were farming here by 1200 AD, drawn by the abundant springs, especially the San Marcos Springs, the…
Right here in San Marcos, you're driving past the site of Coronal Institute, founded in 1868 by Orlando Newton Hollingsworth. After fighting in the Civil War and being wounded at the Battle of Corinth, Hollingsworth…
You're driving through San Marcos, a town that played a small role in the Civil War and later became a political battleground. William Oscar Hutchison arrived here in 1859, setting up a law practice. He fought in the…
You're driving through San Marcos, a town that owes a lot to John Drayton Pitts. He arrived in Texas in 1841, calling it a 'land of plenty' and encouraging eleven families to join him. Pitts was a government official,…
You're driving west of San Marcos on Ranch Road 12, heading towards a unique Texas institution. Right here is the San Marcos Baptist Academy, founded back in 1907 by the Southwest Texas Baptist Conference. It started…
You're driving through San Marcos right now, and just ahead, in the spring-fed headwaters of the San Marcos River, lives a plant found nowhere else on Earth: Texas wild rice. It's a rare, endangered aquatic grass,…
You're driving through Hays County, not far from San Marcos, where in the late 1870s, Samuel Bender McBride was deeply involved in local education. He helped establish a free public school right here, serving both boys…
You're driving through Hays County, near San Marcos, where Anne Cooper made her mark. She wasn't your typical politician; she was a mom, a teacher, and a fierce advocate for education and conservation. Cooper, a former…
You're driving past the site of the Splitrock, or Burns-Klein House, a home with a long history right here in Austin. In 1891, Scottish immigrant Thomas Burns bought this land along Shoal Creek. He was a stone cutter…
You're driving near San Marcos, along the San Marcos River, where a cemetery holds echoes of a vibrant past. Cementerio del Rio, established by a deed in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1893</say-as>, was set…
You're driving through Central Texas, and you might be passing through San Marcos, the birthplace of Albert Sidney Burleson. He wasn't just any politician; he served as U.S. Postmaster General under President Woodrow…
You're driving through San Marcos, a town that was home to Dudley Richard Dobie, Sr. He started collecting books in the winter of 1927, a passion that would define his life. He became a bookseller in 1935, even scouting…
You're driving through San Marcos, home to Southwest Texas State College, now Texas State University. For twenty-two years, this campus was led by John Garland Flowers. He took the helm in 1942, guiding the college…
You're driving through Central Texas, and right here in San Marcos, you're passing the birthplace of a true Texas educator. Thomas Green Harris arrived in Texas in 1879, and over the next few decades, he shaped the…
You're driving through San Marcos, a town that was home to Isaac Hoover Julian, a newspaper editor who arrived here in 1873. He was already a seasoned publisher, having edited papers in Indiana that advocated for…
You're driving through San Marcos, home to Texas State University. Right here, historian James Taylor served as a professor. But during World War II, he joined the Army Air Forces, documenting history in the Pacific.…
You're driving past the former home of Joseph W. Earnest, a man who arrived in Hays County as a boy in 1854. Earnest served with the Texas Rangers and the Confederate army before becoming a merchant and cattleman. In…
You're cruising through San Marcos, and right here is the story of Dunbar School. While private lessons for Black children might have started way back in 1847, the first public school opened its doors in 1877, serving…
You're cruising past the Sanders-Grosgebauer House, built around 1913. It's a prime example of the American Foursquare architectural style, a design rarely seen in San Marcos back then. But this house holds a…
You're cruising through San Marcos, and right here is the Kone-Yarbrough House, built in 1886. Look for its really unusual central chimney – a Victorian touch for a growing family. Sam R. Kone, Jr., a successful…
You're cruising past the former home of Ike Wood, a man who built a life and a legacy right here in San Marcos. Wood arrived around 1886 and quickly became a major player in town – a merchant, a banker, and a civic…
You're driving past Phillips Cemetery, a final resting place that started as a community project. Back in 1880, John and Nancy Phillips donated land for the Methodist Episcopal Church. A church rose, and right next to…
A crystal-clear swimming hole fed by Cypress Creek in Wimberley.
You're cruising past the former home of Lloyd G. Johnson, a local banker who built this place with his wife Katherine back in 1919. Designed by the famous architect Atlee B. Ayres, it's a cool mix of Mediterranean style…
You're driving past the San Marcos River, and right here, you're passing Thompson's Islands. In <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1850</say-as>, William A. Thompson and his family arrived in Texas. Using slave…
You're driving through Austin, and just ahead is the Penn and Nellie Wooldridge House. Built in 1913 by Nellie Wylie Holden, this home has a story tied to Austin's civic leaders. Legend says her children even helped…
You're driving past the Augusta Hofheinz House, built in 1908. Augusta was the widow of Daniel Hofheinz, who ran a San Marcos hotel back in the 1870s. Their son Walter oversaw the construction of this beautiful…
You're driving past the site of Wonder Cave, a natural wonder born from a prehistoric earth shift along the Balcones Fault. Legend says this cave was a hideout for robber gangs in the 1820s, who stashed their loot from…
You're driving through San Marcos, and right here is the site of a church with a powerful story of resilience. In 1866, Rev. Moses Johns organized San Marcos' very first African American congregation, the Colored…
You're driving past the Julia Ann Ragsdale house, a testament to a woman's resilience. Julia Ann, a widow and former teacher, brought her family to Texas during the Civil War. After her daughter Mary died young, Julia…
You're driving past the Buddington-Benedict-Sheffield Compound right now in Austin. Albert and Rebecca Buddington built the first part of this home around 1860. Fast forward to 1921, and it became the home of Dr. Harry…
You're cruising past the Stanley and Emily Finch House in Austin, a beautiful example of Colonial Revival architecture. Built between 1927 and 1928 for just over thirteen thousand dollars, this home was designed by UT…
You're driving past the Addcox House, a truly unique home built in 1935 for Mary Susie Sheedy. It’s known as the 'Red Rock House on the Corner.' What makes it extraordinary is the exterior – a wild mix of local stones…
You're driving through San Marcos, and right here is the Belvin Street Historic District. It was named in 1876 for Reverend R. H. Belvin, who led the Coronal Institute right here in town. By the 1870s, San Marcos was…
You're driving past the Malone house in San Marcos, a home that's seen more than a century of Texas history. Built in 1891 for James Lafayette and Eliza Pitts Malone, this house was home to sixteen children! The Malones…
You're driving past the Jacob Leser House in Austin, a home that tells a story of German immigration and early industry. Leser, who arrived from Germany in 1827, bought this land in 1859. He first built a log cabin and…
Ever wonder who saved the Alamo? You're driving near the former home of Clara Driscoll, the woman who did just that. In the early 1900s, the Alamo was falling apart and about to be sold to developers. Clara Driscoll, a…
You're driving past Camp Mabry, a military hub that's served Texas for over a century! It started in 1892 as a gift from Austin citizens for the Texas Volunteer Guard. They loved it so much, they named it after Adjutant…
You're driving past the site of the Texas Confederate Woman's Home. Opened in 1908, this grand building provided a refuge for over three thousand wives and widows of Confederate soldiers. The Daughters of the…
You're driving past the site of the Charles Lewis McGehee Cabin, a piece of Hays County history standing since 1859. The McGehee family arrived in Texas from Alabama back in 1847. Charles Lewis McGehee Jr. bought this…
You're driving past the oldest cemetery in Wimberley. This land was first patented way back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1847</say-as> by Amasa Turner. Early settlers built a log cabin right here, using it…
You're cruising through Austin, and just ahead is a stunning example of Tudor Revival architecture. Built between 1933 and 1934, this home was designed for William T. Williams, Jr., a prominent city leader and attorney,…
You're driving past the resting place of Major John B. Jones, a man who shaped the Texas Rangers into a force for order. Born in South Carolina, he arrived in Texas in <say-as interpret-as="date"…
You're driving past the site of a man who served two nations: William Steele. Born in New York, he graduated from West Point and fought in the Seminole and Mexican Wars for the United States. But when the Civil War…
You're cruising through Austin, and right here, we're looking at a piece of Texas history that goes against the grain. When Texas seceded and joined the Confederacy in 1861, not everyone agreed. Many Texans, often those…
You're driving past the site of the very first town of San Marcos, officially known back then as Villa de San Marcos de Neve. Mexican settlers established this community in 1807. Imagine, by January 6th of the very next…
You're driving past the Hancock Recreation Center in Austin, a building with a history as rich as its fairways. It started life in 1934 as the Austin Country Club Clubhouse, designed by Charles H. Page, Jr. using…
You're driving through Austin's Hyde Park, a neighborhood with a story tied to this house. Built in 1892, the Shipe House was the residence of Monroe Martin Shipe, the visionary developer behind Hyde Park itself. He…
Watch master glassblowers create art in real time. Beautiful Hill Country setting.
You're driving past the site of a crucial, but often overlooked, Civil War office: the Adjutant General. While 90,000 Texans fought for the Confederacy, this office had the tough job of defending the state's massive…
You're driving past Bethany Cemetery, a testament to resilience right here in Austin. Back in the late 1800s, as Austin grew, Black Austinites found themselves without space in the city's main cemetery. So, they created…
You're driving past the John R. Dobie house, built around 1892 for the Cock family. The Dobies, John and Martha, bought it in 1899. John R. Dobie, a Scottish immigrant, farmed, ranched, and even served as a Hays County…
Dripping Springs sits right where the land starts to get interesting. You're not quite in the flatlands anymore; the terrain begins to roll and heave, covered in that scraggly Ashe juniper we call cedar. Highway 290…
You're driving past the former home of Dr. Joseph M. Pound, a man who served both in the Mexican-American War and as a Confederate surgeon during the Civil War. His family built this place in 1854 using rough-hewn…
You're driving through Austin, past the Radkey House. Built around 1870, this cypress wood home was typical for post-Civil War Austin. It was home to Bernard Radkey, a merchant and metalsmith who also served as a city…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the site of Congregation Beth Israel, a cornerstone of the city's Jewish community. Organized in 1876 by about 30 charter members, including prominent businessman Henry…
You're driving through the Texas Hill Country, maybe near Wimberley, and you're listening to the radio. Well, right here in Texas, back in 1932, a radio pioneer named William Parks Johnson had an idea. While working for…
You're driving through Wimberley, a town that owes its very name to the man who made it a hub: Pleasant Wimberley. He arrived in Texas on Christmas Day, 1847, settling first near Brenham. By 1855, he’d moved his growing…
You're driving through the beautiful Texas Hill Country, and right here, the Blanco River has been a lifeline for centuries. Spanish explorers named it back in 1721 for the white limestone that lines its banks. Imagine…
You're driving through Wimberley, a town that literally changed its name three times in less than thirty years, all thanks to one key business: the mill. It started as Winters' Mill in 1856, built by a San Jacinto…
You're driving past the historic Wimberley Town Square, where about 1880, a young Sidney Pyland arrived with his family from Tennessee. Fast forward to 1895; at 20 years old, Sidney Pyland opens his blacksmith shop…
You're driving past the former home of John Henry Saunders, a man who wore many hats here in Hays County. Born in Virginia in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1850</say-as>, Saunders served in the Confederate…
You're driving past the Williams-Weigl House in Austin, a home built around 1911. It started with Harvey Murdock Williams, a bookkeeper, and his wife Euphemia. Their son, Harvey Sinclair Williams, a baseball coach,…
You're driving through Wimberley, a town with roots stretching back to the 1870s. Right here, John Henry Saunders, a Confederate veteran and teacher, arrived in 1870. He settled at Purgatory Springs, just west of San…
Wimberley isn't just another Hill Country town. Its story is etched in the very landscape, starting with Cypress Creek. Pleasant Wimberley recognized its potential early, building a gristmill there in 1848, and that…
You're driving past the site of Wimberley Mills, a business that served this valley for over 85 years! It all started in 1848 when William Winters, a San Jacinto veteran, built a grist and sawmill right here on Cypress…
You're driving past the site of the Winters-Wimberley House, a landmark that grew with this town. William Winters arrived in Texas in 1834, fought at San Jacinto, and eventually settled here. He built a mill on Cypress…
You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near Martindale, where Gary Dan Toler, known as "Doc," settled with his family. Doc wasn't just a singer and songwriter; he led a traveling medicine show, complete with his…
You're driving through Austin, and look to your right for the Elvira T. Manor Davis House. Born in 1841, Elvira was a mother of six and widowed when she purchased this lot in 1896. She had the house built by 1904,…
You're driving through Martindale, a town with a founding decree still in effect today! Back in 1855, Mrs. Nancy Martindale donated the land for this community, but she added a condition: the town must remain dry.…
You're driving past the site of the First Baptist Church of Dripping Springs. It all started back in June of 1872, when Reverend G. G. Rucker and twelve charter members organized this congregation. Just a year later,…
Charles Kreuz opened his meat market in 1900 and by the nineteen twenties the butcher was smoking cuts out back and serving them hot off the pit with no plates…
The highest point in Austin is only seven hundred and seventy-five feet but the view over Lake Austin and the hills rolling west is the best sunset in the…
Bee Cave, Texas, isn't just another Hill Country town. It started, as the story goes, with a literal bee cave, a hollow in the limestone hills so packed with honeycomb that early settlers flocked to it. Those hills,…
Pull over near the Elisabet Ney Museum to discover the story of a truly unique woman who broke all the rules. Elisabet Ney, a German-born sculptor, arrived in Texas in 1872 with her husband and son. Completely against…
You're driving past the Hodnette House, a rare example of the Craftsman style right here in Austin. Built in 1909 for businessman Milton Hodnette, it was designed by prominent local architect Charles H. Page, Sr. Look…
You're driving past the site of Dripping Springs Academy, a school that began its life in 1881 thanks to W.M. Jordan, a prominent Baptist preacher. This stone building was handed over to the Pedernales Baptist…
You're driving past Mount Bonnell, a limestone peak that's been a local landmark for generations. It's named for George W. Bonnell, who arrived in Texas for independence in 1836. He served as Commissioner of Indian…
You're driving through Austin, and right here is the site of the First Colored Baptist Church, the oldest Black Baptist church in the city. Its story begins back in 1864, when the Austin Baptist Association recommended…
Lockhart, nestled in the rolling terrain where Clear Fork Creek meanders, carries a history richer than just the scent of barbecue that hangs in the air. It's hard to imagine now, looking at the magnificent Caldwell…
You're driving past the Marshall-Chapman Home, a limestone addition to a frame house built in 1871. Burrell Marshall used it as a post office before he died in 1872. His widow Martha remarried William Thomas Chapman,…
You're driving through Austin, and just passed the Rainey House. Built in 1957, this home is a fantastic example of mid-century modern architecture. Architect B.D. 'Pat' Riley designed it for Dr. J.R. Rainey, a…
You're driving past the site of Miss Lillie Dobie's House, a landmark that tells a story of resilience and community. Lillie and her husband John bought this land back in 1911, running a dairy and raising a family.…
Edgar Black opened this Lockhart meat market in 1932 and four generations of Blacks have run the pits ever since making it the oldest family-run barbecue joint…
You're driving past the Wells-LaRue House, a handsome home built around 1850 by Abner Cook, the architect behind the Texas Governor's Mansion. Waymen Wells, a pioneer who lived ten miles north, commissioned this place…
You're driving past Dripping Springs, where Methodists first gathered for worship way back in 1854. Imagine them meeting in the one-room log home of Dr. J. W. Pound! Two famous circuit preachers, Andrew J. Potter and…
When the Kreuz family split in 1999, Nina Sells Schmidt kept the original 1900 building in downtown Lockhart and renamed it Smitty's Market. Walk through the screen door and you pass directly by the open pit room — an…
You're driving past the site of Susanna Dickinson Hannig's home here in Lockhart. She arrived in Texas in 1831, just before the Texas Revolution. Her first husband, Almeron, died defending the Alamo. Susanna and her…
You're driving through the heart of Texas, maybe not far from where John William Harris was born in Dripping Springs back in 1876. He grew up on a ranch, worked as a cowboy, but a pivotal experience led him to the…
You're driving past Emanuel Episcopal Church in Lockhart, a place with a story stretching back to <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1853</say-as>. Organized by Reverend Joseph Wood Dunn, this parish built its own…
You're driving west of Austin, approaching Bee Cave. This spot got its name from a massive cave right here on the creeks, absolutely buzzing with Mexican honeybees! <break time="400ms"/> In the early 1850s, Dietrich…
You're driving through Lockhart, and right here is the Coopwood House. Businessman James Blanks bought this lot back in 1896 and built up the house you see today in the classical revival style. A few years later, in…
Black's Barbecue has been smoking meat in Lockhart, Texas since 1932, making it the oldest continuously operated BBQ joint in the state. Founded by Edgar Black Sr., the restaurant started as a small grocery store that…
You're driving past the site of Fort Colorado, also known as Coleman's Fort. Established in June of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1836</say-as>, this was an extreme frontier outpost for the Texas Rangers. For…
You're driving past the Caldwell County Courthouse in Lockhart. The first courthouse here went up in 1848, the same year the county was organized and named for Texas Ranger Mathew Caldwell. That wood and stone building…
You're driving past the First Christian Church of Lockhart, a congregation that started way back in 1852 with just seven members. Their first building, erected in 1858, quickly became too small for the growing…
In 2003, the Texas legislature made it official: Lockhart is the Barbecue Capital of Texas. But the locals already knew that. This small Caldwell County seat has been smoking meat over post oak since the late 1800s,…
When the Kreuz family feud split in 1999 one daughter kept the original 1900 brick building on Commerce Street and named it Smittys after her father. The long…
You're driving through Central Texas, heading towards Lockhart. Right here, you're passing through the heart of cattle country, made famous by legendary trail drivers like Mark Withers. He started young, making his…
You're driving through South Texas, and right here you're passing through the territory once policed by William Lee Wright, known as El Capitán Diablo – 'The Devil Captain.' Wright was a Texas Ranger for nearly four…
You're driving through Lockhart, a town with roots stretching back to the Texas Republic. It all started in 1831, when Byrd Lockhart received this land as payment for surveying work. For years, settlers were wary of…
You're driving through Caldwell County, and right here is Lockhart, home of Alexander Duff Mebane. He wasn't just a farmer; he was a revolutionary plant breeder! In 1882, after a storm devastated some cotton plants but…
You're driving through Caldwell County, and this land has a frontier story stretching back to the 1820s. It began as part of De Witt's Colony, seeing its first settlements along Plum Creek and the San Marcos River. By…
You're driving through Lockhart, and right here is the Dr. Eugene Clark Library. Built in 1899 and dedicated on July 6, 1900, this beautiful building was financed by Dr. Clark himself. He was a prominent physician,…
You're driving past Lockhart, Texas, the birthplace of Maud Anna Berry Fuller. Born in 1868, she became a powerful voice for Black Baptists nationwide. For forty years, she led the Women's Auxiliary of the National…
You're driving through Caldwell County, and right here is the area where John Jacob Myers made his mark. He was a man who served in two armies – first as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the Mexican War, and later…
You're driving through Caldwell County, and right here in Lockhart, Samuel J. P. McDowell decided to make his mark. He arrived from Tennessee in 1853, drawn by tales of Texas. But he wasn't just a farmer; McDowell was a…
You're driving through Lockhart, Texas, a town that Edgar Huntley Rogan helped shape for decades. Born in Tennessee in 1833, Rogan arrived here in 1852, quickly becoming a lawyer and then founding the Texas Watchman…
Kreuz Market has been the temple of Central Texas BBQ since 1900, when Charlie Kreuz opened a meat market in downtown Lockhart. The rules are simple and non-negotiable: no sauce, no forks, meat on butcher paper. When a…
You're driving past a rare survivor of early Austin life! About 1850, Irish immigrants Martin and Elizabeth Moore left their city business and moved out here to this 521-acre farm. They built the original log structures…
You're driving past the Cardwell Home in Lockhart. John Madison Cardwell, a Civil War veteran, returned to town and opened a store. In 1917, he had this beautiful Classical Revival home built with its grand two-story…
You're driving past the site of Pecan Springs School, a place that grew with this community. In 1875, this area was already developed enough to warrant a schoolhouse. Imagine this: one room, 30 by 40 feet, packed with…
As Buffalo Hump's warriors retreated from the smoking ruins of Linnville, loaded with plunder and driving two thousand stolen horses, two hundred Texan volunteers gathered along Plum Creek to cut them off. Thirteen…
This spring has never stopped flowing. Jacob's Well is a perpetual artesian spring that rises from the Trinity Aquifer through a vertical shaft in the creek bed, twelve feet across and dropping straight down into…
An artesian spring that looks like a bottomless blue hole. One of Texas' most dangerous diving spots.
You're driving through Lockhart, and right here is the site of the former Lockhart Vocational High School, also known as Carver High. Imagine this: in 1923, this school for African American students was built, possibly…
Hey road trippers! You're cruising past the former home of Julius Karbach, a big-time cotton buyer who built this place in 1911. Take a look at those Victorian and Classical Revival details – pretty sharp! Karbach sold…
You're driving past the resting place for hundreds of individuals who had nowhere else to go. Established in 1882, this cemetery served the Austin State Hospital. It became the final home for many patients and inmates…
An artesian spring flows up through a vertical cave in Wimberley so clear and so deep that from the surface you can see straight down a hundred feet into the…
Lake Travis High School (Austin, TX): Most recent: 41-13 over Conroe The Woodlands · 2016 6A Division 1 final.
Baker Mayfield quarterbacked the Lake Travis Cavaliers to the final title in the greatest run in Texas high school football history. As a junior in 2011 he threw for three thousand seven hundred eighty-eight yards and…
Lake Travis (Austin) put 2 players on the statewide leaderboards of the 2026 Texas high school baseball playoffs. Cooper Webb had the 6th-fewest hits allowed per inning in the state, and 41 strikeouts (10th in the…
You're driving past Humphreys Cemetery, a resting place for some of Caldwell County's earliest settlers. The Jennings and Humphreys families arrived in the 1850s, establishing this burial ground on land Joseph Humphreys…
You're driving past the site of Dr. D. Port Smythe's practice in Lockhart. Born in 1824, this pioneer physician trained at the University of Pennsylvania. During the Civil War, he served as a surgeon for the Texas…
You're driving past the Czichos House, a pioneer home built by hand from cedar logs, chinked with clay. It was constructed in Comal County around 1850. But this house became home to Dr. Adolph Schlameus and his large…
You're driving past Austin Memorial Park Cemetery, a place that started as a private venture in 1927 to serve a growing Austin. The first person laid to rest here was M.A. Hanna in 1928. Just over a decade later, in…
A full-service Sinclair gas station at 5517 Cameron Road circa 1955. White-wall tires and credit card signs — Austin before the interstates.
You're driving through Austin, and right here is a marker for Annie Webb Blanton. Born in 1870, she started teaching in 1887 and eventually earned her doctorate. Blanton made history in 1916 as the first woman president…
You're driving past Jacobs Well Cemetery, a resting place that's been here since 1883. It served the Jacob's Well community, named for a nearby natural spring. Many of the first settlers here came all the way from South…
In August 1833, surveyor Josiah Wilbarger and four companions were ambushed by Comanches near Pecan Spring, east of what is now Austin. Two men were killed instantly. Wilbarger took arrows in both legs and a rifle ball…
You're cruising past the Mebane House, a place that grew a world-famous crop right here in Central Texas. Alexander Duff Mebane built this home in 1918, but he was more than just a farmer. He developed a special kind of…
Lake Travis High School (3324 Ranch Road 620 S., Austin, TX), home of the Cavaliers, is where Austin-born Baker Mayfield won. He led Lake Travis to a 25-2 record over two seasons and the 2011 Texas state championship.…
Upscale Hill Country dining at the Camp Lucy resort, 3509 Creek Road. Said to serve the best breakfast in the Hill Country — open to the public, not just…
You're driving past the Houston Family Cemetery, established around 1835. It's recognized as a Historic Texas Cemetery.
You're driving past the site of San Marcos' third oldest congregation, the First Baptist Church. Organized way back on October 25th, 1857, by Reverend Milton Caperton, this church was a real pioneer in church-related…
You're driving through what is now Garfield, Texas, but back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1862</say-as>, this area was the staging ground for a brand new Confederate regiment: the Twenty-seventh Texas…
You're driving through Garfield, Texas, just southeast of Austin. This community sprang up around 1880, likely named for President James A. Garfield, who was in office when its post office opened in 1881. By 1902, the…
You're driving past the site of Austin's First Cumberland Presbyterian Church. It all started back in 1853 when Reverend E.B. Crisman officially organized the congregation. They met in a simple frame building until…
You're driving past the site of the Davis Cemetery, a final resting place for pioneers who shaped this part of Texas. George W. Davis and his wife Eiline arrived here in 1835, just in time for George to serve in Captain…
You're driving past the site of a quarry that helped build Texas. The limestone pulled from here, right near Austin, was hauled by oxen all the way to Congress Avenue. Why? To construct the original Texas Capitol…
You're driving past Pitts Cemetery, a final resting place for a family whose journey started at sea. John Drayton Pitts was born on a ship in 1798, sailing from England. He eventually settled here in Texas, bringing…
You're driving past the Hector Family Cemetery, a quiet resting place with a story of love and loss. Astyanax Troy Hector, born in 1823, came to Texas with his family and became a farmer, hatmaker, and surveyor. He…
You're driving past the site of Saint John Colony, a community built by freedmen and their families in the early 1870s. Led by Rev. John Henry Winn, fourteen families pooled their resources to buy two thousand acres,…
You're driving along a razor-thin limestone ridge that drops away on both sides into deep Hill Country valleys. Devil's Backbone is one of the most dramatic drives in central Texas, a winding stretch of Ranch Road 32…
You're driving through Bastrop County, and right here is where the legendary Buck Steiner was born. He ran away from home at twelve, lying about his age to join Wild West Shows. Buck became famous for riding bulls…
You're driving through the Texas Hill Country, maybe near Fredericksburg or Blanco. Keep an eye out for the tiny community of Luckenbach. It's famous today thanks to John Russell "Hondo" Crouch. He bought this place in…
You're driving through Cedar Creek, Texas, the birthplace of Alfred "Snuff" Johnson. Born in 1913, Johnson was one of the last performers of the original Texas country blues style. His music spanned seven decades,…
You're driving through Bastrop County, near Cedar Creek, and right here is McKinney Roughs Nature Park. This land, about two thousand years ago, was a campsite for prehistoric hunter-gatherers. Archaeologists unearthed…
You're driving through Bastrop County, near the community of Cedar Creek. This area was first settled way back in 1832. By 1842, the community was already a hub for social life, with Methodist meetings held in homes.…
You're driving past Redwood Cemetery, a final resting place established by German settlers in 1895. They bought two acres near Cottonwood Creek for their graveyard. The earliest marked grave here belongs to Lizzie…