Sulphur Springs, Texas

Everything Sulphur Springs is known for

3 songs mention this city 1 artist from here

Music in Sulphur Springs

Songs About Sulphur Springs

Sulphur Song
The Guy Who Sings Songs About Cities & Towns
19%
"TITLE"
Sulphur Song
John Tussey
19%
"TITLE"
6 Rings
Shad Mayfield
10%
"Bitch I done grew up that backwood done grew up"

Artists From Sulphur Springs

J
Justin JJ Jones
country Pop: 30

Rivers & Roads in Song near Sulphur Springs

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Sulphur Springs.

Sabine River 13 songs Interstate 20 13 songs Kickapoo Creek 4 songs

History of Sulphur Springs

The See-Through Bathrooms on the Square RoadyGoat

Now for the strangest thing this town ever built, and it has nothing to do with sulfur, though it fits a town that always knew how to turn heads. Right on the courthouse square sit two public restrooms made entirely of mirrored glass. From the outside they look like shiny reflective boxes. But step inside, and the walls turn transparent. You can see every single person walking by out on the sidewalk, while they see nothing but their own reflection staring back. It is not magic, it is light. The trick works because the outside is kept brighter than the inside, and one-way glass always lets you see from the darker side toward the brighter one. Keep the light inside dim, and you become invisible. The town spent about fifty-four thousand dollars building them back in twenty twelve, the first of their kind in the country. The next year they entered a national contest for America's Best Restroom and finished third, walking away with the bronze. There are even security cameras watching the square, just in case someone tries to ruin the illusion. A town named for the honesty of its springs, offering the least private-looking, secretly most private restrooms you will ever find.

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The Town That Traded Bright Star for Rotten Eggs RoadyGoat

Here is a name with a real backstory. This town was not born as Sulphur Springs. Its first name was Bright Star, and there was a Bright Star post office serving folks here as far back as eighteen fifty-four. So what happened to that lovely, hopeful name? Money happened. In eighteen seventy-one, right after the town became the seat of Hopkins County, the leaders looked down at the sulfur-smelling mineral water bubbling up out of the ground all around them and made a marketing decision. They renamed the whole town Sulphur Springs, because in that era, water that smelled faintly of rotten eggs was not an embarrassment. It was a selling point. People believed those mineral springs could heal you, and a town named for its springs could pull in visitors from all over. Trading a name like Bright Star for one built around sulfur takes nerve, but it worked. Even after the switch, the local Odd Fellows lodge stubbornly kept the old Bright Star name alive for decades. Two names, one town, and the winner was the one you could bottle and sell.

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Why This Town's Water Smells Like Breakfast Gone Wrong RoadyGoat

The name says sulfur, so let me tell you why sulfur water smells the way it does. That unmistakable rotten-egg odor is a gas called hydrogen sulfide, and the surprising truth is that tiny living creatures make it. Deep underground, in water with no oxygen, live bacteria we call sulfate-reducing bacteria. Here is the neat part. Just as you and I breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, these bacteria breathe in sulfate, a mineral dissolved in the rock, and breathe out hydrogen sulfide. That exhaled gas rides the water up to the surface, and the moment it hits the open air, your nose catches it. It does not take much either. Just one or two parts per million is enough to make water smell strongly of eggs. So when the springs here perfumed the whole area with that scent, it was not pollution and it was not decay in the usual sense. It was the exhaust from an entire underground community of microscopic life, quietly breathing sulfate down in the dark long before anyone thought to build a town on top of it and name the place after the smell.

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Sulphur Springs Loan and Building Association

1890

Chartered on August 13, 1890, the Sulphur Springs Loan and Building Association is the oldest surviving savings association in the state of Texas. Charter members of the association included local business leaders Phil H. Foscue, W. F. Henderson, T. F. Gafford, L.. H. Avinger, M. G. Miller, O. M. Pate, John D. Williams, S. D. Crittenden, and R. F. Blythe. T. F. Gafford served as the first managing officer. Originally located in a two-story building southeast of the town square, the association responded to economic growth and development in the area brought about by the arrival of the railroad. Supporting both urban and rural building projects and home construction, the association has played an important role in Hopkins County history. Many of the area's businesses trace their roots to loans made by the association in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The association moved to new offices at this site in 1961. Among its public contributions are the support of numerous charitable and civic organizations through monetary assistance and the donation of meeting space. Benefits of the association's business practices can now be seen beyond the boundaries of Hopkins County in a number of northeast Texas communities.

Historical Marker →

Hopkins County Courthouse

1882

The third Hopkins County Courthouse, built in 1882, was destroyed on Feb. 11, 1894 by a fire that also burned the jail and several nearby structures. Plans were soon made for a new court building to be erected on this corner rather than in the middle of the block where the first edifice stood. The site is unusual because most Texas courthouses are located in the center of the public square, not facing it. The new structure was designed by James Riely Gordon (1864-1937), popular courthouse architect from San Antonio, and constructed by the Dallas firm of Sonnefield and Emmins. Austin architect A. O. Watson was hired to inspect the work. He admired the plans but suggested bracing to strengthen the stonework. The building was completed on Aug. 22, 1895, at a final cost of $75,000. A clock for the tower was requested by some citizens, but county commissioners refused to provide funds for it. Made of red granite with contrasting sandstone trim, the Hopkins County Courthouse is a fine example of the massive Richardsonian Romanesque style which Gordon often used. The quarter-circular porches at the northwest and southwest corners mark entrances to the three-story edifice. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1975

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Union Stockade

1868

The Reconstruction era which followed the Civil War (1861-65) was a time of unrest in texas. In this area a gang of outlaws whipped and killed blacks and harassed other citizens. On August 10, 1868, Capt. T. M. Tolman brought Federal troops here to restore order. Despite protests the army moved the county seat from Tarrant (4 mi. N) to Sulphur Springs. After the hotel where officers were staying was set afire, a stockade was built. Surrounded by a split log fence, it served as post quarters, hospital, jail, stable, and kitchen. It was abandoned in 1870 when Federal troops withdrew.

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Flowers, William Knox, Sr.

1918

William Knox Flowers, Sr., was an African-American physician born in Raleigh, Mississippi, on July 8, 1886. He was the son of Jordan and Mary Flowers. The death of his sister motivated him to pursue a medical degree. He attended Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, after graduating from Alcorn A&M College in Mississippi. He graduated from Meharry in 1913 and left for Chicago to engage in postgraduate work. After completing his studies, Flowers eventually traveled to Terrell, Texas, where he met Lee G. Pinkston , a prominent black surgeon in Dallas and founder of the Pinkston Clinic Hospital. Pinkston encouraged Flowers to move to Sulphur Springs to begin his medical practice. In 1918 while he was practicing medicine in Sulphur Springs, an influenza epidemic broke out and became widespread. Hoping to find a remedy for this illness, Flowers proceeded to develop a treatment for black patients; because other physicians were unsuccessful in their attempts to treat the disease, they referred their patients to Flowers. Flowers and Bonnie Pearl Perry married in 1916 in Mississippi. They had four children— William K. Flowers, Jr. ; Perry J. Flowers; Madelyn M. Flowers; and Edwina L. Flowers. In 1924 Flowers moved his family to Dallas where he hoped to establish a private practice. Prior to opening his own practice he worked with Dr. Walter McMillan. In 1925 he constructed a two-story office building called the Flowers Building on 2317 Hall Street. He also leased office space to other businesses such as the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, Universal Life Insurance Company, Dr. A. E. Hughes, and attorneys Dwayne and Roger Mason. Flowers was a charter member of the Dallas Negro Chamber of Commerce (now Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce ) and in 1926 he chaired its executive committee. He was also active in the Moorland branch of the Dallas YMCA. During World War II he provided volunteer medical services to the draft board. Toward the end of his career Flowers shared his offices with his two sons, W. K. Flowers, Jr., a medical doctor, and P. J. Flowers, a dentist. In 1956 his son, William Jr., was one of the first black physicians admitted to the staff of St. Paul’s Hospital. Flowers Sr. practiced medicine at his office building until his death. He died on August 30, 1957, while on the way to St. Paul’s Hospital after having a heart attack. He was buried at Carver Memorial Park in Dallas.

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Shelton Brothers

1920

The Shelton Brothers, a country group, consisted initially of Robert (Bob) Attlesey (b. July 4, 1909) and Joe Attlesey (b. January 27, 1911), but later other musicians joined, including a third brother Merle Attlesey (b. March 1917), in the late 1930s. All three brothers, part of a family of ten children, were born on a cotton farm in Reilly Springs, Texas. During the 1920s two brothers (Bob and Joe) played locally to help earn money for the family and styled themselves after such artists as Peg Moreland and Jimmie Rodgers , with Bob singing and playing guitar and fiddle, while Joe also sang and played mandolin and guitar. Bob, known as the “Hopkins County Firecracker,” often included comedy in his approach. The brothers sang in Longview in 1929 and performed for tips at local venues, including Clint Aycock’s café. They then relocated to Tyler, where they added another member, guitarist Leon Chappelear, who was with the group when it recorded under the name of the Lone Star Cowboys for the Bluebird label in 1933. The brothers also recorded with Jimmie Davis, who was elected governor of Louisiana in 1944, for RCA-Victor Records. By the mid-1930s the group had relocated to New Orleans and played regularly on radio station WWL. In 1935 the Attlesey brothers began their prodigious recording career with Decca Records. They began calling themselves the Shelton Brothers (Shelton was their mother’s maiden name) at the behest of record producer Dave Kapp, who believed the group needed a more commercially recognizable name. The Decca label became successful because of its low-priced records and its aggressive recording efforts in the Southwest, and the Shelton Brothers soon became one of Decca’s most prolific Texas groups, recording some 150 sides for the label. The band recorded traditional country music generally reflective of hillbilly styles, but also incorporated blues and eventually some swing. With a wide-ranging repertoire which included such songs as “Just Because,” “Deep Elem Blues,” “Sitting On Top of the World,” “Matchbox Blues” and numerous others, the Shelton Brothers also represented the nascent honky-tonk sound that was developing at the time. In addition to recording for Decca, the band also made regular appearances at radio stations in Shreveport and the Dallas-Fort Worth area. At the time the Shelton Brothers mostly played on KWKH Shreveport, where they also went by the name of the Sunshine Boys, and on WFAA in Dallas, which became a mainstay for the group after 1941 for nearly a decade. It was also during the late 1930s that the third brother, Merle, joined the band on guitar. For nearly a decade the group, which included Bob, Joe, Merle, Joe Molina, Preacher Harkness, and Bernie Harkness, remained popular with radio audiences. However, by the end of the 1940s the band’s popularity had waned, and it eventually stopped recording altogether, although Bob and Joe continued performing on KWKH in Shreveport (made famous by its association with the Louisiana Hayride ). Bob later went into comedy, but both Joe and Merle continued to play music in the Dallas area. Bob died in November 1986 in Savoy, Texas. Joe passed away in December 1980 in Yantis, Texas, and Merle died in June 1997 in Dripping Springs, Texas.

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Thirty-Second Texas Cavalry

1862

The Thirty-second Texas Cavalry Regiment (Andrews's), also incorrectly called the Fifteenth Texas Cavalry Regiment, was organized in May 1862 at Corinth, Mississippi, from several companies of Crump's Texas Cavalry Battalion. Company G of the unit had fought at Chustenahlah in the Indian Nations on December 26, 1861, and later at Elk Horn, or Pea Ridge, Arkansas, on March 6–7, 1862. The Thirty-second Texas Cavalry compiled an extensive combat record while fighting in the Army of Tennessee. The regiment elected Julius A. Andrews as colonel. Andrews, a native of Georgia, was only twenty-one years old when the war began. He originally enlisted as sergeant major in the First Louisiana Battalion. Having secured his discharge, he went to Texas where he enlisted as adjutant of Crump's Battalion and, at the organization of the Thirty-second, was elected colonel. The unit's lieutenant colonel was James A. Weaver of Hopkins County, and the major was William E. Estes of Bowie County. Strangely enough, each of these men occupied the same position at the time of the surrender in May 1865 as they did in May 1862. After its organization, the regiment suffered severely from a host of ailments in the filthy camps around Corinth, including pneumonia, measles, and chronic diarrhea. More than 150 men died, and many others had to be discharged. In July 1862 the Thirty-second was dismounted and placed in the brigade of Brig. Gen. Joseph Hogg who died soon after and was replaced by Col. T. H. McCray. Other regiments in the brigade were the Tenth , Eleventh , and Fourteenth Texas Cavalry, all dismounted. They were assigned to the command of Gen. E. Kirby Smith and soon went into Kentucky. On August 29–30, 1862, at the battle of Richmond, Kentucky, Confederate forces, including the Thirty-second, achieved a decisive victory. Richmond was fought mainly by McCray's brigade against a much larger Federal force. In the Thirty-second at least five were killed, including Captain W. C. Bostick of Company C and Capt. W. W. Ponder of Company E. At least six were wounded and thirteen captured. Following the battle of Richmond, the Thirty-second was assigned to Col. Matthew D. Ector 's Brigade. For the remainder of the war, the unit would be referred to as Ector's Texas Brigade . In the early morning of December 31, 1862, John McCown's Confederate division, containing Ector's Brigade and the Thirty-second Texas, advanced on Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecran' s Union Army at Murfreesboro. After exchanging a few volleys, the Confederates changed and broke the Union lines. For more than three miles, Ector's Texans chased the fleeing Union soldiers and killed and captured hundreds. Colonel Andrews officially reported his losses as five killed, thirty-six wounded, and three missing. After Murfreesboro, the Thirty-second camped at Shelbyville for the next four months and remained largely inactive but prepared for the upcoming campaign. In May 1863 the brigade was sent with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston to the relief of Vicksburg. However, the unit never made it to the besieged city. The brigade participated in sharp fighting at Jackson, Mississippi, before the city fell to Union forces. On September 19–20, 1863, the battle of Chickamauga was fought. Once again, the Thirty-second Texas was called upon to be in the initial assaulting force. In about thirty minutes, the regiment lost more than half of its strength. Every single mounted officer's horse was shot from underneath him, and Colonel Andrews suffered a severe wound to his thigh. The battle of Chickamauga was the worst fight of the whole war for the officers and men of the Thirty-second Texas Cavalry. The unit's losses were reported as 13 killed, 65 wounded, and 40 missing—a total of 118 out of the 217 officers and men engaged. In May 1864 Andrews's Thirty-second Texas Cavalry was the smallest regiment in the smallest brigade in the second smallest division of the Army of Tennessee. Over the next few months, they fought alm

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Things to Do in Sulphur Springs

day trip
Day Trip to Sulphur Springs 🥛🐮 (FULL EPISODE) S7 E7

Featured on The Daytripper — a full-episode local travel guide.

Sports in Sulphur Springs

⭐ HOMETOWN LEGENDS Class 4A · Football

Sulphur Springs Wildcats — Sulphur Springs — a college & pro athletic pipeline

3 alumni who reached major-college or pro sports

Sulphur Springs High School, a proud Class 4A institution, has a history of producing athletes who have gone on to compete at significant levels. The community has watched as former Wildcats have advanced from local fields to major college and professional sports. This tradition reflects the dedication found within Sulphur Springs athletics.

Among those who have represented Sulphur Springs High School are Damione Lewis, a former professional football player, and Caleb Miller, also a former professional football player. Colby Suggs, a professional baseball coach and former player, currently serves as the bullpen coach for the Texas Rangers, further highlighting the diverse athletic paths taken by Sulphur Springs alumni.

Pro/D1 alumni
3
Class
4A
Key Players
  • Damione Lewis — , former professional football player
  • Caleb Miller — , former professional football player
  • Colby Suggs — , professional baseball coach and former player, current bullpen coach for the Texas Range
The moment

Colby Suggs is currently the bullpen coach for the Texas Rangers.

Sources: Wikipedia · SI High School (ScoreBook Live)

Everything Near Sulphur Springs

180 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

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