Abbott is perhaps best known as the birthplace of country musician Willie Nelson.
Adelphi
The community was built by members of the Adelphi Organization, which was founded by Richard Kieninger in 1976. During the 1950s, Kieninger had been a student of the Lemurian Fellowship in Ramona, California, which teaches a set of beliefs called "Lemurian Philosophy."[1] In 1963, Kieninger published his own book, THE ULTIMATE FRONTIER, under the pen name Eklal Kueshana. Community Philosophies THE ULTIMATE FRONTIER details the tenets of Lemurian Philosophy, which stresses love and positive living. Early editions also included date specific predictions that Kieninger claimed were provided by representatives of secret organizations known as the "Brotherhoods." Kieninger wrote that nuclear war would begin in November, 1999 culminating in worldwide devastation, and that on May 5, 2000 natural cataclysms would begin, resulting in the submersion of most of the United States and the emergence of a new land mass in the Pacific Ocean where a new nation, the Nation of God, would be built.[citation needed] When neither event occurred on the dates Kieninger provided, he offered that perhaps he had misunderstood the Brotherhoods' predictions.[citation needed] The current 2000 edition of The ULTIMATE FRONTIER, published by the Adelphi Organization, continues to include general predictions of Armageddon and Doomsday, minus specific dates.[citation needed] Richard Kieninger remained an Adelphi resident until his death in early 2002 of esophageal cancer. He died without providing further explanation as to the failure of his earlier published predictions.[citation needed]
Alice
In 1948, an incident involving Lyndon B. Johnson's bid for the U.S. Senate took place at Alice's Precinct 13 where 202 ballots were cast in alphabetical order and all just at the close of polling in favor of Johnson. Johnson won the election against Coke Stevenson by 87 votes
Alice has long been recognized as "The Birthplace of Tejano" dating back to the mid 1940s when Armando Marroquin, Sr. of Alice and partner Paco Bentacourt of San Benito, Texas launched what was to be the first home-based recording company to record Tejano artists exclusively.
Notable People
Chris Brazzell, a Canadian Football League(CFL) Player and ex NFL player, was born May 22, 1976, and played on the Alice High School football team. He was drafted to the NFL in 1998 to the New York Jets as the 174th overall pick in the 6th round.
Lois Chiles, born April 15, 1947, who was a top 1970s fashion model and actress, most famous for her role as Bond girl "Holly Goodhead" in Moonraker.
Robert F. Curl Jr., Nobel Prize Winner, was born on August 23, 1933 in Alice, Texas.
Rober Curl Jr. is an emeritus professor of chemistry at Rice University. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996 for the discovery of fullerene (with the late Richard Smalley, also of Rice University, and Harold Kroto of the University of Sussex).
Richard Raymond was born in Alice on October 27, 1960. Raymond is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives.
Brigadier General Angela Salinas is the commanding general of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. She assumed command on August 4, 2006, becoming the first woman to command the Recruit Depot.
Raul G. Salinas, mayor of Laredo, was born in Alice on November 8, 1947.
Grace Saenz-Lopez, former mayor that stole her neighbor's Shih Tzu then told the owners that it had died. She then reported it stolen after being interviewed by reporters only for it to be found at her sister's house.
J. Frank Dobie, award winning author who taught at UT Austin is from Alice and graduated from WAHS
Sonny Brown - ex Houston Oiler, MVP of the 1985 Orange Bowl that earned his team the Oklahoma Sooners a National Championship. Graduated from Alice High in 1982 were he was 2nd team all state quarterback.
Marv Brown - ex NFL player with the Detroit Lions in 1957.
Bill Henry is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1952-1969. He played on six major league clubs including the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox.
Allen
The first train robbery in Texas took place in Allen on February 22, 1878, when Sam Bass and his associates pillaged the train. Allen was a short ride from their hideouts in the Elm Trinity brush lands.
Notable People
Tony Dorsett, Dallas Cowboys player
Adrianna Lynn aka. Adrenalynn, Pornstar
Burton Gilliam, actor in such films as Blazing Saddles and Paper Moon. (Aug. 9th is Burton Gilliam Day)
Cal Slayton, Comic Book Artist
Matt Barr, actor
Jim Parrack, plays Hoyt Fortenberry in HBO show True Blood
Carly Patterson, gymnast, 2004 Olympic All-Around Champion and musician
Amanda Dunbar, Artist, 2006 inductee into Texas Women's Hall of Fame[8]
Billy Kettler, Artist and graphic designer
John Kettler, six-time qualifier of the Pokémon Trading Card Game World Championships; student.
Kathleen Baskin-Ball, clergy, nationally known preacher
Christopher Boykin former reality star of Rob & Big.
Kelly Kealy-Mayton, winner of the Macy's Design-A-Dance costume competition on ABC's Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season
Alpine
Distinction Prior to 1959, Alpine was the largest city in the largest county (by area) in the largest state of the Union.
Bus crash At 7:30 A.M. on September 21, 1989, a Coca-Cola truck hit a Mission school bus, knocking it into a gravel pit at the corner of Five-Mile Road and Bryan Road. Twenty-one children from the Alton area drowned, and forty-nine were injured. This was the worst school bus accident to date in Texas history.[4] The bus crash inspired Russell Banks' novel The Sweet Hereafter, as well as The Sweet Hereafter (film), the film based upon it. The NTSB found that the crash was the fault of truck driver Ruben Perez.
Alvarado
Alvarado
Notable People
Terry Southern - born in Alvarado
Nolan Ryan
Alvin
Alvin's claim to fame is Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, who moved with his family to the city in 1947 as an infant and lived there until he moved to Round Rock in 2003. The Nolan Ryan Museum is in the Nolan Ryan Foundation and Exhibit Center on the campus of Alvin Community College.
On July 25, 1979 Tropical Storm Claudette stalled over Alvin and inundated the region with 45 inches in 42 hours. That total included 43 inches in 24 hours, the maximum 24-hour rainfall in US history
Notable People
Nolan Ryan, former Major League Baseball pitcher, grew up in Alvin, Texas.
Austin Miller, actor and singer. The town declared March 5, 2007, as "Austin Miller Day"[7]
Joe Ferguson, football player for the Buffalo Bills, was born in Alvin in 1950.
Finney Ross Master Leathersmith 1915-1985. Born in Missouri City, Texas on September 24, 1915; Finney Ross was a Master Leathersmith in Alvin, Texas from 1955 to 1983. Owner of Ross Saddles and Ross Saddle Shop, Ross designed and manufactured hand made saddles, bridles, chaps, bareback riggings, saddle blankets, saddles bronc riggings, ropes (lariats), belts and award plaques for the Rodeo Cowboy Association (forerunner of the PRCA).
By the End of Tonight, an instrumental rock band signed to Temporary Residence Limited
Bellinger
Ballinger is the birthplace of former nationally syndicated entertainment columnist Lane Crockett (born 1942, who was primarily affiliated with the Shreveport Times. He has been called the "prince of performance critics."
George E. "Buddy" West, a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from Odessa who served from 1993—2008, was born in Ballinger in 1936.
Ballinger is also known as the home of the 2003 3A High School Girls Cross Country State Champions
Bandera
Bandera calls itself the "Cowboy Capital of the World." The Frontier Times Museum, founded by J. Marvin Hunter and named for Hunter's Frontier Times magazine, is located in Bandera across from the First Baptist Church. Bandera also has a large presence in biker culture
Bangs
In 1973, Bangs became the home to the "Terrellites" leader David Heze Terrell. Terrell was the leader of the New Testament Holiness Church and was known for having big white tent revivals.
It is also the town where Coffey Anderson, a popular singer and songwriter, grew up
Bertram
Bertram hosts an annual "Oatmeal Festival" during the Labor Day weekend. Named after the remains of the nearby community of Oatmeal, it includes a number of activities that draw attendees from all over central Texas.
Brady
Brady refers to itself as "The Heart of Texas", as it is the closest city to the geographical center of the state
Bob Denver
Brownwood
Notable People
Bob Denver, the actor who played Gilligan and Maynard G. Krebs on CBS's Gilligan's Island and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, was reared in Brownwood and attended Brownwood High School.
Alexis Texas Pornographic Actress was raised in Brownwood.
William T. Anderson a.k.a "Bloody Bill" was a pro-Confederate guerrilla leader in the American Civil War.
Candy Barr, stripper, burlesque dancer, actress.
Jerry Don Gleaton, Major League Baseball pitcher from 1979 to 1992 for the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Jeff Gore, Cowboy, singer, named the Male Vocalist of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists in 1997.
Graham Harrell, award-winning Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback (2007–2008). was born in Brownwood but grew up in Ennis near Dallas.
Josh Rosenthal (singer/songwriter), professional singer/songwriter. He was born in Brownwood, but moved on to Benbrook, Texas for elementary school, then Lubbock, Texas for jr. high and high school.
Boyce House, author, humorist, and radio personality.
Robert E. Howard, the creator of Conan the Barbarian, attended Howard Payne and is buried in Greenleaf Memorial Cemetery in Brownwood.
Shelby Miller drafted in the first round of the 2009 MLB draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. Lead the 2009 Brownwood High School baseball team to the Regional finals.
Jim Morris started a brief professional baseball career at the age of thirty-five; the 2002 film The Rookie starring Dennis Quaid, is based on Morris' life.
Paul and Paula, or Ray Hildebrand and Jill Jackson, attended Howard Payne University in 1962. Their song "Hey Paula" was presented on a local radio station as part of an American Cancer Society benefit.
LaTonne Sewalt, World Champion Barrel Racer in 1950 and 1954. Royce Sewalt, World Champion Calf Roper in the RCA in 1946, Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame inductee.
George M. Shelton, Medal of Honor recipient.
John Paul Stapp, M.D., Ph.D., United States Air Force colonel, was a pioneer in studying the effects of acceleration and deceleration forces on human beings. In his experimentation, he was subjected to 46.2 times the force of gravity. He was one of the principal advocates of automotive seat belts. His preliminary education was obtained at the Brownwood High School and San Marcos Academy in San Marcos, Texas.
Glenn Strange, who played Sam, the Bartender in CBS's Gunsmoke from 1961 until his death in 1973, grew up in Brown County near Cross Cut. He also played Frankenstein's Monster in the final three Universal Studios Frankenstein films in the 1940s.
James Neal “Jim" Thomason, was a former American football halfback, part of the 1939 national championship team of Texas A&M University, selected 5th overall by the Detroit Lions in the 1941 NFL Draft.
Clint Walker, star of the 1950s Western television series Cheyenne on ABC lived briefly in Brownwood prior to launching his acting career.
Phil Wilson, who grew up in Brownwood was appointed by Governor Rick Perry as the 106th Texas secretary of state effective. 2007-2008.
Drew Womack, country music singer/songwriter. 1997 Top 10 hit with the band Sons of the Desert (band), "Whatever Comes First".
Tres Womack, Award winning Texas music singer/songwriter. Winner: Song of the Year "Gather Round" 2008 Texas Music Awards, also nominated for Album of the Year honors for "Freak Show". Oldest brother of Drew Womack.
Gordon Wood, Wood set a state and national record with a total of 396 wins, 91 losses, and 15 ties in 43 seasons as a head Texas high school football coach, an 80% winning record. He won seven State Championships at Brownwood in 1960, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1978, and 1981. On top of that he either won or shared 25 district titles. Inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
Canton
Canton is the host city of the annual United States Equestrian Drill Championship
Notable People
James S. Hogg, who once served as Canton district attorney, was elected governor in 1890.
Notorious bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow once lived briefly at the Dixie Hotel, built in 1915.
Jerry Hunt, composer, established IRIDA Records there in 1979.
Popular Culture
On July 21, 2008, Stephen Colbert made a comment on The Colbert Report about John McCain making a campaign stop in Canton, Ohio, and "not the crappy Canton in Georgia."[10] The comment resulted in a local uproar, which prompted Stephen to apologize for the story during his July 30, 2008, show.[11] This began a running gag on the show in which he would apologize to one town and make several jokes at the expense of another town named Canton then repeat the cycle a week later. He went on to insult Canton, Kansas[12] (drawing the ire of Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius[13]) and Canton, South Dakota[14] before turning his attention to Canton, Texas, on August 12, 2008.[15] After apologizing to the people of Canton, South Dakota, Colbert called Canton, Texas, an "incorporated outhouse" and "one steaming pile of longhorn dung."[16] This jab at the Texas town had been predicted by Governor Sebelius at the end of her July 31, 2008 remarks.[17] In response to Colbert's comments, a Canton, Texas city councilman joked that he wanted Colbert to come there so he could "mash his nose".[18] On October 28, Colbert turned his attention back to Canton, Ohio after Barack Obama made a campaign stop there, forcing Colbert to find it "crappy".
The Texas Country Music Hall of Fame is located in Carthage, which also houses the Tex Ritter museum.
The Jim Reeves Memorial is located just on the outskirts of Carthage, east on U.S. 79. Reeves and Ritter were from the near-by unincorporated communities of Galloway and Murvaul respectively
Notable People
Tex Ritter, singer
Linda Davis, singer Philip Humber, MLB Pitcher with Minnesota Twins
Michael Montgomery, NFL player for the Green Bay Packers
Drew Nixon, former Republican member of the Texas State Senate, whose career (1995–2001) was cut short by a sex scandal.[5]
Bill O'Neal, historian
Jim Reeves, singer
Cisco
Conrad Hilton started the Hilton Hotel chain with a single hotel bought in Cisco. Hilton came to Cisco to buy a bank, but the bank cost too much; so he purchased the Mobley Hotel in 1919. The hotel is now a local museum and community center
The Santa Claus Bank Robbery occurred in Cisco on December 23, 1927, when Marshall Ratliff and his gang attempted to rob the First National Bank. As of August 2009, the bank site is occupied by an auto parts store, with a Texas Historical Commission sign commemorating the event
Clarendon
Notable People
Aviation historian Randy Acord (1919–2008), a Clarendon native, founded the Alaska Air Pioneer Museum in Fairbanks, where he had been stationed as a test pilot in 1943. Acord won the Alaska-Siberia Lend Lease Award for his contributions to Russian-North American relations during World War II.
JA Ranch matriarch Cornelia Wadsworth Ritchie Adair maintained a house in Clarendon and was a benefactor of many Donley County charities. The Saints' Roost Museum in Clarendon is the restoration of her former Adair Hospital. She was active too in the Episcopal Church in Clarendon. She also maintained residences in England, having become a naturalized British subject, and in Ireland, where she lived part of the year at her late husband's Glenveagh Castle. She is buried in Ireland.
Harold Dow Bugbee, artist of ranching on the Texas South Plains and the Panhandle, maintained his family near Clarendon. He was also the art curator of the Panhandle-Plains Museum for many years prior to his death in 1963. Bugbee's second wife, Olive Vandruff Bugbee, an artist in her own right, lived at the Harold Dow Bugbee Ranch from the time of her brief marriage to Bugbee in 1961 until her death in 2003. The couple left the ranch estate to the Panhandle Plains Museum.
The historian Harley True Burton, a former president of Clarendon College, served as the town mayor from 1955–1963. Burton wrote The History of the JA Ranch, co-owned by John George Adair of Ireland and Charles Goodnight, who spent his later years in Clarendon.
Renowned buffalo hunter Frank Collinson (1855–1943) lived primarily in Childress, but is buried in Clarendon.
Clarendon is the hometown of former Oklahoma Sooners standout running back Kenny King. He also played for the Oakland Raiders. King set a Super Bowl record for the longest touchdown reception with an 80-yarder in the Raiders 27-10 Super Bowl XV victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. That record stood until January 26, 1997.
Clarence Hailey Long, the inspiration for the original Marlboro Man tobacco advertising campaign, lived his later years in Clarendon. A former employee of the JA Ranch, he joined the First Baptist Church in Clarendon in 1953, after the death of his father in a bronco accident.[6]
Odell McBrayer (1930–2008), a Fort Worth attorney, grew up in Clarendon. He was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for governor in 1974, having lost his primary to Jim Granberry, former mayor of Lubbock. McBrayer was affiliated with the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International.[7]
Blues musician William Daniel McFalls, better known as Blues Boy Willie, lived in Clarendon during the middle 1960s, when he studied guitar and upright bass at Clarendon College.
Montgomery Harrison Wadsworth Ritchie (1910–1999), grandson of Cornelia Adair, managed the JA from 1935 until his retirement in 1993 and hence maintained a Clarendon address.
Republican U.S. Representative William Mac Thornberry, who represents the Texas Panhandle in a district which stretches from Amarillo east to Wichita Falls, was born in Clarendon in 1958.
William S. Lott (1918-2009), was a district judge in Williamson County for 16 years. He was born in Clarendon, and lived there until graduating from high school. He worked at first as a lawyer, then a judge, in a legal career that spanned seventy years. The William S. Lott Juvenile Center, in Georgetown, Texas is named after him.
The Skeleton of a Columbian Mammoth similar to the one found near Clute, TX
Clute
Mammoth Discovery
In November 2003, a mammoth was found buried in a sand pit in Clute by a backhoe operator for Vernor Material & Equipment Co. The operator uncovered a pair of tusks in the pit near Brazoswood High School.[22] This was believed to be remains of the first-dated mammoth discovered on the Texas Gulf Coast.[23] The mammoth was judged to be about 38,000 years old, judging from the age of logs recovered near the site. The mammoth was considered to be a Columbian mammoth. These mammoths were slightly larger and less hairy than their famous cousin, the wooly mammoth. In addition, fossil logs and remains of bison, horse, deer and turtle are present, providing a glimpse of a unique Ice Age environment buried 35' below the surface, said Robson Bonnichsen, director of the Center for the Study of the First Americans
Clute hosts "The Great Texas Mosquito Festival" every July. The festival has been held annually since 1981. The three-day festival attracts some 18,000 visitors
Cooper
Cooper proclaims itself to be the "Vetch Capital of the World".
Cotulla
Notable People
Former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson taught public school in Cotulla in 1928 for one year.
Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com; his maternal ancestors were settlers from Greece who lived in Texas. Over the generations, the family has acquired a 25,000-acre (100 km2) ranch in Cotulla.
George Strait also has a ranch near Cotulla.
Josh Beckett, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, owns Herradura Ranch, a 7,000-acre (28 km2) deer-hunting enclave located approximately 28 miles (45 km) from Cotulla.
Sighting of Chupacabra in 2007 and 2008 Phylis Canion, resident of Cuero, Texas, and a former hunter with African experience, along with some neighbors found roadkills near her farm in August 2007 that she believed was mythical, bloodsucking chupacabra. She kept the head of the animal in her freezer. On September 1, 2007 she showed the head to journalists and said that, "It is one ugly creature." The putative Texan chupacabra whose head she had exhibited had big ears, large fanged teeth and grayish-blue, and mostly hairless skin. Earlier Canion said that she had lost some chickens to wild animals recently. Canion based her premise that the animal that killed her chickens was not a coyote, but perhaps the vampire-like beast, because, according to her, chickens weren't eaten or carried off, but, blood was sucked off from them. The alleged sighting had triggered off an international and countrywide craze. Canion started selling $5 T-shirts that read: "2007, The Summer of the Chupacabra, Cuero, Texas." both locally and to foreign countries. The animal found by Phylis Canion was possibly the Mexican Hairless Dog, a rare breed found in Mexico and not the mythical Chupacabra.[1]. However, the Texas animal had a much longer snout, shorter front legs, tall ears, and longer tail; the television series Paranatural said that DNA testing indicated that the Texas animal was a hybrid wolf / coyote.
It is also unofficially known as the "turkey capital of the world" (this is reflected in the school mascot, the Gobblers).
In 2010, Cuero was named one of the 'Coolest Small Towns in America,' by Budget Travel Magazine
Turkey Fest - A local festival during which the townsfolk compete with people at various turkey-centric events. The competitions revolve around the turkeys each town raises and takes immense pride in. The events are the prettiest turkey contest, turkey toss, turkey trot, and turkey race. Unlike most Turkey Trots, where humans do the racing, in Cuero, the "turkey trot" involves racing actual turkeys.
In 1972, Charles Kuralt did an "On the Road" Report for CBS News from Cuero, where he did his own Turkey Call.
On August 8, 2008, a Dewitt County deputy, Corporal Brandon Riedel, filmed an unidentifiable animal along back roads near Cuero, Texas on his dashboard camera. The animal was about the size of a coyote but was hairless with a long snout, short front legs and long back legs. The footage was clear and in daylight, however the animal was running in front of and away from the police cruiser so it is difficult to discern most of its features; however at one point it briefly looks over its shoulder, revealing what seems to be a very elongated snout. Riedel commented that it didn't seem to be running like a dog or coyote, which run in a more smooth motion, and instead in the footage it is running in a galloping motion. However, Reiter's boss, Sherrif Jode Zavesky, believes it may be a coyote similar to the one identified by Texas State University–San Marcos researchers in November 2007
Cut and Shoot
The town of Cut and Shoot gained fame when local boxer Roy Harris, a heavyweight contender fought Floyd Patterson for the heavyweight title in 1958. Harris appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and was featured in Life Magazine. So much mail was addressed to "Roy Harris, Cut and Shoot, Texas" that the U. S. Postal Service granted a franchise post office to the town.
DeKalb
DeKalb was the birthplace of Bonanza star Dan Blocker, who played the character "Hoss Cartwright" on the popular NBC television Western.
DeKalb is also the hometown of former major league baseball player Luke Walker.
Singer Ricky Nelson was killed in an airplane crash near DeKalb on December 31, 1985, while he was en route to a concert in Dallas.
Dell City
Dell City
Notable People
Laura Lynch, member of the original Dixie Chicks
Denison
In 1901 the first electric "Interurban" railway in Texas, the Denison and Sherman Railway, was completed between Denison and Sherman, Texas.[7]
Denison played host to 20th century notables such as the Marx Brothers[9] and President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was born there in 1890.
The Denison High School football team won the 1984 Texas Class 4A State Championship by beating Tomball 27-13. They are also home to the longest high school football rivalry in Texas with Sherman High School called The Battle Of The Ax
Notable People
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was born in Denison, and is by far the city's most notable resident. His birthplace was purchased by the city in 1946 (six years before he became President) and is now maintained as Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site. In addition, Eisenhower State Park on Lake Texoma is also named in his honor.[14]
Professional football players, and brothers Aaron Hunt and Reggie Hunt play in the Canadian Football League.
George McFarland, an actor, appeared as Spanky in 95 Our Gang films between 1932 and 1942.
Actor John Hillerman Higgins from Magnum, P.I. Author and commentator Jim Hightower
Denton
Goatman’s Bridge – A bridge with a scary story.
DISH
Formerly called Clark, the town was officially renamed "DISH" (all capital letters) on November 16, 2005.[citation needed] The municipality was previously named after its founder, Landis Clark, who incorporated it in June 2000 and served as its first mayor. Clark was beaten by one vote in the Spring 2005 election by Bill Merritt. In exchange for renaming the town, all residents of the town have received free basic television service for ten years and a free DVR from Dish Network. There was no formal opposition to renaming Clark; twelve citizens attended the council meeting to support the measure. In the January 10, 2006 episode of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, correspondent Ed Helms produced a news segment about Dish.
Hamilton Pool Preserve is a recreational destination located in the Texas Hill Country west of Austin. Reservations are required to visit, and it is open for hiking and sight-seeing. Hamilton Pool is a natural pool that was created when the dome of an underground river collapsed due to massive erosion thousands of years ago.
Notable People
Jensen and Danneel Ackles, husband and wife actors[24][25]
Phil Cates, former state representative from the Texas Panhandle and lobbyist
Kyle Chandler, actor (Early Edition, Friday Night Lights, Bloodline)
Johnny Gimble, fiddle player and songwriter, who played with Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys from the 1940s through 1960s[26][27]
John F. Gregory, optical engineer and designer of the Gregory-Maksutov telescope
E. D. Hill, former host of Fox and Friends
Jesse James, television personality, motorcycle builder, firearm builder
Roger A. Keats, member of the Illinois Senate from 1979 to 1992. He moved to Dripping Springs in 2013[28][29]
Ben Kweller, musician
Pat Mastelotto, Musician
Adam Narkiewicz, a.k.a. 'Akira the Don', Musician and creator of the Meaningwave genre of Hip-hop[30]
Israel Nash (Israel Nash Gripka), singer/songwriter
Kurt Neumann, lead singer and guitarist of BoDeans
Dave Pelz, American golf coach and author
Slim Richey, musician
Gregg Rolie, Founding member of the bands Santana and Journey
Patrick Rose, lawyer, former Democratic state representative, and subject of the documentary Last Man Standing: Politics—Texas Style
Leonidas Johnson Rountree, newspaper publisher, born here in 1868[31]
Cameron Duddy,Music video producer and bassist for Midland
Dublin
The town is the home of the world's oldest Dr Pepper bottling plant (see Dublin Dr Pepper).
Dublin was also the boyhood home of legendary golfer Ben Hogan, who was born on August 13, 1912, at the hospital in nearby Stephenville. Hogan lived in Dublin until 1921, when he and his family relocated to Fort Worth.
American jurist and 1924 Texas Republican gubernatorial nominee George C. Butte married in Dublin, resided there for several years, and is interred at Live Oak Cemetery there
UFO Sightings - Dublin is the site of the January 2008 UFO sightings as featured on various national media networks and has been on the History Channel's UFO Hunters Episode 110. Since January 2008 hundreds of UFO sightings have been reported over Comanche County, Texas, Eastland County, Texas, Erath County, Texas, Hamilton County, Texas, and Mills County, Texas. MUFON the Mutual UFO Network has visited the town numerous times and held events to take reports and questions from concerned citizens of the area. These sightings continued though 2009 and a new wave of reports was received around January 2010. Another mass sighting similar to the first was reported in the evening of Wednesday 31 March 2010. News and pictures of the event where featured in the Stephenville Empire-Tribune the following day.
Eastland is known for the legend of "Old Rip", a horned toad that lived many years sealed in the cornerstone of the previous Eastland courthouse built in 1897. In 1928, the current courthouse was erected, the prior cornerstone was opened, and "Old Rip" was found alive. The animal, a kind of lizard, received national publicity. It died in 1929 of pneumonia and was placed in a glass-front casket on view in the present courthouse
Notable People
Don Pierson, (b. 1925 - d. 1996). Former Mayor of Eastland. Business innovator, communications pioneer and civic leader.
Hayden Fry, b. 1929. College football coach.
Clayton W. Williams, Sr. (b. 1895 - d. 1983), as an engineer with Oil Belt Power Company, he lived in Eastland during the early 1920s.
Stacy Blair b.1954 -d.2010 - World Famous Trumpter
Floydada
The Coronado Site
Archaeologists from Wichita State University excavated in Blanco Canyon, 5 miles south of Floydada. They discovered significant evidence that Spanish explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado established a major camp there during his search for Quivira, one of the legendary Seven Cities of Gold.[7]
Notable People
Tim & Tom "Spanky" Assiter - auctioneers who appear on the world-famous Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction.[8]
Lance Barrow - coordinating producer of CBS golf and football served as director of the Floydada Chamber of Commerce in the 1970s.
Max F Crawford (1938-2010) - author of Lords of the Plains: A Novel, The Bad Communist, Waltz Across Texas, and other books, was born near Floydada and attended Floydada schools.[9]
Major General Robert Dempsey - Retired US Air Force General and former commander of Dyess Air Force Base who graduated from Floydada High School.[10]
Don Hardy - National Hot Rod Association driver and builder of race cars grew up in Floydada and operates the business Don Hardy Race Cars in Floydada.[11]
H. Jeff Kimble - William L. Valentine Professor of Physics at Caltech and recipient of the 2004 Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize "For his pioneering work in quantum optics, for his innovative experiments in single-atom optical experiments, and for his skill in communicating the scientific excitement of his research to a broad range of audiences."[12] . In 1998, Dr. Kimble and his team at Caltech succeeded in the first true teleportation of a quantum state.[13] Dr. Kimble grew up in Floydada and graduated from FHS.
Robert Wayne Pratt (1967- ) - politician and host of the talk show, "Pratt on Texas", grew up near Floydada and attended Floydada Schools.[14]
Price Pritchett (1941- ) - organizational change consultant, founder of Pritchett & Associates, and author of 29 books grew up in nearby South Plains and graduated from Floydada High School in 1960.[15]
Kelly Turner – musician for the band Cooder Graw grew up in Floydada and graduated from Floydada High School.
Charles Tyer, high school principal from 1962-1984 (returned because of civic duty as elementary school principal, high school principal, and special education director. Among his academic contributions, Charles "Charlie" Tyer is a noted woodworker and member of the First United Methodist Church of Floydada.
W.R. "Raz" Ware (December 12, 1927—October 12, 2008), a former professional rodeo rider lived and ranched outside near Floydada.[16]
Don Williams, a Country music performer, was born in Floydada in 1939.
L.G. Wilson (1924–2001) - noted high school football coach was the athletic director and head football coach at Floydada High School from 1968 to 1982.
James Havens Word (1918–1999) - respected amateur archaeologist who was named the Society for American Archaeology's Crabtree Award in 1996.[17][18]
In Popular Culture
Floydada was the inspiration for the James McMurtry song Levelland, also covered by musician Robert Earl Keen. As McMurtry explains on the track Max's Theormem on the live album Live in Aught-Three, he named the song "Levelland" because Floydada wouldn't fit the meter.
Floydada is referenced in the Kevin Costner golf movie Tin Cup during a scene where Costner's character, Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy is playing in the U.S. Open when the golf analysts are speculating about the location of Roy's hometown Salome (a fictional town). CBS golf executive Lance Barrow makes the comment, "I think it's somewhere near Floydada."
Floydada was the code name for a 1991 Department of Energy Atomic Weapon Test.
Greenville
The town was famous (or infamous) for a sign that hung over Lee Street, the main street in the downtown district, between the train station and the bus station from the 1920s to 1960s. The banner read "Welcome to Greenville, The Blackest Land, The Whitest People".[5] The same sentiment was also printed on the city water tower.[6] An image of the sign was available as a postcard.[7] The sign's meaning was taken from a real estate man, W. Walworth Harrison's motto for selling land. Our rich farmland in Hunt County, literary, is black when wet, it will stick to your feet when walking across a field. "The Whitest People" before political correctness, according to the early Webster's dictionary, before the word was changed meant, "Pureness of Heart". From the 1960s to the 1970s the sign was replaced by one that read "The Blackest Land, The Greatest People". Subsequently the sign was taken down entirely
A notorious incident occurred in 1908, when a Greenville mob wrested away from officials and killed, either through dragging to a pyre or through the immolation that followed, a black man accused of raping a white woman. No one was arrested for the murder, and the mayor defended the action. The sheriff later expressed doubt that a rape had actually been committed
Notable People
Audie Murphy, the most decorated American soldier of World War II, lived near Greenville. The Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum in Greenville contains memorabilia related to Audie Murphy.
Monty Stratton, a famous major league baseball pitcher from the 1930s portrayed by Jimmy Stewart in the movie "The Stratton Story".
Robert Neyland, Hall of Fame football coach at Tennessee and decorated officer in the U.S. Army .
Ben Kweller, American rock musician
Wade Wilson, Former NFL and Dallas Cowboys quarterback and assistant coach.
Danny Zuber, Notable Freelance photographer for publications such as Los Angeles Times, New York Post and National Geographic.
Bart Millard, Lead singer and founder of the contemporary Christian band MercyMe.
Collin Raye, an American country music singer.
Mack Harrell, noted operatic baritone; father of world-renowned cellist Lynn Harrell
John Boles, noted movie and stage actor of the early 20th Century.
Fletcher Warren, a former United States Ambassador to Nicaragua, Paraguay, Venezuela and Turkey.
Haldor Lillenas, prolific hymnwriter and Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductee, was pastor of the Church of the Nazarene from 1920 to 1923
Francia White, American opera singer and radio and television personality during the 1930s and 1940s.
Happy
A 1999 movie named Happy, Texas starring Jeremy Northam, Steve Zahn, Ally Walker, Ileana Douglas and William H. Macy was named for but not shot in the town.
Notable People
Happy is the birthplace of Rockabilly musician Buddy Knox.
Fictional 24 character George Avila was from Happy, Texas.
Jerry D. Merryman[1], The hand-held pocket calculator was invented at Texas Instruments, Incorporated (TI) in 1966 by a development team which included Jerry D. Merryman, James H. Van Tassel and Jack St. Clair Kilby.
Lance Hoyt, professional wrestler working for World Wrestling Entertainment
John Randle, former NFL defensive tackle
Charles Williams, current rapper by the name of Chalie Boy of Dirty 3rd records
Steve O'Neal, former American football punter and wide receiver who holds the record for the longest punt in professional football history
Hemphill
Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster
In early February 2003, this town and its vicinity was one of the key search areas for the Space Shuttle Columbia wreckage as it broke up over Texas. The people of Hemphill felt their houses shake as, upon re-entry, the shuttle quickly came to pieces over the residences of Hemphill. The citizens, military, police, and civilians, led the hunt to recover the remains of the shuttle along with finding the crew members. The search teams recovered the Orbiter Experiment Support System recorder (OEX) near Hemphill.[7] In Hemphill a memorial has been erected in memory of the lost heroes, and also in memory of the large effort put forth by the people. The memorial can be found at the intersection of Hwy 87 North and Hwy 83 East
Hillsboro
The movie Bottle Rocket, starring Owen and Luke Wilson, was filmed here. They used the Days Inn motel, the High School Football stadium, and Highway 171 leading out of Hillsboro.
Notable People
Robert Lee Bobbitt, former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, state attorney general, and chairman of the Texas Highway Commission[6]
Bob Bullock, former Texas lieutenant governor, comptroller, Texas Secretary of State, and state representative
Rafer Johnson, the 1960 Olympic decathlon gold medalist
Troy Dungan, WFAA-TV chief meteorologist
Dr. J. Vernon McGee, Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Founder of Thru The Bible Radio Ministry
Maggie Jones, blues singer and pianist
Billy Patterson, former NFL football player
Hutto
According to local legend, it was in 1915 that a circus train stopped in Hutto Texas at the depot to take on passengers, pick up and deliver mail and possibly take on water and fuel for the steam locomotive. The circus train workers also would have taken this opportunity to care for their animals. At some point during this historic layover, a hippopotamus got out of the railcar and made its way to the nearby Cottonwood Creek which is next to the rail line. This caused much consternation for the circus workers. Local farmers and merchants watched the commotion in amusement and with interest as unsuccessful efforts were made to extricate the hippopotamus from the muddy waters of Cottonwood Creek. It is said that the Depot Agent, who at that time would have been Hal Farley, Jr., telegraphed the communities of Taylor and Round Rock that were eight miles (13 km) to the east and west of Hutto to the effect of: “STOP TRAINS, HIPPO LOOSE IN HUTTO". After much effort the hippo was prodded from the mud and water that resembled its natural habitat and was reloaded back onto the train car.
Soon afterward the Hutto School adopted the hippopotamus as its mascot and as early as 1923 the hippo appeared on official Hutto High School graduation announcements. There are several alternate stories about the beginnings of the unique Hutto mascot. According to one, the big Swedish and German boys of Hutto were playing their smaller foes in football, and the visiting coach exclaimed “We can’t beat those boys, they’re big as hippos!" Another story, also based on gridiron lore, is that the Hutto football team in the early twenties had no real jerseys and used feed sacks as their uniforms. The opposing coach allegedly said that the football team looked like a bunch of hippos in their makeshift outfits
Jasper
Notable People
The city became infamous throughout the United States in 1998 after a man named James Byrd, Jr. was dragged to death by John William King and two other men from the surrounding area.
Jasper was also one of the primary locations for the recovery of the Space Shuttle Columbia wreckage in February 2003.
Notable People
Max Alvis, baseball player, Cleveland Indians Ernie Holmes, football player, Pittsburg Steelers
Red Bryant, football player, , Seattle Seahawks
Sean Weatherspoon, football player, University of Missouri, Atlanta Falcons
Derick Armstrong, football player, BC Lions
Zack Bronson, NFL, San Fran. 49ers
Jefferson Cannon, Barney (1955–2009), country music deejay for radio station KWKH in Shreveport, Louisiana. Cannon resided with his family in Jefferson until his death at the age of fifty-three.
Levelland is famous as the site of a well-publicized series of UFO sightings in November 1957. Several motorists driving on various highways around Levelland claimed to see a large, egg-shaped object which emitted a blue glow and caused their automobiles to shut off. In most cases the object was sitting either on the highway or close to it. When the object took off, the vehicles would restart and work normally. Among witnesses were Weir Clem, Levelland's sheriff, and Ray Jones, the town's fire chief. The United States Air Force concluded a severe electrical storm was the major cause for the sightings and reported auto failures. However, several prominent UFO researchers, among them Dr. James E. McDonald, a physicist at the University of Arizona, and Dr. J. Allen Hynek, an astronomer at Northwestern University, disputed this explanation. Both men argued that there was no electrical storm in the area when the sightings occurred.
Levelland in popular culture The James McMurtry song "Levelland," recorded in 1995, is a song about life in the city, told from a slightly acerbic point of view. The song has also been recorded by Robert Earl Keen.
Levelland is also home to the 12 year old State Champions in baseball, the Levelland Kekambas. This was the first team to ever win state from Levelland. The team ended up placing fifth at the regional tournament in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Dr. Roy Elwin and Mrs. Mae Franks Hunt.
Littlefield
Littlefield is the hometown of singer/songwriter Waylon Jennings. The Waylon Jennings Boulevard is named in his honor.[8] A celebration of Jennings' 73rd birthday was held on June 18, 2010, to raise funds for the Lands Duggan House Museum in Littlefield.[9]
The world's tallest windmill was said to be below Yellow Houses Bluff at nearby Yellow House Ranch from the early 1900's until 1926, when the 128-foot-high structure was blown over[10].
Unsolved Murder
On October 26, 1943, Littlefield was shocked by the murder of physician Roy Hunt and his wife, the former Mae Frank. Hunt, a Lubbock native, graduated from the University of Texas Medical School at Galveston and opened the Littlefield Clinic in 1937. While Dr. Hunt died of a gunshot wound, Mrs. Hunt was bludgeoned to death by a gun. Their bodies, bound together, were found in bed by the couple's five-year-old daughter, who ran screaming to neighbors for help. An estimated 1,500 mourners attended the funerals in the First Methodist Church of Littlefield, which seated only 300. Some 1,200 hence stood outside the overflowing church to pay respects. A $15,000 reward was offered, and Governor Coke R. Stevenson took a personal interest in the case.[11] An investigation revealed that Dr. Hunt had also been shot twice in May 1942 by Dr. W.R. Newton, a former medical school classmate who claimed that Hunt was showing an interest in Newton's wife, Ruth. Another suspect, Jim Clyde Thomas, was gunned down in a personal disagreement on August 22, 1951, in Durant, Oklahoma. The murders, called the "most heinous on the Texas South Plains", hence remain unsolved. The Hunts are interred at the City of Lubbock Cemetery. Their two young daughters were reared by Mrs. Hunt's sister.[11][12] Clovis Road - The Dr. Roy Hunt Murder - Littlefield, Texas 1942 - 1943 was written in 2009 by Dana Middlebrooks Samuelson and Robert Samuelson, M.D. about the Hunt murders. Jerry Scott Hughes wrote the foreword and the book is dedicated to Judge Harold LaFont and his son, Bill LaFont.
The most westerly piece of debris (a Thermal Protection System tile) from the Feb 1, 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster was found in a field here.
Notable People
Billy Howton (born 1930), NFL player for the Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, and the Dallas Cowboys
Waylon Jennings (1937–2002), country singer
Tom Jones (born 1928), Broadway playwright
Gene Mayfield (1928–2009), high school and college football coach, began his career in Littlefield.
Lisa Whelchel (born 1963), actress
Lockhart
Lockhart was the site of a victory of the Texans over the Comanche, at the Battle of Plum Creek in 1840.
The Texas Legislature proclaimed Lockhart as The Barbecue Capital of Texas.[4] Lockhart has four major barbecue restaurants.
The 1996 Christopher Guest comedy film Waiting for Guffman and the 1993 drama What's Eating Gilbert Grape were filmed partly in Lockhart, including the historic courthouse square. Also, the city's Wal-Mart store was featured in the 2000 film Where The Heart Is. Dr. Eugene Clark Library is the oldest operating public library in Texas
Notable People
Country music recording artist Justin Trevino was raised in Lockhart.
Former Major League Baseball Player Billy Grabarkewitz and actress Lily Cahill were born in Lockhart, Texas.
Luckenbach
Citizens of the town claimed one of them (Jacob Brodbeck) had launched the first airplane years before the Wright Brothers
Country music Luckenbach's association with country music began in the summer of 1973, when Jerry Jeff Walker, backed by the Lost Gonzo Band, recorded a live album there called Viva Terlingua at Luckenbach Dancehall. That album became an outlaw country classic. Four years later (and a year after Crouch's death), Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson memorialized Luckenbach with the song "Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)," cowritten by rock and soul producer Chips Moman and keyboardist Bobby Emmons. In his 2000 book Are You Ready for the Country?, author Peter Doggett recalls that Jennings later told audiences that "he hated the song and (had) admitted 'The guys that wrote the thing have never been to Luckenbach. Neither have I.'"[2]
Notable concert appearances in the town include Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Pat Green, Robert Earl Keen, and Lyle Lovett. The little community is still an active home to country music as of 2010, where folks gather by the score to listen to area musicians and drink cold beer, particularly Shiner Bock, a local favorite brewed by the oldest brewer in Texas.
Country Rock artists Kenny Chesney and Kid Rock later covered the Jennings/Nelson song as a duet as the two performed earlier.
Guinness World Record "Pickin' for the Record" was a fundraiser held in Luckenbach on August 23, 2009, for the organization, Voices of a Grateful Nation. A Guinness Book of World Record was broken for the most guitar players gathered at one time to play (continuously, at least 5 minutes.) The Luckenbach record broke the standing German record by 50, with the official count at 1868. The day before the Texas event, Elvis Presley’s guitar player made a similar attempt in Louisiana and only signed up 800 pickers.
Lumberton
Notable People
Debra Jo Fondren, the 1978 Playboy Playmate of the year. Clay Buchholz, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. Mabank Notable residents The Biggest Loser contestant Abby Rike is from Mabank, and the location is shown in week 7
Marfa
The Marfa lights or the Marfa ghost lights are allegedly paranormal lights (known as "ghost lights") usually seen near U.S. Route 67 on Mitchell Flat east of Marfa, Texas, in the United States. While the lights have gained an extensive reputation as an unexplained phenomena, recent research has suggested that most, if not all, of the lights are atmospheric reflections of automobile headlights and campfires.
Filming of Giant and other films - The famous 1956 Warner Bros. film Giant, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Sal Mineo, Carroll Baker and Dennis Hopper, was filmed in Marfa for two months. Director George Stevens did not have a closed set and actively encouraged the townspeople to come by, either to watch the shooting, or visit with the cast and crew, or take part as extras, dialect coaches, bit players and stagehands.
In August 2006, two movie production units used locations in and around Marfa: the film There Will Be Blood, an adaptation of the Upton Sinclair novel Oil!, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, and the Coen Brothers' adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel No Country for Old Men.[6][7]
The 1976 play Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, and its 1982 film adaptation, were set in and around Marfa. The film, however, was not shot there.
In 2008, Marfa held the first annual Marfa Film Festival, which lasted from May 1–5.
The music video of 'Home' by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros ends in Marfa with a sign reading 'GOODBYE MARFA, TX!!'
The music video of 'Obfuscation' by Between the Buried and Me is set in Marfa.
Mentone
Alleged Takeover Attempt by the "Free Town Project"
In February 2006, Mentone became the focus of a New York Times article detailing an alleged attempt by libertarians Lawrence Pendarvis, Bobby Emory and Don Duncan to "take over" the town and Loving County. According to the article, Pendarvis and his associates, part of the Free Town Project, planned to buy parcels of land in the county, then move in enough of their supporters to outvote earlier residents and take control of local government.[3] According to a website for Mr. Pendarvis' movement, their objectives were to "remove oppressive Regulations...and stop enforcement of Laws prohibiting Victimless Acts among Consenting Adults, such as Dueling, Gambling, Incest, Price-Gouging, Cannibalism, and Drug Handling." Additionally, the group sought "to ensure that the Sheriff's Office or the Town Police are never allowed to waste valuable Town resources...to oppress our residents by the investigation or enforcement of violations of Laws that punish Truancy, Drug Trafficking, Prostitution, Obscenity, Organ Trafficking, BumFights, and other Victimless 'Crimes'."[4] Although Pendarvis, Emory and Duncan claimed to have legally bought 126 acres (0.51 km2) in Loving County in 2005, and registered to vote accordingly, the county sheriff, Billy Burt Hopper, determined that this land had been sold to a different buyer. Misdemeanor charges were filed against the three men, who had left the state by this time. Pendarvis claimed to have a cancelled check to prove his purchase of the land in question, but no deed was ever produced, and the original landowners denied having sold land to Pendarvis or his associates. The three were subsequently featured on a "wanted" poster issued by Sheriff Hopper and the local Texas Rangers (displayed at Hopper's office), and threatened with arrest should they return to Loving County. Although Mr. Pendarvis' website remains operative, his project does not seem to be active at this time, due to lack of funding and participation
Monahans
Million Barrel Oil Tank
Monahans is the home of the Million Barrel Oil Tank. Shell Oil Co. constructed the tank in 1928 to hold crude oil waiting to be shipped. However, because of leakage and evaporation, the tank was not effective and was dismantled during the 1930s. It is now home of the Million Barrel Museum. Mules hauled wood and cement to the site and the men worked around the clock for 90 days to construct the huge vessel in 1928. That was when oil first was discovered in West Texas and was flowing about 500 barrels (79 m3) daily. One may visit the Million Barrel Oil Museum daily and learn more about the history of Monahans
Notable People
Guy Clark, American songwriter and country musician. The city is mentioned on a number of his songs as well as in his 1997 live album Keepers during a musical interlude.
Kathy Whitworth, professional golfer.
Danny Mason (1938-2007), golf coach (1969-1980) and physical education professor at Texas Tech University.
Clinton Allmon (born June 13, 1941), actor, originally from Monahans.
Natalie Zea (born March 17, 1975), actress, Dirty Sexy Money.
Montgomery
It is the birthplace of the Lone Star Flag of Texas.
Navasota
In 2005, the Texas Legislature named the city "The Blues Capital of Texas," in honor of the late Mance Lipscomb, a Navasota native and blues musician.
Notable People
Virgil "Ned" Garvin, who pitched in the major leagues from 1896 through 1904, was born in Navasota in 1874.
French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle was killed in Navaosta in 1687, according to historians.
Frank Hamer, a Texas Ranger in ordering, tracking down, and killing Bonnie and Clyde, was Marshal of Navasota.
Chuck Norris lives just outside of Navasota with his family.
Noonday
Noonday is perhaps best known for the "Noonday Onion," reputed to be one of the sweetest onions available
2003: In one of the largest domestic War on Terror investigations in the United States since the Oklahoma City bombing, William Krar and Judith Bruey were arrested and authorities seized nearly two pounds of cyanide, half a million rounds of ammunition, and a variety of bombs and other weapons
Oatmeal
Oatmeal Festival Since 1978, the community of Oatmeal and the nearby city of Bertram have celebrated an annual Oatmeal Festival.[3] Ken Odiorne, a local resident, started the tradition by writing to the major producers of oatmeal at the time to ask for assistance. Only one company, National Oats, responded.
The Futuro House - The Futuro House was conceived by Matti Suuronen in 1968 as a "portable" ski chalet.
Notable People
Taylor Hearn, baseball player
Gus Ketchum, baseball player
Olivia Mojica, semi-finalist from American Idol
Glen Payne, musician
Seguin
Seguin is the location of the historic Wilson Pottery site
the first freed slave business of 1869 in Texas.[17]
The oldest railway in Texas, the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railroad chartered on February 11, 1850, as the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railway Company built the first Seguin depot in 1876.[18]
John Ireland the 18th Governor of Texas 1883-1887, was a resident of Seguin.
Since 1912, Seguin has been the home of Texas Lutheran University.
Notable Alumni
Verne Lundquist - Noted sportscaster
Don Mischer - TV Producer and Director
Cameron Beckman - PGA Tour
Jeff Hiller - Actor
Alton Chung Ming Chan - Concert Pianist
Seguin is a large producer of pecans and is often attributed the nickname "Pecan Capital of Texas."[22]
The city boasts of having the "World's Largest Pecan," a five feet long, two-and- a-half feet wide concrete pecan located in front of the county courthouse The city recently announced plans to build a pecan-shaped sculpture that is substantially larger.
Seguin is the setting of the 1994 Janice Woods Windle historical novel True Women [23][24] and the 1997 CBS miniseries adaptation, True Women, starring Dana Delaney and Angelina Jolie.[25]
Seguin is where Nanci Griffith, the Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist and songwriter, was born.
Seminole
It is the birthplace of Country music singers Larry Gatlin and Tanya Tucker.
Radio talk-show personality Randi Rhodes got her start in Seminole.
Seymour
On August 12, 1936, the temperature at Seymour reached 120 °F (49 °C), the highest temperature ever recorded in the state of Texas
Shamrock
Notable People
Gene Price, songwriter, musician and vocalist; longtime songwriting associate of Buck Owens
David Vetter, the famous "boy in the plastic bubble", was from Shenandoah
Shiner
Shiner is the home of the Spoetzl Brewery, the oldest independent brewery in Texas. The brewery is most well known for producing Shiner Bock, a dark German/Czech-style beer that is now distributed in 41 states.
Notable People
Shiner is the hometown of five Major League Baseball players: Ross Youngs (1917–26), outfielder, member of Baseball Hall of Fame Vic Roznovsky (1964–69), catcher Carroll Sembera (1965–70), pitcher Jeremy Fikac (2001–04), pitcher Logan Ondrusek (2010– ), pitcher
Silsbee
Controversy Silsbee High School and the school district have been criticized for expelling a cheerleader from the school's cheerleading squad because of her refusal to cheer for a basketball player who pled guilty to sexually assaulting her.[7][8]
Notable People
Mark Henry, Olympic weightlifter and World Wrestling Entertainment wrestler
Uvalde was the home of John Nance "Cactus Jack" Garner, former Speaker of the House and Vice President of the United States.
Actor Matthew McConaughey,
actress Dale Evans,
activist Katherine Gabrielle
former Governor of Texas Dolph Briscoe (for whom the post office is named)
The city is also home to the Grammy Award winning Tejano/Norteño group Los Palominos.
Robb Elementary School shooting
Valentine
Valentine is also home to the unusual sculpture Prada Marfa, which mimics a Prada store and which was installed in 2005 on the town's main street, California Avenue (US Route 90).
Earthquake
On August 16, 1931, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck near Valentine, causing extensive damage. The earthquake was the most powerful ever recorded in Texas
Valley Mills
Notable People
Donnie Sadler, Major League Baseball player
Von Ormy
The Texas Revolution
During the War for Texas Independence, Santa Anna (now the Mexican President and General-in-Chief) camped in Von Ormy prior to making his final march on the Alamo. The spot is marked by the Santa Anna Oak, a large live oak under which the general encamped.
Blas Herrera, the "Paul Revere" of the Texas Revolution, rode his horse from Von Ormy to San Antonio to warn the town of Santa Anna's approach. After the war, the doors to the Alamo were taken to the Herrera ranch, where they stayed until the Daughters of the Republic of Texas brought them back to the Texas shrine during their restoration of the Alamo.
Notable People
Emilio, Tejano music superstar
Blas Herrera, Tejano patriot
Horace Alsbury, survivor of the Alamo who captured Santa Ana after the Battle of San Jacinto
Enoch Jones, merchant and richest man in Texas at start of Civil War[14]
Samuel McCulloch, free black soldier in the Texas Revolution
Francisco Antonio Ruiz, mayor of San Antonio during the Battles of the Alamo
Deaf Smith, Texian spy
Count Norbert von Ormay, town namesake
Roy Bean, infamous Judge who kept a saloon at Garza's Crossing
The Munster Mansion is a replica of the house used in The Munsters 1960s sitcom.
In 1988 the area around Waxahachie was chosen as the site for the Superconducting Super Collider, which was to be to be world's largest and most energetic particle accelerator, with a planned ring circumference of 87.1 kilometers (54.1 miles). Seventeen shafts were sunk and 23.5 km (14.6 mi) of tunnel were bored[4] before the project was cancelled by Congress in 1993.
The majority of Tender Mercies, a 1983 film about a country western singer, was filmed in Waxahachie. Director Bruce Beresford deliberately avoided the city's picturesque elements and Victorian architecture, and instead filmed more barren locations that more closely resembled the West Texas area. The Texas town portrayed in Tender Mercies is never specifically identified.[8]
The film Places in the Heart starring Sally Field was also filmed in Waxahachie. Unlike Mercies it was filmed deliberately in the town square and utilized the Victorian and Plantation homes still intact in the area.
Scarborough Renaissance Festival (also called Scarborough Faire), a popular Renaissance fair theme park, is located southwest of the town. It opens annually during the months of April and May, and has been in operation since 1981.
Notable People
Robert Benton, won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Places in the Heart, which was filmed in Waxahachie[36]
Jammal Brown, professional football player [37]
Tevin Campbell, Grammy-nominated R&B singer [38]
Emanuel Cleaver, U.S. Representative [37]
Bessie Coleman, first female African-American pilot (born in Atlanta, Texas; moved to Waxahachie at age 2) [39]
Elizabeth Otis Dannelly, poet [40]
Frederic Forrest, Oscar-nominated actor[41]
Robert J. Groden, JFK assassination expert, released the Zapruder film on national TV on March 6, 1975
Josie Briggs Hall, author of A Scroll of Facts and Advice (Houx’s Printery, 1905), the first book published by a black woman Texan [42]
