Thursday, February 27, 2014 - 8:00am
By Leslie Wolfenden, THC Historic Resources Survey Coordinator
The Bankhead Highway’s impact on hundreds of Texas communities—from colossal cities to tiny towns—remains evident to this day. Upon completion of the highway in the 1920s, businesses and attractions specifically catering to motorists emerged along the transcontinental roadway, which stretched across Texas from Texarkana to...
Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - 8:00am
By THC Cemetery Program Staff
Sometimes, a routine phone call about a Historic Texas Cemetery (HTC) designation can lead to spectacular discoveries and unexpected insights.
Jennifer McWilliams, the Texas Historical Commission’s (THC) new Cemetery Preservation Program coordinator, recently spoke with Dr. Ana Juárez, a Texas State University (TSU) anthropology professor seeking...
Friday, February 14, 2014 - 11:36am
By Susan Gammage, Assistant Director, Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program
In November 2013, Navarro County citizens decidedly approved a $7.5 million bond referendum, of which $4.7 million was a local match for a Round VII $4.4 million Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program grant.
Just weeks before the bond election, a 100-year-old water pipe broke on...
Monday, December 9, 2013 - 12:03pm
By Andy Rhodes, Managing Editor, The Medallion
This set of photos was taken for our Fall 2013 Medallion cover feature, which highlights historic breweries in the Texas Independence Trail Region. The article, “Brewing Heritage: Texas' German Immigrants Hoisted History with Old World Traditions,” focuses on the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner; Western Brewery (at the Menger Hotel), Pearl...
Tuesday, November 26, 2013 - 2:39pm
By Andy Rhodes, Managing Editor, The Medallion
The Levi Jordan Plantation near Brazoria has experienced a tremendous transformation over the past several years. What was once a neglected homestead is now a nearly restored historic structure with interpretive plans taking shape in preparation for regular visitation in 2015.
Recent preservation efforts at the site—one of the...
Wednesday, November 20, 2013 - 8:20am
By Gregory Smith, National Register Coordinator, THC
The James and Susannah Cunningham Homestead, featuring an 1855 dogtrot house with a stone kitchen added in 1873, is believed to be the oldest house in Comanche County. The 1914 Brooks County Courthouse in Falfurrias, designed by master architect Alfred Giles, has served as the center of county government for nearly a century....
Tuesday, November 5, 2013 - 8:00am
By Leslie Wolfenden, THC Historic Resources Survey Coordinator
For many Texans, driving along an interstate highway is a thoroughly modern experience, with gridlocked traffic, ongoing construction, and views of large-scale new development along the roadside.
However, historic maps show the routes traversed by some of today’s modern interstate highways closely resemble the paths...
Friday, August 30, 2013 - 11:40am
By Andy Rhodes, Managing Editor, The Medallion
As with any print magazine, during the design process of The Medallion, dozens of compelling photos are left on the cutting room floor due to space limitations. There’s always a sense of regret that comes with making hard editorial decisions when interesting content is on the line: You hope you’re making the right decision, but you’re...
Thursday, August 8, 2013 - 4:10pm
By Andy Rhodes, Managing Editor, The Medallion
Several historical entities recently made Texas history by collaborating on the first-ever partnership resulting in a National Register designation. The Pittsburg Commercial Historic District is the culmination of a yearlong project among the Texas Historical Commission (THC), the Pittsburg Main Street Program, and the Camp County...
Wednesday, August 7, 2013 - 6:00am
By Andy Rhodes, The Medallion Managing Editor
Nestled among Texas’ rolling hills and meandering creekbeds are slight depressions in the earth known as swales. Barely visible to the untrained eye, swales descend into the surrounding landscape, forming elongated u-shaped indentations resulting from centuries of foot, horse, and wagon traffic. In eastern Texas, many swales are...
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