Oil Man Who Gave Away Millions
If you are driving south from Austin on US 183, you know when you’ve arrived in Luling. Even if you’re the passenger and your eyes are closed, you’ll recognize Luling. It stinks. Yes, oil pumping stations (pump jacks) operate all over town—even in the heart of the city. Nobody in Luling minds the odor. They […]
Imagining a Cathedral
The first Protestant Czech-Moravian congregation in North America built its one-room church of hand-hewn logs in 1866. The tiny community, originally called Veseli meaning “joyous,” had already opened the first Czech school in Texas in 1859, soon after they settled on farmland eight miles south of Brenham. Their pastor was expected to do double-duty as […]
Ex-Slave Becomes Community Leader
Born into slavery in Arkansas in 1845, Nelson Taylor Denson moved, at age eleven, to Falls County in East Texas with his master. Denson, who had been educated by his master, developed high regard for Sam Houston after hearing Houston speak when he visited Marlin in his campaign for governor. Denson admired Houston’s devotion to […]
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: RABBI HENRY COHEN
When you travel Texas highways, you see historical markers that tell some of Texas’ best tales. For several years I wrote some of those marker stories and in the process I discovered a lot of Movers & Shakers that history books never mention. I plan to share some of the stories in my blogs. I […]