Category Archives: Historical tidbits

The War Comes to America

When I began to post tidbits of local news on Facebook in 2014, I wasn’t certain how long it would last. I’m fascinated with the past, but was there others who might be interested? Well, my posts have never gone … Continue reading

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Treasures on Our Doorstep

Earlier this summer Heather Goodson asked me to do a historic resources survey on Live Oak Street and Maple Street in Commerce as part of the preparation for the downtown Commerce renovation project. Commerce has always been a special place … Continue reading

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The Amazing Captain Benjamin A. Van Sickle

Captain Benjamin A. Van Sickle was a most unusual man. A native Texan born in 1808 in San Augustine, he was a citizen of Spanish Texas, the Republic of Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the United States, the Confederate States … Continue reading

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Old-fashioned Camp Meetings

Now that the long Fourth of July holiday is over and Little League Baseball finished for another year, most people will either head to water parks or hibernate inside their homes under the air-conditioning. Texas heat is about to crank … Continue reading

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Neola

Drive down State Highway 34 to the traffic light at FM 1570; turn left and in a short time you will be on the north side of the hamlet of Neola. Actually Edgewood Drive marks the entrance to Neola. James … Continue reading

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Vigilantism in an Extremely Volatile Environment

Last week I wrote about an event that occurred in northeast Hunt County in 1844, prior to the creation of Hunt County. After several thefts and at least three murders, settlers in the vicinity took the law into their own … Continue reading

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Does the End Justify the Means?

Does the end justify the means? This age old question is at the core of today’s article and the one I plan to write next week. Comments are welcome. By 1839 Anglos hoping to claim land along the Red River … Continue reading

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Who Killed Clarence Glass?

On the evening of December 8, 1916, an unknown assailant fatally shot Clarence A. Glass in Point, Texas. More than a century later, the murder still remains unsolved and probably long since forgotten. The First National Bank of Point employed … Continue reading

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Death at Bastogne

Fighting around the Belgian town of Bastogne was furious the first two weeks of January 1945. The German Army was determined to push through on their way to the harbor at Antwerp. Standing in the way was United States’ Third … Continue reading

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One of My Favorite Places

A few weeks ago, I slipped off to Commerce to one of my very special places, the archives at Gee Library on the campus of Texas A&M University Commerce. On the fourth floor with windows on the north and west … Continue reading

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