Everything Nacogdoches is known for
Nacogdoches, known as "The Oldest Town in Texas," has a notable connection to music. The city is a Certified Music Friendly Texas Community, a designation from the Texas Music Office. Many artists have ties to Nacogdoches, including country artist Kasey Lansdale and jazz musicians Ernie Fields and Viviane Greene. The city is also mentioned in songs like "Buenas Noches From Nacogdoches" by Rich Mullins and "What I Like About Texas" by Gary P. Nunn.
Nacogdoches continues to foster its musical identity with various live music events and venues. Willie Nelson even recorded an album, *Nacogdoches*, in the city's Encore Studios.
Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Nacogdoches.
This East Texas city has been home to a remarkable array of influential figures. Sam Houston, a pivotal leader who served as president of the Republic of Texas, once called this place home. The city also boasts a Medal of Honor recipient, Oscar P. Austin, recognized for extraordinary heroism. In the realm of politics, Albert Thomas and Lera Millard Thomas both served as U.S. Representatives, contributing to national policy.
Nacogdoches calls itself the oldest town in Texas, formally established in seventeen seventy-nine — more than fifty years before the Texas Revolution. While the rest of Texas flew six flags, Nacogdoches flew nine. It declared independence from Mexico not once, not twice, but three separate times. In eighteen twelve, the Gutierrez-Magee Republic declared Texas free and was crushed by Spanish forces. In eighteen nineteen, James Long's Republic of Texas tried again and failed. In eighteen twenty-six, the Fredonian Rebellion declared the Republic of Fredonia out of Nacogdoches and collapsed within weeks. Three attempts, three failures. Then in eighteen thirty-five the rest of Texas finally caught up, and on the fourth try it worked. Nacogdoches also claims the first operational oil well in Texas: Lyne Taliaferro Barret leased the ground in eighteen fifty-nine and finally brought the well in in eighteen sixty-six — thirty-five years before Spindletop made anyone pay attention.
When Davy Crockett came into Texas in January of 1836, he passed through Nacogdoches, the oldest town in Texas, and here he did something that tells you exactly who he was. To join the cause, volunteers had to swear an oath of allegiance to the provisional government. The oath bound a man to support any future government Texas might form. Crockett stopped and refused to sign. He had the clerk add one word, republican, before the word government, so that he could never be forced to defend a tyranny. Only then, with that single word written in, did he take the oath, before Judge John Forbes. Then he climbed back on his horse and rode southwest toward a mission in San Antonio called the Alamo. (Sources: Texas Revolution records; standard Crockett biographies.)
(November 3, 1793 - December 37, 1836) Republics often point to one person whose vision and leadership led to their creation. For the Republic of Texas (1836-1845) that person is Stephen Fuller Austin. Austin, the son of Moses and Maria Brown Austin, was born on the Virginia frontier. He attended schools in Kentucky and Connecticut before opting to work in his father's mercantile business in Missouri. He served as a judge in Arkansas prior to moving to New Orleans where he worked at a newspaper and studied law. In 1821 Moses Austin was granted permission by Spain to settle 300 families in Texas. His untimely death while in Louisiana recruiting settlers left the completion of his ambitious project to his son Stephen. Although a series of Mexican leaders subsequently rejected his father's original grant, Austin persevered and successfully lobbied for the grant's continuance. He astutely governed every facet of the original 300 families' settlement in southeast Texas (1821-1825) and those of another 900 families in the area by 1832. Austin was imprisoned in Mexico after requesting separate statehood for Texas in 1833. He returned to Texas in 1835 and helped it gain independence from Mexico. Austin, chosen as the new Republic's first secretary of state, is known as the father of Texas. Stephen F. Austin Bicentennial 1793 - 1993
On February 1, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry over East Texas, killing all seven crew members. Nacogdoches became the center of the debris field and recovery operation.
Angelina (Angelica) was a woman of the Hasinai Caddo (Tejas) nation who grew up in Monclova, Coahuila and at the Spanish Presidio San Juan Bautista south of the Rio Grande. According to European accounts, she was baptized a Catholic and learned to speak fluent Castilian Spanish. The earliest written account of Angelina came from the memoirs of the Frenchman Andre Penicaut who claimed to have met her in 1712 en route to the Presidio San Juan Bautista while accompanying French trader Louis Juchereau de St. Denis. Describing her as a "learned Indian woman," Father Isidro Felix de Espinosa mentioned her translation and diplomatic efforts when the 1716 Ramon-Espinosa expedition entered the kingdom of the Tejas west of the Neches River. Domingo Ramon noted at the time her key role at the dedication of East Texas missions. Clearly pleased to see her during his East Texas relief tour, Gov. Martin de Alarcon in 1718 persuaded the sagacious Angelina to live in the village surrounding Mission Concepcion. In 1721, Angelina acted as the interpreter for a meeting between the Hainai Caddi, the recognized leader of all the Tejas (Hasinai) nations, and the Spanish governor of Texas, Marquis de San Miguel de Aguayo. This exchange solidified Caddo and Spanish cooperation against the French. Angelina was more than an interpreter; she was a diplomatic bridge between disparate worlds who facilitated mutual understanding. Her legacy lives on in the landscape of East Texas where the region honors her memory with the Angelina River, the Angelina National Forest and only county named for a woman. (2015)
Anthony Wolf, Alamo defender, was born on February 17, 1782, in Arkansas Post on the banks of the Arkansas River in Spanish Louisiana. His parents were "the German Michael Wolf" and Mary Elizabeth (Roland) Wolf. Contrary to some historical accounts, Wolf was neither Jewish nor was he born in England. In Arkansas Post, Wolf grew up in a multi-cultural community (which included future Texas pioneer leaders and brothers, John Marie and Joseph Durst ) where citizens spoke several languages, including American Indian dialects. Following the Louisiana Purchase, Wolf served as lieutenant in the first U.S. Army infantry company of the "District of Arkansaw." About 1805 he married Christine Bringle, with whom he had a son, Michael. About 1814 Christine died. Thereafter, their son was apparently raised by the Bringle family. By 1818 Wolf had been transferred to Natchitoches, Louisiana, where he was employed as an American Indian scout and interpreter. On about September 15 of that year he was sent as an emissary to the Wichita Indians on the Brazos River. Around 1820 Wolf married Mary V. Durst (sister of John Marie and Joseph Durst). This union may have produced two sons. By 1822 Wolf had moved to Nacogdoches, Texas, where he lived at the home of alcalde James Dill and his wife Helena. James Dill had previously lived in Arkansas Post, where he knew Wolf as a child. In October 1822 Dill prepared a letter of introduction to Governor José Félix Trespalacios , in which he described Wolf as "a just and honest sittozen [citizen]." From Béxar Trespalacios sent Wolf as an interpreter with José Antonio Mexía and a delegation of Cherokee leaders (including Chief Richard Fields ) to Mexico City where the Cherokees made a request for a permanent land title. By 1824 Wolf served as constable of Nacogdoches. In messages written in Spanish by alcalde Juan Seguín , he addressed Wolf as "Antonio Callote" (pronounced "coyote"). Around this same time, Wolf and his wife Mary divorced. In 1825 she married Theophile Tauzin. Prior to the Texas Revolution , Wolf went through a long illness and convalesced at the home of John W. Hall at Washington-on-the-Brazos, where Wolf had applied for a land grant and planned on resettling. Following his recovery, Wolf went to Béxar, where he may have participated in the siege of Béxar . Afterwards, he served in the Alamo garrison as a member of Capt. William R. Carey 's artillery company. He died in the battle of the Alamo on March 6, 1836. Susanna Wilkerson Dickinson , an Alamo survivor, later stated that a defender named "Wolff" asked the Mexicans for clemency but was killed. She further claimed that his two young sons (aged eleven and twelve) were killed in a room with Alamo survivors, their bodies removed on bayonets. Wolf may have been the oldest Alamo defender, while his sons may have been the youngest non-combatants who were killed at the Alamo. In 1841 Mary V. (Durst) Tauzin filed for one league and labor of land and claimed that she was Wolf's widow. She was denied the claim, and David S. Kaufman was named the administrator of Wolf's estate. The son from Wolf's first marriage, Michael Wolf, who by 1836 was married and still living in Arkansas, apparently never filed a claim for his father's land bounties.
Nacogdoches, founded around a 1716 Spanish mission on the Camino Real de los Tejas, considered the oldest town in Texas. The Old Stone Fort (Casa Piedra) served as the trading post and customs house.
In 1836 Sam Houston sat down with Cherokee Chief Bowles right here in Nacogdoches and signed a treaty promising the tribe a permanent homeland in East Texas.…
On August 2 1832 a group of East Texas settlers had finally had enough of Mexican military rule. They grabbed their hunting shotguns and squirrel rifles and…
In the winter of 1826 an empresario named Haden Edwards got into a land dispute with the Mexican government and decided the reasonable response was revolution.…
Everyone knows the story of Spindletop — the 1901 gusher near Beaumont that launched the Texas oil boom. But thirty-five years before that famous blowout a man…
Built in 1779 as a simple trading post the Old Stone Fort in Nacogdoches became the most politically fought-over building in Texas. It served as rebel…
Adolphus Sterne ran a respectable mercantile shop in Nacogdoches but behind the bolts of cloth and barrels of flour he was running one of the Texas Revolutions…
Long before Austin or San Antonio were anything more than frontier outposts the Caddo people had been living on the red hills of East Texas for nearly a…
Late at night in Turner Auditorium at Stephen F. Austin State University the theater students say you are never truly alone. They call him Chester and he has…
Featured on The Daytripper — a full-episode local travel guide.
8 alumni who reached major-college or pro sports
Nacogdoches High School has a proud tradition of producing athletes who have gone on to compete at the highest levels of professional sports. Among the notable alumni are several who made their mark in Major League Baseball, including former pitcher Bucky Brandon and former starting pitcher Delvin James. The school also saw former professional basketball player Damion James reach the NBA.
The gridiron has also been well-represented by former Dragons. Kynan Forney and Mark Moore both played in the National Football League, with Moore also playing in the World League of American Football and the Canadian Football League. Nash Jones is an NFL guard for the Denver Broncos, and Greg Roberts was an American football guard. Additionally, Clint Dempsey was a professional soccer player for MLS, EPL, and the United States men's national soccer team.
Clint Dempsey was a professional soccer player for MLS, EPL, and the United States men's national soccer team.
Most recent: 2017 3A
In the piney woods of East Texas, Central Heights High School in Nacogdoches stands as a testament to baseball excellence. Competing in UIL Class 3A, the Blue Devils have established a strong tradition on the diamond. Their dedicated program has cultivated a competitive spirit among its athletes, reflecting the community's passion for high school sports.
The pinnacle of their achievements came in 2017 when Central Heights High School secured the Class 3A State Championship. This significant accomplishment highlights the quality of baseball played in this corner of Texas, bringing pride to the Central Heights community and cementing their place among the state's top programs.
The 2017 Class 3A State Championship marked a high point for Central Heights High School baseball.
344 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.
This East Texas city has been home to a remarkable array of influential figures. Sam Houston, a pivotal leader who served as president of the Republic of Texas, once called this place home. The city also boasts a Medal…
Nacogdoches calls itself the oldest town in Texas, formally established in seventeen seventy-nine — more than fifty years before the Texas Revolution. While the rest of Texas flew six flags, Nacogdoches flew nine. It…
On February 1, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry over East Texas, killing all seven crew members. Nacogdoches became the center of the debris field and recovery operation.
When Davy Crockett came into Texas in January of 1836, he passed through Nacogdoches, the oldest town in Texas, and here he did something that tells you exactly who he was. To join the cause, volunteers had to swear an…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, a place that's seen more flags fly than most. Beyond the usual Spanish, French, Mexican, Texan, and Confederate banners, this region was once home to the emerald flag of the…
This is the oldest town in Texas, and it was someone else's land first. The Nacogdoche people, a band of the Caddo Confederacy, had a settlement on this site for centuries before the Spanish arrived. The Caddo were…
You're driving past the Old Spanish Cemetery in Nacogdoches, used from 1800 to 1895. It's the final resting place of Antonio Gil y Barbo, founder of this frontier town. In 1783, he even published Nacogdoches' first…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, where William Clark Jr. settled in 1840. He was a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and served in the Republic of Texas Congress. On this very site, he built his home in…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, near where Thomas F. McKinney, a key figure in early Texas commerce, had his mercantile establishment. He was the builder of the very first wharf at Galveston, and served as a…
Most Texans know the six flags that flew over their state but Nacogdoches raises that number to nine. Beyond the familiar six this town also flew the banner of…
Late at night in Turner Auditorium at Stephen F. Austin State University the theater students say you are never truly alone. They call him Chester and he has…
You're driving past the Nacogdoches Federal Building, a classic example of early 20th-century government architecture. Designed by James A. Wetmore, this brick structure was built in 1917 and served as the city's main…
You're driving through the area where Appleby used to be a bustling East Texas community. It started in 1840 with a pioneer named Herran and his tar kiln, but really grew when the Houston East and West Texas Railway…
You're driving past The Sparks House. The typical East Texas pioneer home stands on the Pedro Esparza Grant, affirmed by Spain about 1810. It was the residence of Dr. John Marion Sparks (1831-1909), whose family came to…
You're driving past Rock Springs Cemetery, a burial ground established on land officially deeded for cemetery use in 1853. It served the historic Cumberland Presbyterian Church until 1940 and is still in use today,…
Angelina (Angelica) was a woman of the Hasinai Caddo (Tejas) nation who grew up in Monclova, Coahuila and at the Spanish Presidio San Juan Bautista south of the Rio Grande. According to European accounts, she was…
On August 2 1832 a group of East Texas settlers had finally had enough of Mexican military rule. They grabbed their hunting shotguns and squirrel rifles and…
In 1836 Sam Houston sat down with Cherokee Chief Bowles right here in Nacogdoches and signed a treaty promising the tribe a permanent homeland in East Texas.…
You're driving past the site of a pivotal piece of Texas history! In <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1839</say-as>, General Sam Houston, the hero of San Jacinto and the first elected President of the Republic of…
You're driving past the Durst-Taylor House in Nacogdoches, a home that's seen some serious Texas history! This property was owned by Andres de Acosta as early as 1809. Joseph Durst, who was Nacogdoches Alcalde, bought…
You're driving through East Texas, a land where Spanish Franciscans once tried to plant the seeds of faith and empire. Back in 1690, Father Damian Massanet and Captain Alonso de Leon led the first Spanish mission into…
You're driving through East Texas, the very land that Governor Marquis de San Miguel de Aguayo fought to keep Spanish. Back in 1719, with war brewing between Spain and France, Aguayo was appointed governor and tasked…
You're driving through East Texas, near Nacogdoches, where Captain Domingo Ramon led Spain's second attempt to permanently settle this province in 1715. His mission? To establish a presidio and four missions, and…
You're driving past the site of John S. Roberts' home, a key figure in Texas independence. He came to Texas in 1826 and was a leader in the Battle of Nacogdoches. Roberts even signed the Texas Declaration of…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, right where the modern city began. Look for the marker commemorating the home of Antonio Gil y Barbo. He was a Spanish frontiersman who, in 1779, founded this settlement and led the…
You're driving past the site of Goyens' Hill, where William "Bill" Goyens lived out his remarkable life. Born enslaved in South Carolina in 1794, he escaped to Texas in 1821. He aided the Army of Texas in 1836 and…
Built in 1779 as a simple trading post the Old Stone Fort in Nacogdoches became the most politically fought-over building in Texas. It served as rebel…
Adolphus Sterne ran a respectable mercantile shop in Nacogdoches but behind the bolts of cloth and barrels of flour he was running one of the Texas Revolutions…
Everyone knows the story of Spindletop — the 1901 gusher near Beaumont that launched the Texas oil boom. But thirty-five years before that famous blowout a man…
You're driving past the site of a pivotal moment in Texas history, thanks to Governor Martin de Alarcon. Back in 1716, Alarcon was tasked with securing the frontier, but got sidetracked investigating a French smuggler…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, the site of a key clash in 1832. Settlers, forming the 'National Militia,' resisted Mexican orders to surrender firearms. After fighting broke out on the square, the militia took the…
You're driving past the home of Milam Lodge #2, the oldest Masonic Lodge in Texas still operating in its original location. Chartered in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1837</say-as>, it honored revolutionary…
You're driving along what's known by many names: the King's Highway, the Camino Real, or the Old San Antonio Road. This route was marked back in 1918 by the Daughters of the American Revolution and the State of Texas.…
You're driving past Nacogdoches, the very first place Sam Houston called home in Texas. He arrived in February of 1833, after leaving his life as a governor and congressman in Washington D.C. He boarded with the Sterne…
You're driving past Nacogdoches, a major hub for Confederate stagecoach lines during the Civil War. From this historic King's Highway site, passengers boarded coaches heading to places like Waco, a four-day journey.…
You're driving past On This Site Stood for a Century an Old Stone House. On this site stood for a century an old stone house thought to have been built in 1779 by Antonio Gil YBarbo. Sold by him as community property in…
You're driving past The Daily Sentinel. The first newspapers in Texas, beginning in 1813, all had direct links to Nacogdoches. The leading family in the newspaper business was that of Col. R.D. Orton and his nephews,…
You're driving past the Charles Hoya Land Office, built in 1897. Designed by Houston architect Frank E. Rue, this was the first fireproof building in Nacogdoches, serving as a model for others. The business continued…
You're cruising through Nacogdoches, and right here is the Ingraham Building. Built in 1897 by George Francis Ingraham, a New York native who became a local attorney and politician, this structure originally housed his…
You're driving past the site of the First United Methodist Church of Nacogdoches. Tradition says Methodists preached here even before Texas independence. Missionary Littleton Fowler officially founded this congregation…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, the site of the original Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Established as a parish in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1847</say-as>, this church served a vast area stretching from…
You're driving past Nacogdoches, where folks here helped outfit a volunteer force for the Texas War for Independence. These weren't locals, though; they were the New Orleans' Greys! In November of <say-as…
You're driving past the route of La Calle Real del Norte, the North Royal Road. This wasn't just any dirt path; it was a vital 18th-century artery connecting the Nacogdoche and Nasoni Indian villages right here in East…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and right here stood the Old Red House. This wasn't just any building; it was the headquarters for Colonel Jose de las Piedras, the commander of the Mexican garrison right here in…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and right here is the site of "Old Soledad." Long before Texas was even a republic, this was the bustling headquarters for William Barr and Samuel Davenport. These weren't just any…
You're driving past the heart of historic Nacogdoches, a town shaped by the architectural vision of Diedrich Rulfs. Born in Germany in 1848, Rulfs brought Northern European styles to East Texas, designing many of the…
You're driving past the Roland Jones house in Nacogdoches, a late Victorian residence built back in 1896 and 1897. It was designed by architect D. A. G. Rulfs for the Matthews family, who were railroad executives, and…
You're driving past the First Baptist Church of Nacogdoches. The Baptist General Association of Texas sent Luther Rice Scruggs here in 1884 to start Baptist work, organizing the church with 13 members in 1885. The…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and right here is the site of the home of Charles S. Taylor. Born in London, England, in 1808, Taylor came to Texas and became a citizen of Nacogdoches in 1830. He played a crucial…
Pull over, history buffs! You're about to visit a house where Texas history practically drips from the walls. This unassuming home played host to some of the most famous figures in Texas independence, including a future…
You're driving past Oak Grove Cemetery, a final resting place for some of the biggest names in Texas history. Originally called "American Cemetery," this ground dates back to 1826, but the earliest marked grave here is…
You're driving past the site of Nacogdoches University, a beacon of higher learning chartered by the Republic of Texas way back in 1845. It started in temporary downtown buildings before this grand structure opened its…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and right here is the former home of Adolphus Sterne. Born in Germany in 1801, Sterne became a key figure in early Texas. He served as Alcalde under the Mexican government and later…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and right here is Washington Square, the unlikely birthplace of a Texas college. In 1923, the new Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College wasn't ready for students. So, President…
You're driving past the resting place of Kelsey Harris Douglass, a key figure in early Texas history. He was a member of the Second Congress of the Republic and, most notably, commanded Texas forces in a crucial battle…
You're driving past Dill, James. Born in Pennsylvania in 1770. Pioneer Indian trader. Recognized by the King of Spain as a public- spirited citizen. First alcalde of Nacogdoches under the Mexican government in 1821…
You're driving past the Lindsey House in Nacogdoches, a grand Victorian residence built in 1901. This hilltop home was built by Robert and Emily Lindsey, successful dry goods merchants who were also big supporters of…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and right here is the site of Old Nacogdoches University. Chartered by the Republic of Texas way back in 1845, this school was built to bring higher education to the settlers. The…
You're driving past the site of Nacogdoches University, a pioneering co-educational institution that opened its doors in September of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1845</say-as>. It was incorporated by an…
A pioneer co-educational institution incorporated by an independent board February 3, 1845. Granted four leagues of land for its support. Opened September, 1845. Eventually absorbed by the public school system. Marcus…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and right here is a marker for General Thomas J. Rusk. Born in South Carolina in 1808, Rusk became a true hero of Texas liberty, fighting bravely at the Battle of San Jacinto. He…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and right here is the site of Mission Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. Founded way back in 1716 by Father Antonio Margil de Jesus, this Spanish outpost was built to civilize and…
You're driving past the final resting place of Charles Standfield Taylor, a true Texas patriot who arrived from London in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1808</say-as>. Taylor was the Land Commissioner of Texas…
You're driving past the final resting place of Elias E. Hamilton, a young man who saw some of the most pivotal moments of the Texas Revolution. Born in Georgia in 1816, Hamilton came to Texas and fought bravely in the…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and just ahead is the final resting place of John S. Roberts, a true Texian hero. Before Texas even declared independence, Roberts was in the thick of it. He led the Nacogdoches…
You're driving past the final resting place of William Clark, Jr., a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Born in Virginia in 1798, Clark came to Texas and put his name to that pivotal document. He lived a…
You're driving past the site of a real Texas firebrand, Haden Edwards. He led the Fredonian Rebellion right here in Nacogdoches back in 1826 and '27. Later, he headed back to the United States to raise funds for the…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and you might not realize it, but you're passing right by a piece of history that predates even the oldest buildings in town. Mound Street got its name in the 1700s because it was…
You're driving past Zion Hill First Baptist, a testament to African American resilience and faith in Nacogdoches. Organized in 1879 by the Rev. Lawson Reed, the congregation first worshipped under a simple brush arbor.…
You're driving past the site of Captain Hayden Arnold's final resting place. A native of Tennessee, Arnold was born in 1805 and came to Texas to fight for its independence. He commanded the Nacogdoches Company during…
You're driving past the resting place of Thomas Young Buford, a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto. Born in South Carolina in 1814, Buford came to Texas and fought for its independence. Though he survived the pivotal…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, home of Adolphus Sterne. Arriving in Texas in 1826, this German-Jewish immigrant became a merchant and one of the first Scottish Rite Masons in the state. Sterne aided Texas…
You're driving past the Nacogdoches home of Dr. Robert Anderson Irion, a pivotal figure in the Republic of Texas. Born in Tennessee, he came to Texas and served as a Senator in the First Congress of the Republic from…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, passing the site where Juan Antonio Padilla once lived. He was a key figure in early Texas, serving as Land Commissioner in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1829</say-as> and…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and Westminster Presbyterian Church has a history stretching back to 1893. Originally Main Street Presbyterian, it built this sanctuary and manse in 1930 and became Westminster. The…
Anthony Wolf, Alamo defender, was born on February 17, 1782, in Arkansas Post on the banks of the Arkansas River in Spanish Louisiana. His parents were "the German Michael Wolf" and Mary Elizabeth (Roland) Wolf.…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, a town with roots stretching back to the early 1700s. It all started when the French governor sent Louis Juchereau de St. Denis to trade with the local Caddo Indians. He marked a…
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Nacogdoches, where Thomas Jefferson Rusk landed by accident, but stayed to become a giant of Texas history. He came here in 1835 chasing swindlers who stole his mining…
You're driving through East Texas now, a land that saw fortunes made and lost. Right here, in Nacogdoches, Peter Samuel Davenport built an empire. In 1798, his firm, House of Barr and Davenport, secured a monopoly on…
You're driving through East Texas, and right here, you might be passing near the route of John Marie Durst, the Paul Revere of the Texas Revolution. In 1835, Durst was in the Mexican state legislature when he learned…
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Nacogdoches, and right here is where a bold, if short-lived, rebellion kicked off. It's December 1826, and Benjamin Edwards, taking charge of his brother's colony, felt…
You're driving through East Texas, near Nacogdoches, where Haden Edwards, a wealthy land speculator, tried to carve out a new empire. He was granted land in 1825 to bring 800 families to Texas. But there was a problem:…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and right here, you're passing through the stomping grounds of William Goyens. Born free in North Carolina in 1794, Goyens arrived in Texas in 1820 and became a successful blacksmith…
You're driving through Texas, but back in 1812, this land was the target of a filibustering expedition. The Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition, a group of adventurers and Mexican rebels, marched into Spanish Texas with dreams…
You're driving through East Texas, and right here, in what is now Marion County, lived Robert Potter. He was a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and a leader in the Republic of Texas. But Potter had a wild…
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Nacogdoches, where John H. Reagan got his start. Born in Tennessee in 1818, Reagan came to Texas seeking opportunity, and he found it, first as a deputy surveyor and…
You're driving through what's now Hamilton County, but back in 1833, this was the edge of the Texas frontier. James W. Robinson arrived here with a letter to Stephen F. Austin, settling in Nacogdoches. He quickly became…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and right here is where a man known as Richard Parmalee began a new life. But before he arrived in Texas in 1836, he was Richard P. Robinson in New York City, embroiled in one of the…
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Nacogdoches, and you might be passing the resting place of a French soldier of fortune named Louis Rose. Rose fought for Napoleon in Europe, but ended up in Texas by the…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, the site of a dramatic moment during the Texas Revolution. In 1835, Mary Frances 'Polly' Cleveland Rusk moved here with her husband, Thomas J. Rusk, fleeing Georgia after he pursued…
You're driving through what is now Smith County, Texas, but back in the 1840s, this area was a frontier. You're passing through land once owned by General James Smith, a veteran of the War of 1812 and a key figure in…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and right here is where Adolphus Sterne, a man who came to Texas seeking fortune, found himself in a fight for his life. Born in Germany, he fled military conscription and landed in…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, a town that played a key role in Texas history, and right here is where Charles Stanfield Taylor made his mark. Born in England in 1808, Taylor arrived in New York in 1828, eventually…
You're driving through East Texas, and right here, you're passing through the territory that was once Trammel's Trace. This rough road was carved out by Nicholas Trammell, a frontiersman whose life was as wild as the…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and right here, you're passing through the hometown of Madison G. Whitaker. He fought in the Battle of San Jacinto, that pivotal moment in Texas history. You can even see him in…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, home of a woman who turned women's college basketball into a national powerhouse. Sue Gunter arrived at Stephen F. Austin State College in 1964, when women's sports were often…
Andrew Jackson (John) Spradley, lawman and political figure, son of Patrick Henry and Dicey (Williamson) Spradley, was born near Westville, Mississippi, on March 8, 1853. His father was an illiterate, although…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, the oldest town in Texas, and right here is where Hayden S. Arnold made his mark. He arrived in late 1835, just in time to join the fight for Texas independence. By March of 1836, he…
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Nacogdoches, and right here is a place that saw action from Isaac Watts Burton. He arrived in Texas in 1832, fighting in the Battle of Nacogdoches. Later, he served as a…
You're driving through East Texas, near Nacogdoches, where in the summer of 1838, a plot threatened the young Republic of Texas. It was called the Córdova Rebellion. What started as a local dispute over stolen horses…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, a place that saw some real frontier drama thanks to early settlers like James Dill. Born in Pennsylvania in 1766, Dill eventually landed here in East Texas around 1799. He became a…
You're driving through South Texas, maybe near Kenedy County, and right here James H. Durst made one of the earliest large land purchases in the Nueces Strip. He bought fourteen leagues of the La Barreta grant in 1852,…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, a town that was once a hotbed of revolutionary activity. Right here, John Forbes, an Irish immigrant, found himself thrust into the heart of Texas independence. Arriving in 1835, he…
You're driving through East Texas, maybe not far from Nacogdoches, where you'd find Robert Kemp Goodloe. He was a doctor from Virginia, but he headed to Texas in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1836</say-as>,…
You're driving through East Texas, and right here in Nacogdoches, you're passing through a place that played a key role in the early days of Freemasonry in the Lone Star State. John Henry Holland, a prominent lawyer and…
You're driving through East Texas, the land that Antonio Gil Ybarbo fought to resettle. In the late 1700s, Spanish authorities ordered settlers out of East Texas, but Ybarbo, a leader among them, wouldn't give up. He…
You're driving through East Texas, and right here is the area where David Spangler Kaufman made his mark. A lawyer by trade, he also fought on the frontier, even being wounded in the 1839 encounter that claimed the life…
You're driving through East Texas, and right here in Nacogdoches, a rockabilly legend got his start. Bob Luman was born here in 1937, picking up his first guitar at age thirteen. After seeing Elvis Presley in 1955,…
You're driving through what was once the heart of the Republic of Texas, and right here, James Shannon Mayfield was a key player. Arriving in Nacogdoches County in 1837, he served as a lawyer and legislator, even acting…
You're driving through East Texas, and right here near Nacogdoches, you're passing through a place with deep roots. In 1716, Spanish explorers established the very first settlement in this area. This wasn't just any…
You're driving through Nacogdoches County, a place with deep roots. Back in 1716, Spanish explorer Domingo Ramón arrived here, finding Caddo Indian villages. He established three missions, including Nuestra Señora de…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and right here, you're passing through the territory where Sister Josephine spent the last twenty years of her life. Born Renée Ernestine Françoise Potard in France in 1822, she came…
You're driving through East Texas, likely near Nacogdoches. Right here, you're passing through the territory that was home to Henry Wynkoop Raguet. He wasn't just a local merchant, he was a Confederate officer who saw…
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near the Milam community in Sabine County. Back in 1826, this was the wild frontier. Harriet Fenley Roberts, a woman of considerable means, found herself in a dangerous…
You're driving through what was once the Texas frontier, a land of constant negotiation between settlers and Native American tribes. Right here, back in the mid-1800s, Luis Sánchez was a key player. Born around 1804,…
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Nacogdoches, and you might be passing by the old stomping grounds of Jacob Snively. In 1843, Snively, a Republic of Texas officer, got permission to lead a partisan command.…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, where Franklin Jefferson Starr met his end. Starr, a law partner of William B. Travis, came to Texas in 1835. He took his Mexican citizenship oath and formed a law practice with…
You're driving through Montgomery County, and right here is where John Marshall Wade landed in Texas, arriving in Nacogdoches in October of 1835. He joined up to fight for Texas independence, but got sick and ended up…
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Nacogdoches, and you might be passing the final resting place of Jesse Walling. He fought in the Battle of San Jacinto, the decisive fight for Texas independence,…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, the oldest town in Texas, and right here, William Whitaker was a key player in its early days. He arrived around 1833 and quickly became involved in the local Committee of Vigilance…
You're driving through East Texas, passing through Nacogdoches, a town that played a crucial role in the Texas Revolution. In 1835, Richard Sparks, a recent arrival from Mississippi, found himself at the heart of the…
You're driving through East Texas, a region that saw some of the earliest action in the Texas Revolution. Stephen Franklin Sparks arrived here with his family in 1834, just a year before the fight for independence. He…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, where William Sparks settled after a long life of service. Born in North Carolina in 1761, he fought in the American Revolution at just seventeen, serving as a mounted rifleman. His…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and right here is where Willie Lee Dorothy Campbell Glass made her mark. Born in 1910, she was a trailblazer in home economics and education, even earning a graduate degree from Iowa…
You're driving past the site of Los Ojos de Padre Margil, or 'The Eyes of Father Margil.' Father Antonio Margil, a Spanish missionary who spent nearly 50 years in the Americas, arrived in East Texas in 1716. By 1717, a…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, a town that was home to Bennett Blake, a man who arrived in 1835 with just twenty dollars and a dream. Blake didn't just become a merchant and farmer; he became the unofficial banker…
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Nacogdoches, where William Clark, Jr. lived. He was a lawyer and a legislator. When Governor Sam Houston called for a special session to discuss secession, Clark voted…
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Nacogdoches or Newton County. Imagine this land centuries ago, before paved roads. You're traveling a route once known as the Coushatta-Nacogdoches Trace. This was the…
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Nacogdoches, where Haden H. Edwards made his mark. He wasn't just a soldier in the Texas Revolution, fighting at the Siege of Bexar, but also a businessman, driving…
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Nacogdoches, where Peyton Forbes Edwards earned a colorful nickname. During his time in the Texas Senate, from 1876 to 1879, he was known far and wide as the 'Red Rooster of…
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Nacogdoches, and right here is where William Baxter Pendleton Gaines started his Texas adventure. He arrived in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1835</say-as>, just as…
You're driving through East Texas, and right here, Archibald Hotchkiss was surveying land and acting as an interpreter back in the 1830s. He came to Texas representing land companies, even working for the Galveston Bay…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, a town that was home to Robert Anderson Irion, a physician who also served as the Republic of Texas's Secretary of State. After practicing medicine in Mississippi, Irion moved to…
You're driving through Texas, a land that saw many men build new lives. Allen Carter Jones arrived in Nacogdoches in 1826, a man already on his third marriage and with a passel of kids. But he didn't just settle down;…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, Texas, a town that played a crucial role in Texas's fight for independence. Right here, in November of 1835, David E. Lawhon arrived from Louisiana. He was a printer by trade, and…
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Nacogdoches, where John Thomson Mason found himself in a whirlwind of land deals and revolution. Back in 1830, Mason arrived as an agent for a massive land company, aiming…
You're driving through Texas, and right here, in the early 1830s, a man named Angus McNeill was buying up huge tracts of land. He arrived in Texas in the late summer of 1835, just as the winds of revolution were…
You're driving through Texas, a land where faith took root alongside the earliest settlements. Back in 1716, Spanish explorers planted the seeds of Catholicism here, founding missions and towns like Nacogdoches. But the…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, a town with a history as bumpy as this road! Back in 1825, Samuel Norris was elected alcalde, essentially the town's mayor. But his opponent, Chichester Chaplin, didn't agree.…
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Nacogdoches, and right here is where Moses Lockhart Patton made his mark. He arrived in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1835</say-as>, a merchant who also got caught…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, a town that owes part of its early boom to a man who arrived with nothing but a story. Henry Raguet came to Texas in March of 1833, after a business failure in Ohio. He met Sam…
You're driving near Nacogdoches, and right here is where a Swiss immigrant named Henry Rueg set up shop. He arrived in Texas in 1821, after a failed colony in Louisiana. By 1831, he and his brother opened a general…
You're driving through what is now Coryell County, but back in the late 1830s, this area was a frontier. Henry Madison Smith, a soldier born in South Carolina, found himself fighting for Texas independence. He arrived…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and right here is where James Harper Starr, a physician and a key figure in the Republic of Texas, made his home. He arrived from Georgia in 1837, quickly becoming deeply involved in…
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Nacogdoches, where Henry B. Stout found himself in a bit of trouble back in 1819. Just arriving in Texas, he was caught up in the collapse of the Long Expedition and…
You're driving through East Texas, near Nacogdoches, where Thomas Jefferson Walling arrived in January 1836. He immediately swore allegiance to the Texas government and joined Captain Peck's company in the Texas…
You're driving past Zion Hill Baptist Church Cemetery, a final resting place for Nacogdoches' African American pioneers. Back in 1878, Reverend Lawson Reed arrived to find no Baptist church for the Black community. He…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, the oldest town in Texas, and right here is where Jesse Saul Bledsoe, a man who'd already served as a U.S. Senator in Kentucky, settled in 1835. He was a lawyer, a politician, and…
You're driving through East Texas, the birthplace of Ernie Fields, a jazz legend who started his musical journey right here in Nacogdoches. Born in 1904, Fields initially trained as an electrician before picking up the…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and right here is where a railroad once connected this East Texas hub to the logging camps. The Nacogdoches and Southeastern Railroad was chartered in 1905, built primarily to serve…
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Nacogdoches. Right here, a determined nun named Sister Rosalie Pepin arrived in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1870</say-as>, at the request of a bishop. She took…
Right here in Nacogdoches County, you're passing through territory once represented by John Cleveland Rusk. He was a businessman and planter, but in 1861, he answered the call to serve in the Ninth Texas Legislature.…
You're driving through what was once the wild frontier, and right here in Nacogdoches, Charles H. Sims was a key player in keeping the peace. In the chaotic days leading up to and during the Texas Revolution, Sims…
Nacogdoches, founded around a 1716 Spanish mission on the Camino Real de los Tejas, considered the oldest town in Texas. The Old Stone Fort (Casa Piedra) served as the trading post and customs house.
Long before Austin or San Antonio were anything more than frontier outposts the Caddo people had been living on the red hills of East Texas for nearly a…
You're driving past the Stone Fort Museum in Nacogdoches, a place dedicated to East Texas history. Its story really begins in the late 1700s with the original Old Stone Fort, a key player in the region's turbulent past.…
You're driving past the site of Christ Episcopal Church in Nacogdoches. Founded in 1848 by the missionary Rev. Henry Sansom, this congregation built the first Protestant church in Nacogdoches in 1851. The current…
You may have heard of the 'Six Flags Over Texas,' but here in Nacogdoches, they do things differently. This town claims to have been under nine different flags. It's a testament to the town's turbulent, rebellious…
On the morning of February 1st, 2003, the sky over East Texas filled with smoke trails as the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry. It was a national tragedy, but for Nacogdoches it became a local mission.…
When the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated in 2003, the investigation into the cause began on the ground, and Nacogdoches was where it started. The recovery was a monumental problem in logistics and forensic…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and right here is where Thomas J. Rusk called home. He was a true hero of Texas independence, fighting bravely at the Battle of San Jacinto. After the fighting, Rusk didn't hang up…
Imagine declaring your own country. In 1826, that’s exactly what happened here. A fiery land speculator named Haden Edwards, angry with the Mexican government, gathered about 30 men, rode into Nacogdoches, and declared…
The road you may be driving on right now, State Highway 21, is more than just a Texas highway. It follows the path of one of the most important historical routes in North America: the El Camino Real de los Tejas, or the…
If you pass the Sterne-Hoya House on South Lanana Street, you're looking at the oldest house in Nacogdoches still standing on its original site, and it has a great story inside. Built around 1830, it belonged to…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, and right here is the site of the Old Stone Fort. This wasn't just a house; it was a hub of Texas history. Built by Don Antonio Gil Y'Barbo around 1788, it served as a home, a…
In the winter of 1826 an empresario named Haden Edwards got into a land dispute with the Mexican government and decided the reasonable response was revolution.…
You're driving past the site of early athletic and recreational facilities at Stephen F. Austin State College. President Alton Birdwell knew this campus needed more than just classrooms. In 1923, *before* the college…
You're driving past the Nacogdoches home of Thomas Jefferson Rusk, a giant of Texas history. Born in South Carolina, he became a lawyer, a key figure in the Texas Revolution, fought at San Jacinto, and served as…
You're driving past Dr. Joseph William Kennedy, Jr.. Dr. Joseph William Kennedy, Jr. was born in Nacogdoches on May 30, 1916 and graduated from Nacogdoches High School in 1932 as valedictorian. Kennedy attended Stephen…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, the home of Karle Wilson Baker, a poet and writer who made a national name for herself in the early to mid-20th century. Born in Arkansas in 1878, she moved to Nacogdoches in 1905 and…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, passing the site where Alton W. Birdwell, a true East Texas educator, dedicated his life to learning. Born in 1870, he worked his way through school, molding bricks and hewing ties,…
You're driving past the site of Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College during World War II. When America entered the war, SFA President Alton Birdwell rallied students and staff. Many answered the call to arms, while…
You're driving past the site of Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College, where Paul Lewis Boynton served as president from 1942 to 1958. He kept the college from closing during World War II by bringing in the Women's…
You're driving past the Rusk Building, a cornerstone of Stephen F. Austin State University. Though planned earlier, cost-cutting delayed its construction until 1926. Designed in a classical revival style, it initially…
You're driving past Pioneering Higher Education in East Texas. The absence of an institution of higher learning to train teachers in East Texas became obvious in the early 20th century. "Normal institutes" or ad hoc…
You're driving past The University Tradition in Nacogdoches. The Spanish friars who built the Mission of Our Lady of Nacogdoches passed to the townspeople a sense of scholarship and educational responsibility. Prominent…
You're driving past the site of Wisely Hall, Nacogdoches' first Public Works Administration project. Built between 1935 and 1936, this men's dormitory was a solution to student housing shortages exacerbated by the Great…
(November 3, 1793 - December 37, 1836) Republics often point to one person whose vision and leadership led to their creation. For the Republic of Texas (1836-1845) that person is Stephen Fuller Austin. Austin, the son…
You're driving through Nacogdoches, home to a unique chapter of World War II history. Right here, on the campus of what's now Stephen F. Austin State University, the U.S. Army established Army Administration School No.…
You're driving past the Austin Building, the oldest academic building still in use at Stephen F. Austin State University. Back in 1917, Texas lawmakers wanted to boost public education, and Nacogdoches beat out 27 other…
You're driving past the site of Shay Locomotive No. 2005, a real workhorse of Texas logging. This 36-ton engine, built in 1907, was designed with a unique vertical-piston drive and direct-gear system, patented by…
You're driving through Texas, and right here, you're in the territory where law and order as we know it began to take shape. Back in 1823, in Stephen F. Austin's first colony, a man named Thomas V. Alley was appointed…
Oil Springs is on Farm Road 226 thirteen miles east of Nacogdoches in southeastern Nacogdoches County. Indians used oil seepage in the area for medicinal purposes. As early as 1790 Spanish and Anglo settlers learned the…
You're driving through what was once the Sabine District, a place Andrew Caddell called home. He arrived in Texas in April 1834, a veteran of conflicts in Alabama, and soon found himself fighting for Texas independence.…
You're driving through Nacogdoches County, near the town of Douglass, a place founded by Michael Costley. Costley was a Texas Ranger and soldier, but his life ended abruptly in 1837. He died from a pistol wound…
You're driving through Texas, and right now, the ground beneath your tires might be hiding a fortune. For decades, folks found oil by pure luck, drilling near gas seeps or by accident while searching for water. But in…
Linn Flat, a rural community off State Highway 204 some fourteen miles northwest of Nacogdoches in northern Nacogdoches County, was first settled in the late 1840s. The town is said to have been named for its location…
Pattonia, also known as Patton Landing, was an early riverport on the Angelina River at the mouth of Dorr Creek, near the confluence of the Angelina River and Attoyac Bayou in southeastern Nacogdoches County. The town…
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Nacogdoches, and you might be passing through the tiny community of Nat, the birthplace of William Bartholomew Bates. Born in 1889 or 1890, Bates was one of thirteen…
You're driving through what is now Nacogdoches County, but back in the early 1800s, this was a hotbed of illicit activity. Right here, you're passing near El Camino del Caballo, also known as Contraband Trace or…
You're driving through what was once Mexican Texas, a time when settlers were just finding their footing. John Morgan Little was one of the very first, an 'Old Three Hundred' settler who arrived in April 1822. He was a…
You're driving through Nacogdoches County, where William Asburry Skillern, a farmer and Confederate veteran, became a driving force in the Populist movement. After serving in the Civil War, Skillern returned to farming…
Sacul, at the junction of Farm roads 204 and 1648, twenty-one miles northwest of Nacogdoches in northwestern Nacogdoches County, was founded just after 1900. It began when the Texas and New Orleans Railroad was built…
You're driving through East Texas, and right here is the story of the Caro Northern Railway. Chartered in 1906, this wasn't just any railroad; it started as a logging road, aiming to connect Caro in Nacogdoches County…
You're driving through Nacogdoches County, the heart of East Texas. Right here, Charles Childress Grayson was a man of many trades: farmer, surveyor, and even a Confederate officer. After serving in the Civil War, he…
Etoile is on State Highway 103 and Farm Road 226, between the Angelina and the Attoyac rivers twenty miles south of Nacogdoches and nineteen miles east of Lufkin in southeastern Nacogdoches County. In 1876 the Reverend…
Smyrna, also known as Chinita, Lowery, and River Fork, was a farming community off Farm Road 226 some twenty-six miles southeast of Nacogdoches in extreme southeastern Nacogdoches County. The area was first settled in…
Woden is on Farm Road 226 approximately eleven miles southeast of Nacogdoches in southern Nacogdoches County. The area was settled in the 1830s by immigrants from the Old South. The community was known for a time as…
You're driving through Nacogdoches County, a place that’s seen more history than most states! This land was home to the Nacogdoches Indians way back in the 1600s. Then came the Spanish in 1716, but they kept getting…
You're driving through what was once Hasinai Caddo country — settled villages of grass-and-cane houses, cornfields, and trading networks that ran all the way to the Great Lakes. In 1686 and 1687, La Salle led desperate…
Nacogdoches High School in East Texas is where Clint Dempsey, a Nacogdoches Dragon, earned all-state and district MVP honors. He played at Furman, then became the all-time leading scorer for the U.S. men's national team…
You're driving past the site of Peter Ellis Bean's home, a man who lived a wild life right here in Texas. He was part of Nolan's Expedition way back in 1800, then got captured and imprisoned in Mexico! But he didn't…
You're driving past the Millard-Lee House, a home with roots stretching back to the Republic of Texas. Built around 1837 by Robert Millard, a merchant and deputy postmaster, it served as his family home and sometimes a…
You're driving past the Sam P. Smith house, a fine example of an East Texas farm home built back in 1880. Imagine this place with five rooms, four porches, and an open dog trot! It was built for Samuel Pharr and Mary…
You're driving past the Millard House, a pioneer farmhouse with roots stretching back to the Civil War. Confederate veteran Elijah M. Burrows built the first part of this home before marrying Mary Josephine Millard in…
You're driving past the Old North Church Cemetery, a burial ground chronicling the early days of Nacogdoches County. Legend says the first burial was a young girl whose family was just passing through. By 1838, Richard…
You're driving past Fairview Church Cemetery in Nacogdoches. The earliest marked grave here is from 1851, though earlier burials might exist. The Fairview Cemetery Association was organized in 1964 to oversee the care…
You're driving past the site of North Church, first known as Union Church. Several denominations worshiped together here as early as 1836, organizing in 1838 with a log church built on land donated by Dr. John M.…
You're driving past Tol Barret House. This farmhouse was first owned by T. J. Johnson, founder of Melrose (11 mi. E), and his wife Amanda.
You're driving through Nacogdoches County, past the site of Harmony Cemetery. It all started in the 1870s when James Norvel Pitts arrived from Mississippi. By 1877, his wife, son, and five of his brothers, along with…
You're driving past Bethel Cemetery, a quiet resting place that's served the Appleby community since the 1880s. It gets its name from the Bethel community that thrived here in the late 19th century. By 1878, folks had…
You're driving through Nacogdoches County, heading northeast of the city. You're passing through Appleby, a town born from a railroad and a name. In the early 1880s, the Houston, East and West Texas Railway laid tracks…
You're driving through Nacogdoches County, near Melrose, where you can imagine the dust rising from El Camino Real. Back in 1782, this spot, known as El Atascoso, was granted by Spanish officials for a ranch and…
You're driving past the site of Rancho San Bernardo del Loco, home to Bernardo D'Ortolan, a French native who became a captain in the Spanish militia. Arriving here in 1796, he farmed this land along El Camino Real.…
You're driving past Jacobs Chapel Cemetery, a burial ground established around 1837. It began as a family cemetery for William Jacobs and his descendants, who moved here from Tennessee in 1836. The site also served as a…
You're driving past Melrose, and right here, Lyne Taliaferro Barret drilled the first oil well in Texas back in 1866. Imagine that! He was born in Virginia, came to Texas as a boy, and after raising a big family, he…
Nacogdoches County, nestled in the rolling hills of East Texas, owes its origins to the Caddo people, who had long called this part of the South Central Plains home. Spanish missionaries arrived in the early 18th…
Texas has hundreds of rivers, and almost none of them are named for a woman. This is the great exception. The Angelina honors a Hasinai Caddo woman who, in the early 1700s, learned Spanish and became the indispensable…
This stretch of US Highway 259 north of Nacogdoches is named for Deputy Brad Jimmerson of the Nacogdoches County Sheriff's Office. On October 5, 2018, Jimmerson was clearing debris from the highway — the kind of routine…
You're driving through East Texas, near Lufkin, and you're crossing a piece of history. This spot was once a vital crossing on the Bedias Trail. Trails don't wander, they aim for the one place a river lets you over, and…
The rolling hills around Bonaldo, typical of the South Central Plains, were once carpeted almost entirely in loblolly pine. Timber defined the local economy for generations, and the rhythmic buzz of sawmills was the…
Before there were highways or railroads or even decent wagon roads there was El Camino Real de los Tejas — the royal road that stretched from Mexico City all…
You're driving through Nacogdoches County, near where the Angelina River once flowed with commerce. Look for the spot where Pattonia, also known as Patton's Landing, once thrived. Founded in 1844 by brothers Robert and…
Douglass, nestled among the rolling hills and pine forests of Nacogdoches County, has seen a recent resurgence of interest in its timber industry. While logging has always been a part of the local economy, a spike in…
Central, Texas, nestled amid the rolling hills and dense pine forests of Angelina County, carries echoes of its past. The region’s early settlers, largely of Anglo-American stock migrating westward in the 19th century,…
You're driving past the site of Mount Sterling, a town founded in 1837 by John Durst. He built a mill and a warehouse near the ruins of an old Spanish mission, and from his home, he could see boats docked on the…
Nestled among the rolling hills and pine forests of Angelina County, Pollok retains a distinct East Texas character, shaped by its early settlers. Predominantly of Scots-Irish and Southern American descent, these…
Angelina County, nestled in the South Central Plains of East Texas, owes its name to a Hasinai woman who played a crucial role in early Spanish-Indigenous relations. "Angelina," meaning "little angel," was bestowed upon…
You're driving past Linn Flat Cemetery, a burial ground that's been part of this community since the mid-1800s. The land was deeded for this purpose back in 1849 by John Polk, who even specified he wanted to be buried…
You're driving through East Texas, near the site of Presidio Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores. Built by Captain Domingo Ramon in 1716, this Spanish fort served as headquarters for soldiers protecting the East Texas…
You're driving through Melrose, and if you look closely, you might just feel the echoes of the Texas Revolution. This is the resting place of John Balch, a veteran who saw action in some of the most pivotal moments.…
You're driving through Melrose, near Cove Springs Cemetery. Originally tied to a local Methodist church, the land was deeded for church and school in 1858. The oldest marked grave here is from 1866, though older,…
You're driving past the site of the old Redland School, a place that grew from private lessons for pioneer children to a state leader in education. After the Civil War, early settlers built a one-room schoolhouse. By…
You're driving past the site of Redland Baptist Church. It began as Liberty Baptist in 1859, reorganizing as Redland Baptist in 1895. The congregation built its first sanctuary in 1924 and has since expanded multiple…
You're driving through East Texas, near where a Canadian Frenchman named Louis Juchereau de St. Denis made his mark. Back in 1711, Spanish missionaries needed help, and the French governor sent St. Denis. He ended up in…
You're driving through East Texas, near where Spain tried to establish a foothold in the early 1700s. Look to your right for the site of Mission Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de los Hainais, founded in 1716…
You're driving through East Texas, near the site of a crucial Spanish outpost: Presidio Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de los Tejas. In <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1716</say-as>, Captain Domingo Ramón led over…
You're driving through Douglass, heading down El Camino Real, and you're passing the site of the San Patricio Rancho. Back in 1797, William Barr and Samuel Davenport arrived here, settling on a huge land grant they…
You're driving past the site of Douglass, a town that almost was. Michael Costley, known as the Father of Douglass, arrived in Texas in 1832. He envisioned a thriving town, laying out streets and selling lots. He even…
You're driving past the resting place of John R. Clute, a soldier who fought for Texas independence in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1836</say-as>. Born in New York, Clute came to Texas and served in the Army…
You're driving through Nacogdoches County, near where Henry Brewer, a veteran of the 1832 Battle of Nacogdoches, received a massive land grant in 1835. His family settled here, farming, raising livestock, and even…
You're driving through Redland, a community named for the rich, red soil of its ridge. Long before it was a town, this spot was a vital crossroads for trade routes connecting the Texas coast to Nacogdoches and Anglo…
You're driving past Brewer Cemetery. Dedicated 1816. Henry, born Oct. 24, 1776, died Jan. 23, 1865.
You're driving past the Berry Cemetery, which began in 1863 with the burial of Samuel Berry, the grandson of the plantation's founder. His family's land became a community burial ground, with a special section set aside…
You're driving through East Texas, near where Spanish Franciscan missionaries founded Mission Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepcion back in 1716. Their goal was to civilize and Christianize the local Native American…
Look around you. This little downtown sits right on El Camino Real, the old royal road the Spanish blazed across Texas, and Chireno has stood on this exact stretch of it for two centuries. You're driving State Highway…
The road you’re traveling, Texas Highway 21, is more than just asphalt. It follows the path of one of the most important historical routes in North America: the El Camino Real de los Tejas. For 300 years, this was the…
You're driving through the historic Red Land area of Angelina County. This cemetery, established before 1858, was originally known as Red Land Cemetery. It holds the history of early east Texas settlers like Thomas R.…
Pollok Central (Pollok, TX) placed on the 3A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Hunter Matchett (0.458 avg).
You're driving through Pollok, and right here is the site of Central Consolidated School. It began in 1929, uniting five smaller rural schools into one district. This new brick building opened that fall, welcoming about…
You're driving past the Helpenstell Cemetery, named for Wilhelm Helpenstell. He buried his infant son here in 1861, designating the spot as a cemetery. This German immigrant settlement became a final resting place for…
Nacogdoches County, nestled in the rolling hills and woodlands of East Texas, holds a unique place in the state's story. Named for the Nacogdoche Indians, a Caddo tribe who long called this part of the South Central…
The railroad that created Garrison was officially named the Houston, East and West Texas Railway, but locals had a much better name for it: the 'Rabbit.' In its early days, the line was a narrow-gauge railway, with its…
The railroad that gave birth to Garrison was an engineering compromise. To save money and navigate the hilly East Texas terrain, the Houston, East and West Texas Railway was built as a narrow-gauge line, with tracks…
You're driving past Pollok Cemetery, a resting place for the people who built this town. Back in the late 1800s, Richard Blair fired up the first sawmill here, kicking off Pollok's vital lumber industry. By 1899, the…
You're driving past Gann Memorial Cemetery. This burial ground, which contains over 3,000 graves, has served area residents since the mid-1800s. In 1860, Nathan W. Gann, who came to Texas with his family in 1836,…
You're driving past the site of Pollok Baptist Church. Founded as Warren Chapel Baptist Church in 1891, it became Pollok Baptist Church in 1896. The congregation rebuilt three times after fires destroyed buildings in…
You're driving through Lufkin, where in August of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1900</say-as>, the Angelina & Neches River Railroad was chartered. It started as a small line to haul logs from East Texas forests…
You're driving past the site of a Texas innovation that changed the world's newspaper industry! Back in the day, southern pines were considered useless for making newsprint. But in 1938, Southland Paper Mills was…
Lilbert, nestled amongst the rolling hills and dense pine forests of Nacogdoches County, is still grappling with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. While the storm's center passed well to the south, the relentless rains…
You're driving past the site of Mount Calvary Baptist Church. It was founded in 1892 when Ellen Grimes asked her employer for a house to serve as a church for African Americans in Keltys. The congregation has occupied…
Hey road trippers, look to your right! You're passing a piece of East Texas history that's pretty darn unique. This cart, built in 1950 for the W. T. Carter & Brother lumber company, is one of the last of its kind.…
You're driving through Lufkin, and you're about to pass some serious history from East Texas's booming lumber days. Look for remnants of the Carter-Kelley Lumber Company's operation. They bought this steam locomotive,…
The railroad tracks that run through Cushing are the town's birth certificate - and the date on it is 1902. There was nothing here until the Texas and New Orleans Railroad announced it would lay track through this…
You're driving past Masonic Hall of Lufkin. The Masonic Hall of North Lufkin was completed in 1900 by the African American Community’s architect, Will Engram. Engram moved to Lufkin in 1896 and, with just a third…
You're driving through Lufkin, a town that played a unique role in the World War II effort. As American men went off to fight, labor shortages hit hard, even in Texas's vital timber industry. To fill the gap, the U.S.…
You're driving past the former CCC Lufkin district heavy equipment maintenance facility. During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps worked with the Texas Forest Service to preserve our forests. They…
You're driving through Garrison, Texas, a town that owes its existence to a railroad and a shrewd land deal. Back in 1884, Captain J. H. Garrison bought up land along the Attoyac River, right in the path of the Houston,…
You're driving past the site of the Hotel Wiley in Garrison, a bustling hub around the turn of the 20th century. Owned by Mrs. S. A. 'Mattie' Wiley, this Queen Anne-style hotel welcomed railroad and telephone workers,…
You're driving past the Libby Community Cemetery, once serving a town called Miller's Mill. The community chose the name Libby in 1898 for the postmaster's daughter. The first burial here is believed to be infant Bessie…
You're driving through Cushing, Texas, a town born from the promise of a railroad. Back in 1902, the Texas and New Orleans Railroad decided to lay track right here, and the community sprang up to serve it. Named for…
You're driving past the site of Arlam Baptist Church, originally organized as Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church of Christ in August 1897. The congregation met in a schoolhouse before moving to the Arlam School in…
Cushing, a small city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, has a rich history marked by resilience. Founded as a railroad town, it was named after the head foreman of the railroad. Over the years, Cushing has faced significant…
You're driving past Stranger's Rest Cemetery, a place with a name that hints at its history. Acquired in 1905, this African American cemetery first officially recorded burials in 1901. It was originally called Frost…
You're driving past the historic Mantooth Farm, a place that was central to Lufkin's growth for over a century. The Mantooth family first arrived in Angelina County way back in 1858. By 1909, Albert "Eddie" Mantooth…
You're driving past the site of Kerr's Inc., a business that's been operating in Angelina County since 1870. Originally a general store in the old county seat of Homer, it was started by Civil War veteran Captain Joseph…
Nestled in the rolling hills of Nacogdoches County, Sacul's unusual name has a simple origin. The town was originally named "Lucas," but the application for a post office was denied because another Texas town already…
You're driving past the site of Falvey Memorial United Methodist Church. Its story begins in the late 1860s or early 1870s, when a Texas Army veteran donated land to start a Methodist church. The congregation organized…
You're driving past Linwood, a place with roots stretching back to the very beginnings of Texas settlement. Joseph Durst, who arrived in the early 1800s, built this home around 1830. His wife, Delilah, inherited the…
You're driving along the Angelina River, a waterway that's been a Texas artery for centuries. In <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1690</say-as>, Spanish explorers met a young Native American girl here, so sweet…
You're driving through Wells, Texas, and just passed the final resting place of James H. Bowman. Bowman was a soldier in the Army of the Republic of Texas back in 1836, fighting for Texas independence. He was born in…
You're driving through Cherokee County, near Wells, and you're passing the final resting place of John Joseph Bowman. Born in Tennessee in 1807, Bowman came to Texas with his family way back in 1822, settling in Stephen…
You're driving by the original site of Lufkin's oldest church building, St. Cyprian's Episcopal. The first Episcopal service here was held way back in 1893, serving just a couple of families. A mission was established a…
Lufkin High School (309 South Medford Dr., Lufkin, TX), home of the Panthers, is where Dez Bryant emerged as a star receiver. Over his junior and senior seasons he caught 101 passes for 2,232 yards and 37 touchdowns and…
You're driving through Wells, and just outside town lies Mt. Hope Cemetery. It all started in 1875 when Rev. W. D. Lewis agreed to establish a Methodist church and cemetery here, thanks to a land offer from Texas War…
You're driving past Mt. Hope Cemetery, a final resting place for many who shaped this region. It began in 1875 when James H. Bowman, a veteran of the Texas War for Independence, donated land for a church and cemetery.…
You're driving past the site of Lufkin's First Baptist Church. Chartered with just nine members, the congregation began services soon after the railroad arrived in the early 1880s. The Houston, East & West Texas…
You're driving past the site of the Halfway Inn, a busy stop on the El Camino Real around 1840. Built by Samuel Flournoy, this two-story log house wasn't just a home for his family; it was a crucial stagecoach stop…
You're driving past the site of a Lufkin mystery! On the evening of March 2nd, 1913, a massive explosion tore apart the Houston, East & West Texas Railroad depot right here. It cut off the town's lifeline for trade and…
You're driving past the Collins-Shotwell House in Lufkin, a unique piece of local history built in the early 1920s. Attorney Chester Collins built this two-story bungalow, using lumber provided by Lillian Knox. He'd…
You're driving past the site of Ewing, a Texas boom town that rose and fell with the timber industry. Named for plantation owner James A. Ewing, this settlement sprang to life in 1919 when H. G. Bohlssen built a sawmill…
You're driving past the site of the Primitive Baptist Church of Wells. Before 1890, folks here had to travel to Angelina County to worship. That all changed when Francis Marion Sessions arrived and started holding…
You're driving past the Lufkin Daily News, a paper with a century of history. It started as an afternoon daily in 1907, and by 1915, with a new linotype machine, it went daily. The News even won a Pulitzer Prize in 1977…
You're driving through Lufkin, the birthplace of Allan Shivers, who was born right here on October 5th, 1907. He went on to serve 12 years as State Senator, two as Lieutenant Governor, and then became Governor. His term…
You're driving through East Texas, passing the site of a truly unique business deal. Italian immigrant Vicente Micheli arrived in Texas around 1793 and later received the first Spanish land grant in what's now Angelina…
You're driving past the site of the Martin Wagon Company, a Lufkin business that helped fuel the lumber industry. Daniel Webster Martin and his sons started a small wagon shop right here in 1908. Martin was an inventor,…
You're cruising through Lufkin, and right here is where commercial radio first hit Angelina County. Back in 1938, KRBA-AM signed on the air, broadcasting from a downtown drug store! Station manager Darrell Yates built…
Lufkin wasn't always here, of course. Before it was Lufkin, it was just East Texas forest, those endless stands of loblolly pines that define the landscape. It started with the railroad, like so many towns around here.…
You're driving through East Texas, maybe not too far from the town of Wells. Right here, in what is now Cherokee County, lived John J. Bowman. He was one of Stephen F. Austin's original colonists, arriving in Texas back…
You're driving through Lufkin, and right around here is where the Hoo Hoo Band used to rehearse. At the turn of the 20th century, a group of Lufkin men formed a town brass band. It became known as the Hoo Hoo Band after…
You're driving through Lufkin, where telephone service kicked off in 1898. Dr. Alexander Denman and Judge Edwin Mantooth strung the first wires between their offices. Their Lufkin Telephone Exchange quickly grew,…
You're driving through Lufkin, and right here, you're passing through what was once Calder Square. From 1882 to the early 1900s, this was the city's bustling hub. Imagine this spot teeming with cotton buying, horse…
You're driving through East Texas, where the forests are still recovering thanks to a New Deal program. The Lufkin CCC Camp operated right near here from 1933 to 1942, put to work by President Roosevelt. Young men…
You're driving through Wells, Texas, a town that owes its existence to the railroad. Established in 1885 as a stop on the Kansas and Gulf Short Line, it was named for a civil engineer, Maj. E. H. Wells. For a while, the…
During World War Two, Lufkin was home to one of the most unusual chapters in its history: a prisoner-of-war camp. The first one went up at the old Civilian Conservation Corps camp four miles north of town on U.S. 69,…
You've seen them all over Texas and the world—the slow, steady 'nodding donkeys' pulling oil from the ground. For decades, the heart of that industry was right here in Lufkin. The story begins at Lufkin Foundry and…
You might not expect a nationally accredited zoo in a city the size of Lufkin, and the way it started is stranger than the fact that it exists. In the early 1960s Walter Trout, president of Lufkin Foundry and Machine…
You're driving through Cherokee County, near Alto. Back in the 1860s, as populations grew, formal roads started replacing pioneer trails. Construction on this road from Homer to Alto began in 1860, with surveyors using…
You're driving through Lufkin, home to a true Texas innovator, W.C. Trout. He arrived here in 1905, not just as a businessman, but as a prolific inventor. Trout transformed the Lufkin Foundry and Machine Company from a…
You're driving past the site of Camp Chireno, a World War II Prisoner of War camp. In May of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1944</say-as>, this 30-acre compound began receiving German POWs. They weren't fighting…
You're driving through Lufkin, and right here is the birthplace of a Texas industrial giant: the Lufkin Foundry and Machine Company. It started in 1902, not with massive machines, but as a humble repair shop for local…
You're driving past First United Methodist Church of Lufkin. Margaret (Fullerton) Abney, born in Alabama in 1829, joined the Methodist Church with her family at a camp meeting held at nearby McKendree Campground in…
You're driving past the Gingerbread House, a Victorian masterpiece built around 1895 in Chireno. Take a look at the intricate details – the heart pine and fine materials, the brass hardware, and all those porches. It's…
You're cruising through Lufkin, a town born from the trees! Founded way back in 1882, Lufkin quickly grew into a bustling sawmill community. It's named for E. P. Lufkin, who led the railroad survey through here. Since…
You're driving through East Texas, maybe not far from Chireno. Back in 1836, Samuel Martin Flournoy, a prosperous settler from Mississippi, sent 100 slaves to build a home here. When they went astray, he came to Texas…
You're driving through Chireno, a community with roots stretching back to Spanish pioneers in 1790. But the town really took shape around 1837 when John Newton Fall, an immigrant from Georgia, became the first Anglo…
You're driving through East Texas, not far from Chireno, where Daniel Ferguson was born in 1891. After serving in the army air corps and earning his law degree, Ferguson spent forty years as an attorney for the Magnolia…
You're driving through East Texas, somewhere near Nacogdoches County, the birthplace of Ed Franklin. Born in 1921, Franklin left his mark not on the lumber industry where his father worked, but with a pen. After serving…
You're driving past the Chireno Lower Cemetery, a historic burial ground with roots stretching back to the days of El Camino Real. Land for this community space, including the cemetery, was donated in 1844 by Daniel H.…
Wells was born out of timber and it stayed that way. The town started in 1885 as a stop on the Kansas and Gulf Short Line, named for Major E.H. Wells, the railroad's civil engineer, and by 1890 it had a sawmill, a…
The town of Wells is a product of 19th-century engineering. When the Kansas and Gulf Short Line decided to build from Tyler down to Lufkin in the 1880s, surveyors had to plot about ninety miles through dense East Texas…
You're driving past the site of the First Christian Church of Lufkin. Organized in Homer in 1884, many members moved to the new railroad town of Lufkin, formally organizing here in 1894. The congregation met in various…
You won't find many household names coming from a town the size of Wells. This isn't a place that produced movie stars or presidents. Instead, its story is written by the thousands of ordinary people who aren't famous…
You're driving through East Texas, and right here is the area that was home to Charlie Wilson, a man who became a legend in Washington D.C. for his role in a secret war. Wilson, a former Texas state representative and…
You're driving through a place that was once called the 'Angel of Anzio.' That was First Lieutenant Mary Louise Roberts, a U.S. Army nurse serving in Italy during World War II. Right here, in February of <say-as…
You're driving through East Texas, near Lufkin, where a gamble paid off big time. Ernest Kurth, a local lumberman, took on a seemingly impossible challenge: making newsprint from southern yellow pine. It had never been…
You're driving through Lufkin, Texas, the hometown of J. Frank Wilson. He was a one-hit wonder, but what a hit it was! In 1964, Wilson and his band, The Cavaliers, recorded "Last Kiss." It was a teenage-death melodrama…
You're driving through Lufkin, the birthplace of Jacques Abram, a concert pianist who showed incredible talent from a very young age. By the time he was six, Abram was already performing as a soloist with a Houston…
You're driving through East Texas, and right here in Angelina County, you're passing through the heart of a timber empire built by Joseph Hubert Kurth, Sr. He arrived in Texas in 1878, a German immigrant who learned…
You're driving through Lufkin, the home of Lufkin Industries, a company that's been a powerhouse in East Texas since 1902. It started as the Lufkin Foundry and Machine Company, built by lumbermen to fix sawmill…
You're driving through East Texas, and right here in Lufkin, you're passing through the birthplace of Allan Shivers. He wasn't just any politician; Shivers became governor of Texas in 1949, taking office after the…
You're driving through Lufkin, Texas, a town that owes a bit of its medical history to Dr. Thaddeus A. Taylor. He arrived here in 1908, a physician specializing in anesthesia and internal medicine. But Dr. Taylor wasn't…
You're driving through East Texas, and right here in Lufkin, Texas, was born James Edward "Pete" Runnels, a baseball player who became one of the most unlikely batting champions in American League history. After serving…
You're driving through Lufkin, Texas, a town born from a railroad dispute. Legend has it that back in 1881, railroad surveyors got into a bit of trouble with a constable in the old county seat of Homer. After a night in…
You're driving through Angelina County, a place named for a legend. Spanish missionaries in the late 1600s heard tales of an Hainai Indian girl who helped them navigate these East Texas forests. According to legend, she…
You're driving through East Texas, near Lufkin, where Washington Lafayette Denman made his mark. He wasn't just a politician, serving multiple terms in the Texas Legislature representing counties like Angelina and…
You're driving through East Texas, and right here in Lufkin, you're passing through the hometown of Marguerite Fairchild. She wasn't just a civic leader; she was a fierce advocate for the University of Texas. In 1935,…
You're driving through East Texas, and right here in Lufkin, Dr. James Everett Peavy Jr. was born in 1911. He dedicated his life to public health, eventually becoming the Texas Commissioner of Health in 1959. For…
You're driving through East Texas, and right here, the Angelina and Neches River Authority has been working for decades to manage our water resources. Originally established in 1949 as the Neches River Conservation…
You're driving through Lufkin, the home of Angelina College. This two-year institution opened its doors in the fall of 1968, born from a vision by the Angelina County Chamber of Commerce. They wanted to bring vocational…
You're driving near Lufkin, and right here is a story about a young man who made a big name for himself in Texas newspapers. Walter Raymond Beaumier, known as Beau, was born in Hallettsville in 1906. By the time he was…
You're driving through Angelina County, near Lufkin. Right here, William H. Bonner Jr. tried to establish a town called Bonners Mills in 1877. He even served as the first postmaster! But this venture didn't pan out.…
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Lufkin, where John Sayers Redditt made his mark. He wasn't just a businessman and lawyer; Redditt served in the Texas Senate from 1933 to 1941. He was instrumental in…
You're driving through East Texas, right where the Lufkin Land and Lumber Company once ruled. Back in 1900, they chartered the Texas and Louisiana Railroad, not for passengers, but to haul timber. They laid track from…