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Crawford, Texas

Everything Crawford is known for

4 songs mention this city

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Music in Crawford

Songs About Crawford

Holy Water
Adam Calhoun
8%
"George Bush Could Drive Home"
No Role Modelz
J. Cole
8%
"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee"
Lonely Thoughts
Rapsody
5%
"On the phone talking bout how Bush trying to disparage us"
Square Dance
Eminem
3%
"no friend of Bush"

Artists From Crawford

No artists from Crawford in the database yet.

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Rivers & Roads in Song near Crawford

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Crawford.

Brazos River 43 songs Interstate 35 45 songs

History of Crawford

The Western White House RoadyGoat

For eight years, the most powerful address in the world sometimes had a Crawford, Texas zip code. When President George W. Bush established his Prairie Chapel Ranch as the 'Western White House,' this town of 700 people became a surreal mix of rural Texas and global power. Imagine seeing a full presidential motorcade, sirens blaring, speeding down a two-lane farm-to-market road. World leaders arrived not in Washington D.C., but right here, to discuss global policy amidst the live oaks and limestone. The town had to adapt to a constant security presence, road closures, and a flood of media from every corner of the globe. Local spots like the Crawford Coffee Station became de facto press rooms. It was a time when a trip to the local diner might mean rubbing elbows with a White House correspondent or a Secret Service agent, a truly unique chapter for a small Texas town.

RoadyGoat → · 3.7 mi away

Crawford, TX RoadyGoat

Crawford, Texas, sits nestled in the rolling hills of McLennan County, a landscape shaped by the Bosque River and the fertile Blackland Prairie. It's a place that might have remained just another quiet Texas town, its economy tied to the land and the rhythms of agriculture, had it not been for one particular rancher. The area's gently undulating terrain, punctuated by creeks and grazing land, made it ideal for cattle and farming, drawing settlers in the 19th century. But it was the purchase of a large ranch outside of town by then-Governor George W. Bush that really put Crawford on the map. Suddenly, Crawford became synonymous with presidential power, a place where world leaders came to visit and weighty decisions were made amidst the Texas scrub. While the media attention has faded since then, the town still draws visitors curious to see the area once known as the "Western White House." But if you ask the locals, they'll tell you the real reason people stay is the peace and quiet. It’s a place to escape the noise, to breathe fresh air, and to experience a slice of authentic small-town Texas life, where Friday night football still reigns supreme and neighbors wave as you drive by. It's a place where the land still matters, and the pace of life is a little slower.

3.7 mi away

The Protest at Camp Casey RoadyGoat

In August of 2005, the roads leading to the President's ranch became a different kind of landmark. This is where Cindy Sheehan, a mother whose son had been killed in the Iraq War, set up a protest camp. She hoped to speak with President Bush, who was vacationing at his ranch. What started as one woman's vigil quickly ballooned into a massive anti-war demonstration known as 'Camp Casey.' Hundreds, then thousands, of protestors and counter-protestors descended on Crawford, lining the roadsides with tents, signs, and flags. The ditches and pastures along Prairie Chapel Road became a makeshift city and a national stage for the debate over the war. For a few intense weeks, the epicenter of America's political division wasn't in Washington, but right here, in the fields outside a small Texas town, creating a powerful and contentious moment in Crawford's history.

RoadyGoat → · 3.7 mi away

Crawford

1850

Crawford Located in an area of McLennan County once inhabited by Tonkawa Indians, the community of Crawford grew slowly from an 1850S settlement centered around Tonk Crossing (two miles northeast). The first townsite was at the crossroads of the Waco to Gatesville and Belton to Fort Graham trade routes. The exact source for the town's name is unknown, but possibilities include Coryell City resident William Nelson Crawford, who graded the Tonk Creek Crossing, A.C. Crawford of Galveston, a director of the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad, or Texas Ranger George Crawford, who was stationed here. Development increased following the Civil War, and the post office opened in 1871. By the latter part of that decade, the town included several stores, a tavern, a blacksmith shop and a school with an enrollment of about 100. In 1881, the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad, building north from Temple to Fort Worth, bypassed the original townsite, and residents began moving here along the new line. Crawford experienced economic growth as a result, and there were soon four churches, a cotton gin and a grain mill. Incorporated in 1897, the town remained an important agricultural center throughout the twentieth century, at times boasting more than 700 residents, two banks and dozens of local businesses. In July 1999, Texas Governor George W. Bush and his family bought the former Englebrecht Ranch (Prairie Chapel Ranch) west of town. His election as President of the United States in 2000 turned the ranch into the "Western White House," the site of gatherings for U.S. officials and foreign heads of state. Crawford gained international media attention and served as the official voting place for President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. 											(2004)

Historical Marker →

Crawford Cemetery

1875

"H. Kee" chiseled on a rockpile marks the first burial at this site, that of Harvey Gilmore Kee (1875-1876), son of Richard and Sarah (Hughes) Kee, who settled in this area for a time in the mid-1870s. Neighbor Uriah Tadlock (1832-1919) offered the use of one of his pastures for the child's burial and at the same time set aside three acres of land for a community cemetery. Uriah, a Civil War veteran, and his wife, Mary Ann (Moore) Tadlock (1838-1888), who bought this land along a cattle trail known as Tonk Creek Road in 1870, are also laid to rest here. They were instrumental in Crawford's development, constructing a number of houses and buildings and contributing land for the methodist church and school. Uriah served as Crawford's postmaster in the mid-1870s. Tradition says he dedicated the land with the understanding that no one fwas to pay for a burial place. Today, the cemetery's care is overseen by an association formed in 1923 and through a trust fund set up in 1972. Additional purchased land and land gifts by Loren and Aletha Allen, A.O. Jordan, and Earl Medford, have allowed for needed expansion. Veterans are especially honored here in this burial ground that chronicles the pioneers and families who settled and developed this corner of McLennan County. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2001

Historical Marker →

Baker, James B.

1860

James B. Baker, soldier and civic leader, was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on January 30, 1847, the son of Amanda (Saunders) and John Holland Baker . He moved to Crawford, Texas, in 1858, when his family established a stock ranch on Tonk Creek in McLennan County. Baker left school in 1860 to become manager of his father's ranch, and when the elder Baker was wounded in Confederate military service, James, at age fifteen, took his place in the ranks of Company H of Col. Nathaniel M. Burford 's Nineteenth Texas Cavalry . He served in the Trans-Mississippi Department, saw action in the Red River campaign , and by the end of the Civil War had been promoted to regimental sergeant major. After returning to his father's ranch in 1865, he worked as a stockman until 1877, when he moved to Waco to become a contractor and brickmaker. His account book from 1908 through 1914 is in his papers at the Barker Texas History Center , University of Texas at Austin (now the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History ). Baker was elected alderman and then, in 1904, mayor of Waco, a post he held until 1910. He was also president of Waco Savings Bank. On August 6, 1876, he married Sallie C. Fordtran; the couple had three children. Baker died in Savannah, Missouri, on September 12, 1918, and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Waco.

Tsha Handbook →

Crawford Schools

1870

Educational efforts in Old Crawford (2 mi. E), also known as Tonk Crossing, began in the 1870s. There, John H. Gouldy, Dr. J.B. Cranfill and other early teachers conducted classes in a one-room schoolhouse. When the town relocated here along a line of the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe railroad in the 1880s, a schoolhouse was among the first buildings constructed. The one-room structure served additionally as a meeting place for church services and town gatherings. in 1886, the local free school combined with Crawford College, a private operation, to form the Crawford Public Schools. Trustees added two rooms to the schoolhouse, and three teachers taught classes through grade seven. Other grades and facilities were added over the years as the school population increased. Crawford Independent School District formed in 1894, and trustees built new facilities on the city’s western border at this location in 1903. Two years later, a school for African American students began with Mona Boyd as the first teacher. Dramatic growth for the Crawford schools began in the 1920s with consolidations, the start of school bus service and expansion of the main campus. Among the rural schools that merged with Crawford over the years were Bellview, Morgan Branch, Tonk Creek, Prairie Chapel, Center Hill, Osage and Highland. The African American school, located on the southeast side of town, burned in 1951, and students attended classes in McGregor until integration in 1965. From 1947 to 2004, Crawford ISD had just three superintendents, and each provided leadership and consistency to the district’s schools. From pioneer days to the present, residents of Crawford have supported quality education, making it a priority within the community. 											(2005)

Historical Marker →

Miller, Doris

1941

Doris (Dorie) Miller, first African American hero of World War II , son of Connery and Henrietta Miller, was born in Willow Grove, Texas, on October 12, 1919. The third of four sons, Doris Miller was named by the midwife who assisted with his birth; she was positive before the birth that the baby would be a girl. After attending the Willow Grove school, Miller entered A. J. Moore High School in Waco. In addition to playing football, he supplemented the family income by working as a cook in a small restaurant in Waco during the Great Depression . As his family's fortunes worsened, he considered joining the Civilian Conservation Corps or the army but encountered obstacles to each of these plans. Less than a month before his twentieth birthday, Miller enlisted in the United States Navy at its Dallas recruiting station. Following bootcamp training in Norfolk, Virginia, he was assigned to the USS West Virginia as a messman. On December 7, 1941, Mess Attendant Second Class Doris Miller was collecting soiled laundry just before 8:00 A.M. When the first bombs blasted his ship at anchor in Pearl Harbor, Miller went to the main deck, where he assisted in moving the mortally wounded captain. He then raced to an unattended deck gun and fired at the attacking planes until forced to abandon ship. It was Miller's first experience firing such a weapon because Black sailors serving in the segregated steward's branch of the navy were not given the gunnery training received by White sailors. Although news stories have credited Miller with downing from two to five airplanes, these accounts have never been verified and are almost certainly apocryphal. Miller himself told Navy officials he thought he hit one of the planes. Navy officials conferred the Navy Cross upon Miller on May 27, 1942, in a ceremony at Pearl Harbor. Following a Christmas leave in 1942, when he saw his home and family in Waco for the last time, Miller reported to duty aboard the aircraft carrier Liscome Bay (or Liscomb Bay ) as a mess attendant, first class. During the battle of the Gilbert Islands, on November 24, 1943, his ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Pacific Ocean, and Miller perished. At that time, he had been promoted to cook, third class, and probably worked in the ship's galley. In addition to conferring upon him the Navy Cross, the navy honored Doris Miller by naming a dining hall, a barracks, and a destroyer escort for him. The USS Miller is the third naval ship to be named after a Black navy man. In Waco a YMCA branch, a park, and a cemetery bear his name. In Houston, Texas, and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, elementary schools have been named for him, as has a Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter in Los Angeles. An auditorium on the campus of Huston-Tillotson College in Austin is dedicated to his memory. In Chicago the Doris Miller Foundation honors persons who make significant contributions to racial understanding. The U.S. Navy named an aircraft carrier, the USS Doris Miller , in his honor on January 20, 2020, during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration ceremony.

Tsha Handbook → · 9.0 mi away

Things to Do in Crawford

historical 18.5 mi away
The 11000-Year-Old Shaman Burial

In 1970 archaeologists excavated a limestone overhang along the Bosque River near Clifton and found something extraordinary. The 11000-year-old remains of a…
historical 18.5 mi away
Murder of the Disk Plow Inventor

Young Ole Ringness grew up on a Norse farm near Clifton watching mud cup inside a wagon wheel. That observation inspired the disk plow and disk harrow. In 1872…
food 17.7 mi away
Magnolia Market at the Silos

Chip and Joanna Gaines' Fixer Upper empire. Shopping food trucks and shiplap everything.
quirky 18.5 mi away
The Day Clifton Out-Snowed the Panhandle

On December 21 1929 a weather station near Clifton recorded 24 inches of snowfall in a single day. That is the all-time daily snowfall record for the entire…
historical 18.5 mi away
The Father of Norwegian Immigration

Cleng Peerson is buried near Clifton in the tiny Norse community he helped found. Known as the Father of Norwegian Immigration to America he first scouted New…
historical 18.6 mi away
Norwegian Capital of Texas

In 1854 a band of eighteen Norwegian immigrants led by Cleng Peerson settled in the hills west of Clifton. They built homes from native limestone because rock…
historical 18.1 mi away
The Bosque River Floods

The Bosque River runs through Clifton over impermeable bedrock that turns even moderate rains into serious floods. Documentary records going back to the 1900s…
historical 18.5 mi away
The Christmas Eve Fire of 1906

On December 23 1906 a fire ripped through Cliftons business district destroying a large portion of the commercial buildings. The town rebuilt but the disaster…

Sports in Crawford

🏆 STATE CHAMPIONS Class 2A · Volleyball · 2017–2024

Crawford — UIL 2A Volleyball State Champions — 3 titles

Most recent: 2024 2A Division 2

Crawford High School, nestled in the heart of Texas, has established a notable record in Class 2A volleyball. The Pirates have proudly claimed three UIL State Championships, showcasing their consistent excellence on the court. These titles were secured in 2024 (2A Division 2), 2019 (2A), and 2017 (2A), marking significant achievements for the school and its community.

The town of Crawford rallies around its high school teams, and the volleyball program has certainly given them much to celebrate. The dedication and spirit of the Pirates are evident in their championship history, reflecting a strong tradition of competitive sports in this close-knit Texas community.

State titles
3 (2017–2024)
Most recent
2024
Class
2A
The moment

The 2024 2A Division 2 State Championship was a highlight for Crawford High School volleyball.

Sources: UIL State Championship Archives · SI High School (ScoreBook Live)
🏆 STATE CHAMPIONS Class 2A · Softball · 2019–2022

Crawford — UIL 2A Softball State Champions — 2 titles

Most recent: 2022 2A

Crawford High School, a familiar name in Texas Class 2A softball, has established a strong tradition on the diamond. The Lady Pirates have demonstrated consistent excellence, bringing home multiple state championships. Their success reflects dedication and skill within the Crawford community.

The program reached the pinnacle of Texas high school softball by securing the UIL Class 2A State Championship in 2019, followed by another dominant run to claim the Class 2A State Championship title in 2022. These achievements highlight Crawford's place among the state's top teams in their division.

State titles
2 (2019–2022)
Most recent
2022
Class
2A
The moment

The 2022 UIL Class 2A State Championship marked another high point for Crawford High School softball.

Sources: UIL State Championship Archives · SI High School (ScoreBook Live)

Everything Near Crawford

549 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the nearest 200 are listed here — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

  • Crawford, TX · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through McLennan County, heading towards Crawford. This community started back in the 1850s, centered around a river crossing called Tonk Crossing. The town itself likely got its name from Nelson…

  • Baker, James B. · Tsha Handbook

    James B. Baker, soldier and civic leader, was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on January 30, 1847, the son of Amanda (Saunders) and John Holland Baker . He moved to Crawford, Texas, in 1858, when his family established a…

  • Crawford · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker

    Crawford Located in an area of McLennan County once inhabited by Tonkawa Indians, the community of Crawford grew slowly from an 1850S settlement centered around Tonk Crossing (two miles northeast). The first townsite…

  • First Baptist Church of Crawford · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Crawford, home to the First Baptist Church. Organized in 1878 with about a dozen members, it met in the schoolhouse initially. The church has been a spiritual and community leader in Crawford for…

  • First United Methodist Church of Crawford · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the First United Methodist Church of Crawford. Area families met for prayer as early as the 1840s. The church was officially organized around 1878 and has served the Crawford community…

  • Crawford Schools · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker

    Educational efforts in Old Crawford (2 mi. E), also known as Tonk Crossing, began in the 1870s. There, John H. Gouldy, Dr. J.B. Cranfill and other early teachers conducted classes in a one-room schoolhouse. When the…

  • Crawford Cemetery · 0.8 mi · Historical Marker

    "H. Kee" chiseled on a rockpile marks the first burial at this site, that of Harvey Gilmore Kee (1875-1876), son of Richard and Sarah (Hughes) Kee, who settled in this area for a time in the mid-1870s. Neighbor Uriah…

  • The Western White House · 3.7 mi

    For eight years, the most powerful address in the world sometimes had a Crawford, Texas zip code. When President George W. Bush established his Prairie Chapel Ranch as the 'Western White House,' this town of 700 people…

  • Crawford, TX · 3.7 mi

    Crawford, Texas, sits nestled in the rolling hills of McLennan County, a landscape shaped by the Bosque River and the fertile Blackland Prairie. It's a place that might have remained just another quiet Texas town, its…

  • The Protest at Camp Casey · 3.7 mi

    In August of 2005, the roads leading to the President's ranch became a different kind of landmark. This is where Cindy Sheehan, a mother whose son had been killed in the Iraq War, set up a protest camp. She hoped to…

  • Wiring the Western White House · 3.7 mi

    When Crawford became the Western White House, the challenge was blunt: give the President of the United States the same secure, instantaneous reach he has in the Oval Office, from 1,583 acres of pasture seven miles…

  • The Ghost of Tonk Crossing · 3.7 mi

    Every town has a beginning, and Crawford's is a river crossing. Before there was a town there was Tonk Crossing, also called Crawford Crossing, a ford on the Middle Bosque River where settlers started arriving in the…

Show all 200 nearby places
  • Shiloh Baptist Church · 5.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Crawford, not far from Hog Creek. Back on May 17th, 1884, five people met in the Bellview Schoolhouse to start Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church. They met just once a month back then, for services…

  • Patton Baptist Church · 5.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Patton Baptist Church. This congregation started out as Walnut Grove Baptist Church of Christ, organized way back in 1872, a few miles south of here. For a while, they worshipped in a…

  • From Bombs to Boosters: McGregor's Engineering Legacy · 6.8 mi

    The area just west of McGregor is one of the most important rocket engine test sites on the planet. This legacy of engineering began when the WWII Bluebonnet Ordnance Plant was converted to test rocket technology after…

  • The Moon Race Ran Through McGregor · 6.8 mi

    You may be in Central Texas, but you're surprisingly close to the history of the Apollo moon landings. After WWII, the old bomb factory here was repurposed for something even more powerful: rockets. Phillips Petroleum…

  • The Star-and-Cross Railroad Town · 6.8 mi

    Take a look at the streets in downtown McGregor. Notice anything unusual? Main Street and several others run at a sharp diagonal, cutting across a more traditional north-south grid. That isn't a planning mistake; it's…

  • The Bomb Factory in the Cotton Fields · 6.8 mi

    During World War Two, the landscape around McGregor was completely transformed. In February 1942, the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps acquired eighteen thousand acres of farmland just southwest of here to build the Bluebonnet…

  • McGregor, TX · 6.8 mi

    While no famous individuals are noted as originating from this Texas city, its association with a popular HGTV show brings a touch of celebrity.

  • Prairie Chapel School · 6.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Prairie Chapel School, established in 1884. A German immigrant and Civil War veteran, Heinrich Engelbrecht, donated land in 1908 for a three-room schoolhouse. This important community…

  • Deyerle-Fall House · 7.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Deyerle-Fall House, a testament to central Texas stone craftsmanship. Banker William Deyerle brought his family here from Virginia in the late 1800s. He hired stonemason Henry Wissman to build…

  • McGregor Mirror · 7.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the McGregor Mirror, a newspaper that's been serving this town since 1904. It was founded by T.E. Streight, but the Hall family really made it their own, purchasing it in 1918 and running it for…

  • Coryell Baptist Church · 7.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Oglesby, the site of Coryell Baptist Church, the county's first Baptist church. Organized in June 1885, the congregation met in homes and a schoolhouse before erecting their own building that same…

  • McGregor · 7.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past McGregor, a town that owes its start to the railroad. On this day, back in 1882, lots were sold for this brand new town, advertised statewide by two major railways. It was named for Dr. Gregor…

  • Canaan Baptist Cemetery · 7.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Canaan Baptist Cemetery, established in 1894 by the church. Land was donated by Heinrich Engelbrecht, a Civil War veteran, with the earliest marked grave belonging to Austrian immigrant Franz…

  • A Star in the Window, a Marker by the Road · 7.4 mi

    This road carries a Blue Star Memorial Highway designation, one of a string of them across Texas. The name comes from a family tradition. When someone in a household was serving in the armed forces, the family displayed…

  • Canaan Baptist Church · 7.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Crawford, past the Canaan Baptist Church, a testament to German immigrants who settled this area. Back in 1891, forty German settlers gathered in a local schoolhouse to form this congregation. For…

  • First Christian Church of McGregor (Disciples of Christ) · 7.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of McGregor's First Christian Church. It all started in the 1870s with just four families near Comanche Springs. They called Reverend W. L. Harrison to be their first pastor. When the…

  • Moore, John Creed · 7.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Crawford, Texas, and the site of a true Civil War hero: Brigadier General John Creed Moore. He earned the rare Star and Wreath distinction for gallantry, a testament to his bravery on the…

  • Zion Lutheran Church · 7.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Zion Lutheran Church, a spiritual and cultural anchor for German immigrants in Central Texas. As early as 1890, families gathered in homes, speaking German and holding informal worship…

  • First Baptist Church of McGregor · 7.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through McGregor, and right here is the First Baptist Church. Its roots go way back to 1858, with the Onion Creek Baptist Church, about ten miles southwest. About thirty members from the Comanche Springs…

  • Glenn and Mary Gulledge Crain House · 7.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Glenn and Mary Gulledge Crain House, built in 1892. Glenn Crain, whose father was McGregor's first mayor, started selling insurance and married Mary Gulledge in 1890. They hired architect Charles…

  • Osage Cemetery · 7.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Osage Cemetery, a place that's been serving this community since the 1870s. The first marked grave here is from 1874, belonging to R.P. Doherty. For its early years, this land was actually privately…

  • Evergreen Cemetery · 7.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Evergreen Cemetery, established on land given by William and Margaret Oliver back in 1860. For decades, families gathered here for camp meetings, and later, these evolved into annual reunions for…

  • Poston-Odle Cemetery · 7.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Poston-Odle Cemetery in Valley Mills. This land was set aside for burials in 1875 by John Odle after his sister Mary Odle Poston died. The cemetery gates were built using stones from the Old Rock…

  • Kane, John Riley · 8.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through McGregor, Texas, the hometown of John "Killer" Kane. Born here in 1907, Kane wasn't your typical hometown hero. After a stint at Baylor, where he was involved in a campus brawl and survived a…

  • Folsom, Alfred Iverson · 8.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through North Texas, and you might be passing near McGregor. Right here, in 1946, Dr. Alfred Iverson Folsom, a true pioneer in his field, met his end in a car accident just outside Dallas. But Folsom…

  • Bluebonnet Ordnance Plant · 8.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving near McGregor, and right here, you're passing the former site of the Bluebonnet Ordnance Plant. Opened in 1942, this massive facility was built to support the World War II effort, churning out bombs for…

  • Davis, Roy Bennett · 8.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through McGregor, Texas, the birthplace of Roy Bennett Davis. Born here in 1900, Davis would go on to become a giant in the cotton industry. He transformed the Plains Cooperative Oil Mill in Plainview…

  • McGregor, TX · 8.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through McGregor, Texas, a town born from a handshake and a promise. It started in 1882 as McGregor Springs, named for Dr. Gregor Carmichael McGregor, who gifted land to the railroad. Imagine this: lots…

  • A cyclone flattened the new town · 8.4 mi

    The Valley Mills you're driving through isn't the original one. The first settlement grew up around a flour mill built on the banks of the Bosque in 1867 by Dr. E. P. Booth and Asbury Stegall. For fourteen years it…

  • The F5 That Killed No One · 8.4 mi

    In nineteen seventy-three, the only F five tornado in the entire United States came down just south of Valley Mills, and it did not kill a single person. It was May sixth. The twister touched down about five miles south…

  • Valley Mills, TX · 8.4 mi

    Valley Mills has a rich history marked by resilience and growth. The town was named for a flour mill established on the Bosque River in 1867 by Dr. E.P. Booth and Asbury Stegall. In 1881, the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe…

  • The Valley Mills Man in the Patent Medicine Ads · 8.4 mi

    For about a decade, newspaper readers across America saw the face of an old man from Valley Mills, swearing a bottle of medicine kept him alive past a hundred. His name was Isaac Brock, and the medicine was Peruna, a…

  • Where the Great Herds Crossed · 8.4 mi

    Before the railroad defined Valley Mills, another legendary route passed right through here: the Chisholm Trail. From the late 1860s to the early 1880s, this was the superhighway of the American West, a path for…

  • Scrutchfield, Lowry Hampton · 8.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Bosque County, a place that owes much of its early existence to Lowry Hampton Scrutchfield. Born in Nacogdoches in 1824, his family moved to Nashville-on-the-Brazos when he was ten. Later, he…

  • Valley Mills, TX · 8.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Valley Mills is on State Highway 6 near the Bosque River eleven miles south of Clifton and twenty-four miles north of Waco in southwestern Bosque County. It was named for a flour mill established on the banks of the…

  • The Bridge Before the Railroad · 8.4 mi

    The Bosque River gave this town its name and then nearly took its future. Valley Mills was named for a flour mill Dr. E. P. Booth and Asbury Stegall put up on the river bank in 1867. Then in 1881 the Gulf, Colorado and…

  • First Methodist Church of Valley Mills · 8.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Valley Mills, and right here is the First Methodist Church. Methodists have been gathering in this area since the 1840s, with circuit riders holding camp meetings on local farms. When the railroad…

  • Valley Mills Santa Fe Railway Depot · 8.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the old Valley Mills Santa Fe Railway Depot. Built in 1910, this wasn't just a place to catch a train; it was the heart of the community. Before radios and TVs, the conductor was the…

  • Lowry Hampton Scrutchfield · 8.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Bosque County, and right here is where a true pioneer laid the groundwork for this community. Lowry Hampton Scrutchfield was born in Nacogdoches way back in 1824. He moved to Nashville on the…

  • Willow Grove Community Cemetery · 8.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through McLennan County, near Willow Grove. This cemetery you're passing has served this community since the late 1800s. It all started after emancipation, when former slaves William 'Buck' Manning and…

  • Engineering a Town's Location · 8.9 mi

    The location of Oglesby isn't an accident of history - the railroad put it here. In 1882 the narrow-gauge Texas and St. Louis Railway pushed a line from Waco to Gatesville, straight through country that had been settled…

  • Pool-Tibbs House · 8.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Pool-Tibbs House, a survivor from the original Valley Mills. Back in 1870, S. A. Pool built this home, along with a store and cotton gin, on the north bank of the Bosque River. The stone for the…

  • First Methodist Church of Oglesby · 8.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Oglesby's First Methodist Church. Organized in 1891, the congregation lost its first building to a tornado just two years later. The current Queen Anne style structure was completed in…

  • Miller, Doris · 9.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Doris (Dorie) Miller, first African American hero of World War II , son of Connery and Henrietta Miller, was born in Willow Grove, Texas, on October 12, 1919. The third of four sons, Doris Miller was named by the…

  • Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Oglesby (Oglesby) · 9.0 mi

    Oglesby (Oglesby, TX) placed on the 2A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Jaxon Markum (0.515 avg, 2 HR).

  • Crain, Roden Taylor · 9.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the final resting place of Roden Taylor Crain, a veteran of the Texas Revolution. Born in Tennessee in 1819, Crain joined Captain Kimbro's company and fought bravely at the pivotal Battle of San…

  • First Baptist Church of Oglesby · 9.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the First Baptist Church of Oglesby. Its history traces back to 1893, with an official founding in September 1896. The congregation has been active in missionary outreach and community…

  • Sadler Cemetery · 9.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Coryell City, where settlers arrived around Rainey's Creek in the early 1850s. By 1871, the community cemetery was established on land set aside by Chester Calhoun Sadler, a farmer, freighter, and…

  • Oglesby, TX · 9.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Oglesby, Texas, a town born from the railroad. It started as 'Hilltop' in 1882, named for its high elevation along the St. Louis Southwestern Railway. But the name didn't stick. It was soon…

  • The Grange in Texas · 9.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past The Grange in Texas. The Grange, also known as the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, was a nonpartisan national organization comprised of farmers to establish economic independence, socialization and…

  • Teague Property, The Isaac Jackson · 9.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Isaac Jackson Teague property, a home built for a large family back in 1899. Isaac Teague, born right here in Texas, bought this land in 1893. He hired a local contractor to build this farmhouse,…

  • St. John Lutheran Church · 9.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Coryell City, the site of St. John Lutheran Church. German immigrant families settled here in the 1880s, and this congregation was officially organized in 1889. The church building has been…

  • Harris Creek Baptist Church · 9.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Harris Creek Baptist Church. Worship services once gathered in the home of Aquilla and Delila Jones. In 1872, they donated this land for a church, school, and cemetery. The congregation…

  • Where Every Rocket Engine Gets Its Tryout · 9.6 mi

    On a sprawling stretch of land outside McGregor, SpaceX fires its rocket engines, and the ground itself seems to shake with it. Essentially every engine the company builds is test-fired right here before it's ever…

  • Firing a Rocket That Isn't Going Anywhere · 9.6 mi

    What exactly is a "static fire"? It's running a rocket engine at full power while it stays bolted firmly to the ground, going absolutely nowhere. That might sound pointless, but it's one of the smartest things in all of…

  • Listening to an Engine Scream · 9.6 mi

    When an engine roars to life on a test stand, it looks like pure spectacle, all fire and thunder. But to the engineers, it's mainly a flood of information. The stand is wired head to toe with sensors, all measuring at…

  • Bosque River Crossing of the 1841 Texas Santa Fe Expediton · 9.6 mi

    You're driving past the Bosque River crossing, a tough spot for a doomed expedition. Back in 1841, President Lamar sent a group to New Mexico to open trade and claim land for the Republic of Texas. We forget how much a…

  • Goodall Cemetery · 9.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Goodall Cemetery. In 1846, W.H. Everett of Yellville, Marion County, Arkansas, settled on this 320 acres. He set aside this cemetery at the death of Sarah Hornbeak (1847-1851), daughter of Samuel and…

  • How a Rocket Engine Doesn't Melt Itself · 9.7 mi

    Here's a puzzle that sounds impossible. A rocket engine burns its fuel at a temperature hotter than the melting point of the very metal the engine is made from. So why doesn't the whole thing just melt into a puddle the…

  • Valley Mills · 9.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the original Valley Mills. Back in 1868, A.H. Steagall and Dr. E.P. Booth bought land here and platted a town. Log homes went up first, then came lumber from a local sawmill, along with…

  • Scrutchfield Cemetery · 9.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Scrutchfield Cemetery in Clifton. Deeded to Bosque County in 1883 by Lowry Hampton Scrutchfield, this public burial ground's first burial was likely Minnie, infant daughter of Daniel and Carolyn…

  • Speegleville Baptist Church · 9.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Speegleville Baptist Church, a congregation that's been a part of this community for over 150 years. It all started back in 1850, organized as Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in the home of…

  • Rock Springs Cumberland Presbyterian Church · 10.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Rock Springs Cumberland Presbyterian Church, a testament to resilience and faith. This black congregation began in 1870, led by the Rev. James B. Sadler. A self-educated former slave, Sadler not…

  • Harris Creek Cemetery · 10.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Harris Creek Cemetery, a final resting place for some of the earliest settlers in this part of McLennan County. The story here starts back in the 1850s when families like the Haleys, Crains,…

  • The Man in the China Spring Cemetery Who Claimed Three Centuries · 11.0 mi

    A mile west of China Spring there is a headstone with a birth year that would make the man beneath it a hundred and twenty-two. Isaac Brock's stone gives his birth year as seventeen eighty-seven. He died in September of…

  • China Spring Cemetery · 11.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through China Spring, a community named for its chinaberry trees and a nearby spring. Settled around 1870, the early families buried their dead in private plots. But in 1902, locals banded together to…

  • UIL 4A Football State Champions — 2 titles · 11.3 mi

    China Spring High School (China Spring, TX): Most recent: 24-21 over Boerne · 2022 4A Division 1 final.

  • Forty-Three Years, Then Two Titles and a Twenty-One Point Comeback · 11.4 mi

    China Spring waited forty-three years between football state championships, and then won two in a row, the second one from twenty-one points down. The first title came in nineteen seventy-eight, when the Cougars beat…

  • The Poison Berry Tree Behind the Name · 11.4 mi

    China Spring was not named for a country. It was named for a spring in a grove of chinaberry trees, and that tree has a story of its own. The chinaberry is not from around here. It is native to tropical Asia and to…

  • China Spring Tabernacle · 11.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the China Spring Tabernacle, a building that's been the heart of this farming community since about 1903. Lavantia Conger deeded the land, and the two-story structure quickly became a hub for…

  • Station Creek Cemetery · 11.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Station Creek Cemetery, a final resting place for early Coryell County settlers. Established in 1856, it holds the remains of Robert F. Morris, the first buried here. Look for the graves of…

  • Crain, Joel Bunditt · 12.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through McLennan County, and right here is where Joel Bunditt Crain lived out his days. He was a sergeant-major in General Sam Houston's army during the Texas War for Independence. Imagine this: Crain was…

  • Lanes Chapel and Cemetery · 12.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Lanes Chapel, a community hub built around 1880 by John R. Lane and his sons. It started as a Methodist chapel on land donated by Joshua McCuistion, right next to a schoolhouse. The…

  • Erath · 12.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through what used to be Erath, one of McLennan County's earliest settlements. Settlers were drawn here by fertile land between the Brazos and Bosque rivers. At its peak, this community boasted churches, a…

  • Coryell County · 12.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Coryell County, named for James Coryell, a Tennessee native who came to Texas in 1831. He joined the Bowie Expedition searching for silver, served as a Texas Ranger, and was tragically killed by…

  • The Line Drawn in 1955 · 12.9 mi

    In the spring of 1955 the land southwest of Waco held two loose settlements - Woodland West and the Village of Midway - and about two hundred fifty people. In May the citizens started talking incorporation. The…

  • Taming the Bosque River · 12.9 mi

    As you drive through Woodway, the massive body of water to your west, Lake Waco, is more than just a pretty view - it's a monumental piece of civil engineering. The original, smaller Lake Waco, dammed in 1930, was no…

  • A Garden for the City · 12.9 mi

    The Carleen Bright Arboretum is named for a woman who was here before the town was. Carleen Bright was born on a farm west of Waco in the Whitehall community — ground that sits inside the city of Woodway today. She…

  • Woodway, TX · 12.9 mi · Local history

    The name Woodway has a unique origin, stemming from a creative blend of existing local place names. In the early 1950s, a committee of citizens came together with the task of naming their developing community. They…

  • Eagle Springs Baptist Church · 12.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Eagle Springs Baptist Church. This congregation started way back as the Church of Onion Creek, but their first log building burned down in 1854. By 1858, they’d built a new place here and…

  • Site of Waco Boating and Fishing Club · 13.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of a surprisingly exclusive club that started right here in Waco. Back on January 10, 1890, some of the city's most prominent citizens met to form a boating and fishing club. They got their…

  • Stanford Chapel Cemetery · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Stanford Chapel Cemetery, a place with roots stretching back to 1862 when Reverend Thomas Stanford and his family arrived in Texas. The Stanfords, along with the E. R. Barcus family, were true…

  • Pecan Grove Baptist Church · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Pecan Grove Baptist Church. It was organized in 1882 as Coryell Creek Baptist Church of Christ. Early services were held at local schools and brush arbors, with the first tabernacle built…

  • Davidson Cemetery · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Davidson Cemetery, a final resting place for over 600 people. James Madison Davidson arrived in Texas in 1852 and, with his wife Vianna, was among the first couples married in Coryell County in 1854.…

  • Central Presbyterian Church · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Waco's Central Presbyterian Church, a congregation with roots stretching back to 1869. It started as the Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Waco with just 18 members. Their first…

  • The Lake Waco Murders — Koehne Park, Waco, Texas, 1982 · 13.5 mi

    Koehne Park sits on the edge of Lake Waco, a place where people fish and run trails. In July of nineteen eighty-two, three teenagers, Jill Montgomery, Raylene Rice and Kenneth Franks, were drinking beer here when,…

  • The Lake Waco Murders — Koehne Park, Waco, Texas, 1982 · 13.9 mi · Curated

    Koehne Park sits on the edge of Lake Waco — a place where people fish and run trails. In July of nineteen eighty-two, three teenagers were found murdered near this park: Jill Montgomery, Raylene Rice, and Kenneth…

  • White Hall Cemetery · 14.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past White Hall Cemetery, the last remnant of a once-thriving farming community called White Hall. The earliest burials here date back to 1877, on land donated by Civil War veteran Captain Burl Jones…

  • Election Oak · 14.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Election Oak, a witness to Bosque County's very first vote. Back on August 7th, 1854, this grand old tree served as one of three polling places. Imagine the scene: 21 votes were cast in the whole…

  • Gary Cemetery · 14.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Gary Cemetery, the final resting place for one of Bosque County's founding families. William and Rutha Gary arrived here from South Carolina in 1852, settling in what was then McLennan County.…

  • Crash At Crush · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving north of Waco, right through McLennan County. In 1896, this area was the site of one of the most spectacular publicity stunts in Texas history: the Crash at Crush. Passenger agent William George Crush of…

  • Bean, Peter Ellis · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through what was once wild Texas frontier, a place where fortunes were sought and lives were often lost. Right here, in what is now McLennan County, Peter Ellis Bean found himself in the middle of a…

  • Connally, Thomas Terry · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through McLennan County, Texas, the heart of oil country. Back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1935</say-as>, the oil industry here was in a real slump. To help out, Senator Tom Connally…

  • Tehuacana Creek Councils · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through McLennan County, right near where a series of important meetings happened back in the 1840s. These were the Tehuacana Creek Councils, where Texas officials tried to forge peace with numerous…

  • Bosqueville, TX · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Bosqueville is four miles northwest of downtown Waco near the intersection of Farm roads 1637 and 3051 in north central McLennan County. Settlement of the area was well underway by the 1850s, and the community may have…

  • Torrey Trading Houses · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    The firm of Torrey and Brothers traded widely with the Indians for about ten years, from John F. Torrey 's arrival in Houston in 1838 until 1848, when the Torreys sold the major trading house to George Barnard . The…

  • Bosque College and Seminary · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving near Bosqueville, not far from Waco. Right here is where Bosque College and Seminary once stood. Chartered in 1858, it was the first coeducational college in McLennan County. It offered a wide range of…

  • Central Christian Church of Waco · 14.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Waco, and right here is the site of Central Christian Church. It all started way back in 1867, with just eighteen members of the Disciples of Christ meeting in homes. By 1870, they had organized a…

  • Axtell, TX · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Axtell is on Farm Road 1330 between U.S. Highway 84 and State Highway 31, eight miles northeast of Bellmead in eastern McLennan County. It was established in 1881, when the Texas and St. Louis Railway laid track from…

  • Downsville, TX · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Downsville is on Farm Road 434 eight miles southeast of downtown Waco in southeastern McLennan County. William Woods Downs owned the land in the 1850s and used slaves to work it; after the Civil War he gave each family…

  • Tours, TX · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Tours, on Farm Road 3149 seventeen miles northeast of Waco in northeast McLennan County, was first called St. Martinville. A wagon train from Teutopolis, Illinois, arrived at the site on November 11, 1874, the feast day…

  • Windsor, TX (McLennan County) · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Windsor is at the intersection of Farm roads 3268 and 3047, near the Middle Bosque River twelve miles west of Waco in west central McLennan County. It took its name from Windsor Ranch, which was the property of Harry…

  • Barcus, John M. · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through McLennan County, and right here, in Bruceville, John M. Barcus was licensed to preach in 1880. He went on to earn the first M.A. degree from Southwestern University and served as secretary of the…

  • Bosque River · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through the heart of Texas, near the Bosque River. The name itself, 'Bosque,' is Spanish for 'woods,' and it likely got its name back in 1719 from the Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo. Some accounts even…

  • Graves, Marvin Lee · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Bosqueville, Texas, the birthplace of Dr. Marvin Lee Graves. Born in 1867, Graves wasn't just any doctor; he was a pioneer in Texas medicine. After earning his degree in New York City, he…

  • McLennan Community College · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through McLennan County, and right here is the site of a Texas first! In 1965, voters approved the creation of McLennan County Junior College. The very next year, it became the first public junior college…

  • Patrick, TX (McLennan County) · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through McLennan County, near the Brazos River, and you're passing through what used to be Patrick. The area was first settled in the 1850s and called Garrett's Mill. A post office named Starke Grove…

  • Scottish Society of Texas · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through McLennan County, and right here, in the heart of Texas, Scots have been celebrating their heritage for decades. Back in 1963, the Scottish Society of Texas was formed, bringing together fifty…

  • Battle, TX · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Battle, once known as Battle Institute, is between State Highway 164 and Farm Road 2957 three miles northwest of Mart in eastern McLennan County. The area was settled about 1880 and named for Nicholas William Battle ,…

  • Elm Mott, TX · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Elm Mott is near the intersection of Interstate Highway 35 and Farm Road 308, eight miles north of Waco in northeast central McLennan County. The area was settled shortly after the Civil War by the Christian and Long…

  • Harrison, TX · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Harrison is on State Highway 6 some eight miles southeast of downtown Waco in eastern McLennan County. The area was part of a plantation owned by Gen. James E. Harrison during the late 1850s and 1860s. After the Civil…

  • Hoen, TX · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Hoen (Hoehn), also known as Pate, is on Farm Road 308 about four miles northeast of Leroy in northeastern McLennan County. It was established in the late 1800s by the George Hoehn family. The community became a flag…

  • Rosenthal, TX · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Rosenthal was on U.S. Highway 77 four miles south of Robinson in southern McLennan County. The area was settled in the 1870s, and a school community called Oak Grove was established on Castleman Creek. By 1880 the main…

  • South Bosque, TX · 14.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    South Bosque is on the South Bosque River just south of U.S. Highway 84, eight miles northeast of McGregor in southwest central McLennan County. Though settlers began arriving in the area in the 1850s, the South Bosque…

  • Providence Sanitarium · 14.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Providence Sanitarium, a hospital born out of necessity in Waco. Back in 1901, Dr. James W. Hale saw his patient needed care, but Waco didn't have the facilities. So, he teamed up with…

  • Congregation Agudath Jacob · 14.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Waco, and right here, you're passing the site of Congregation Agudath Jacob, the city's first Orthodox Jewish congregation. It started small in 1888 with just fifteen families, meeting in a rented…

  • First United Methodist Church of Waco · 14.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Waco, and right here, you're passing the site of the very first church in town. Back in 1850, Reverend Joseph P. Sneed and 23 members started this Methodist congregation. They began meeting in a…

  • Mother Neff State Park · 15.0 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Ever wonder where Texans went for outdoor fun nearly a century ago? Mother Neff State Park, just ahead, has been a beloved escape since the 1930s. Isabella Neff, affectionately known as Mother Neff, and her son Noah…

  • Perry Cemetery, Old · 15.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the last vestige of the Perry community, established by pioneer settlers here in McLennan County. Look around – all that remains is this cemetery. It began with the burial of Jane Leach, a…

  • Midway High School — State Softball 2026 · 15.1 mi

    Midway High School in Waco, Texas qualified for the 2026 UIL state softball championships, reaching the state tournament (final four) in Class six A, Division One.

  • Dr Pepper Company · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Texas, maybe sipping on a cold one. But did you know that iconic Dr Pepper was first concocted right here in Waco, back in 1885? It all started in a drugstore, where pharmacist Charles Alderton…

  • Jaworski, Leon · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Texas, maybe not far from Waco, where Leon Jaworski got his start. This wasn't just any lawyer; this was the man who headed the Watergate special prosecution force. Right here, in the early 1970s,…

  • Jesse Washington Lynching · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Of the 492 lynchings that occurred in Texas between 1882 and 1930, the incident that perhaps received the greatest notoriety, both statewide and nationally, was the mutilation and burning of an illiterate…

  • Banton, Travis · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, Texas, the birthplace of Travis Banton, a Hollywood costume designer who defined the 'Paramount Look' during the Golden Age of cinema. Born in 1894, Banton moved to New York as a child but…

  • Beville, Alexander Archer · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, and right here, you're passing through the history of Texas dentistry. Alexander Archer Beville arrived in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1870</say-as>, and he's credited as the…

  • Bledsoe, Julius Lorenzo Cobb · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, Texas, the birthplace of Julius Bledsoe, a baritone whose voice would make an American classic out of "Ol' Man River." Right here, in Waco, this gifted musician got his start, eventually…

  • Boynton, Benjamin Lee · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, Texas, the birthplace of Benjamin Lee Boynton. Right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1898</say-as>, a future football legend was born. Boynton wasn't just any player; in…

  • Oscar, Gussie · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, a town that once defied the law for a good show! Gussie Oscar, a pianist and conductor, took over the Waco Auditorium in 1915. She brought stars like Houdini and Will Rogers to town, but she…

  • Shaver, John Edwin [Eddy] · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, Texas, the hometown of Eddy Shaver. Born in 1962, Eddy grew up surrounded by music, the son of legendary songwriter Billy Joe Shaver. By age thirteen, Eddy was already playing on his…

  • Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, Texas, and right here is the home of the legendary Texas Rangers. The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum isn't just a building; it's the official state historical center dedicated to…

  • Thompson, Henry William [Hank] · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, Texas, the birthplace of Hank Thompson, a true innovator in country music. After serving in the Navy during World War II, Thompson returned to Texas and formed his band, the Brazos Valley…

  • Torrance, Edgar Lee · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, and right here, you're passing through the birthplace of the modern motel. Edgar Lee Torrance, born just up the road in Elk, Texas, was probably the first in the state to develop the concept…

  • Gay, George Henry, Jr. · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Texas, maybe near Waco, where George Henry Gay, Jr. was born back in 1917. He was a Navy pilot flying a torpedo bomber in the Battle of Midway. On June 4th, 1942, his squadron took off from the…

  • Burton, Marvin [Red] · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through McLennan County, and right here, in the heart of Texas, you're passing through the territory of Marvin "Red" Burton, a Texas Ranger who wasn't afraid to stand up to the Ku Klux Klan. On October…

  • Lyons, Theodore Amar [Ted] · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near Waco, where a baseball legend got his start. Ted Lyons wasn't just any pitcher; he was a star athlete at Baylor University, earning letters in baseball, basketball, and…

  • Waco, TX · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, a city with roots stretching back to an ancient agricultural village of the Waco Indians. Right here, in 1849, George Erath laid out the first block of this new town. It was a gamble,…

  • Coke, Richard · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Richard Coke, Texas governor and United States senator, son of John and Eliza (Hankins) Coke, was born near Williamsburg, Virginia, in March 1829. He entered William and Mary College in 1843 and in July 1848 was awarded…

  • Evans, Richard D. · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Richard D. Evans, noted African-American civil rights attorney and first president of the Texas State Conference of Branches of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), son of Col. Tom…

  • Moreland, Whitt L. · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Whitt L. Moreland, Medal of Honor recipient, was born in Waco, Texas, on March 7, 1930, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd W. Moreland. He entered the military service in Austin. Private First Class Moreland was an…

  • Malone-Mayes, Vivienne Lucille · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Vivienne Lucille Malone-Mayes, mathematician, civil rights activist, first Black woman with a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin , and first African American professor at Baylor University , was…

  • Armstrong, A. Joseph · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, home to one of the world's most impressive collections of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning poetry and manuscripts. Right here, A. Joseph Armstrong, a dedicated English professor, spent…

  • Barnard, George · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Texas, and right here, you're passing through a story of adventure and trade. George Barnard, a merchant from Connecticut, arrived in Texas in 1838. Just a few years later, in 1841, he joined the…

  • Barron, Thomas Hudson · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through McLennan County, and right here, you're passing near the heart of Texas Ranger history. Thomas Hudson Barron, a frontiersman who fought from the Mexican Texas period all the way through the…

  • Brooks, Samuel Palmer · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, the heart of Central Texas, and right here is where Samuel Palmer Brooks shaped a university for over thirty years. Born in Georgia, he came to Johnson County as a boy and eventually took…

  • Central Freight Lines · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Central Texas, and right here in Waco, a transportation giant got its start. In 1925, William W. Callan, Sr., fired up a single Model-T truck, founding Central Forwarding and Warehouse Company.…

  • Coke, Mary Evans Horne · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, the hometown of Mary Evans Horne Coke, the First Lady of Texas. When she was just fifteen, she met Richard Coke, who was so smitten by her foot and ankle that he declared he would marry her.…

  • Davenport, Jouett Harbert [John] · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving near Waco, Texas, where a Confederate regiment was organized in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1862</say-as>. Jouett Harbert Davenport, a local livestock raiser, was elected major of this unit,…

  • Davis, Mervyn Bathurst · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, Texas, a city that owes a debt to Mervyn Bathurst Davis. He arrived here in 1873, but Davis wasn't just a journalist; he was a passionate conservationist. In 1881, right here in Waco, he…

  • De Cordova, Jacob Raphael · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through the heart of Texas, and right here, you're passing through Waco. But did you know this city owes its very existence to a pioneering land agent and colonizer named Jacob Raphael De Cordova? Back in…

  • Friend, Kate Harrison · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, and right here is a place that remembers Kate Harrison Friend, known to many as Miss Kate. By age thirteen, she'd read all of Shakespeare! She founded the Waco Shakespeare Club in 1899, and…

  • Harrison, Thomas · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Central Texas, and right here in Waco, you're not far from the story of Thomas Harrison. He wasn't just any soldier; he rose to lead Terry's Texas Rangers during the Civil War. Harrison took…

  • Martin, Matthew Thomas · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through what is now Smith County, Texas, a place where a theological controversy once brewed. Matthew Thomas Martin, a Baptist preacher, arrived here in Waco in the late 1800s. He taught a peculiar…

  • Methodist Home For Children · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, and right here is the site of the Methodist Home for Children. In 1890, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, wanted to unite its factions with a common project. They established this…

  • Miller, Horace Sherman · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through McLennan County, near Waco, where Horace Sherman Miller lived out his final years. Born in Walnut Springs in 1901, Miller had a varied early life, serving in the Navy and working for railroads.…

  • O'Hara, John Bernard · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Texas, and right here, you're passing through the story of John Bernard O'Hara, the man who made Dr Pepper a national brand. He arrived in Waco back in <say-as interpret-as="date"…

  • Padgitt, Kate Ross · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, a city with a rich social history, and right here is where Kate Ross Padgitt lived and thrived. Born in 1851, she was a prominent figure, graduating from Waco University and becoming one of…

  • Pape, Eleanor Fay Jurney · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, and right here, Eleanor Pape left her mark on this city. Born in 1888, Nell Pape was a philanthropist who poured her wealth back into her community. After her husband, Gustav, passed away in…

  • Patten, George W. · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Central Texas right now, near Waco. Back in the late 1850s, the Patten family packed up their entire flour milling business from New York and hauled it all the way to McLennan County. They set up…

  • Poage, William Robert · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through central Texas, and right here is the legacy of W.R. "Bob" Poage. Born in Waco in 1899, Poage spent his early years on his father's ranch in Throckmorton and Shackelford Counties. That rural…

  • Prather, William Lambdin · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, and right here is where a man named William Prather left his mark on Texas education. Prather, a lawyer by trade, served as Waco's city attorney and later president of the state bar. But his…

  • Ray, Robert James [Buddy] · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Right here in Waco, Texas, Buddy Ray was born in 1919. He wasn't just any musician; he was a violinist, saxophonist, vocalist, and songwriter who became a legend in western swing and jazz. Ray got his start with his…

  • Shaw, James Dickson · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, and right here, back in 1882, a Methodist minister named James Dickson Shaw faced a crisis. After being accused of heresy for his liberal views on scripture and atonement, he refused to…

  • Sisters of St. Mary of Namur · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, Texas, and right here is where a remarkable chapter of education and faith began for Texas. In 1873, five Sisters of St. Mary of Namur, arriving from New York, founded Sacred Heart Academy.…

  • Smith, Robert Lloyd · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Colorado County, and right here, Robert Lloyd Smith founded the Farmers' Home Improvement Society back in 1890. He was a politician, a businessman, and a champion for Black farmers, inspired by…

  • Speight, Joseph Warren · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, a town that owes much of its early development to Joseph Warren Speight. He arrived here in 1854, a civic leader and lawyer from Mississippi. Speight was instrumental in bringing Rufus C.…

  • Spell, Jane Madden · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Central Texas, perhaps near Waco, and right here, Jane Madden Spell was a powerhouse for women's rights. Back in 1915, she was a leading voice in the fight for suffrage, applying immense pressure…

  • Strecker, John Kern, Jr. · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, the heart of McLennan County, where John Kern Strecker made a name for himself not as a politician, but as a naturalist. Though he started as a stonecutter, Strecker developed a lifelong…

  • Texas Music Café · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Right here in Waco, you're driving past the birthplace of the Texas Music Café. <break time="400ms"/> Started in 1997 by the Ermoian brothers, this show aimed to capture the heart of Texas music, from legends like…

  • Tyson, Paul Leighton · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, the heart of Texas football country. Right here, in the early 1900s, Paul Tyson began an extraordinary coaching career. For twenty-eight years, he led the Waco Tigers, winning four state…

  • Wallace, David Richard · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Central Texas, and right here is a place that changed how we think about mental health. Dr. David Richard Wallace, a physician who served as a surgeon in the Civil War, became a pioneer in…

  • Dunklin, Hallie Milburn Atkins · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, a city with a rich history, and right here is where Hallie Milburn Atkins Dunklin made her mark. In 1894, she took the helm of the newly-incorporated Telephone Publishing Company, becoming…

  • Ballanfant, Edward Lee · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Texas, and right here, in Waco, a future Major League umpire was born. Edward Lee Ballanfant, born in 1895, played minor league ball until a severe leg injury ended his playing career. But he…

  • Patten, Nathan · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near Waco, and right here is where the Patten family faced a harrowing choice during the Civil War. Originally from New York, Nathan and George Patten ran a gristmill that was…

  • Waco Lodge No. 92, A.F.& A.M. · 15.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the home of Waco's oldest organization, still in continuous existence! It started as Bosque Lodge way back in 1852, and changed its name to Waco Lodge in 1856. This Masonic lodge has been devoted to…

  • Academy of the Sacred Heart · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, and right here, on October 1st, 1873, a Catholic school opened its doors with just one student. It was called the Academy of the Sacred Heart, named for the feast day on which the land was…

  • Armstrong, Mary Maxwell · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, home to a truly unique treasure: the Armstrong Browning Library. Right here, Mary Maxwell Armstrong and her husband, A. Joseph, dedicated their lives to collecting the world's largest trove…

  • Austin Avenue United Methodist Church (Waco) · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, and right here is the site of the Austin Avenue United Methodist Church. Back in 1900, the congregation of Fifth Street Methodist Church decided they'd outgrown their building and Waco…

  • Baker, Robert Holmes · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Texas, and you might be passing by a place that Robert Holmes Baker helped shape. Born in Tennessee, Baker arrived in Waco in 1882 and became a major player in Texas business and reform. He led…

  • Battle, Nicholas William · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, Texas, a town that owes a lot to Judge Nicholas William Battle. He arrived here in 1850, a lawyer from Georgia, and quickly became a leader. He helped bring the railroad to town and founded…

  • Camp MacArthur · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Right here, just outside Waco, you're driving past the former site of Camp MacArthur. This massive World War I training camp, named for General Arthur MacArthur, sprang to life in 1917. Construction began in July, and…

  • Conner, Jeffie Obrea Allen · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through McLennan County, maybe near Waco, and right here is where Jeffie O. A. Conner dedicated her life to improving the lives of rural Black families. Starting in 1923, as a cooperative extension agent,…

  • Cox, Charles Hudson · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, Texas, where a rather remarkable artist named Charles Hudson Cox found his muse. Born in England in 1829, Cox came to Waco in 1889, not as a painter, but as a cotton buyer. But soon, he was…

  • De Graffenried, Gaines · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, and right here is a story about a man who turned a lifelong passion into a Texas treasure. Gaines De Graffenried, born in 1905, wasn't just interested in guns; he collected them. His…

  • Earle, Hallie · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near Waco, where Dr. Hallie Earle made her mark. Born in 1880, she was a trailblazer in medicine, graduating top of her class at Baylor Medical School. In 1915, she opened a…

  • Evans, Andrew Jackson · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through McLennan County, near Waco, where Andrew Jackson Evans made his mark. Born in South Carolina in 1832, Evans became a prominent attorney and judge in Texas. He served in the Seventh Texas…

  • Flint, John Thompson · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Waco, Texas, a city with a history tied to a man named John Thompson Flint. Flint wasn't just any lawyer; he was a key player in building this community. He served as president of the Waco Bridge…

  • Harrison, James Edward · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Central Texas, and right here near Waco, you're passing through the history of Brigadier General James Edward Harrison. A man who moved from Mississippi to Texas in 1857, Harrison quickly became…

  • Held, John Adolf · 15.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Texas, and right here, you're passing through the legacy of John Adolf Held, a Baptist leader who arrived in Texas from Austria as a teenager. He became a vital part of Baylor University,…

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