San Marcos, Texas

The town you're rolling through carries a name handed down through three different stories. Spanish explorers on Alonso de Leon's 1689 expedition reached a river east of the Guadalupe on April 25, the feast day of St.…

After dark, the hill below Old Main has a reputation. The 1903 building is the heart of one of campus's oldest ghost stories: a young woman, by legend a student, is said to have fallen, jumped, or been pushed from the…

The stately domed building in the middle of downtown is the Hays County Historic Courthouse, and it's the fourth one the county has built. Designed by Austin architect Charles H. Page in the Classical Revival style and…

You're driving through San Marcos, and right here is the site of the first church in Hays County. Organized way back in 1847 with just nine members, this Methodist congregation met in homes and even a log house that…

You're driving past the site of the First Christian Church of San Marcos. It all started way back in 1853 with just two members and Reverend Henry Thomas. By 1856, the congregation had grown to fifty. After the Civil…

Designed by German architect Charles S. Sinz; built 1896 for the Beverly Hutchison family; later owned by L. Robertson, E. O. Bethke, R. e. Miller and M. Falls, this house in the late 1920s earned its place in history…

You're driving past the site of one of Texas's very first Anglo-American settlements in Hays County. William W. Moon was orphaned just two days after his birth in Alabama, but he made his own way to Texas. He first saw…

You're driving past what locals called the Calaboose, the first jail in Hays County, built way back in 1873. For years, it held prisoners, but it also served a different purpose. In the 1940s, this brick building got a…

You're driving past the John Matthew Cape House, built in 1902. Cape was a big deal in San Marcos, owning cotton gins along the river and helping start both the San Marcos Utilities and the State Bank & Trust Company.…

You're driving past the former home of Charles S. Cock, a prominent figure in early San Marcos. He built this limestone, elm, pine, and cedar house in 1867. Cock wasn't just a farmer; he also served as the city's mayor…

You're driving past the heart of San Marcos, where a local legend in banking got its start. Back in 1879, Ed J. L. Green opened 'Green's Bank' right here on the Courthouse Square. It wasn't just a bank; he rented out…

You're driving past the site of Hays County's very first public building, right here in San Marcos. Imagine this: back in 1847, early settlers threw up a simple log house. Built from elm, cedar, and cypress, it started…

Lyndon B. Johnson attended Southwest Texas State Teachers College (now Texas State University) 1927-1930. Took 1928-29 year off to teach at segregated Mexican-American Welhausen School in Cotulla as teacher + principal.…

You're driving past Eddie Durham. The Texas influence on jazz history, especially through the careers of individual artists, is well documented. The efforts and influences of African American jazz musician Eddie Durham…

At 400 East Hopkins Street stands the oldest surviving home in San Marcos, a square limestone house built in 1867 by Charles S. Cock from pine, elm, cedar, and native stone, with walls two feet thick. It's the last…

You're driving through San Marcos, and right here is the story of Ulysses 'Boots' Cephas. Born in 1884, the son of freed slaves, Ulysses learned the blacksmithing trade from his father. He became so skilled that he…

You're driving past a real San Marcos landmark, the former Cumberland Presbyterian Church, now known as Fort Street Presbyterian Church. Look for its stunning Gothic Revival windows and those unique octagonal towers…

You're driving past Wesley Chapel A.M.E. Church, believed to be the oldest African American congregation in San Marcos. Its history traces back to 1875, and the first church building rose on this very spot in 1879. For…

You're driving through San Marcos, and right here is the site of the First Presbyterian Church. Back in 1848, Presbyterian settlers gathered in the old log courthouse to hear sermons from Reverend Nathaniel P. Charlot,…

You're driving past the original office building of the San Marcos National Fish Hatchery. Established in 1893, it was one of the first federal fish hatcheries in Texas, right near the headwaters of the San Marcos…

Every summer, tens of thousands of people show up in San Marcos to do something almost no other Texas town offers: float down a clear, spring fed river at a constant seventy two degrees, in an inner tube, with a beer.…

You're driving past the site of the Coronal Institute, founded back in 1868 by O. N. Hollingsworth. This private school, coeducational and even offering military training for boys, got its name because it sat like a…

You're driving past the Ragsdale-Jackman-Yarbrough House in San Marcos, built in 1868 by a veteran of the Texas Republic army. His wife actually ran a school for girls right here after he passed. Later, this house…

You're driving past the Heard-Baker House in San Marcos, a beautiful example of Queen Anne architecture. This home was built around 1889 by William Green, but it's named for the rancher Samuel McGehee Heard, who bought…

You're driving past the site of the first federal fish hatchery in Texas, right here in San Marcos! Established in 1893 on the old W. D. Wood place, this facility wasn't just about stocking local streams. Early on, it…

You're driving past Old Main, the original administration building for Southwest Texas Normal School, completed in 1903. This Victorian Gothic structure, built on land donated by the city of San Marcos, still stands…

Honky-tonk + songwriter venue on Cheatham Street in San Marcos, founded June 1974 by Kent Finlay + Jim Cunningham in former Reed Grocery Warehouse. George Strait + Ace in the Hole Band debuted Oct 13, 1975 (Strait's…

This low building by the railroad tracks at 119 Cheatham Street launched one of the biggest careers in country music. It went up in 1910 as a grocery warehouse, taking in goods off the trains, until 1974, when Texas…

You're driving past the Caldwell-Kone-Hyatt House, a place that's seen three prominent Texas families live within its walls. Robert M. Caldwell, son of early colonists, built this home in 1869. Later, it was acquired by…

You're driving past the site of the Farmers Union Gin Company in San Marcos. In 1908, local farmers pooled their resources to buy this land and establish the gin. Led by Oscar Calvin Smith, it became the first…

You're driving past the Robert Early McKie House in San Marcos. Built in 1906 for two thousand dollars, this home was constructed by local contractor H.C. Leffingwell for McKie himself, a San Marcos native, attorney,…

You're driving past the former home of Eliza Pitts Malone, a woman who saw Texas through immense change. Arriving in 1842 as a young girl, she became a charter member of San Marcos' First Methodist Church and a devoted…

You're cruising past the Rylander-Kyle House, built between 1912 and 1913. Agriculturalist Ignatius Bramwell Rylander commissioned this impressive Colonial Revival home, designed by architect Roy L. Thomas. Notice the…

The city of San Marcos is about 170 years old. But people have been living right here, on the banks of this river, for over 13,000 years. That makes this spot one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites on the entire…

For over 40 years, the main attraction in San Marcos wasn't the university or the outlet malls—it was a theme park called Aquarena Springs. Built around the headwaters of the San Marcos River, its centerpiece was the…

The San Marcos Springs are more than just beautiful—they're a unique biological laboratory, an 'island' of life found nowhere else on Earth. The reason lies in the hydrogeology of the Edwards Aquifer. The water that…

If you’re a country music fan, you’re passing through a historic place. In the mid-1970s, a young agriculture student at Southwest Texas State University named George Strait was looking for a band. He posted a flyer on…

You're cruising through San Marcos, and right here is the story of Dunbar School. While private lessons for Black children might have started way back in 1847, the first public school opened its doors in 1877, serving…

You're driving past what used to be the industrial heart of San Marcos. This land, originally granted in 1831, was bought by Edward Burleson in 1844. He was quite a character – a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto, a…

You're cruising past the Sanders-Grosgebauer House, built around 1913. It's a prime example of the American Foursquare architectural style, a design rarely seen in San Marcos back then. But this house holds a…

You're driving past the former home of O. T. Brown, built way back in 1878. Brown, a Civil War veteran and lawyer, bought this place in 1882. He'd been a prisoner of war, but found success here in San Marcos as a civic…

Driving past San Marcos, you're looking at the Kone-Cliett House, a home with deep roots in Hays County history. Edward Reeves Kone, a man who wore many hats – county attorney, sheriff, judge, and education…

You're driving past the former home of George Thomas McGehee, a true pioneer who arrived in San Marcos way back in 1846. He wasn't just a settler; McGehee fought with Terry's Texas Rangers in the Civil War and later…

You're driving past the former home of James Gray Storey, a man who wore many hats in Hays County. Born in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1830</say-as>, Storey served as district clerk and then captain of…

You're driving past the George Henry Talmadge house, a beautiful Victorian built in 1889 right here in San Marcos. Talmadge himself was a Union Army veteran who moved to Texas after the Civil War. He was also a…

You're driving past the San Marcos home of Alexander Gates and Lillian Johnson Thomas, a couple who blended their passions for Texas folklore and art into their very own dwelling. Alexander, an English professor, and…

You're driving past a building that started as one of the first schools in San Marcos, built around 1859. By 1875, it became a family home for Rev. Robert H. Belvin, president of Coronal Institute. Later owners expanded…

James Kent Finlay (known as Kent), singer, songwriter, music hall owner, teacher, and mentor, was born in Brady, Texas, on February 9, 1938, to James Finlay, Jr., and Grace Zelma (Short) Finlay. He grew up on a cotton…

You're driving through San Marcos, the birthplace of a legendary sound. Back in 1975, right here, George Strait, then an agriculture major, auditioned for a band called Ace in the Hole. They met at Southwest Texas State…

You're driving through Hays County, and right here in San Marcos is where James Dell Cummings, known as 'Mr. Pipeliner,' spent his later years. Born in Kansas, Cummings was a farmer who hated seeing men struggle with…

You're driving through San Marcos, the hometown of Eddie Durham, a titan of the Swing Era. Born here in 1906, Durham wasn't just a musician; he was a groundbreaking composer and arranger who shaped the sound of jazz. He…

You're driving through San Marcos, Texas, the birthplace of Cleto Luna Rodríguez. Back in February of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1945</say-as>, during the brutal battle for Manila, Sergeant Rodríguez…

You're driving through Hays County, and right here, you're passing the San Marcos Springs, the second largest natural springs in Texas! These waters, first seen by Europeans in 1709, were a vital stop on the Old San…

You're driving through San Marcos, and right here are the famous Aquarena Springs. Long before it was an amusement park, these springs were known to the Tonkawa Indians as 'warm water.' Explorers likely stumbled upon…

You're driving through San Marcos, and right here is the site of Gary Air Force Base. It started as San Marcos Army Air Field back in 1942, training thousands of navigators during World War II. After the war, thanks to…

You're driving through San Marcos, a city founded by a man named William F. Lindsey. Lindsey arrived in Texas in 1836, and after surveying Galveston Island and serving as a surveyor in San Antonio and Fayette County, he…

You're driving past San Marcos, and right here is where the town itself got its start, thanks to a doctor named Eli T. Merriman. He was the very first physician in town, arriving in 1847 and building his log cabin. But…

You're driving through Hays County, and right here is where William Washington Moon, a man who saw his share of Texas history, decided to settle. Born in Alabama in 1814, his parents died shortly after his birth. He…

You're driving through Hays County, and right here is the San Marcos River. For over 10,000 years, people have called this place home, from ancient Clovis hunters to the Tonkawa Indians. When Spanish explorers arrived…

You're driving through San Marcos, and right here, you're experiencing a living piece of Texas music history. This is the home of the Texas Natural and Western Swing Festival, an annual celebration born in 1988. It…

You're driving through Hays County, and right here is San Marcos, the hometown of Colonel Peter Cavanaugh Woods. When the Civil War broke out, Woods raised a cavalry company from this area, which became Company A of the…

You're driving through San Marcos, a city with roots stretching back to Spanish Texas. Long before it was a bustling hub on I-35, this area was the site of ambitious Spanish colonization attempts. In 1755, the San…

You're cruising through San Marcos, and right here is the Kone-Yarbrough House, built in 1886. Look for its really unusual central chimney – a Victorian touch for a growing family. Sam R. Kone, Jr., a successful…

You're driving past the John F. McGehee house, built in 1889. McGehee himself was a veteran of Hood's Brigade during the Civil War. He hauled the pine for this home all the way from Bastrop, adding cypress siding and…

You're driving through North Texas, and right here in San Marcos is where Boston P. Grant, Jr. got his start. Born in 1924, he grew up to be a decorated army medic in World War II and later, a legendary track and field…

You're driving through Hays County, a place with a history stretching back thousands of years. Indigenous peoples were farming here by 1200 AD, drawn by the abundant springs, especially the San Marcos Springs, the…

Right here in San Marcos, you're driving past the site of Coronal Institute, founded in 1868 by Orlando Newton Hollingsworth. After fighting in the Civil War and being wounded at the Battle of Corinth, Hollingsworth…

You're driving through San Marcos, a town that played a small role in the Civil War and later became a political battleground. William Oscar Hutchison arrived here in 1859, setting up a law practice. He fought in the…

You're driving through San Marcos, a town that owes a lot to John Drayton Pitts. He arrived in Texas in 1841, calling it a 'land of plenty' and encouraging eleven families to join him. Pitts was a government official,…

You're driving west of San Marcos on Ranch Road 12, heading towards a unique Texas institution. Right here is the San Marcos Baptist Academy, founded back in 1907 by the Southwest Texas Baptist Conference. It started…

You're driving through San Marcos right now, and just ahead, in the spring-fed headwaters of the San Marcos River, lives a plant found nowhere else on Earth: Texas wild rice. It's a rare, endangered aquatic grass,…

You're driving through Hays County, not far from San Marcos, where in the late 1870s, Samuel Bender McBride was deeply involved in local education. He helped establish a free public school right here, serving both boys…

You're driving through Hays County, near San Marcos, where Anne Cooper made her mark. She wasn't your typical politician; she was a mom, a teacher, and a fierce advocate for education and conservation. Cooper, a former…

You're driving through Central Texas, and you might be passing through San Marcos, the birthplace of Albert Sidney Burleson. He wasn't just any politician; he served as U.S. Postmaster General under President Woodrow…

You're driving through San Marcos, a town that was home to Dudley Richard Dobie, Sr. He started collecting books in the winter of 1927, a passion that would define his life. He became a bookseller in 1935, even scouting…

You're driving through San Marcos, home to Southwest Texas State College, now Texas State University. For twenty-two years, this campus was led by John Garland Flowers. He took the helm in 1942, guiding the college…

You're driving through San Marcos, a town that was home to Isaac Hoover Julian, a newspaper editor who arrived here in 1873. He was already a seasoned publisher, having edited papers in Indiana that advocated for…

You're driving past the former home of Joseph W. Earnest, a man who arrived in Hays County as a boy in 1854. Earnest served with the Texas Rangers and the Confederate army before becoming a merchant and cattleman. In…

Thomas Green Harris, college president, was born on May 27, 1854, at Sweetwater, Tennessee, the son of Ezekiel and Celina (Green) Harris. He attended Carson-Newman College at Jefferson City, Tennessee, where he received…

James Taylor, historian, son of Charles Walter and Effie (McGuyer) Taylor, was born on January 5, 1901, in Rogers, Bell County, Texas. After graduating from Rogers High School, he attended North Texas State Normal…

You're driving through San Marcos, and right here is the site of a church with a powerful story of resilience. In 1866, Rev. Moses Johns organized San Marcos' very first African American congregation, the Colored…

If you want a meal that's older than the outlet malls and rooted in town life, Herbert's Taco Hut at 419 Riverside Drive is the one. Herbert Rizk Sr. and his wife Dora opened it on May 19, 1976, in a modest spot near…

You're cruising past the former home of Lloyd G. Johnson, a local banker who built this place with his wife Katherine back in 1919. Designed by the famous architect Atlee B. Ayres, it's a cool mix of Mediterranean style…

You're cruising past the former home of Ike Wood, a man who built a life and a legacy right here in San Marcos. Wood arrived around 1886 and quickly became a major player in town – a merchant, a banker, and a civic…

You're driving past the J.H. Barbee House in San Marcos. Born in 1854, John Howard Barbee was a successful businessman, rancher, and developer. In 1906, he built this Classical Revival home for his wife, Abbie, who was…

You're driving past the Augusta Hofheinz House, built in 1908. Augusta was the widow of Daniel Hofheinz, who ran a San Marcos hotel back in the 1870s. Their son Walter oversaw the construction of this beautiful…

You're driving past the site of Mission San Francisco Xavier de los Dolores, a Spanish outpost established way back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1746</say-as>. Franciscan missionaries hoped to convert and…

You're driving through San Marcos, and right here is the story of La Sociedad Mutualista Cuauhtémoc. In the early 1900s, Mexican Americans here sought better social and educational programs. This led to the formation of…

You're driving past the site of the second home built in San Marcos by Dr. Eli T. Merriman. He graduated from Yale in 1838 and settled in Texas that same year, becoming the area's first physician. Merriman was also one…

You're driving past the site of Post San Marcos. Back in 1838, the Republic of Texas Congress ordered military roads and forts built from the Red River all the way to the Nueces. A vital road was planned, connecting…

Eurycea rathbuni, federally endangered Mar 11, 1967 under Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966. Endemic ONLY to San Marcos Pool of Edwards Aquifer beneath the city. Cave-dwelling troglobite, vestigial…

San Marcos Springs is the second-largest spring system in Texas and the longest continuously inhabited site in North America. Archaeologists found evidence of…

You're driving past San Marcos Springs, the source of the San Marcos River. For thousands of years, this incredible water has been a magnet for life. Indigenous peoples knew it well, and so did the Spanish explorers. In…

You're driving past the site of Wonder Cave, a natural wonder born from a prehistoric earth shift along the Balcones Fault. Legend says this cave was a hideout for robber gangs in the 1820s, who stashed their loot from…

You're driving past the San Marcos area, home to Dr. Peter C. Woods. He wasn't just a doctor; he was a Confederate Colonel during the Civil War. Woods learned a revolutionary aseptic technique in New York, which he used…

You're driving through San Marcos, and right here is the Belvin Street Historic District. It was named in 1876 for Reverend R. H. Belvin, who led the Coronal Institute right here in town. By the 1870s, San Marcos was…

You're driving past the Malone house in San Marcos, a home that's seen more than a century of Texas history. Built in 1891 for James Lafayette and Eliza Pitts Malone, this house was home to sixteen children! The Malones…

You're driving by the San Marcos Cemetery, a place with roots stretching back to a Mexican land grant in 1834. While the first recorded burial was in 1876, local tradition says enslaved people were laid to rest here…

You're driving past the San Marcos Cemetery Chapel, a Carpenter Gothic beauty built around 1890. This isn't just any chapel; it's been the heart of remembrance for this community for over a century. Imagine the services…

On the night of May 23, 2015, Memorial Day weekend, the rivers that make San Marcos beautiful turned deadly. A thunderstorm cluster stalled over the Hill Country and dumped as much as 10 to 13 inches of rain in a few…

You're driving past the San Marcos River, and right here, you're passing Thompson's Islands. In <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1850</say-as>, William A. Thompson and his family arrived in Texas. Using slave…

You're driving past the site of Thompson's Island, named for Dr. William Alexander Thompson. Back in 1850, Thompson and his neighbors agreed to harness the San Marcos River. With his sons and slave labor, they built a…

You're driving past the site of an old lime kiln, right here near the San Marcos River. This spot was part of a land grant way back in 1834. Later, General Edward Burleson, a big name in early Texas, owned the land and…

You're driving past the site of Riverhead Farm, established in 1905 by William Green. He envisioned a massive truck-farming operation, using irrigation from the San Marcos River and powered by hydroelectricity. Although…

You're cruising through San Marcos, and right here are the Sink Springs, a vital part of this city's history. Since the late 1800s, these springs, pushed to the surface by artesian pressure, have been the lifeblood for…

You're driving past the site of the Cheatham-Hohenberg Cemetery, a quiet resting place with a story stretching back thousands of years. Originally known as Indian Hill, this knoll was a strategic lookout for native…

You're driving past the home of Edward Burleson, Jr., a frontier fighter who built this place in the 1850s. It was right here that A. S. Burleson was born. He went on to serve as a member of President Woodrow Wilson's…

Several Texas highways carry an old honorary name, the Jefferson Davis Highway. It grew out of a plan conceived in nineteen thirteen and promoted by the United Daughters of the Confederacy: a coast to coast road named…

You're cruising past McGehee Crossing, a spot that’s seen some serious Texas history. This crossing on the San Marcos River was part of the Camino Real, the King's Highway, first traveled by Frenchman Louis Juchereau de…

You're driving past the San Marcos-Blanco Cemetery, a resting place for the African American citizens of the Blanco community. Established in 1893, though burials began as early as 1886, this site served not only as a…

You're driving past the site of San Marcos de Neve, an early Spanish colony established in 1808 by Captain Felipe Roque de la Portilla. He brought 52 settlers from New Spain, but hardships like floods, raids, and lack…

You're driving past the site of the very first town of San Marcos, officially known back then as Villa de San Marcos de Neve. Mexican settlers established this community in 1807. Imagine, by January 6th of the very next…

You're driving past the site of the Charles Lewis McGehee Cabin, a piece of Hays County history standing since 1859. The McGehee family arrived in Texas from Alabama back in 1847. Charles Lewis McGehee Jr. bought this…

You're driving past the site of San Marcos' third oldest congregation, the First Baptist Church. Organized way back on October 25th, 1857, by Reverend Milton Caperton, this church was a real pioneer in church-related…

State Highway Twenty One between State Highway Eighty and Yarrington Road carries the name of Private First Class Kristian Menchaca. In twenty nineteen, the Hays County Commissioners Court voted to support the PFC…

You're driving near San Marcos, along the San Marcos River, where a cemetery holds echoes of a vibrant past. Cementerio del Rio, established by a deed in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1893</say-as>, was set…

You're driving past Stringtown. John Drayton Pitts (1798-1861) was born, according to family lore, on a ship as his parents sailed to America. A civil engineer by profession, Pitts became interested in politics and in…

You're driving past Pitts Cemetery, a final resting place for a family whose journey started at sea. John Drayton Pitts was born on a ship in 1798, sailing from England. He eventually settled here in Texas, bringing…

Halfway down Interstate 35 between Austin and San Antonio, San Marcos became one of the unlikeliest tourist magnets in Texas: a pair of giant outlet malls. The San Marcos Premium Outlets and the adjacent Tanger Outlets…

You're driving past the Hector Family Cemetery, a quiet resting place with a story of love and loss. Astyanax Troy Hector, born in 1823, came to Texas with his family and became a farmer, hatmaker, and surveyor. He…

You're driving along what was once known as the King's Highway, or the Camino Real. This old San Antonio Road was a vital route, marked way back in 1918 by the Daughters of the American Revolution and the State of…

Interstate Thirty Five in Hays County, from River Ridge Parkway in San Marcos north to Farm to Market One Fifty in Kyle, is named for Trooper Randy Vetter. On the third of August, two thousand, Vetter pulled over a…

You're driving past Redwood Cemetery, a final resting place established by German settlers in 1895. They bought two acres near Cottonwood Creek for their graveyard. The earliest marked grave here belongs to Lizzie…

You're driving past San Pedro Cemetery, established way back in 1909. It was later recognized as a Historic Texas Cemetery in 2007.

You're driving past the Kyle Family Pioneer Cemetery, also known as the Old Slave Cemetery. It's the resting place for Claiborne Kyle's slaves and former slaves, with burials spanning from the 1850s to 1938. You might…

Out on Old Stagecoach Road sits a log house that is both a family relic and a small lesson in frontier engineering. Claiborne Kyle, an early Texas politician and the father of town founder Fergus Kyle, built it around…

You're driving through Hays County, deep in the heart of Texas, and right now, you're passing through a place that played a vital role in the Civil War. Back in the 1860s, beef wasn't just food; it was ammunition for…

You're driving past the site of a home built by John Claiborne Kyle, a pioneer who came to Texas from Tennessee in 1844 with his wife Lucy. They built this hand-hewn cedar log house soon after buying land in 1850. This…

You're driving past Kyle Cemetery, a resting place for many of Hays County's earliest settlers. The first recorded burial here was in 1849, for Willie Parks, adopted son of Colonel Clairborne Kyle. But local legend…

You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near Martindale, where Gary Dan Toler, known as "Doc," settled with his family. Doc wasn't just a singer and songwriter; he led a traveling medicine show, complete with his…

You're driving through Martindale, a town with a founding decree still in effect today! Back in 1855, Mrs. Nancy Martindale donated the land for this community, but she added a condition: the town must remain dry.…

You're driving past Kyle, where the Veracruz family carved out a legacy in the Texas cattle industry. Pedro Veracruz arrived in Texas as a boy, guarding mule trains for General Santa Anna's troops during the Battle of…

You're driving past Riley's Tavern, a business that's been serving drinks since 1933. When Prohibition ended, J.C. Riley and his uncle drove a Model T to Austin to get Texas's first liquor license, number 00001. At…

Rileys Tavern, Hunters oldest business, is housed in a circa 1895 building that was the Galloway Saloon and later home to the Bernardino Sanchez family. In 1933, Texas was the 23rd state to vote for the repeal of…

Pull up a stool at Riley's Tavern, a historic Texas watering hole that has been serving locals and travelers since the 1800s. It was converted into a tavern by James Curtis Riley in 1933. Located near a railroad stop…

Honors TX DPS Trooper Randall Wade Vetter, killed 2000 by a 72-year-old motorist he had stopped for a seatbelt violation on I-35 in Hays County. Became a flashpoint in Texas seatbelt-law debate.

You're driving through Kyle, and right here is the site of Immanuel Baptist Church. It all started back in 1886 when sixteen German settlers, including Christian Siebenhausen and Karl Wiegand who arrived just three…

On Sledge Street stands a live oak that watched Kyle come into existence in a single afternoon. When the railroad townsite was platted in 1880, the company didn't build an auction hall; it simply gathered buyers in the…

You're driving past the historic Kyle Auction Oak, right in the heart of Kyle! Back in 1880, when the International & Great Northern Railroad was laying down tracks, this giant live oak was the spot for a massive public…

You're driving past the Cora Jackman Donalson House, built in 1913. Cora was the daughter of a Confederate general and married the owner of a massive ranch. She had this house built from a plan book, and it still looks…

You're driving past Humphreys Cemetery, a resting place for some of Caldwell County's earliest settlers. The Jennings and Humphreys families arrived in the 1850s, establishing this burial ground on land Joseph Humphreys…

The modest L-shaped house at 508 West Center Street raised one of America's finest short-story writers. Katherine Anne Porter, who would win the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for her 1965 Collected Stories…

You're driving past the childhood home of Katherine Anne Porter, one of America's most distinguished writers. Born Callie Russell Porter in 1890, she spent her early years right here in Kyle. After leaving Texas in…

Ever heard of Katherine Anne Porter? This unassuming house in Kyle is where the acclaimed writer spent her childhood. Built in 1890 by Porter's widowed grandmother, the house became home to the Porter family after the…

You're driving through Hays County, past the resting place of John Wheeler Bunton. He arrived in Texas back in 1833, and by 1836, he was a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Bunton also fought for Texas…

You're driving past Kyle, a town founded in 1880 when the railroad pushed through. Fergus Kyle and David Moore donated land for the townsite, and the very first lots sold at auction that October, right under a liveoak…

You're driving past the site of Kyle's first permanent store, built in 1881 by D. A. Young. Young was one of many Hays County men who fought in the Civil War, even suffering a wound. When the railroad arrived, he and…

You're driving past the site of Kyle's First Baptist Church. Founded in 1872 at Mountain City by Pastor J. C. Tally, this congregation was dynamic. Within two months, they licensed a minister, and in 1879, they sent…

In 1937, the voters of Kyle did something that landed their town in Life magazine and, later, Ripley's Believe It or Not. They elected Mary Kyle Hartson, a seventy-two-year-old great-grandmother and a daughter of town…

Every fall, more than a hundred thousand fans pack Texas A&M's Kyle Field, and almost none of them know the name traces back to this little Hays County town. Edwin Jackson Kyle was born here on July 22, 1876, a son of…

In the late 19th century, Kyle, Texas, was born out of a strategic decision by railroad tycoon Jay Gould. Seeking to expand the International-Great Northern Railroad between Austin and San Marcos, Gould opted for a…

The town around you exists because the railroad found a shortcut through one man's farm. In the late 1870s the International-Great Northern was pushing a line south from Austin toward San Marcos, and the cheapest route…

For its first half-century, Kyle ran on whatever the trains could haul out. The town sat where the Balcones Escarpment meets the blackland prairie, with cotton and corn farms spreading east and ranchland rolling west,…

Before he was a Boston Red Sox ace, Cecil Carlton Hughson was a ranch kid in Kyle whose graduating class topped out at about a dozen students. Born in nearby Buda in 1916, Hughson grew up here where his father ran the…

Kyle's official claim to fame is sweet and a little absurd: by act of the Texas Legislature, this is the Pie Capital of Texas. The story starts in downtown Kyle, where baker Julie Albertson opened the Texas Pie Company…

You're driving through Kyle, passing the site of the Bon Ton, a general store that was the heart of this community for decades. Lex Word opened it in 1926, and despite the Great Depression, he expanded it to include a…

If you only stop one place in downtown Kyle, make it the Texas Pie Company at 202 West Center Street. Baker Julie Albertson opened it decades ago, and the shop has been turning out pies, quiches, casseroles, and…

Kyle's early local industries were centered around the railroad and agriculture. Tom Martin operated the first business in Kyle as a saloon-meat market combination, which was the first of four saloons to open in the…

You're driving through Kyle, Texas, a town that made national headlines in the late 1930s. Right here, Mary Lucy Kyle Hartson, a great-grandmother, was elected mayor by a write-in vote in 1937. A picture of her appeared…

You're driving west of Kyle, Texas, near the Blanco River. Right here, in 1852, Ezekiel Nance arrived, seeking a new start. He bought over 10,000 acres and began building a life. Nance wasn't just a farmer; he built a…

You're driving through Hays County, and right here is the town of Kyle, named for Claiborne Kyle. He and his family came to Texas around 1844, facing financial ruin after Kyle posted bond for a friend who then skipped…

You're driving through Hays County, Texas, not far from Kyle. Right here, Jeremiah Milton Nance was building a Texas ranching empire. In 1877, he gathered 2,300 head of cattle, forty ponies, and ten cowboys, and headed…

You're driving through Kyle, Texas, a town that owes its very existence to a railroad and a bit of political savvy. Back on July 24, 1880, land was deeded to the International-Great Northern Railroad, and the town of…

You're driving through Hays County, not far from Kyle. Right here, back in 1850, Ezekiel Nance arrived and built a mule-powered gristmill and cotton gin on the Blanco River. This riverside operation became the hub for…

Fergus Kyle, politician and founder of Kyle, Texas, the son of early settlers of Hays County, Lucy (Bugg) and Claiborne Kyle , was born on September 6, 1834, in Hinds County, Mississippi. The family moved to Texas in…

You're driving through Hays County, Texas, near Kyle, where Confederate Brigadier General Sidney Drake Jackman ended up after the Civil War. Jackman led his own band of guerilla troops, known as Jackman's Missouri…

You're driving through Kyle, a town named for Edwin Jackson Kyle's family. But Kyle himself was a giant of Texas agriculture and education! He graduated from Texas A&M, where he was the only student to ever hold both…

You're driving past the site of the Kyle Public Free School, a place that got a major boost from the federal government during the Great Depression. By the 1930s, the school needed new facilities, so the school board…

Samuel E. Mather, state legislator and businessman, was born on October 8, 1812, in Northumberland, England, son of Andrew Mather. Mather married Sarah Parker Smith on August 28, 1846, in San Augustine, Texas; they had…

You're driving by the site of Ebenezer Lutheran Church. Organized in 1886 with 20 charter families, the congregation built this Gothic Revival church building in 1924. It was designed by architect Leo Dielmann.

You're driving past the site of Camp Clark, a Confederate training ground named for Governor Edward Clark. Back in June of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1861</say-as>, he ordered these voluntary camps to whip…

The true heart of old Staples isn't on a street corner; it's in the San Marcos River. If you get a chance to look at the river here, you can still see where the dam stood that made this town possible. Leonidas Hardeman…

The old dam at Staples was a simple but effective piece of 19th-century engineering designed to convert the river's kinetic energy into mechanical power. It was a 'low-head' dam, meaning it created only a small change…

In a pivotal moment for the community, residents of what is now known as Staples, Texas, voted to incorporate as a city on May 10, 2008. Out of 125 votes cast, 87 were in favor, marking a significant majority of 69.6%.…

If you're a Texas A&M fan, you're passing through sacred ground. The namesake of the legendary Kyle Field, Edwin Jackson Kyle, grew up right here. He was the son of Fergus Kyle, the town's founder. After graduating from…

Some of America’s most celebrated literature has its roots right here in Kyle. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author Katherine Anne Porter spent her formative years in this town, from 1892 to 1901. After her mother died,…

The highway you're on right now, Interstate 35, is more than just a road; it's a massive, ongoing civil engineering project. Kyle's explosive growth has put incredible strain on this corridor. For engineers, the…

You might not know it, but you're driving through the official 'Pie Capital of Texas' - and that's not just a folksy nickname, it's a registered trademark. The story starts with a local bakery, the Texas Pie Company,…

Drive around Uhland and you will notice something missing. There are no railroad tracks. The line that mattered around here went in five miles west, at Kyle, where in July of 1880 David Moore and Fergus Kyle deeded two…

The gentle-sounding Plum Creek, which flows near Uhland, holds a darker potential. This area sits in the heart of 'Flash Flood Alley,' and residents have seen the creek's power firsthand. On Halloween of 2013, a storm…

The devastating flash floods that hit Uhland aren't just bad luck; they're a result of specific scientific factors. First, you have weather. Moist air from the Gulf of Mexico often collides with drier air, stalling out…

Uhland, Texas, was settled by German emigrants in the 1800s, making it part of the Texas-German belt. The city's name honors the German poet Ludwig Uhland. In 2026, Uhland experienced a significant event when the mayor,…

You're driving past the Bunton Branch Bridge, a survivor from the dawn of Texas highways. Built in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1915</say-as>, this 42-foot concrete arch was part of the very first federal aid…

You're driving past the Max and Anna Schiwitz Homestead, a testament to early 20th-century Texas ingenuity. Built in 1933, this vernacular-style home was designed with practicality in mind. Anna Schiwitz, wife of a…

You're driving along a razor-thin limestone ridge that drops away on both sides into deep Hill Country valleys. Devil's Backbone is one of the most dramatic drives in central Texas, a winding stretch of Ranch Road 32…

If you feel like you've seen this town before, you might be right. Martindale's downtown has a second life as a Hollywood backlot. Its authentic turn-of-the-century brick storefronts are a filmmaker's dream. The most…

The San Marcos River, which is the heart of Martindale, is an engineering marvel of nature. Its water doesn't come from rainfall runoff like most rivers. Instead, it bursts forth from the Edwards Aquifer at hundreds of…

You're driving past Uhland, Texas, right near where Club 21 once stood. Built around 1893 by August Garbrecht, this wasn't just a dance hall; it was a community hub for German settlers, starting as a saloon. By 1912, it…