Waco history

Black banker, legislator, sought to elevate African-Americans through busting poverty cycle

Robert Lloyd Smith’s legacy will be celebrated through March 20 at The Texas Collection at Baylor University, as curators present “A Homegrown Vision: Robert L. Smith and the Farmers Improvement Society,” an exhibit mounted in observance of Black History

Robert Lloyd Smith (1861-1942) came to Texas in the late 1800s and aspired to improve the lives of newly freed blacks in his adopted state.

Brazos Past: Mooreville church celebrating 100 years in present-day sanctuary

Mooreville United Methodist Church was formally founded — as Mooreville Methodist Episcopal Church South — in 1867.

Mooreville United Methodist Church, about 20 miles southeast of downtown Waco, will celebrate 100 years in its sanctuary Sunday.

Historic fashion exhibit open house this Sunday

“Collectors’ Choice,” a fashion review curated by Claire Masters of Historic Waco Foundation fame, will debut with a public open house from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Fort House Museum, 503 S. Fourth St. in Waco. Masters, who has amassed a personal collection of antique garments ...

Rebel aeronauts, including a Central Texan, took their fight to the skies

A period illustration of Thaddeus S.C. Lowe making a balloon ascension on a reconnaissance mission to Vienna, Va.

In Corsicana's Oakwood Cemetery lies a curious slab of stone - weathered by almost a century, lopsided and moss-covered - which depicts a hot air balloon on the tomb of a Confederate private named Adolphus E. Morse.

Brazos Past: Waco pioneer Kate Ross grew to social leader

Kate Ross was the daughter of famous Texas Ranger and Indian fighter Capt. Shapley Prince Ross (1811-89) and Catherine Fulkerson Ross (1812-86).

Waco pioneer and community philanthropist Kate Ross died 100 years ago this month, after a 61-year life span that bridged Waco's frontier roots to its Ragtime era prosperity.

More Brazos Past: Waco & Central Texas history

Brazos Past: Waco exhibit shares doc's Civil War letters

Dr. Nathaniel Alexander Morgan enlisted for one year as a physician with the 19th Louisiana Infantry for the Confederate States of America — but did not see his family again for almost four years.

The Texas Collection at Baylor University hopes to take readers on an interactive journey through the Confederate correspondence of a Texas physician who eventually made Waco his home.

Brazos Past: Sportswriting legend Jinx Tucker surely smiling on Baylor this year

Henry Harrison “Jinx” Tucker covered sports from 1920 until his death in 1953 for the Waco News-Tribune, which became the Waco Tribune-Herald after merging with the Waco Times-Herald in 1927.

Jinx Tucker, legendary sportswriter for the News-Tribune and Times-Herald for more than 30 years, would have been elated to cover the football frenzy involving RG3.

Brazos Past: Seasons greetings passed through the years via Christmas cards

Sharon Griffith, of McGregor, a Waco native who grew up during the ‘Golden Age” of sending Christmas cards, recently shared some of her collection of cards and postcards with Brazos Past.

Long before the Internet and instant messaging, the way many Americans chose to extend "Seasons Greetings" to their friends, neighbors and kin was through the Christmas card.

Brazos Past: Nazi POWs observed Christmas in heart of Texas

Camp Hearne opened in June 1943, with about 3,000 German prisoners. It would also later hold Italian and Japanese combatants.

Some six months after their arrival in the U.S. and shipment by train to rural Texas, several hundred German soldiers celebrated Weihnachten as "guests" of Uncle Sam.

Brazos Past: Waco's frontier grocer with a colorful name

Colonel Christmas Comfort Compere (1864-1929) worked in Waco as a “frontier grocer” for a decade before moving to Abilene in late 1899 to run a real estate and insurance business with his brother.

A man with the colorful name of Colonel Christmas Comfort Compere was one of Waco's "frontier grocers," according to family history buff Robert Compere III of Plano.

Brazos Past: Baylor thwarted UT's dreams of football glory 70 years ago

Baylor football player Weldon Bigony, now 91, remembers the joy of thwarting a powerful Longhorns team in 1941.

Nov. 8, 1941, was a date which lives in infamy for fans of the University of Texas Longhorns - for that is when the irresistible force that was that year's football team ran smack into the unmovable object that was the Baylor Bears.

Brazos Past: Remembering Waco's Indian roots

Jerry Zotigh, of Waco, seen here wearing the ceremonial garb of his Kiowa ancestors, is a member of two of the tribe’s three warrior societies.

As Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, much attention is paid to the Pilgrims, but not nearly as much to American Indians, to whom Waco’s history is tied.

Brazos Past: Water baron helped Waco grow for decades

Water from Joseph Daniel Bell’s wells were used to supply the entire growing city of Waco with its water for several decades after the formation of his utility on April 20, 1889.

Joseph Daniel Bell drilled the first successful artesian wells on his property in 1886, which garnered Waco the moniker  “Geyser City.”

Brazos Past: Victorian-era diary leads to Waco mystery

The National Publishing Co. of Philadalphia, Pa. — producer of The Excelsior Diary — was founded in 1863 and still exists today.

How and why a certain little hide-bound book ended up in the hands of a Central Texas family is still a bit of a mystery to the sleuths at the West Waco Library and Genealogy Center.

Acres of fun with pioneer broadcaster Johnny Watkins

Born April 7, 1921, in the small town of Kemp in Kaufman County to a farm couple, the young Johnny Watkins was a Navy veteran of World War II. After the hostilities ceased, he attended Texas A&M University and graduated in 1948. 

It’s been a quarter of a century since his microphone went silent for all time. But Johnny Watkins, a pioneer broadcast of KWTX-AM and television fame, is recalled in these parts with fondness. Born April 7, 1921, in the small town of Kemp in Kaufman County to ...

Pearl Harbor remembrances

Americans are only one month away from the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor — the catastrophic event that launched the United States and thousands of Texans into the middle of World War II. Brazos Past and the Tribune-Herald would like to acknowledge the occasion by gathering ...

The haunting of Cameron Park

Ghostly orbs of light seem to dance wildly through the trees along trails at Cameron Park.

Local lore collector Brad Turner will share some of his tantalizing tales on the radio this weekend and on Halloween morning.

Eagle Springs homecoming today

The trustees of Historic Eagle Springs Baptist Church will host their annual Homecoming historic appreciation celebration, starting at 10:30 a.m. today at the site, located just off Farm-to-Market Road 107 between Moody and Gatesville. Built in the 1870s by founders who included the parents ...

Brazos Past: Camp Hearne debuts 'How Texans won WWII'

Camp Hearne visitors discuss World War II weapons with a historian from the Texas Military Forces Museum in Austin.

Today Camp Hearne will launch a new exhibit, "How Texans Won WWII," in conjunction with the Central Texas WWII POW Camp's living history day activities.

Presentation on genealogy info in probate process

Most American adults in our history left some type of estate to be administered. Some left wills, some did not — but either way, if there was land or large amounts of personal property, there was an estate to be disposed. Probate records, therefore, can be a treasure trove of fruitful research ...

Archive

Texas history exhibit at Baylor closing soon

The birdman has landed: Waco greeted celebrated aviator a century ago

Brazos Past: Historic Waco Foundation curator shares tales in book

Bosqueville UMC to mark anniversary

Brazos Past: From the Jewish heart of Texas

Event to celebrate near completion of Norwegian immigrant home project

Historical marker in Calvert to honor Rube Foster

Brazos Past: Junior League identities revealed

Crash at Crush lived up to its hype . . . and then some

Waco orphan was MDA's 1st poster boy

Pappy O'Daniel vs. Bob Wills local court case named one of Texas' most historic

Brazos Past: Central Texan recalls his time as a U.S. Senate page

Brazos Past: 60 years later, former airman seeks Waco family that befriended him

Brazos Past: Waco Police Dept. planning museum for new HQ

Brazos Past: Calling cards from Waco's Victorian-Era past

Brazos Past: Korean conflict POWs to share their stories

Brazos Past: Johnson family embraces business, horses

Brazos Past: Leather postcards from early 20th century present unique slices of life

Brazos Past: Waco Boating and Fishing Club to be recalled in book

Brazos Past: Tall-tale postcards from Texas

Chamber to celebrate Juneteenth today

Brazos Past: Black GIs opened Waco theater after World War II

Brazos Past: A look at Waco's first police vehicles

St. Paul's Episcopal Church history program to be held Thursday

Brazos Past: Remembering Waco TV guru Kirby Pope

Brazos Past: 2 Centex nurses, veterans of World War II, share lifetime of friendship

Brazos Past: The 1st Waco policeman to be killed in the line of duty

Brazos Past does some 'spring cleaning'

Brazos Past: Unpublished pictures of '53 tornado bring unfamiliar views to wider audience

'One-Two-Three on Your Dial': KWTX celebrates 65 years on the air

Brazos Past: Waco Kiwanis Club turns 90

Brazos Past: Saving relics from the past

Brazos Past: Biggest street party in Waco history celebrated prosperity, new era

Brazos Past: Remembering the valiant fallen of the Civil War

Brazos Past: Waco's women warriors wade into political battle

Brazos Past: Bawdy house madam was a Central Texan of some repute

Brazos Past: Waco's Rotan 'mother' of Texas women's clubs

Brazos Past: Waco's 1st female physician

Central Texas history fraught with settler-Indian clashes

Brazos Past: Waco's movie theaters — before the Oscars

Brazos Past: Sam Houston's visit to Waco

Civil War exhibit kicks off Sunday

Brazos Past: Great dates lead to Baylor mates

All God's creatures, great and small: Miss Kate Friend loved them all

Brazos Past: Rough Rider comes to Waco

Brazos Past: Helping assure long-term prosperity for blacks

Brazos Past: Waco Methodists raised a sanctuary in 1 day

Brazos Past: Waco preacher, 'outed' by phrenologist, later confessed to religious skepticism

Brazos Past: Christmas in Waco snapshots

Brazos Past: Waco's YWCA was a country girl's holiday 'home away from home'

Brazos Past: Waco's own Elsie Motz Lowdon gained national acclaim for painted miniatures

Brazos Past: Local Pearl Harbor veteran remembers his brush with 'infamy'

Brazos Past: Waco Steam Laundry cleaned up the old west

Brazos Past: Baylor bears' history celebrated

Brazos Past: When cotton was king — remembering Waco's Cotton Palace

Waco by the books: Essential titles for Central Texas bibliophiles

Waco woman's World War II book-signing set

Brazos Past: New Kentucky senator a former Baylor NoZe member

Brazos Past: Historic theater renovation, neighborhood renewal celebration at North Waco festival today

Brazos Past: Baylor to open Poage Map Room at library

Ghosts speak from the grave through storytellers

Brazos Past: Waco Regional Baptist Association celebrating 150 years

Riding herd on history: Was Waco a stop on the ol' Chisholm Trail?

Brazos Past: Storytellers impersonate historical residents

Judge to unveil McLennan County Courthouse history project

Brazos Past: Waco author with shady tales to tell set for book-signing

Brazos Past: Lessons from Vietnam War

Brazos Past: First United Methodist Church marks 160 years in Waco

Brazos Past: Local Red Cross office collecting veterans' stories, photos

Historic Waco Foundation to present 'Evenings of Southern Hospitality'

Brazos Past: More famous faces grace Waco's past

Brazos Past: Oklahoma quads schooled at Baylor

Landmark Waco Hall turns 80

Brazos Past: Tracing East Waco's roots

Brazos Past: Adopted Texan led rebel mail

Daughters of Confederacy chapter re-chartering, officer ceremony

Brazos Past: Famous Faces in Waco places — politics edition

Brazos Past: Sermons by radio preacher Lester Roloff live on in cyberspace

History program focuses on black baseball greats of Central Texas

Local WWII veteran tells a fish story about naval trip with FDR

Camp Fire celebrates its centennial

Brazos Past: Waco's brush with 'black gold'

Brazos Past: Celebrating one of Waco's first free black families on Juneteenth

Brazos Past: The history and beauty of St. Francis

Brazos Past: Educators of Waco's past

Brazos Past: Feeding the troops meant some homefront sacrifices

The flood that rocked Victorian-era Waco

Brazos Past: Waco trial changed TV forever

Keeping cultural treasures alive

The man behind Cameron Park

The streetcar days of Waco

Camp Fire USA turns 100

Postcards often offer glimpse into Waco's past

TCU fire a century ago stoked flickers of change to university landscape

Remembering a Confederate general with a Waco connection

Famed 'hillbilly' Godwin called Waco his home

Remembering a childhood TV icon: Waco’s Lefty Brown

Hippodrome's demise another chapter in its near century of life

Memories of Jules Bledsoe 'just keep rolling along'

Waco's St. Paul's Episcopal Church a historical treasure trove

Preserved flowers from 1800s offer glimpse into Waco's past

The legend of Isaac Brock: Was Waco man the oldest person who ever lived?

Waco company still producing medicine dating to early 20th century

Roy E. Lane, designer of 'Ragtime Era' Waco

Preserving Castle Heights

Pictures tell the story for Waco's Fred Gildersleeve

Christmas memories in Waco

Civil War era medical exhibit featured in historic Waco house

One family's tale of a Day of Infamy

Texas Collection on the radio

Celebrating legacy of St. John's United Church of Christ in Robinson

Remembering Waco's early firefighters

Dispaying a century of nursing

Interesting facts about the McLennan County Courthouse

Brazos Past: Another Bush family has put its name on a lot of Central texas cornerstones

Can you help identify the mystery bands?

Brazos Past: Remembering WW2 Navy hero Doris Miller

Waco High class of 1953 lost two members to tornado just before graduation

Brazos Past: Prom nights to remember

Brazos Past: 40-year-old can is symbol of family's struggle

M.B. Davis: A Ranger and naturalist

Votes for Women

Jazzin' the night away

Texas Gov. 'Sul' Ross being honored in Iowa

Paul Quinn College's choir to pay visit to Waco

Exhibit highlights World War II efforts of Women Airforce Service Pilots

Medical history: the early doctors of Moody

Waco's fashionable '40s

Historic Waco Foundation's house museums getting in the Christmas spirit

Wish you were here: Postcards of Waco

Meet the Huacos: Local family's heirlooms include Huaco Indian moccasins

Dallas family reveals never-before-published pictures of 1953 Waco tornado

View from a postcard

South Waco then and now

Brazos Past: WACO-AM called several downtown Waco buildings home

Families of old South Waco

The music men and women of Waco

Historic Riesel church celebrates 125th anniversary

Taking flight: James Connally Air Force Base

Keeping cool in old Waco

Baylor grad Jack Hamm combined faith with love of illustrating

Taking time to relax at Camp MacArthur

Waco street scenes

Congregation Agudath Jacob marks 120th anniversary

A life in politics: W.R. Poage

WWII-era nurses at Waco hospital had to do much themselves

Pioneer aviators trained WWI pilots at Rich Field

In 1800s, volunteers formed backbone of Waco firefighting efforts

Waco's nurses-to-be found path grueling

Artifacts from Baylor's founders on display at Moody Library

Central Texas love stories that have stood the test of time

Widow of the Alamo: The story of Sarah Ann Walker

The beginning of Waco's TV history

Volunteer labor, dollars build early Waco zoo

Bidding farewell to a century of Mrs. Baird's in Waco

First Lutheran celebrates 125 years since founding by Norwegian immigrants

Small, colorful advertisements became popular collectibles

Historic hatching: The story of Texas the eaglet

Vanished part of McLennan County lives on in memories

'Images of Waco': Author helps take book about Waco to national audience

Waco's brush with WWI

Playtime in Waco: Kids and critters

Patriotic pictures for the July 4 weekend

Matters of life and death: Waco's ambulance services

Early days of aviation were risky ventures

Waco has rich heritage of schools

A century of 'Sic 'Em': Baylor drips with Homecoming traditions

Strong and stylish: Longtime stylist Patsy Winn Neff started salon to support children

Camp MacArthur a Waco mainstay during World War I

Wings over Waco

Brazos Past: Growing up in Frogtown

In 1918, 'Spanish flu' hit Camp MacArthur

Brazos Past: A child's refuge: Evangelia Settlement provided care for children of working poor

Brazos Past: Passing the time in summer

Brazos Past: Postcards commemorate the life of Camp MacArthur

Brazos Past: Pioneers of medicine

Brazos Past: Hollywood's famous cowboys visit Waco

BRAZOS PAST: McGregor celebrates its history

Brazos Past: Latin American United Methodist Church traces roots to the 1920s

Brazos Past: Waco's ghosts of Christmases past

Brazos Past: Celebrating Christmases past

Brazos Past: Famous faces in Waco places

Brazos Past: A-haunting around Central Texas at Halloween

Brazos Past: Boats cleared way for proposed Brazos passageway

Brazos Past: Waco woman's just wild about Harry Truman

More East Waco memories

Brazos Past: A look at Waco 100 years ago

Brazos Past: Before Baylor arrived, there was Waco University

Brazos Past: Woman discovers historic photos, details about Waco family

Riding the rails: The Katy, the Cotton Belt and WBT&S

Brazos Past: The Brownings' big fan: A.J. Armstrong and the Browning Library

Brazos Past: Benny Green aided his North Waco neighbors during Great Depression

Brazos Past: 100 years in Waco for descendent of pioneer

Brazos Past: Waco's encounters with UFOs

Brazos Past: Collecting Texas history for 85 years

Brazos Past: McLennan County's planting culture

Brazos Past: The 1960-1961 Baylor Bears basketball team

Brazos Past: Photographers of Waco's past

Brazos Past: 100 years of being Chalk Bluff Baptist Church

Brazos Past: Waco's native son was Taylor's public health savior

Brazos Past: Little churches from Waco's past

BRAZOS PAST: Waco goes to work

Brazos Past: Early photographers of Waco

Brazos Past: Waco's natural springs once fed Dr Pepper

Brazos Past: When the circus came to town

Brazos Past: Sicilian family brass ensemble was Waco staple a century ago

Brazos Past: Portraits of early Waco

Brazos Past: The campaign for temperance in McLennan County

Brazos Past: Italian-born artist worked on statues of Baylor and Neff

Brazos Past: On the campaign trail

Brazos Past: The oldest black Baptist congregation in Waco

Brazos Past: Waco's run-in with Bonnie and Clyde

Brazos Past: Aviators former vaudeville troupe at Waco air base

Brazos Past: Cheers to 75 years of legal tippling

Brazos Past: A tale of two churches: Eagle Spring, First Baptist McGregor celebrate 150 years

Brazos Past: Ropin' and ridin' across Central Texas

Brazos Past: Risky business: Lorena man recalls career as a rodeo clown

Bob Hope visits Waco

Brazos Past: Memories of long-ago school days in Waco

Brazos Past: Flying our national colors

Brazos Past: Playtime in Waco

More famous faces in Waco places

Brazos Past: Tribute to the trailblazers

More

 

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