Clyde, Texas

Baird, Texas, has a rich history deeply intertwined with the Texas and Pacific Railway. The city was officially founded in 1880 and named after Matthew Baird, who was not only a director of the railway but also the sole…

You're driving through Callahan County, heading towards Baird. Imagine this: it's 1862, and the Texas frontier is a dangerous place. This marker points to the general location of Camp Pecan, a Civil War camp established…

You're driving past the historic Texas & Pacific Railway Depot in Baird. The railroad rolled into town in 1880, and by 1881, this spot was a division point, complete with a roundhouse and immigrant housing. The town of…

You're driving past the site of the Callahan Jail, the first one in the county. It was originally built in 1878 in Belle Plaine. But after a local election dispute, the citizens of Baird paid to have it moved here in…

You're driving through Callahan County, Texas. This county was formed, then reformed, finally organized in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1877</say-as>. It's named for James H. Callahan, a soldier in the Texas…

You're driving through Baird, and right here is the Callahan County Courthouse, a building that's seen a few iterations. The county seat officially moved to Baird back in 1883. The first courthouse here was designed by…

You're driving through Baird, a town that was just five years old when this Presbyterian church was organized back in 1885. It began with six members from the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The congregation later…

You're driving past Baird, Texas, where Captain Andrew Jackson Berry died in 1899. Born in Indiana in 1816, Berry fought for Texas independence as a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto. Later in his life, he served as…

You're driving past the Ross Cemetery, established in 1881. It was designated a Historic Texas Cemetery in 2006.

The heart of old Baird wasn't the courthouse; it was the railroad depot. The Texas and Pacific Railway arrived in 1880 and made Baird a 'division point'—a crucial hub in the age of steam, where the run ended for one…

When Baird was established on the Texas and Pacific line in 1880, it immediately entered a rivalry with the existing county seat, Belle Plain. The railroad had missed Belle Plain by about six miles, dropping its…

Why does Baird exist in this exact spot? The answer lies in the engineering limits of a 19th-century steam locomotive. A steam engine was a powerful but needy machine. It could only travel about 100 to 150 miles before…

The former Callahan County Jail, located at 100 W. 5th Street, is a notable landmark in Baird. Originally located in nearby Belle Plain, the jail was disassembled brick by brick and reassembled in Baird after the county…

Baird was barely four years old and built almost entirely out of wood — a Texas and Pacific division point thrown up in 1880 with a depot, a roundhouse and repair shops. Then in 1884 the fire came. It started in S. L.…

You're driving through Baird, Texas, and just passed the site of a true Texas frontiersman, William Jeff Maltby. Born in Illinois in 1829, Maltby came to Texas around 1850, building frontier forts for the U.S. Army. He…

You're driving past the Belle Plaine Cemetery, a final resting place for a town that barely existed. Folks were burying their dead here as early as 1878, with the oldest marked grave belonging to sixteen-year-old Virgil…

State Highway Thirty Six and U S Highway One Ninety both carry the name Thirty Sixth Division Memorial Highway. The Thirty Sixth Infantry Division was called the Texas Division, because when it entered federal service…

You're driving past the site of Kingsolving Field in Abilene, where the legendary Charles Lindbergh landed in 1927. Just four months after his famous solo flight across the Atlantic, 'Lucky Lindy' touched down for about…

In the 1870s, the Pollard family became the first settlers in what is now Potosi, Texas. The town's name was chosen in 1893 by R.A. Pollard, inspired by the Mexican city of San Luis Potosí. By 1896, the community had…

Farm to Market Road Six Oh Four, between Shackelford and Taylor counties, carries an unusual name: the Atlas ICBM Highway. The Convair Atlas was the first operational intercontinental ballistic missile system used by…

You're driving through Callahan County, and just ahead is the site of Belle Plain College. Founded in 1881 by the Methodist Church, this was one of West Texas's earliest institutions of higher learning. At its peak, 300…

You're driving through Callahan County, and right here is the site of Belle Plain. It was the very first official county seat for this whole area, serving from 1877 to 1883. Before Belle Plain, there was Callahan City,…

John Hittson, rancher, son of Jesse and Polly (Beck) Hittson, was born at Nashville, Tennessee, on October 11, 1831. The Hittson family moved to Rusk County, Texas, in 1847. Four years later John married Selena Frances…

You're driving through Callahan County, and right here is the spot where a Texas legend was born. In the fall of 1900, two young brothers, Omar and Joe Burkett, found some unusual nuts in a squirrel's nest. They traced…

Belle Plain, six miles southeast of Baird in Callahan County, was established in 1876. Nelson M. Smith purchased state school land for the site in 1875 and laid out a town with wide streets and a designated business…

You're driving through what used to be Belle Plain, Texas, a town that sprang up in 1881 hoping to become a regional hub. It even started a college, Belle Plain College, known for its music department. They had fifteen…

You're driving through Callahan County, and right here is where Camp Pecan once stood. It was March of 1862, and the Texas frontier was on edge. Comanche and Kiowa raids were a constant threat, so the Frontier Regiment…

You're driving through what used to be the heart of Texas's Civil War frontier defense. Right here, in March of 1862, Camp Salmon was established. It was one of eighteen ranger stations set up a day's ride apart,…

You're driving through Callahan County, near the headwaters of a legendary Texas stream: Pecan Bayou. This slow-moving waterway, fed by over twenty creeks, was a vital spot for Native Americans like the Tonkawa and…

Rowden is on State Highway 36 sixteen miles northwest of Cross Plains in south central Callahan County. Walter V. Roberts opened a store and post office at the site on the northwest corner of the Miller place in 1906.…

Loop Three Twenty Two in Abilene, from US Highway Eighty Four to Interstate Twenty, is the Officer Rodney T. Holder Memorial Highway. Rodney Holder was an Abilene native. He served in the Army with the Eighty Second…

You're driving through Callahan County, near Baird. This cemetery was established before the county itself was organized in 1877. It served as the final resting place for many early pioneers who settled this frontier.

You're driving through Callahan County, near Baird. Back in 1877, this spot was Callahan City, a small village with two stores and a post office. It served as the temporary county seat for just a few months before the…

You're driving past the site of the American Legion's Parramore Post 57 in Abilene. Organized in 1919 for World War I veterans, this chapter was named for one of Abilene's founders and a Civil War veteran. The post…

You're driving through Abilene, past a remarkable woman who made a huge difference. Eugenia Pickard, born in Georgia around 1877, moved to Abilene in the early 1900s. She owned properties and let poor families with kids…

You're driving through Callahan County, and right here, you're crossing a vital piece of American history. This spot marks where the U.S. Military Telegraph Line ran, connecting Fort Griffin to Fort Concho. Established…

You're driving past Abilene Christian University, but its story started way back in 1906. <break time="400ms"/> It was founded as the Childers Classical Institute by A. B. Barret, a preacher and educator. <break…

You're driving past the site of the Abilene State School, a place that started with a very specific mission back in 1899. The Texas Legislature created it as a center to treat epilepsy. It opened its doors in 1904,…

As you pass the signs for Dyess Air Force Base, you're near a cornerstone of America's strategic air command. But the base is also a monument to incredible heroism. It's named for Lt. Col. Ed Dyess, an Albany native. A…

Abilene has a title no other city can claim: the 'Storybook Capital of America.' And you can see why right on its downtown streets. As you explore, you'll find a growing collection of bronze sculptures featuring…

As you drive across the plains toward Abilene, you can’t miss the new giants of the Texas landscape: hundreds of massive wind turbines, spinning in unison on the horizon. This is the heart of Texas's wind corridor. The…

In the heart of downtown Abilene stands the Paramount Theatre, a stunning 1930 movie palace. When it was built, it was the height of luxury, with its Spanish-Moorish design, intricate tilework, and a ceiling painted…

For a city of its size, Abilene has a remarkable concentration of higher education. It's home to not one but three private, faith-based universities: Abilene Christian University, Hardin-Simmons University, and McMurry…

If you were driving southwest of Abilene during World War II, you would have seen a staggering sight: Camp Barkeley, a city that appeared almost overnight eleven miles out of town. It covered better than seventy…

You're driving through a wild mountain area, a place that saw its very first Anglican service way back in 1878. Bishop Alexander Charles Garrett, a missionary who'd served across North America, was sent to Texas in…

You're driving past the site of Abilene's "Americanization" school, which opened in 1920. It moved to this location in 1936 and served Mexican American children until 1948. For decades, facilities for these students…

You're driving past Claiborne Walker Merchant. (August 31, 1836 - March 9, 1926) Claiborne W. Merchant and his twin, John, were born in Nacogdoches. "Clabe" married Frances Bell in 1856. He served in the Confederate…

You're driving past the heart of early Abilene, Texas, where Thomas Middlebrook Willis made his mark. He first scouted this area in 1878, returning in 1883 after law school to set up his practice. Willis served as City…

You're driving past the Abilene home of Morgan Jones, a Welsh immigrant who became a railroad legend. By the time he moved to Abilene in 1908, Jones had laid over a thousand miles of track across Texas and the West. He…

You're driving past the site of McMurry College in Abilene, a school that owes its existence to James Winford Hunt. Hunt started as a newspaper publisher before becoming a Methodist minister in 1903. While serving in…

Eight 8-foot steel buffalo each weighing over 1000 pounds rotate atop tall poles like giant weather vanes over the parade grounds of the Frontier Texas museum…

You're driving past Abilene Municipal Cemetery, a burial ground that's actually five different cemeteries rolled into one. The oldest grave here dates back to 1881, Florence Phillips. You'll also find notables like Mary…

You're driving past the site of Abilene's first public school for African Americans, established way back in 1890. It started as a single room on Plum Street with just 22 students and one teacher. Over the decades, this…

You're driving east of Cedar Creek, approaching Abilene. It's December 1880, and a big decision is being made right here on this hill. H.C. Whithers of the Texas & Pacific Railroad is meeting with local cattlemen,…

You're driving past the site of Macedonia Baptist Church, organized in 1898 by Rev. J. H. Herron. The church's sanctuary hosted Abilene's first commencement exercises for African American students around 1923. Later,…

You're driving through Abilene, and right here is the site of Mount Zion Baptist Church, the oldest African American church in the city. It was organized in 1885 by Reverend James Curry. The congregation met in a small…

You're driving past the site of Camp Barkeley, where the famous 45th Infantry Division, the 'Thunderbirds,' trained during World War II. Comprised of National Guard units from four states, they were among the first…

You're driving past the former home of Dr. William H. Butler, Sr., the first African American physician in Abilene. After earning his medical degree in 1910, he began practicing medicine, pharmacy, and even dentistry…

In 2026, the Stargate AI infrastructure project in Abilene became one of the city's largest employers, with over 6,400 workers at the local campus. The facility operates at a 1.2 GW capacity, utilizing NVIDIA…

In February of nineteen fifty five, Abilene was invited to come out to the Fair Park Auditorium and see Elvis Presley and His Bop Band, with shows at seven and at nine. Elvis was not a national star yet. That year he…

Winston Lee Moore came out of Erath County, studied journalism at Hardin-Simmons here in Abilene, and graduated in nineteen forty nine. He went to work playing country records on KRBC radio, and on the air he was Slim…

You're at North First and Pine in downtown Abilene. By eighteen eighty four the young railroad town had made it a crime to fire a gun inside the city limits and had outlawed gambling outright. On the evening of January…

Here's something strange about that number on the news. A tornado's EF rating almost never comes from a wind gauge. Nobody measured the wind. Out here in storm country, after the sky clears, National Weather Service…

Out here in storm country, a tornado is rarely just one smooth funnel. Inside the big spinning column, smaller whirls called suction vortices can break loose and orbit the center, two to five at a time, each one usually…

During World War Two, Camp Barkeley, eleven miles southwest of Abilene, was one of the largest military camps in the country, and on February first, nineteen forty four, the Army opened a prisoner of war camp inside it.…

You're driving through Abilene, Texas, and right here is a marker dedicated to four brothers: Edward, James, and George Taylor, along with William Barret Travis. These four men all died together at the Alamo on March…

You're driving through Abilene, the first town in West Texas to be connected by rail! Look around – this is where the Texas & Pacific Railway made history in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1881</say-as>.…

You're driving past the historic Texas & Pacific Railroad Depot! It started in 1881 with just a railroad car, but by 1882, a grand two-story building went up, even housing a hotel. The current brick beauty you see was…

You're driving past the site of the Hotel Wooten, which opened its doors on June 6, 1930. Entrepreneur H.O. Wooten dreamed of a hotel as grand as those in New York City, and he delivered with this seventeen-story,…

You're driving through Abilene, and you might see the spot where for 37 years, New Year's Eve meant a unique kind of fireworks. John J. Clinton, Abilene's police chief, would fire his entire revolver into the air at…

You're driving past the site of Thornton's Store, once called 'a city within itself' right here in Abilene. E. L. Thornton started with a simple fruit stand in 1919. But by 1937, his business had exploded, filling an…

You're driving past the Abilene Reporter-News, the oldest business institution in town. It started as the Reporter Publishing Company in 1881, just three months after Abilene itself was founded. The original owner, C.E.…

The interchange in Abilene where U.S. Highways Eighty Three and Eighty Four meet Loop Three Twenty Two has a name. It is the Sam Waldrop Highway Interchange, and it honors a man who once led the state's highway…

You're driving through the site of the Fletcher Ranch, established in 1878 by James Robert Fletcher. He brought his family and a small herd of cattle to this spot, drawn by a spring-fed creek, ample grass, and trees.…

You're driving past the site of Abilene's very first school. Back in the spring of 1881, before the schoolhouse was even built, classes were held right here in a tent! Imagine that – learning your ABCs under canvas.…

You're driving past the Abilene marker for Miss Clara Bussell, who lived from 1902 to 1966. She joined the West Texas Chamber of Commerce in 1920 and served as office manager for forty years, working unselfishly right…

You're driving through Abilene, and right here is the site of the Laughter Undertaking Company. Dan T. Laughter started here in 1900, taking full ownership of the firm in 1908. For decades, they even operated an…

You're driving near Baird, in the old Admiral community. This Baptist church was organized in 1881, serving early settlers. Services were held in log cabins and schoolhouses until a sanctuary was built. The congregation…

You're driving through Abilene, Texas, where back in the mid-1950s, the high school football team wasn't just a team – it was the heart of the community. The Abilene High Eagles, nicknamed the Warbirds, were on a…

You're driving through Abilene, the birthplace of Bill Maddox, a musician who found his way from the Texas music scene to the early days of Dell Computer Corporation, and back again. Born in 1953, Maddox was a gifted…

You're driving through Abilene, Texas, a town that owes its very name to the cattleman you see here, Claiborne Walker Merchant. In August of 1880, as railroads pushed west, Merchant bought a huge tract of land right…

James Monroe Daugherty, cattleman, the son of James M. and Eleanor (McGehee) Daugherty, was born on February 27, 1850, in Texas County, Missouri. In 1851 he moved with his parents to Denton County, Texas. James M.…

You're driving through Abilene, Texas, where Dr. James Minor Alexander made quite a name for himself in medicine and building. In 1904, he opened the Alexander Sanitarium, a small, eighteen-bed hospital. But he didn't…

You're driving through Abilene, the birthplace of Royston Campbell Crane, Jr., a cartoonist who brought adventure to millions. While still in college, Crane moved to Cleveland and created "Wash Tubbs," one of the very…

You're driving through Taylor County, not far from Abilene, and right here is where the legendary Hashknife Ranch got its start. Back in 1875, partners J. R. Couts and John N. Simpson drove a herd of longhorns to Elm…

You're driving through Abilene, and right here is Hendrick Medical Center. It started life in 1924 as the West Texas Baptist Sanitarium, the dream of a local pastor. But the Great Depression nearly sank it. Facing…

You're driving through Abilene, Texas, a city that owes a lot to the ambition of Edward Smallwood Hughes. He arrived here in 1882, a Princeton grad with "western fever," ready to invest in sheep. His first attempt was a…

You're driving through Abilene, and right here is a place that owes a lot to Jessie Kenan Wilder Jones. Back in the early 1930s, she was driving her kids to Colorado and couldn't find a single shady spot for a picnic…

You're driving through Abilene, a city deeply shaped by the generosity of Ruth Legett Jones. Born here in 1892, she and her husband Percy became one of West Texas's wealthiest families, discovering oil and amassing real…

You're driving near Abilene, the city that owes its very existence to a bit of a bait-and-switch. Back in 1881, folks like Kirvin Kade Legett, a young lawyer fresh from Cleburne, moved to Buffalo Gap hoping it would…

You're driving through Abilene, Texas, a city that owes much of its development to Dallas Scarborough. He wasn't just a civic leader; he was a legendary defense attorney. Scarborough's career started with a tough loss…

You're driving through Abilene, and right here, a Baptist pastor named George W. Smith was instrumental in founding what is now Hardin-Simmons University. In 1890, he championed the idea of a new Baptist college, even…

You're driving near Abilene, the birthplace of Jesse Granderson "Grant" Turner, better known as the "Dean of the Opry Announcers." Born in 1912, Turner's lifelong love affair with radio and country music started right…

You're driving through Abilene, Texas, and right here, back in 1886, the new city attorney, Thomas M. Willis, was making some serious waves. He wasn't playing around with the town's reputation. Willis was cracking down…

You're driving through Texas, and right here, you might be passing by the legacy of Mary Motz Wills, a remarkable wildflower artist. Born in Virginia in 1875, she grew up in Waco and later settled in Abilene. After her…

Right here in Abilene, you're driving past the legacy of Slim Willet, a popular DJ and songwriter who penned the 1952 hit "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes." Willet didn't just sing and write; he built a music…

You're driving through Abilene, a city that saw its first female medical leader emerge during a time of great change. Dr. Virginia Hawkins Boyd Connally, originally from Temple, returned here after medical school and…

You're driving through Abilene, and right here, you're passing the site of a unique World War II effort: the Bluebonnet Brigade. Formed in 1941, this all-women's group was created to boost morale for soldiers stationed…

You're driving through North Texas, and right here in Abilene, Ann Wedgeworth was born. She wasn't just any actress; she was a Tony Award winner, known for her roles on Broadway and in hit TV shows like 'Evening Shade.'…

You're driving past the former site of a major cattle empire. James Harrison Parramore, a Confederate veteran and early settler here, partnered with others to form the San Simon Cattle and Canal Company in 1883. For…

You're driving past Hendrick Medical Center. In 1915, Millard A. Jenkens (1872-1962), the new pastor of Abilene&#x2019;s First Baptist Church, saw a need for a hospital that prioritized serving all people, whether or…

You're driving through Abilene, a city born from a handshake and a railroad line. Back in 1880, ranchers and land speculators met with a railroad locator, convincing him to bypass the existing county seat. They wanted…

Right about here, facing the railroad, stood the Guitar Mansion. John and Laura Hudson Guitar moved to Abilene from Missouri in eighteen ninety eight. John already owned cotton gins and cotton oil mills across Texas,…

Velásquez v. City of Abilene , was one of a series of federal civil rights lawsuits that interpreted the 1982 amendments to the federal Voting Rights Act and clarified the evidentiary and procedural standards that…

You're driving through Abilene, and right here is Abilene Christian University. It started back in 1906 as the Childers Classical Institute, with just twenty-five students. The school faced serious trouble in the late…

You're driving through Abilene, and right here is the birthplace of a West Texas institution: the Abilene Reporter-News. It started as a weekly back in 1881, founded by Charles Edwin Gilbert. Over the years, it went…

You're driving past the Abilene State School, a place that began as a colony for epileptics back in 1901. The state legislature authorized its creation, and the city of Abilene donated a huge tract of land for the…

You're driving west of Abilene, and right here is Dyess Air Force Base. It started life as Tye Army Air Field back in December of 1942, a crucial part of the World War II effort. It was named for William Edwin Dyess, a…

You're driving through Abilene, a city that owes a lot to J. Frank Grimes. For over forty years, he was the editor of the Abilene Reporter-News, shaping public opinion with up to six editorials a day. His readership was…

You're driving through Abilene, and right here is the Hendrick Home for Children. It opened in June of 1939, funded by oilman Tom Hendrick. It wasn't an orphanage, but a home for kids aged two to twelve who couldn't…

You're driving through Jones County, a place that was once a crucial stop on the frontier. Back in 1851, Fort Phantom Hill was established right here, one of a line of forts meant to protect settlers and travelers. It…

You're driving through Abilene, a city built on railroads and oil. Right here, Percy Jones played a key role. He came from England in 1903, joining his uncle in building railroads like the Abilene and Northern. But his…

You're driving through Abilene, and right here is Lytle Lake. It was built back in 1897, not just for water, but to try and lure a state hospital for epileptics to town. The dam was nearly complete when, on June 14th, a…

You're driving through Abilene, and right here is a town shaped by the vision of William Gray Swenson. Born in Louisiana, his family came to Texas when his father acquired vast ranchland. Swenson grew up here, and by…

You're driving through Taylor County, a place named for Alamo defenders. This land was once Comanche territory, largely unsettled until the 1870s. Early settlers were mostly buffalo hunters, but ranching quickly…

French M. Robertson, lawyer, oil producer, and Democratic party leader, son of John E. and Eulah Elizabeth (Hudson) Robertson, was born in Stonewall County, Texas, on July 4, 1901. He graduated from high school at…

Jewel Davis Scarborough, Abilene civic leader, was born in Pittsburg, Texas, on May 7, 1887, to Charles Gardner and Martha Alice (Lockett) Davis. She graduated from Jeff Davis College, probably an academy, at fifteen.…

You're driving through West Texas, and right here is the story of the Abilene and Northern Railway. Fostered by local promoters in 1906, this line was chartered to connect Hamlin to Brady, with a branch reaching…

You're driving through West Texas, and right here, the story of the Abilene and Southern Railway unfolds. Chartered in January of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1909</say-as>, this railroad was built to connect…

You're driving through West Texas, and right here near Abilene, Walter Raleigh Ely made a big impact on the roads you're traveling on. Born in 1879, Ely was a lawyer and judge who eventually landed a crucial role on the…

You're driving through Abilene, the heart of West Texas. Right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="m-d-y">4-19-1924</say-as>, a group of lawyers and academics met in the Taylor County Courthouse. Their mission?…

You're driving past the Old Weather Bureau Building in Abilene, a structure completed way back in 1909. This wasn't just any office; it housed living quarters and an observatory for the administrator. The first official…

You're driving past Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, a school with roots stretching back to 1891. It started as Abilene Baptist College, founded by cattlemen and preachers. It was named for James B. Simmons after…

You're driving past Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Abilene, a building with a story that stretches back to the 1880s. It started as a mission, with priests traveling by train from Weatherford to hold services in homes…

Texas Leadership Charter Academy (Abilene, TX) placed on the 2A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Tyler Johnston (0.512 avg).

You're driving past the former home of Henry and Hattie Sayles, a striking example of late Victorian architecture right here in Abilene. Henry Sayles, a lawyer and son of a noted legal scholar, moved to Abilene in 1886.…

You're driving past the birthplace of McMurry College in Abilene! Back in 1920, the Methodist church was looking to build a new college in West Texas. Reverend James Winford Hunt, a former newspaper man and circuit…

You're driving through Abilene, and you might be passing one of the city's earliest fine homes. Built in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1903</say-as>, the McGee House was constructed in the Colonial Revival…

You're driving past the former home of William Gray and Shirley Swenson, a prominent Abilene couple whose influence stretched far beyond their beautiful prairie-style house. Designed by architect William P. Preston and…

You're driving past the original site of Abilene Christian University. It started in 1906 as the Childers Classical Institute, founded by educator Allen Booker Barret and five trustees who bought this land. The school…

You're driving past the site of the West Texas Fair Grounds in Abilene, where Company I of the 7th Texas Infantry was mustered into service for World War I on July 16, 1917. This unit of 139 men trained here before…

You're driving past the historic Abilene Woman's Club Building. Founded back in 1928, this club had a few homes before they hired architect David S. Castle to design this very clubhouse. Contractor Oscar Rose finished…

You're driving past the historic site of the Western Cattle Trail, the main highway for hundreds of thousands of Texas longhorns! Between 1876 and 1887, this route funneled cattle north to stock ranches and…

You're driving through Callahan County, heading towards Abilene. Keep an eye out for the site of Tecumseh, a community that owes much to Dr. J.D. Windham. Born in Alabama in 1816, Windham arrived in Texas in 1839. After…

Abandoned 1850s frontier fort near Abilene that was never attacked by hostile forces but burned under mysterious circumstances after its garrison departed.

Wylie High School in Abilene, Texas (4502 Antilley Road) is where Case Keenum led the Bulldogs to the 2004 Class 3A Division I state championship. He went on to the University of Houston and finished as the NCAA's…

Wylie (Abilene, TX) placed on the 5A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Myles McCarty (0.451 avg, 1 HR).

You're driving through Taylor County, named for three brothers who made the ultimate sacrifice. Edward, James, and George Taylor, all in their late teens and early twenties, came to Texas in 1833. Just three years…

You're driving past Abilene, Texas, home of a true World War II hero, Lt. Col. William E. Dyess. Born in Albany, Dyess commanded the 21st Pursuit Squadron in the Philippines. After Pearl Harbor, he led daring attacks…

You're driving past the site of Camp Barkeley, a massive World War II training ground that once dwarfed the city of Abilene itself. Established in 1940, this camp became one of the nation's largest military bases. By…

You're driving past what used to be Cedar Gap, a community that started in the late 1800s. Originally called Coates, it grew with the arrival of families and later, the Abilene & Southern Railway in 1909. Though the…

Imagine this quiet town as a wild, bustling hub of activity. That was Putnam in the 1920s. Oil came into Callahan County in 1923, on the heels of the Ranger strike one county east, and by the late twenties the business…

As you drive near Putnam, you're on the edge of the Callahan County oilfields. Oil was struck in this county in 1923, and by the late 1920s the business was in full bloom - fields at Cross Plains, Pioneer, Cross Cut and…

This town wasn't born as Putnam. Its first name was Cat Claw, after the tough, thorny mimosa that grows all over this country — a rugged name for a rugged place. The Texas and Pacific Railway laid its track through…

Imagine stagecoaches rumbling past, and soldiers drilling in the hot sun – this is Fort Phantom Hill. Established in 1851, it was meant to protect pioneers heading west to California. Troops were stationed here for only…

You're driving past the site of Fort Phantom Hill, established way back in November of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1851</say-as>. It was abandoned just a few years later, in April of <say-as…

Established November 14, 1851 Abandoned April 6, 1854 Repaired and used by Southern Overland Mail, 1858-1861 Sub-post of Fort Griffin in 1871 and 1872 A thriving village which grew up in its vicinity after the Civil War…